INTRODUCTION
An anatomical textbook published in 1881 by the British zoologist St. George Mivart is an early example of cats (Felis catus) being used for biomedical research. Later there were studies of the "falling reflex" in cats by Marey, a French physiologist. Radiographic studies of the functioning gastrointestinal tract were performed by Cannon in 1887.
Cats have many diseases in common with humans. They are suitable for investigations of aging, cancer and genetic defects including hemophilia. During the past 20 years, research in feline lymphoproliferative diseases has given scientist important information on the malignant process and cancer related immunosuppression. More recently, a feline retrovirus infection was discovered to have many features in common with human AIDS.