As a small animal veterinarian, I have been in private practice for twenty years, specialising in canine and feline medicine. In addition to running my own clinic, I am also involved in the Crazycat Charity Association, which assists in the birth control and medical treatment of stray cats, as well as animal welfare advocacy. With the increasing awareness of pet owners and the general public towards animal welfare in Taiwan, as a clinical veterinarian, I deeply feel that the field of small animal medicine must be further refined. The predicament of the veterinary professionalization and the care of street cats ought to be more systematically understood from the perspective of the social sciences.
Therefore, I came to the Graduate Institute of Humanities in Medicine of Taipei Medical University, where I believe to be best suited for this kind of cross-disciplinary research. I envision that, by studying here, I would be equipped to study the plight of the veterinary profession and animal protection movement in Taiwan using methods quite different from those commonly used in the natural sciences which I am familiar with.
After gaining a better understanding of the problem, there might be some opportunities to find ways to improve the relationships between veterinarians, patients and pet owners and to establish a cat-friendly environment.
