FelineVMA 2026 Annual Conference Call for Poster and Oral Abstract Presentations

Supported by EveryCat Health Foundation

We are now accepting submissions for poster and oral abstract presentations at the FelineVMA 2026 Annual Conference, to be held September 24-27, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The FelineVMA Annual Conference provides you with a unique opportunity to showcase your research with over 1,500 veterinary professionals in attendance from around the world. Engage with leaders in feline medicine, gain recognition with feline research, and gather feedback from your peers and colleagues.

Submission Deadline – March 30, 2026

Submit Application

Qualifications

We invite veterinary professionals, academics, and researchers who are passionate about advancing feline medicine to apply to present a poster and/or abstract to the FelineVMA by the date listed above. Applicants may submit for a poster presentation, an oral abstract presentation, or both.

Presenter Benefits

All accepted poster and abstract presentations will enjoy the following benefits:

  • Publication of the research abstract in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (JFMS). The process of submitting an application for consideration will be taken as confirmation that all authors have approved the research abstract to be published in the JFMS.
  • The primary presenter will receive a 30% discount on Conference registration.
  • Poster Presentation: Attendees will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite poster presentation, and the poster with the most votes will win the “Purr-fect Pick Award.” The primary presenter of the poster with the most attendee votes will receive free FelineVMA membership for the 2027 membership year.

Research Standards

  • All submissions should contain original research or case reports/series, and original information that has not been previously published.
  • If research has been presented elsewhere, but not published, you may provide a “reprinted with permission” statement in the application. Please note that research will not be accepted if it has previously been presented at an iCatCare Congress, as it will already have been published in the JFMS. 
  • The research does not have to correlate with the theme of the Conference. 
  • All research must conform to the JFMS clinical and research ethics and informed consent guidelines.
  • By applying, the applicant agrees that, should it be accepted, at least one of the authors must register and attend the Conference to present the poster and/or abstract. The author attending the Conference to show the poster or present an oral abstract presentation is considered the “primary presenter.”
  • If unforeseen circumstances or emergencies prevent you from attending the Conference to present, your abstract will not be published in the JFMS.

Submission Requirements

  • All applications for poster and abstract presentations must be submitted through the FelineVMA online system. The form will allow you to save your application and come back to it later, but those left in “draft” format and not submitted prior to the deadline will not be considered. Submissions via email will not be accepted.
  • The applicant is required to ensure that all co-authors are aware of the content in the abstract and agree to its submission before submitting the abstract.
  • Abstracts must be submitted in English. All abstracts should be submitted and presented in clear English with accurate grammar and spelling of a quality suitable for publication. If you need help, please arrange for the review of your abstract by a colleague who is a native English speaker, by a university-specific publications office (or other similar facilities), or by a copy editor, prior to submission.
  • One of the following preferences must be selected:
    • “Poster Presentation,” indicating review ONLY as a poster presentation.“Poster AND Abstract Presentation,” indicating the applicant would like to present both a poster and abstract.“Abstract OR Poster Presentation,” indicating the applicant would prefer ONLY an abstract presentation, BUT would be willing to present a poster if their abstract presentation is not selected.
    • “Abstract Presentation,” indicating review ONLY as an abstract presentation. These will not be considered for Poster Presentation.
  • The applicant is required to complete and submit the Disclosure Statement for all authors before submission. Please note that submissions will not be considered without the Disclosure Statement, even if there are no disclosures to be made. 
  • The same person may serve as the primary presenter on up to 2 posters and/or abstracts.

Selection

All applications will be reviewed by an independent Task Force that will be blinded to the presenters. Applications will be selected based on scientific merit, study design and methodology, data quality and interpretation, clinical or practical impact and relevance, and clarity of presentation. The primary contact for each application will be notified of selection (and assigned speaking time, if applicable) by May 15, 2026.

Questions should be directed to conference@catvets.com.

Poster Presentation Details

POSTER PRESENTATION REQUIREMENTS

  • All presenters must check in at the Registration Desk and tell the staff they are a poster presenter to get information about where to display the poster onsite.
  • All posters must be on display in the Exhibit Hall by Friday, September 25, at 3:30 PM and cannot be removed until Sunday, September 2,7 after 2:00 PM.  Please make your travel arrangements accordingly.
  • No early breakdown of the poster will be allowed. If a poster board is not claimed by 3:00 pm on Sunday, it will be discarded.
  • Poster presenters must be at their poster during the afternoon coffee break and reception on Friday, September 25. Presenters are strongly encouraged to be at their poster during breaks on the other days of the Conference, but are not required.

POSTER CREATION

  • It is the presenter’s responsibility to design, print, and provide a hard copy poster. A foamboard stand and thumb tacks will be provided onsite.
  • Your poster must be portrait/vertical orientation and no more than 36 inches wide and x 48 inches tall to fit the space available. Make sure to use at least a font size 24pt and above so the content can be easily read from a distance.
  • We strongly recommend that your posters be produced by a printer for a professional look.
  • Title, author(s), and institution/organization(s) must be placed at the top of your poster in large lettering (at least 2 inches high).
  • The design and layout should be concise, including clear headings (i.e., Background/objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusions) and should also include the abstract summary.
  • The use of color, images, and graphs is strongly encouraged. Be sure graphs and charts can be easily read at a distance of 6-8 feet.
  • All poster presenters must disclose any conflicts of interest or perceived conflicts of interest on the poster.
  • For tutorials on creating scientific posters, click here. 

ABSTRACT SPECIFICATIONS

An abstract summarizing the poster content must be submitted on a single page in Microsoft Word, single-spaced, with 12-point Times New Roman font and a 1-inch margin on all sides. All text should be left justified. It should not exceed 300 words (not including abstract title, author(s), affiliations). Up to 3 tables, graphs, or photographs may be included in the application upload (they may be scaled from the original size for print). It is generally discouraged to submit images in color as they will be printed in the JFMS in black and white. References should not be included. Standard abbreviations may be used for common terms only (see the JFMS Style Guide for more information). Use generic names of drugs. The research must be balanced and contain no commercial promotional content. Submissions may not contain identifying information on patients, institutions, etc. The beginning of the abstract must be constructed as follows:

  • Title: The title should be brief (25 words maximum) and should clearly and objectively describe the study. Abbreviations may not be used in titles.
  • Author(s)*: Include all authors (first name, middle initial if applicable, last name. Do not include titles or degrees. The presenting author should be underlined.
  • Institution or Organization/Address*: This should appear immediately below the author(s) and include both city, state, and country. If there is no institute/organization, just include the city, state, and country. If there is more than one address, superscript numbers should be used for author(s) and institute(s). Do not include zip codes.

Abstracts that do not meet these specifications will not be reviewed. Please proofread your work. Accepted abstracts will be printed in the JFMS as originally submitted.

*All identifying information will be removed by the FelineVMA team before the abstract is sent to reviewers.

Oral Abstract Presentation Details

Oral abstract presentations can include pearls of practice, novel approaches, highlight innovative work or techniques, include video demonstrations, or consist of other significant contributions or findings to practicing feline medicine that would be useful and interesting to attendees.

ORAL PRESENTATION REQUIREMENTS

  • Up to twenty (20) presenters will be selected to share their work during the afternoon of Friday, September 25 or morning of Saturday, September 26. You will have the opportunity to indicate your preference for speaking time in the application, but preferences are not guaranteed.
  • Presentation slides (PPT format) must be submitted to FelineVMA via the link provided after selection by 11:59 PM on Tuesday, September 15. Once submitted, no changes will be allowed. Failure to submit by the deadline will result in forfeiture of your presentation slot.
  • All presenters must check in at the Registration Desk no later than 30 minutes prior to their assigned speaking time and let the staff know they are an oral abstract presenter. You will receive instructions from there.
  • Each oral presentation is scheduled for 10 minutes (8 minutes to present, 2 minutes for answering questions). It is critical that your presentation stick to the allotted time. There will be a moderator in the room ensuring all presentations stick to the allotted time. If you go over the allotted time, you will be cut off.

PRESENTATION SLIDE CREATION

  • Oral abstract presenters must include a slide at the beginning of the presentation disclosing potential conflicts of interest or stating there were no conflicts.
  • Abstract title, author(s), and institution/organization must be placed on your first slide in large lettering (at least 38pt font size). The abstract title should then appear on the header of all additional slides.
  • The design and layout should be concise, including clear headings.

ABSTRACT SPECIFICATIONS

An abstract summarizing the poster content must be submitted on a single page in Microsoft Word, single-spaced, with 12 12-point Times New Roman font and a 1-inch margin on all sides. All text should be left justified. It should not exceed 300 words (not including abstract title, author(s), affiliations). Up to 3 tables, graphs, or photographs may be included in the application upload (they may be scaled from the original size for print). It is generally discouraged to submit images in color as they will be printed in the JFMS in black and white. References should not be included. Standard abbreviations may be used for common terms only (see the JFMS Style Guide for more information). Use generic names of drugs. The research must be balanced and contain no commercial promotional content. Submissions may not contain identifying information on patients, institutions, etc. The beginning of the abstract must be constructed as follows:

  • Title: The title should be brief (25 words maximum) and should clearly and objectively describe the study. Abbreviations may not be used in titles.
  • Author(s)*: Include all authors (first name, middle initial if applicable, last name. Do not include titles or degrees. The presenting author should be underlined.
  • Institution or Organization/Address*: This should appear immediately below the author(s) and include both city, state, and country. If there is no institute/organization, just include the city, state, and country. If there is more than one address, superscript numbers should be used for author(s) and institute(s). Do not include zip codes.

Abstracts that do not meet these specifications will not be reviewed. Please proofread your work. Accepted abstracts will be printed in the JFMS as originally submitted.

*All identifying information will be removed by the FelineVMA team before the abstract is sent to reviewers.