Cornell's famed cat expert is mourned on campus, beyond

ITHACA, N.Y. — Patient care and life in general are moving on at the Feline Health Center, part of Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, but people who work at the center agree things haven't been the same – and probably won't be for quite some time – since the death of the center's director, James R. Richards, DVM.

Teacher's pet: Former students, colleagues and cat lovers nationwide sent condolences after Dr. James Richards, Cornell University's widely recognized cat-care expert, was killed in a motorcyle accident. Dr. Richards is shown with his former office mascot, "Dr. Mew."

Richards, 58, a nationally recognized expert in cat care who lectured, authored and edited books on the subject and appeared as a guest on all major television networks, usually holding a cat, died April 24 in Johnson City, N.Y., of injuries he suffered two days earlier in a motorcycle accident eight miles south of Marathon, N.Y.

A New York State Police sergeant said Richards was thrown from his motorcycle after he tried unsuccessfully to avoid hitting a cat that had darted onto the road.

The feline health center's Web site was flooded with sympathy e-mails from across the nation. Not only former students and colleagues, but many people who said they weren't veterinarians and never met Richards expressed condolences.

"I remember Dr. Richards as one of the smartest men I have ever met. His dedication to feline health had a great impact on me in my career...His death leaves a great hole in veterinary medicine and in life," wrote Malisa DeHart, DVM, Cornell Class of 1998, now with Community Pet Care in Lackawanna, N.Y.

A fallen friend

"As busy as he was, Dr. Richards always had time for me, not only as a student but also when I went into practice. I just can't believe that he's gone...The kitties have certainly lost a friend," wrote Susan Whittred, DVM, Cornell Class of 2003.

"I didn't know Dr. Richards. I'm not even a veterinarian. I'm simply an English teacher from Pennsylvania who adores cats. I was shocked and tearful to learn about Dr. Richards. I have read about him and seen him in public appearances, so I felt I knew him. I'm sure Cornell is deeply saddened. His shoes are very big to fill," wrote Lisa Anderika.

The Cornell dean's office said it received many sympathy cards and e-mails, which were forwarded to the center or to Richards' family.

Tribute to a mentor

"There was a nice service for him, and a lot of people turned out. He was much beloved on this campus and beyond," says Dr. Michael I. Kotlikoff, who takes over as dean of the veterinary college on July 1.

Richards, who earned his DVM degree from The Ohio State University in 1979, joined the Cornell Veterinary College in 1991 as assistant director of the Feline Health Center and was named its director in 1997. He also served as director of the Dr. Louis J. Camuti Memorial Feline Consultation and Diagnostic Service, which answers calls from veterinarians and cat owners at 1-800-KITTY-DR. Richards often fielded the questions personally.

Dr. Fred Scott, who retired as director of the center 10 years ago and had been instrumental in Richards' appointment to succeed him, volunteered to assist in running the center "as long as is necessary," until the university decides how it will conduct the process of naming a replacement.

Richards was a senior extension associate in the college, who lectured to DVM students on feline topics. He also was a member of Cornell Christian Faculty and Staff Forum.

He was a past president of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and a nationally recognized authority on vaccination for cats, which he usually referred to as "kitties." In the 1990s, when sarcomas appeared on the skin of some recently vaccinated cats, Richards led the Vaccine-Associated Feline Sarcoma (VAS) Task Force through a series of medical investigations, resulting in recommendations to DVMs and cat owners.

He was the author of the ASPCA Complete Guide to Cats; an editor of The Well-Behaved Cat: How to Change Your Cat's Bad Habits; the consulting editor and co-author of the second edition of The Cornell Book of Cats; and wrote a regular column on cat care for the college newsletter.

Under Richards, the Feline Health Center had two feline mascots – first "Dr. Mew," a "tuxedo" black-and-white cat often pictured with Richards and whose image appeared on many of the center's publications, and more recently "Elizabeth I."

When Dr. Mew died one year ago last month, Richards posted a lengthy tribute and obituary on the feline center's Web site, ending with "Ah, the Mewser. A wonderful cat for nearly 17 years, and the best officemate a human could have. My dear, dear friend, you will be missed."

Several of the condolence e-mails sent to the center also mentioned Richards' favorite cat, including this one from a former student:

"I count myself among the multitude of veterinary students touched by Dr. Richards' infectious sense of humor and enthusiasm. Unsurpassed as a mentor, his guidance has been profoundly affecting, both personally and professionally. Dr. Richards, you will be missed. It is little comfort, but I hope Dr. Mew has reclaimed your lap." – Naomi Oliver, Class of 2005.

Richards is survived by his wife, Anita Fox Richards, and two sons, Jesse and Seth. Memorial donations may be made to the Cornell Feline Health Center, James R. Richards Jr. Memorial Fund, College of Veterinary Medicine, Box 39, Ithaca, NY 14853, or through the center's Web site, www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/.