Louis J. Camuti (August 30, 1893 – February 24, 1981) was a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

cat

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

who made

housecall is an American-Japanese multinational cyber security software company with global headquarters in Tokyo, Japan and Irving, Texas, United State.Other regional headquarters and R&D centers are located around East Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, and ...

s on cats and their people for over sixty years. He was the first veterinarian in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to devote his entire practice to cats. Camuti co-authored two books, ''Park Avenue Vet'' with Lloyd Alexander, published in 1962, and his autobiography, ''All My Patients Are Under The Bed: Memoirs of a Cat Doctor'' with Marilyn and Haskel Frankel, published in 1980.

Biography

Camuti was born in

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

, Italy, on August 30, 1893, and grew up in Manhattan, New York. He is a 1920 graduate of the

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

Veterinary College, after studying at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

. When Camuti was about 11 years old, he had

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

, and while sick in bed, his mother left the house with food cooking on the stove. When the pot boiled over, gas began to fill the home. The family cat jumped onto young Camuti's chest and weaved her head back and forth. The young Camuti was too weak to get out of bed, and felt the cat's efforts may have saved his life. Camuti began specializing in cat medicine around 1932–33. At the time, veterinarians did not spend much time providing services to cats. Camuti appeared on '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' in

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

. Camuti died of a heart attack while travelling to see a patient.

Memorial fund

Former patients and friends honor Camuti's commitment to the health of cats through the Dr. Louis J. Camuti Memorial Fund at the

College of Veterinary Medicine's Feline Health Center, which commemorates Camuti's specialty.

Bibliography

* *; also published as:

References

External links

Dr. Louis J. Camuti Memorial Feline Consultation Service at the Cornell Feline Health Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Camuti, Louis J. 1893 births 1981 deaths American veterinarians Cornell University people New York University alumni 20th-century American non-fiction writers Italian emigrants to the United States Physicians from Parma People working with cats