Alexis Wenski-Roberts/Cornell

Jim Richards with Dr. Mew, a long-time resident cat at the Feline Health Center, in a 2004 file photo.

James R. Richards, DVM, director of the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine's Feline Health Center and a nationally recognized expert in cat care, died April 24 at age 58 from injuries received in an April 22 motor vehicle accident about eight miles south of Marathon, N.Y.

At Cornell, Richards was a senior extension associate in the Vet College who lectured on feline topics to classes in the DVM curriculum. He was also faculty adviser to the Cornell Christian Faculty and Staff Forum.

With some help from the resident mascots of the Cornell Feline Health Center, originally Dr. Mew and most recently Elizabeth I, Richards was the human ambassador to the often-mysterious world of cats -- their health and ills, their behavior and their predilections.

He was a past president of the American Association of Feline Practitioners and a nationally recognized authority on vaccination protocols for cats, which he invariably referred to as "kitties."

He was the author of the "ASPCA Complete Guide to Cats," the consulting editor and a co-author of "The Cornell Book of Cats," as well as editor in chief and columnist ("Ask Dr. Richards") of "CatWatch," the Vet College newsletter. Invitations to appear on network television (including CBS, CNN and Fox News) were often accepted by the genial Richards, whose lap was not complete without at least one purring cat. An advocate for all cats -- those without homes as well as the luckier ones -- Richards served as an adviser to Alley Cat Allies, the trap-neuter-return program to manage populations of feral cats.

In the 1990s, when cancerous growths, or sarcomas, began to appear on the skin of some recently vaccinated cats, Richards led the Vaccine-Associated Feline Sarcoma Task Force through medical investigations and recommendations to cat owners and veterinarians.

"Jim was the quintessential feline expert in the country, but beyond that, he was a warm, caring and wonderful person," said Donald Smith, dean of Cornell's Vet College. "He touched and improved the lives of an untold number of students at the College of Veterinary Medicine, and other individuals not only at Cornell but in the pet world at large."

Born July 19, 1948, in Richmond, Ind., Richards earned an A.B. degree in mathematics (1970) from Berea College and his DVM (1979) from Ohio State University. He joined the Cornell Vet College in 1991 as assistant director of the Feline Health Center and was named director in 1997. Richards 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. He often fielded the questions himself, frequently assuring callers that more often than not situations are not as dire as they first appear.

Richards is survived by his wife, Anita Fox Richards, and two sons, Jesse and Seth. A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 28, at 2 p.m. at the Bethel Grove Bible Church, 1763 Slaterville Road, Ithaca. Memorial donations can be made to the Cornell Feline Health Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853.