Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the world’s greatest shared health threats between people and animals, and hospitalized patients are among the highest at-risk. Companion animals can develop resistant infections following antimicrobial treatment or following other exposures, including contact with other animals, humans, food, and/or environmental elements. Studying these risk factors and determining the specific molecular mechanisms of drug resistance can support hospital infection control and allow us to trace the exposures from other hosts and environmental niches. To address these questions, we have assembled an interdisciplinary team of veterinary and public health experts to perform a prospective study of resistance to last-resort drugs at the world’s largest nonprofit veterinary hospital. Our overarching hypothesis is that cats are exposed to carbapenem-resistant bacteria in healthcare settings, and we will test this by performing rectal swabs at admission and discharge, in conjunction with administering a risk factor survey. The swabs will be screened using well-established selective enrichment methods. Finally, we will analyze the genomes of resulting bacterial cultures to determine the relationships between these feline strains and those from other sources including from humans.