MORGANTOWN — If the sign out front wasn’t an indication Feline Veterinary Care of Morgantown is serious about cats, you won’t be mistaken as you walk in the front door.
The Sabraton office features cat pillows and feline faces that welcome pet owners into the facility. There’s also a mindful staff devoted to mak-ing sure your kitty companion feels comfortable in the veterinarian setting.
Dr. Jean Meade started the Cheat Lake Animal Hospital in 2000, doing things like spays and neuters. The practice took off, and 24-hour emergency services started in March 2012. Soon, the office was busy with dogs, cats and other pets.
For some cats, the environment proved stressful, and the practice designated an area for cats only. Meade said the customers loved it.
“There isn’t a cat-only practice in West Virginia. They’re starting to crop up nationally, but we don’t have one here, and based on the numbers of cats that we see and the request of our clients, we thought, ‘well, let’s give it a try,’ “ she said.
Pawing into their third week, Meade hopes the clinic can serve a niche and a need for the area. She said they hope to set up spay and neuter programs and work with nonprofits to serve the cat community of Morgantown and surrounding areas.
Dr. Holly Kossuth said the goal of the clinic is also to meet the standards of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, meaning the cats feel safe when they have to make their trip to the doctor’s office.
“When they come in, there’s not noises or odors that can make them frightened, and there’s staff here that really enjoy working with cats,” Kossuth said.
Before kitty even comes in for a checkup, staff will talk to owners on the phone and let them know how to transport their pet to the office stress-free.
The staff takes extra care in approaching the cats, and even has feline pheromone plug-ins to make cats feel welcome.
“So when they come in this room, they don’t smell dogs. They smell some things that remind them of their mama,” she said.
Bringing your cat to this vet isn’t all shots and check-ups, though. Kossuth said the staff is willing to consult with clients and talk about other things, such as cats’ behavioral issues at home.
The cat’s stay at the vet is even tailored for them, with a cat house, a perch and a litter box. The clinic is capable of doing dental work, blood work, offers spay and neuter services with state-of-the-art equipment.
Brittany Donaldson and Caryna Hannan, both vet assistants, learned a lot coming into a feline-only practice. Donaldson learned approaching cats slowly is key in meeting a cat, and Hannan said the clinic is a “no scruff” clinic. Restraining cats is part of the formula, and doing so in a gentle and stress-free way is paramount to staff.
Mollie Kyzer, a vet tech, said one thing the clinic staff does really well is read the animal and give it time to adjust to the environment. A cat owner herself, she’s learned stress from an owner can translate to stress in a pet. Coming to a less stressful environment helps with that.
“We want owners to feel like this is a family for them, too. We want to be able to talk to them, get to know them personally. Get to know their names, their faces and get to develop a relationship with them, where they feel like it’s more than just a vet visit,” Kyzer said.
Meade sees a bright future for the practice. She hopes to have fourth-year vet students work at the clinic, with an apartment available upstairs for them to stay, if they choose. She said talking to people and education is the key to all good health care, if you are a person or a cat.
“Sabraton is new for us. We’ve been over in Cheat Lake for a long time, so we want to become a part of the community here, too, as we have in Cheat Lake,” Meade said.
“We run two nonprofits out of the hospital there, and we just hope to find our legs here in terms of getting engaged with the community and supporting cat lovers all over West Virginia.”
