The Cat Clinic

Very friendly staff. Dr. Liz is amazing. I will be sorry to see her retire, but she deserves it. I love that there are only cats here. Much less stress for my cat.

Dr. O'Brien has retired but here credentials are still being advertised. It would be nice to know something about the vets who are actually taking care of my cat.

I had been a client for approx. 11 years. My cat Nix, who is 15, was a relatively healthy cat without any issues. This past July, I took Nix to their sister clinic, The Village Cat Clinic, for a 'routine' dental surgery. The surgery went smooth & was home that night. Within 24 hours I noticed Nix was super puffy & her skin felt funny. I called in & was told to keep an eye on her over the weekend & the vet would call me Monday morning. On the Sunday afternoon, I came home to find vomit all over my place & Nix hiding. I called the Hamilton ER Vet on King St. & was told to bring her immediately. I explained everything to the Vet on call & after an x-ray I was told she had a tracheal tear, which was most likely caused by the breathing tube during the dental surgery. They explained that it was very painful as the air escapes the trachea & sits under the skin & with a small tear it would eventually repair itself. If it was a serious tear, it would require a surgical repair. They used a syringe to remove air from under the skin, gave an antibiotic & pain injection & we were on our way. The next day I spoke to the vet & ended up taking Nix in as she wasn't able to breath properly. She was placed on oxygen for a few hours, had more oxygen removed & we were sent home. The next day we returned again as Nix was struggling to breath. She was placed on oxygen & when we tried to remove her to go home, she deteriorated right away. I ended up taking her to the Hamilton ER vet again so that she could be on oxygen overnight & see if she improved. After 2 days on oxygen, the vet that did the dental surgery called me crying & wanted to explained my options to me. Nix needed a scope done to see the extent of the tear, however the scope needed to be done in Guelph. Nix couldn't be taken off oxygen & they didn't think that she would make it to Guelph without oxygen. The oxygen tanks they had only last about 20 minutes & they couldn't transport her on oxygen because of liability issues. I asked the vet what that meant & she said I needed to consider humane euthanization. I was beside myself & utterly speechless. I told her that was not acceptable & that there had to be something that could be done. I asked her to explore other options for oxygen & I would take her to Guelph. There was no reason for them to be giving up on her after causing all of this because they wouldn't take her to Guelph. The Hamilton SPCA lent a tank out & I picked her up the next morning & took her to Guelph. I was given an initial quote based on a tracheal tear with repair done through her throat. A scope was done & a 2cm long tear was found in her trachea. The vet that did the scope explained that this was a result of the breathing tube either being inflated too much or pushed in too far. Nix would need surgery to repair it & unfortunately because of the size & location, they would have to go through her sternum to do it. As she was already under anesthetic I was given minutes to make a decision. Of course, I told them to go ahead & I would figure out the financial aspect later. Nix did well over the weekend in ICU & she came home 5 days after surgery. She required pain, antibiotic & B12 injections as she wouldn't eat, had diarrhea & was loosing weight. For a 3 week period I took her to the Village Clinic to have these done until they told me to call Guelph & see what they wanted done as it was so long post surgery. Without pain medication Nix began vomiting several times a day & not eating. At this point I found a new vet & Nix now has a care plan & is doing well, despite being on pain meds for the rest of her life. Not once did Dr. O'Brien see Nix, call me or follow up. She left me with the bill for the repair, despite this being a result of the dental. Her resolution to all of this was to euthanize Nix. I’m beyond grateful to have Nix home but as a result of the Cat Clinic, I almost lost her and she is forever changed. I now have a monthly vet bill of approx. $250 for pain meds. For a Cat Specialist I expected more from her when dealing with a situation like this.

Our first trip to the clinic with our new kitten. The trip was phenomenal and we’ve found our new vet clinic! Little Tish peed in her carrier and clinic personnel immediately took this a washed it out. She received gentle care and their expertise around how to quickly determine temperament and approach with your animal was amazing. Our kitten was comfortable and was even purring and enjoying all the petting and love. Pricing was reasonable and they even gave the kitten a complimentary “pedicure” (mail clipping) with the services. Two needles and a well kitten exam this time, but we will be returning shortly to have her fixed. Highly recommend this vet!

Although somewhat pricey this is the best clinic around for cats. They are extremely kind and understanding, when I needed an emergency appointment they pushed me in right away! They are knowledgeable in all things cat

Both vets we've seen have been very knowledgeable and kind, and I've found their advice to be reasonable, realistic, and compassionate - which you might be lucky to get for your dog, let alone for your cat.The clinic is a little chaotic with scheduling and administration, but for me it's nothing compared to the very high standard of care. They seem in high demand and I get the sense everyone's doing their best to keep up, plus which I'm told they'll have increased capacity for appointments very soon.So, think of them as an excellent family doctor without urgent care capacity - and hopefully the last bit is changing soon.

I and my now deceased mother, have been taking our beloved kitty cats to The Cat Clinic for years - back when the clinic was owned by Dr. Chernesky and then by Dr. O’Brien. I was actually an employee there for many years. The doctors and staff at the clinic are professional, extremely knowledgeable and most importantly- they are extremely compassionate and caring. When I had to euthanize my 18.5 year old kitty and then a few years later, his 21.5 year old brother, I was devastated. However, Dr O’Brien made the entire procedure both times, as quiet & peaceful as one could hope for. Both of my beloved little boys passed quietly and crossed the Rainbow Bridge while I held them in my arms. The entire support team at the clinic are amazing! Lynn always has my current kitty’s medication filled and ready to pick up same day!

Dishonest clinic. They will gauge you for money in every way that they can. I was charged over $1100 for testing on my cat and told that she has gingivitis and needed surgery.... went to two other clinics to confirm and was told otherwise.Receptionists are unfriendly and the clinic is hard to get ahold of. Spend your money elsewhere, your pets deserve better

Dr. Hall is such an amazing and genuine animal lover. It really shows. I always take my cats here, especially because my cat already has high anxiety, and the sound of other animals would really terrify him, so the fact that it's dedicated specifically towards cats is awesome!Receptionists are very sweet as well!

Overall a lovely clinic!In terms of accessibility, it's hard to get into the door; once you do the waiting area is quite small, but sunny and well laid out.The brown haired receptionist was warm and friendly. Looking around; everywhere there are cute and kooky cat decorations.I arrived 15min early for my appointment to fill out paperwork and in case of delays.Saw the veterinarian twenty minutes late, which is more than reasonable given that it is only two days til Christmas. However, no staff spoke to me the 45min I sat in the waiting area including 15min after my scheduled appointment time. A simple notice of the delay would have sufficed.Very happy with my cat's physical exam, the doctor was gentle and didn't hold my little guy still, letting him turn around and wander a bit. Ari warmed to him even though he was a stranger doing weird things to him.The exam room itself was cozy, sunny and clearly laid out well for cats. Ari jumped onto the table immediately which had a thick comfy covering on it. Then from there to the window. He also liked the shelf beside the door and waited there when the doctor left the room. I did find that I had to keep an eye on my cat as he decided that he wanted the treat container which was on open shelving.Dr.AJ did what he could to minimize the discomfort of the vaccines, which I appreciated as my cat started life out as a stray. Physical handling and interactions with my pet were gentle and assuring.I noticed the cost of the visit was not explained to me. At the time of payment the receptionist implied multiple times I couldn't afford to pay my invoice and acted as if taking payment with card and cash was an arduous task for her to undertake.If not for the wonderful experience with Dr. AJ and the care my furkid recieved I would not be returning, which is a shame as for the last decade I've heard how great this vet clinic was for my family friends who recommended them to me way back in 2006.Pros:Warm and welpcoming staffCommunity engagementCharity workAdoption programClinic catCons:Tiny waiting areaNo wifiCustomer service:- Incredibly rude to another client who was asking about a particular veterinary food. Didn't offer to check today's order and see if it's coming in or call to see if another clinic has it in stock. The client left visibly upset.