A Cat Practice

This place is great! I brought my cat in to be looked at and Dr. Levy gave me many options for treatment and didn’t pressure me into a certain option. She even took her time to explain each treatment to me very well. The staff is very friendly and helpful. They took their time with her and treated her so well (she never likes coming to the vet) They also have great prices on Revolution! The cheapest I can find in the area! I will definitely be coming back and recommending to others!

First, I don’t like vets who promote pet foods that are low in quality. And they do.
They don’t know anything about nutrition.
They prescribed a pain killer and antibiotics for my cat’s UTI. My cat didn’t respond well to them at all. But not the vet’s fault.
Also I didn’t like the general vibe there so I didn’t go back.

This review is in response to Lee’s two-​star review… I had a totally different experience with the new ownership of the practice. I also have been coming to this veterinarian for many years and my cat has been getting on in years and was very delicate condition. I found that the treatment of my cat as the patient (as well as me as the owner) was very warm and empathetic. Pricewise, I didn’t and haven’t found that this clinic is any more or less pricey than any others in the area. It’s unfortunate that you had a negative perception of your last experience and are considering leaving as a result… but I think it’s a real change for the better as Dr. Levy seems to really know her stuff and is willing to openly share her analytical knowledge with her clientele, that is the owners of her patients. I guess that not everyone resonates well with every medical professional — it might be better that you go to somebody a little less clinically straightforward.

I have come to this vet off and on for the past 20 years. I finally just gave up and came back several times because it is convenient to where i live. Who wants to spend half an hour in the car with a yowling cat going to a far-​away vet practice? I came back again after not being particularly happy with other vet practices in the area and what? Another new owner of A Cat Practice? This place has changed ownership several times in the years i have been coming. I don’t think i have ever had the same vet more than 2 times. Are these just contract vets and they come and go, or do they have a vested interest in knowing their patients over the course of years?
I am particularly unhappy with the current ownership. I’ve been twice now (different cats) and i realize i should have been happy with the previous owners/​vets. The current staff has never heard of a smile or a greeting. I actually did a double-​take the last time i was here thinking i must have come when they were closed since i got such nasty and even disinterested looks when I walked in the door. This last time i was there my kitty was sick (not just an annual exam) and they really seemed like they could have cared less. Ever hear of sympathy? I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone of veterinary care.
The 2 times i have been to this current ownership i asked for an estimate/​price list before approving any care. Both times it came to more money than i take home in a week (for routine sick care, nothing life-​threatening), so i had to ask them to tell me which were the absolutely necessary treatments. Both times the vet (Dr. Levy) became completely cold and nearly walked out of the room. I mean, the expression on her face actually changed! Both times they wanted to do a full blood work-​up which was nearly $ 200 and it turned out it was one of the items that was not really «absolutely necessary.» I am NOT going to give anyone a blank check!
I asked my neighborhood cat sitter where most her clients go when the vet is necessary. A Cat Practice was way down the list. I’ll be trying the vet which she said 70% of her clients use.

I’ve never had a pet before and the first one I got was a feral cat given to me by a co worker. For weeks this cat hated me and everyone around her. She would hide and only come out to eat. I had her for 3 months and never got to touch her.
She got fleas so I finally had to catch her and take her to the vet. They were so professional with her at A Cat Practice. They gave me somewhat of a vitamin to calm her down as well as Revolution serum for her fleas. I was unable to get the cat to let me put her flea medicine on by myself. So I called A Cat Practice and they had no problem doing it for me the next day!
Not only did they give her the medicine, they gave me some sample wipes to help calm her down and even clipped her nails!
The best part was that after having this cat for 3 months with no kind of interaction, they were able to hold her and so can I! I will definitely be going to them for all my vet needs!

This was our first trip to A Cat Practice and I was quite impressed.
We were greeted by a very friendly staff as soon as we walked in. The paperwork was very straightforward and uncomplicated. Our veterinary assistant (possibly nurse? I didn’t ask) was a sweet and personable man who seemed to really love his job.
Dr. Levy really was fantastic at handling our shy cat. Moon (our cat) is usually scared of everything and runs from new people but he seemed to calm down quickly in Dr. Levy’s care and didn’t even flinch during his shots.
She gave us many choices when it came to solving his medical problem and explained each thoroughly. She didn’t try to push us toward any particular treatment, only gave an honest medical opinion.
We left with a solution that fits our lifestyle and preferences, lots of good information, and a cat that didn’t cry once on the way home. We will most definitely be going back to see Dr. Levy!

I’ve been a few times in the past year, treating 3 different cats. In all honesty, we took our pets here because it was for cats only and they were conveniently located.
I’ve had really fabulous vets in the past and know what to expect. They were ok. This past weekend, though, has left such a bad taste in my mouth I’m now searching for a new vet. Our cat was already on one medication and was prescribed a different medication to treat one of the side effects she was having from the first medication. It did treat the side effect, but it also caused the cat to become so terrifyingly sick that we had to bring her to an emergency vet for the weekend. Poison control had to be consulted numerous times before we were told they felt it was ok for us to bring the cat home. When we googled the two medications, the first result lists the dangers of combining the two drugs. Medications can be unpredictable. We understand that, but when your cat almost dies, you have to step back and think to yourself if convenience is really that important when it comes to your pet’s lives.

Lived in Silver Spring since June of 2013. We’ve had to come here for two separate instances, once with each cat. Back in June ’13, we had to take our cat over a day after moving here due to a UTI. He was constantly cleaning his private area, sitting in a crouched position, peeing blood, etc. We took him to A Cat Practice and within 24 hours, he was acting fine again. They gave us the necessary meds and were very kind.
The most recent incident was more serious. What we thought was a UTI again in our other cat (he was acting the same symptom-​wise as the other cat did back in June ’13) turned out to be that he was completely blocked due to «crystals» in his urethra. We ultimately had to transfer him to an Animal Hospital in Laurel. We all knew that we were staring down at an oncoming $ 1-​$ 2K bill when all would be said and done, so A Cat Practice did everything possible to help us out with the BS nickle and dime charges that a hospital would charge you. They set him the catheter, meds, food, etc. with our cat to be sent to the hospital — to minimize the charges the hospital would have charged us for (which would have been doubled).
Both cats are now fine but our cat that had the crystals now has to be on a prescription wet food diet that can only be purchased at A Cat Practice. My first time back there since our cat came home, they knew which cat I was talking about, who he was, etc. without even looking anything up. I didn’t feel like a statistic customer when I was there. I felt like they genuinely gave a crap about my cat. Based off these two exhausting and scary experiences we’ve had with our fur babies, we completely trust A Cat Practice and when the time comes, we will be back there again searching for their help.
One criticism is the awful hours. A few days a week they close at 2pm and they aren’t even open on Sundays.

I have had excellent experiences at A Cat Practice with 4 different cats that I have taken there.
Most notably, with my very senior cat, the staff were very helpful in helping me weigh treatment options and monitoring his health over time and when it came time to euthanize him, the veterinarian was extremely kind and thoughful and took the time to discuss the decision with my children so that they could understand why it was the best choice. They made a difficult process happen as peacefully as possible and I truly appreciate it.
They have been flexible with walk-​in appointments and I have never felt pressured to commit to uneccessary products or procedures. They are thorough and take the time to talk to us, but also efficient.

I’ve been very happy with this vet. We transferred our cats’ care here after moving, and have had consistently good experiences. Both cats were old and had existing health problems, and care has been great. Dr. Dearie has been very helpful and compassionate, and everyone was kind when the time came to say goodbye to our 18 ½ year old girl.
The only drawback is that it’s expensive, but I think that’s probably the case with most vets these days, especially around here.

I’ve been going to A Cat Practice for several years now. It’s important to us to take our cats to a feline-​only clinic because of how much it reduces their stress. The vets, practice manager and vet techs are terrific — responsive, thorough, and communicative. They remember our cats and seem to genuinely care about them.
Each visit they give us an estimate of the bill before they do any tests or procedures, so we don’t suffer sticker shock at the end of a visit. Plus, they carry a variety of prescription and kidney-​friendly foods. It can take a while to develop trusting relationships with care providers, but A Cat Practice has earned our respect — and gratitude. We wouldn’t take our cats anywhere else.

I’ve only been here once so far, but was very pleasantly surprised. This is what a vet’s practice and is everything that I did not experience at other practices (are you listening Banfield?).
The vet was excellent. She was very knowledgable and clearly cares about the animals and is passionate about what she does. She also takes the time to explain the important things and doesn’t push unnecessary procedures (refer to ‘caring about the animal’).
I didn’t know what to expect but will definitely be going here from now on.
Only slight downside was that it was a little tricky to find, and their neighbours (i’m assuming a seminary) have build some very odd faux french style buildings. And a Japanese one.

I’d never take my cats here again. I can’t take that risk.
I would give 5 stars for the vet techs though (or at least one of them).
However, the vet was completely inexperienced (female). She had to call other vets for advice. She had to look on the internet. She gave me three choices, not based on her experience, but whomever she talked with:
1. take your pet to VCA, she called them in advance and wanted my cat to stay there. She got advice from them.
2. Do blood work (but it is purely for academic reasons at this point) and we can give your kitty some fluids. (yes, she said that)
3. Euthanize your cat (yes, she said it like that)
She was very matter of fact, and very rushed, quickly listing off these three options. She checked my kitty, said she couldn’t tell what was wrong, checked the x-​ray, didn’t see anything abnormal. I asked for option 2, but I didn’t do the blood work.
I immediately followed up with my long time vet that lives 30 miles away and had to wait another day to take my kitty in. My other vet touched my kitty’s stomach and within seconds told me that he felt a mass. He saw the same x-​ray as she did, and said yep. There is is right there. And, all this after two vet’s in Montg​.Co did not see or feel the same thing.
Bottom line: I wouldn’t go here because you’ll end up going somewhere else, spending more because of numerous visits and especially if there is something wrong that your kitty, you can’t trust it. (at least, with the vet that I saw)

i took my cat in for her annual exam and rabies shot, and while at first I was a bit nervous because of some of the other reviews, my fears were very much unfounded. I think I saw Dr. Reidy, who was awesome. She was very nice to my terrified kitty, and very professional, even when my cat squirmed and made her miss the rabies vaccination the first time. They didn’t charge me for the missed dose, and like I said, she was super nice and treated my cat really well. I highly recommend this practice.

I just got my cat’s teeth cleaned here today. When I went to drop her off, the women at the front desk were very friendly and gave me the relevant information about the cleaning process. I’m not sure what is standard for cat anesthesia during teeth cleaning, but I do know they used an inhaled anesthetic, rather than an injected variety because it is better for cats. Since my cat is eight years old, she needed t have a blood test prior to the cleaning to confirm anesthesia would be OK (apparently this is standard– I called a few vets and was told my cat would need this test because of her age). The total bill for the anesthesia, blood work, exam, cleaning, and fluoride treatment was $ 350. That did feel like a lot of money to spend. I don’t really even spend that much on my own dental. However, this place is the cheapest in the area. Other places I called gave estimates like $ 430… So, all in all the price was right compared to other places.
They actually removed a few little fur clumps that my persian had under her armpits while she was there, which was nice cause she hates it when I try to remove them…
One other thing to note about the reviewer below who mentioned her cat having eye issues– my cat had similar eye problems when I first got her and I had to take her to a veterinary ophthalmologist. The ophthalmologist actually gave me a cone for my cat to wear while her eye healed, so I think that is standard practice for cat eye issues.
One final note– I got a rabies vaccine for her while I was there, which was $ 31. I think that is pretty standard, but will probably get my cat vaccinated at the Washington Animal Rescue League in the future because they have a cat rabies clinic on Wednesdays that charges $ 15 for shots.

I’m really baffled by the negative reviews. I’ve been going here for six years with both of my cats and have never had anything but positive experiences. I appreciate that since it is a cat-​only practice, the waiting area is quiet with no loud barking dogs to traumatize the cats. The doctors are all very knowledgeable, and I especially like Dr. Warford. She has a good «bedside manner» with the cats and is patient and kind. This is the only vet I’ve ever been to in the area so I cannot compare the prices to other places, but in my opinion they seem reasonable.

This place is AWFUL!
My cat (Kitto) had an eye goo problem. I figured it was allergies or something– so to make her more comfortable, I brought her to the vet. When I got there the vet told me Kitto needed these test to make sure that the eye was not injured. She did the tests, along with the exam. She then told me she could not see anything wrong with Kitto. She handed me some cream for a bacterial infection. Keep in mind this visit cost me $$$$ 200 $$$!!
I returned home with my cat. Two days later, my cats eye was RED and INFLAMED! I figured she had a reaction to the medicine. I went BACK to the lady. SHE DID THE TEST AGAIN!!! She told me AGAIN nothing was wrong with KITTOS EYE and that I needed to bring her to a specialist. She SUPPOSEDLY gave me a DIFFERENT medication for kittos eye. SHE CHARGED ME FOR ANOTHER EXAM ($$ 137 $$!!!). This time she gave me a cone for my cats head so that she would not try and clean or supposedly aggravate the eye more.
I did bring her to another vet. THE VET TOLD ME SHE HAD HERPES. A COMMON EYE ISSUE IN CATS. The vet was very shocked that the CAT PRACTICE vet, FOCUSING on cats, did not catch it. She also saw the CONE that the Cat Practice gave me and told me STERNLY that CATS DO NOT USE CONES FOR EYE PROBLEMS BECAUSE IT CAUSES STRESS– MAKING THE PROBLEM WORSE!!!
The new vet also told me that the THE CAT Practice gave Kitto the SAME MEDICINE TWICE AND LIED ABOUT IT! THIS IS AFTER I TOLD THEM I THOUGHT SHE HAD A REACTION TO THE MEDICINE! The PRINT OUT FROM the vet said NO STEROID. The New vet pointed out that there was NO DIFFERENCE IN THE BOTTLES!!!
DO NOT BRING YOUR CAT HERE! I WASTED BIG TIME MONEY! THIS PLACE IS A SCAM!

I hate this place. Maybe it’s me, but if I’m paying someone $ 50 for an appointment – let alone the cost of treatment and care – I expect to be treated kindly. The two girls that work up front are incredibly rude. I was ignored for about fifteen minutes before one of them decided to ask me what my name was and I ended up seeing the vet 40 minutes after my scheduled time.
When I saw the vet, they began suggesting a series of tests that would end up costing a couple hundred dollars. When I told the vet I’d rather pay for one at a time and asked for her suggestion which to choose, she ended up disclosing that she was almost positive that it was something that required a significantly less expensive test and treatment. I felt like the vet was trying to coerce me to pay for a series of superfluous tests that they thought were probably not necessary.
When I went to pay, the vet began pushing more expensive products on me. I explained to her that I didn’t want to buy anything until we were sure what it was, at which point she suggested buying an inexpensive cream that can be found at most drugstores.
I feel like those at «A Cat Practice» are more interested in my money than of the care of my animal.

EDIT: I do want to make it clear that this visit was several years ago when I first arrived in the area, and things may have changed since then.
I brought my cat here when I’d recently moved to the area and was looking for a new vet. Little Stupidhead (not her real name) used to get allergic swellings on her mouth from time to time, which her old vet had easily treated with a steroid injection. She has a history of vaccine-​associated cancer, and for that reason and others I had not had her vaccinated for several years prior to bringing her to A Cat Practice. When I explained this to them, every person there, from the receptionist to the vet, all but recoiled from me with a look on their faces as if I’d brought them a severed head. Treatment of my cat was rough and perfunctory, and they seemed to want nothing more than to get my heathen cat-​abusing self out of their offices as quickly as possible lest they catch my cooties. I’m not a bad person. I love cats. I have always been vigilant about vaccinations up until Stupidhead lost a leg to vaccine-​associated cancer, and I fully intend to vaccinate any other pets I have in the future. The least the staff here could have done was listen to my reasoning and try to conceal their loathing.
Needless to say, I did not return. Stupidhead’s current vet, although not a feline-​specific practice, gives her excellent care and is sensitive to her medical history. There are better options. Pros: nice office, easy parking, reasonable costs.
(Stupidhead’s allergic reactions stopped when I changed her cat food, by the way.)

I’m basing my rating on three visits with three different cats. The first time was with a friend’s cat and only for shots. They were (to the best of my knowledge) competent and efficient. The second visit was with my two cats for check-​ups and shots. The noise coming from the exam room indicated that some animal was having a bad day — and the owner left in tears with the animal in a carrier. When I got called in, the vet was rough and not the least bit gentle with my cats. They were normally calm and easy going cats but both got very agitated by the handling they got here. My third visit was with one cat who had been there before. My gentle calm cat who put up with all kinds of handling, petting, and playing, never having harmed anyone, ended up biting the vet after he flipped her around roughly and jammed a thermometer in her butt. Then without even asking me, he stuffed her head in a hood for the rest of the exam and was rough and callous with her. I asked him to please be more gentle but he was borderline mean. I left and swore I would never go back. I’ve discussed this experience with a few folks in my neighborhood and find it not to be that unusual. Never going back!