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Business owner, Wolfie, sitting on an armchair and looking at Squippy, a senior white and orange cat who is sitting on their lap. Squippy is looking to the right. There are catnip toys, stick toys, a cat bed, a plants, and books on a book case.

South Philly Cat Care

Over 10 Years of Professional
Veterinary and Pet Care Experience

Hello and welcome to South Philly Cat Care! Here you'll find some information about my professional experience.

 

I’ve worked with cats professionally for the past 10 years:

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  • as a veterinary technician in urgent care and general practice.

  • as a veterinary assistant in shelter medicine and general practice.

  • as a care coordinator in a cats-only rescue: developing and performing behavior assessment, coordinating shelter medicine, foster placement and counseling, as well as physically rescuing stray, abused and neglected cats.

  • as a kennel assistant working in infectious disease isolation wards.

  • and as a pet sitter with a large pet care company.

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I've worked with thousands of friendly, semi-feral, and feral cats - I not only respect cats as a species and as individuals, but I truly adore them. I've been fascinated by cats since childhood, and I've been fortunate to develop that connection with years of experience in the veterinary and pet care fields.

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I am Recover Pet CPR trained and have administered CPR

under the direction of veterinary physicians

in a clinical setting on multiple occasions.

A hand drawn image of a cat curled up and sleeping. In the middle it says "My Approach."

HANDLING

slow - soft - quiet 

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I value positive cat-focused handling approaches that can build trust and confidence with the goal of causing the least amount of stress to the cat. These techniques are low stress techniques developed by Dr. Sophia Lin, and guided by the AAFP (American Association of Feline Practitioners) and ISFM (International Society of Feline Medicine) and involve minimal handling, treats when appropriate, play, and the involvement of caregivers when possible and appropriate.

 

When meeting a cat in the home for the first time, my approach is generally similar to start: soft, quiet, and I wait for them to give me a cue that it's ok to go on before continuing to engage. While there can be similar behaviors across cats, no two cats are exactly alike and I enjoy getting to know each cat I meet for the individuals they are.

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Please see the handling section of the FAQ for specifics about what I do and do not do when handling cats.

 

MEDICATING

least stressful methods first

 

My goal is to use lower stress medicating and handling techniques so that cats can receive their medicine safely, with less fear, and when possible with enjoyment.  Often, I use high value treats during and after administration (if appropriate). Every cat and and their circumstance is different, but in many cases small changes in the approach to both handling and administration can open up a world of lowered stress for the cat and human alike.

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If you're interested in how risk of contagious illness is managed, please see the  contagious disease protocol in the FAQ to learn how risk is minimized between visits.

Squippy, a large senior cat is sitting up and looking to the right. Squippy is mostly white with orange on his head. Larry is a smaller senior cat who is laying down in front of squippy. His paws are resting out and he is looking to the right. He is a grey and fawn tabby. They are both on a white armchair with silver pattering.

Squippy &  Larry

Hand drawn image of a sleeping cat wearing a collar. "South Philly Cat Care" is in the middle.

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