Selecting a Vet

First thing you need to do is to rid your mind of the assumption that any vet will do. When your cat is healthy and the vet visit is only for a routine check-up and maybe some shots any vet may do. But it is during these occasions that you have an opportunity to form a relationship with your vet, to evaluate his or her willingness to discuss health issues and to see how informed he/ she is about the breed. If you have difficulty doing this when your cat is healthy, it will only get worse when your cat is ill. Don't be afraid to try another vet.

Where possible you should select a close by clinic, time may be a factor in a future crisis. You should also arrange to see the same vet each time you visit. Consistency is important. This allows you to build a relationship with the vet and the vet is able to become better acquainted with your Ably.

Do not select a vet that may be leaving the clinic. Some vets hire, under contact, recently graduated vets to fill in the less desirable working hours (e.g. nights and weekends). These may be very capable vets but likely they are marginally paid and will be leaving after they get a year or two of experience. It is common practice to have these vets sign a contract forbidding them from practicing within so many miles of the clinic. So the likelihood that you can continue a relationship with one of these vets after their contract expires is slight.

Additional considerations

1. Office hours: Do they have evening and weekend hours?

2. Emergency clinic: Is there an emergency vet clinic nearby?
If not, will your vet respond to off-hour emergencies.

3. Communication: Are they web enabled. Can you make appointments via the web?
Can you email questions to your vet?
Can you reach your vet by phone during office hours?

4. Technology: Do they have laser surgery, endoscopy, ultra sound?

5. Lab services: Do they do in-clinic testing or do they send the tests out?
                     All clinics send some tests out but there is a growing number who
                     send out tests that could be done in-clinic and just pass the extra costs
                     off to their clients.