Cat Hospital of Durham & Chapel Hill

Been here five or six times since moving to NC. They’re taking good care of me and my two cats. They have the Rx food I need, flea meds, and I’m always satisfied with the service and recommendations. They also seem to have a very flexible schedule which helps a lot. And free candy bowl!

I’ve been bringing my cat here since I got her 4 years ago. I got her through independent animal rescue, and there’s a nice glassed in room for adoptable foster cats that cycle through here. It just made sense to keep bringing her here since she was used to them, even though there are now two animal clinics closer to me. Even so, it’s only a 10 minute drive from my home, so not a big deal.
I’ve had cats since I was a little girl, so I know that when it’s time to take your cat to the vet, well, good luck getting them in the carrier. And once you get into the examination room and you open their carrier, they’re usually more than content to stay inside. Not Buffy. As soon as I unzip her carrier, she’s examining the room, rubbing against everything. Sure, she’s a little nervous and shedding hair like crazy, but she seems pretty at ease here. Maybe it’s because she’s familiar with the place, but I think they really take good care of Buffy. Plus, it’s nice that it’s cats only, so I don’t have to worry about dogs scaring her in the waiting room or when I have to board her.
I’ve had to board her a couple of times, and they tell me that she was pretty at ease and they let her out of the cage for play time. I’m not surprised she was willing to romp around based on her behavior during our visits here. If memory serves, it’s $ 20 a day to board them overnight. You have to pick them up by either 5 or 6 and you can only do so on the weekdays.
They’re good about not scheduling too many vaccines at once and spreading them out, and when Dr. Kirch does give her a shot, Buffy doesn’t even make a peep. So even though there are two different animal clinics mere blocks away, I wouldn’t dream about taking her anywhere else.
They also send email reminders when it’s time for her next checkup, which is very helpful.

We are so thankful for this vet clinic! Our kitty really doesn’t like going to the vet and she makes it known! Scratching and lunging at the first sight of a person in scrubs! Despite this they still show a lot of care for her and recognize that it’s a reaction out of fear and not meanness. They work everytime to make her visit more tolerable for her and are very thoughtful and considerate about her emotional well-​being.
In addition they actually inquire about her diet and keep up with the latest research on feline dietary health which can be very rare in vets and makes me trust and respect them even more! They really are great at what they do!

$ 700 in emergency vet bills in one night because of negligent prescribing of medication. We were not warned of the side effects at all and my cat almost lost her left eye. Furthermore, they didn’t apologize – they simply told us it made sense and that it was too rare to tell us about – even though the Cary animal eye specialist says they see it at least 10 times per year and the vet told us her friend’s cat with the same condition experienced the same side effect twice! There was no reason to put her on that high of a dose and no regret shown for the wasted time, money, and trauma. Now my cat will most likely need expensive surgery on her cornea because of the bad judgement of this vet. I have been taking 4 cats there for 3 years and will never return.

What a fantastic place to take a cat! Our cat had been loosing weight to the point where we thought he might be on his last legs. A few weeks ago we went a vet we had been going to for about 10 years, ok if all you need is yearly injections – but not much else. They alarmed us because he had lost so much weight, suggested x-​rays, bloodwork, didn’t state what they thought might be his problem but that he definitely had something wrong. We were also told 15 was about as old as a cat gets, which I know is wrong! The Cat Hospital was recommended by someone who takes his 3 cats there, so we called and got an appointment for the very next morning. The vet spent a great deal of time with us, did an extremely thorough physical exam, reassured us about a couple of things we were concerned about, and told us why she suspected he was loosing weight. Blood was drawn on Saturday, she sent us the results on Sunday and he has what she suspected. We put him on medicine yesterday, and he seems more spirited even today, just 24 hours later. The entire office staff is wonderful, the facility is clean, and the love and concern for cats is so very evident. I HIGHLY recommend the Cat Hospital for anyone who is looking for high quality (without high cost) care for kitties!

I’ve been going to this vet for 2 years with my 2 rescue cats. They have been nothing but courteous and wonderful to both me and my kitties.
At one point, both of my cats were vomiting every few hours and I felt like I was at my wit’s end. One of my cats needed an IV and they both needed medicine multiple times per day. The staff and doctors were so kind and helpful to me throughout the entire process. As I struggled with two very sick cats, one staff member even gave me her cell number for me to call after hours if anything happened.
I’m quite sad that I’ll be moving soon. I hope I can find a similarly wonderful vet in our new home.

I love this vet so much. Been going here for 7 years with my 2 cats, they are simply the best vet I have ever been too. You can tell they all really love cats and their health is all ways the only priority.

If I could give another star I would. These people are simply wonderful. No one in the triangle will do a better job with your cat. They boarded and took care of my elderly cat who needed medicine every day when I had to go out of town and did a fantastic job. The care they were able to give him and their expert advise easily allowed for two more years of quality life for him. When it was time for him to go they were very understanding and made sure that it was as quick and painless as possible. Also, they were able to work around my pay schedule so that payment was never an issue. Do your cats a favor and bring them to the best. Thank you to Dr. Kirsch and Dr. Szymkowski and all the friendly staff for your help.

I have been taking my foster cat to the Cat Hospital since October and am totally pleased with the care and attention my cat gets there. In addition to the wonderful care given my cat, the staff is very professional and helpful and are great about getting back to me with any questions or concerns I have. I am a retired vet tech and really appreciate the time, energy and expertise the two vets give to their clients. Kudos to the Cat Hospital, the vets and the staff.

We had a wonderful experience at the Cat Hospital. We decided to give a home to a local stray but needed to have him checked out before bringing him into a home with another cat.
The staff at Cat Hospital took great care of our new little addition to the family. The stray had an abscess on his hip from an old wound (poor thing) and we were very worried about it. The staff and vet assuaged our fears and were very reassuring and responsive when we called or emailed with questions about our new pet’s health. They even gave us some advice about introducing the new cat to the oldest feline family member.
We also boarded the new cat there while we traveled and had a similarly positive experience – in fact the vet checked the stray’s abscess for free while we were away!
We have found the purrfect place to give our kitties the care they need and will be loyal customers from this point forward.

Consistently good service and kind, caring souls. And Saturday appointments! Moved to Raleigh but still make the drive because I appreciate this vet and the staff so much.

We had a wonderful experience recently with the Cat Hospital. My soulmate (first cat) desperately needed some teeth removed, something I’d been putting off due to fears about anesthesia as we were not sure how old she was when we adopted her. I was the epitome of a nervous nellie, from reading horror stories online and just being a generally paranoid pet parent, but Dr. Kirsch and the women at the front desk were not only patient with me, they seriously assuaged any fears I had. They clearly know a lot about what they are doing, and are kind — they even allowed me to see my little girl immediately as she woke up from anesthesia, even though she had to stay a bit longer under observation.
Thank you guys so much! You made a week I’d been dreading as painless as possible.

I am a very nervous pet parent. My last cat died from kidney failure after the Chinese pet food incident several years ago. When I got my kitten, I was very careful about food, and probably spent too much time on the internet learning about all the things that can go wrong with your cats health. Luckily we found Dr. Kirsch and the lovely ladies of the Cat Hospital. They’ve been helpful, dealt with numerous major an minor emergencies, and generally made it much less traumatic for both me and the cat to go to the vet. They always have medications at the same prices as any of the internet services, and always find a way to squeeze us in when Mische goes on one of his adventures.

Growing up in Mass, our family had a vet that we loved and stayed loyal to despite multiple moves. I thought that he was the gold standard, and compared the subsequent vet I had in New York to him. When my family moved with our cats to NC, I chose the cat hospital of durham based on location and Unilocal review. I can honestly say that they are far and away the very best vet I have ever taken my animals to. They clearly love cats, and provide excellent service. I was really sold, however, when my cat ate a very long piece of yarn, and was choking and gagging on it. We called the vet and they told us to bring him right over, and the vet tech was waiting outside for us, and they quickly whisked him into the back and removed the string. And to top it off, they did not charge a cent for this. Amazing. Will not go to any other vet as long as we live in NC.

I brought my cat in to have her ears checked. She’s had a recurring ear infection and I figured it was time to get more meds for her. This was the first time I came to the Cat Hospital — i recently moved from Asheville. The appointment was quick, easy, and the vet was not at all pushy. She checked my cat’s eats, suggested I use a little of the medicine I had from a previous vet, and didn’t upsell me. They suggested we buy some flea meds for the season and had a really good deal going on (I checked prices online while they were out of the room and their prices were actually cheaper). Clearly they love cats here. I hope I don’t need to take my cat back any time soon, but I’m glad I have a trusted vet if she needs medical care.

I took my Lil Man to get a check up and health certificate before we moved to California and the women here were amazing-​they treated my cat well and helped me plan out the big move day. The cats that stay at the office are great! Very personable and loved attention. If I weren’t across the country now they would be my regular vet without a shadow of a doubt.

We moved from New York about a year ago with our two rag doll cats. Our first experience was with a local vet close to our new home here in Chapel Hill and had a reasonable experience. BUT the barking dogs and care seemed to be more geared to dogs. So came to Unilocal and others to find the Cat Hospital who specialized in cats only.
WE have been going here for several months now and the vets and staff are just amazingly kind, wonderful and caring. And the vets really know about cats and care so deeply when they examine your cats and telly you all going on. The best experience we ever had in 25 years of owning cats.
Cannot say enough good things other than if you own a cat and want the best care, this is the place.

The ladies here are absolutely amazing! My worst nightmare came true on the way from my car to the front door of the vet; my cat carrier broke open and my two cats went tearing across the parking lot. I was terrified! The ladies from the office along with about five other strangers came running outside and circled the parking lot and caught my little monsters. The ladies from the vets office, along with the doctor herself proceeded to take the very best care of my kitties. Very very attentive, wasn’t rushed at all, and they were extremely thorough. I will definitely be recommending this vet to all my feline loving friends!

Having moved my two cats all over Miami, then to New Orleans, then to Chapel Hill, we’ve seen our fair share of vets. Luckily, many of them had been good ones. But (thankfully for us now) Dr. Kirsch and the folks at the Cat Hospital of Durham & Chapel Hill are the standout best.
First and foremost, their knowledge and care for patients is top notch. I’ve brought both of mine for rounds of shots, colds, and two separate dental procedures involving a general anesthetic. Each time they have seemed incredibly thorough, taking their time when investigating, then explaining everything very clearly to me afterwards. While I don’t know enough to judge the quality of medical care, I can say that each time my cats have gone in they have come out seemingly feeling much, much better.
What sets them apart is the quality of care along the way, and how they go the extra mile to make your experience as easy as possible. Whether it’s taking reservations and communicating with clients over email, or getting there a little early so you can drop your sick kitty off for an all day tooth extraction before you have to be at work, they are willing to do whatever they can to make it easy for you. For our first major procedure, which was needed when I was still a contract employee (and not making as much of a salary), I had expressed that I didn’t have much money when evaluating our options. It was still a very expensive procedure, but they ultimately applied a decent-​sized «courtesy discount» to help me out — which they did not have to do, but shows how nice and kind they are. And even moreso to my cats — their staff is so sweet and gentle with them. And each time they go in, someone calls me the next day to check up and see how they are doing and ask if we have any questions.
All in all, I’ve had a perfect experience, and I think my cats have too. I will go back to Dr. Kirsch for as long as we’re in the area, and highly encourage anyone else to as well.

We’ve moved around a lot over the past five years, and we’ve met a lot of vets for our two cats. Dr. Kirch is by far my favorite vet, and her staff is friendly and compassionate.
Dr. Kirch thoroughly reviewed our cats’ past records when we moved to Durham and had their first visits. She made us aware of one of our cat’s slightly elevated renal numbers. No other vet had pointed this out before, though her levels had been slightly high for over 10 years.
Unfortunately, within seven months, hour cat’s kidneys just stopped working and Dr Kirch was understanding and supportive through a painful process. She did not push us at any point to make decisions we weren’t comfortable with. When we had to put our lovely girl to sleep, Dr Kirch gave us all the time we needed. It was also very kind of them not to charge for the euthanasia – we just paid for the cremation which they coordinated but is handled by an outside company.
I highly recommend the Cat Hospital of Durham.