Lenox Cat Hospital

I can no longer recommend this establishment. I used Dr Umlauf for a year, making frequent visits. I have eight (fragile) cats. We went through a severe illness that affected all. Three cats had extensive dental procedures. One had a complicated internal surgery. Another battles a GI problem. Two have allergies. And one needed euthanasia. I have no complaints about the actual veterinary care. Dr Umlauf knows her stuff. However, I have became increasingly disillusioned with her dedication after we left the exam room. Prescriptions would be written up wrong… or just plain forgotten. Promised prescriptions, procedures or equipment would be forgotten and I would have to repeatedly remind her. She would get confused as to which cat had which problem. Solutions to problems would be suggested during visits and then I would be the only one who remembered. I spent a lot of time making anxious phone calls to the office, not really knowing what was going on, but fully aware my cats weren’t 100% yet. Return phone calls would be a long time coming… or would be made by a support staff member who didn’t really have an answer. Also, I like to pay as I go. After mentioning that several times, I gave up. My bill was never ready in a timely fashion. I was getting really frustrated. I pointed this out to Dr Umlauf who promised better, but that never happened. Things only got worse. Repeated phone calls wouldn’t be returned for over a week (a week! When a sick cat was involved!) Ordered medicine or food wouldn’t show up for a month. I would stop at the office and watch Dr Umlauf repeatedly duck behind a screen to avoid me. (even when I made it clear I was trying to pay off my bill, never mind a question about one of her patients). It became apparent that whatever problem she had with me, she was letting it interfere with the care of my cats. I reluctantly decided to switch vets. And even that wasn’t easy. I sat in the Cat Hospital office for over an hour while Dr Umlauf wrote medical notes on the current cat with a problem… notes that included inflammatory personal comments about me. Why that was on my cat’s medical records, I can only guess, but I do know that convinced me I made the right decision. I waited even longer for the bill. And I waited! I wasn’t leaving until it was paid in full. After reading the comments about me, I surely was never going back there. And so, getting the rest of my cats’ records from Dr Umlauf required weeks of phone calls from both me and the new office, and finally a visit from my current vet. My guess is, based on all of this, is that Dr Umlauf doesn’t keep her medical records current, by any means. And woe to the owner if they somehow question any of this. So… if you have a healthy cat, or one without a complicated, ongoing problem the Lenox Cat Hospital is the place. Hands on, Dr Umlauf a superb vet. Beyond that, she falls short. Follow-​up care can be rough going (and let me add, it’s not the support staff. Dr Umlauf would blame them but I know for a certainty, lapses are not their fault. All the girls working at the Cat Hospital are conscientious and incredibly caring.) Bottom line, do you really love cats if you let feelings about their owner impact their care? I’m happy at my new/​old vet and, even if I’m unpleasant (and that’s debatable), my beautiful Persians and Himalayans are now well-​cared for and finally in reasonably good health.

New to the area, I was worried to find a good vet (yes, I’m picky, I’ve done a lot of rescue work and have worked with many vets over the years) when a friend suggested I go to Dr. Sally for my injured kitty. Omeegosh, was I glad I did! Dr. Sally is not only great with cats, she’s wonderful, intelligent and caring towards the human part of the equation as well. She carefully listened to my concerns about prednisone (there is a connection between prednisone and onset of feline diabetes) and she accepted that i consider it too risky for my middle aged male cats. I’ve already had one develop diabetes after one big shot of prednisone (which I never requested!). Beyond that, Dr. Sally’s staff couldn’t have been nicer, sweeter to my kitty and he left a happy camper. Of course, he DID have a big shot of painkiller. And I must admit, I envied his «la-​la» state of mind, all purring and rolling about. Highly recommend Dr. Sally and her clinic.

A clean and welcoming environment staffed with caring and knowledgable people. I will never bring my cats anywhere else.

Dr Sally is wonderful with cats. Don’t be put off by the higher than usual exam charge, (she does spend an hour +), her other services like blood work or teeth cleanings are cheaper than everyone else. And she is just great with cats. A cat whisperer would be a great description for her. Very knowledgeable too, not every vet knows about asthmatic kitties and Dr Sally Umlauf was very familiar with all the subtleties including the AeroKat inhaler. I highly recommend her!