The Cat Doctor

I brought my recently adopted cat Kiku to Dr. Simpson after he developed alopecia. Kiku has a number of other medical issues, but the specific reason for this visit was to obtain a diagnosis and treatment options for his hair loss. I’ve had a lot of animals with skin issues and, while I realize they can be hard to diagnose and treat, my experience in dealing with this issue with other vets has not been very satisfactory. During my two hour visit with Dr. Simpson, she did a thorough and comprehensive examination, providing detailed explanations and cost estimates along the way. She took a holistic approach, describing how some of his health issues might be related. Her follow up phone call, during which she provided the test results and diagnosis, was equally helpful. Dr. Simpson is thorough, meticulous, and dedicated to providing high quality cat care. I would rate my experience with Dr. Simpson as outstanding.

First time at this office. The parking is plentiful, the office is a little dingy due to age and normal wear and tear and the staff are pleasant. Dr. Simpson took time to review and discuss our cats prior history with us, asked a lot of questions and proceeded with vaccinations and micro chipping. The physical exam had to be cursory as our cat was hissing, biting and struggling to escape but she was able to cover the main parts including the eyes, ears and looking at her teeth. Dr. Simpson spent a lot of time providing information to us on different philosophies of disease prevention. She was up front with her fees and asked us if we were okay with them before she proceeded and there were no surprises and we felt as if she was looking out for not only our cats best interest but also our wallets as well with her approach.
We found her to be honest, humorous and her bedside manner was good considering she was trying to work with a cat who was not cooperating. We will be using her services again for any future visits.

When I was first looking on Unilocal at this veterinarians reviews I was slightly discourage considering the most recent were pretty low ratings, after giving this place a chance my opinion is completely changed!
First off let me say Dr. Simpson is VERY sweet and VERY educated in feline health. She was literally a ball of useful information concerning my cat. My cat is usually a very offish cats and especially hates going to the vet and at times can turn aggressive to strangers. He was SO calm with vet Simpson is was actually amazing! He really took to her.
I genuinely feel like vet Simpson cares about my cat and has a true passion for animals. I will ABSOLUTELY be back! The 2 staff I spoke to (Tina and the other girl who worked today) were soooo sweet!
Having been to MANY vets office and working at one for some time these qualities are very hard to find. Please don’t hesitate coming here if you truly want the best for your cat. This woman is amazing!
The ONLY slightly negative thing I have to say here is the check up room does smell a little but this is only because the room is carpeted and I’m sure like any vet office there has been a few accidents. This is so insignificant in the spectrum of things!
DR Simpson and her staff are so sweet and so knowledgeable. My experience there was great and I left knowing a lot more information! Really feel great about bringing my cats here!

More like «The Witch Doctor». From the moment she brought us into the exam room, this woman was a miserable wretch. I had brought my frail, little kitty in seeking hope after an ultrasound-​guided aspiration at a holistic vet pointed to lymphoma, which turned out to not be an accurate diagnosis. She got off on a bad note by stating something about «kidney failure» — wrong! Sadie’s kidney levels have been normal for over six months. The entire hour we were with her, not once did she pet Sadie, look her in the eye or even say her name. Instead, she just condescended to me and grumbled about her being «dead in a week’s time, if something isn’t done.» Without a trace of empathy, much less compassion, she flipped Sadie over onto her back to palpate her little belly and talked about her like she was an old junk car that someone had left parked on her front yard.
As a result of the trauma, Sadie urinated, vomited and then defecated IN her own bed, inside the carrier. It was nothing less than a ghoulish nightmare. My next letter is to the Board. It’s time to retire, Dr. Simpson.

In response to business’ comment:
I never said that you actually said I would have to euthanize him. I said that they way you were dragging out the conversation and way you were talking made it sound like it. Also the price I posted is barley off, sorry I don’t save estimates from places I do not plan on using. And the estimate we were told that day was going to be for half of his mouth which would mean we would be paying what ever the estimate ended up being twice. If that was incorrect then you gave us the incorrect information.
Sorry you didn’t like my review but I hated my experience here.

FIVE STAR SERVICE FROM DR. SIMPSON AND HER STAFF
I came in to The Cat Doctor today with a very sick feral cat. I knew nothing about his poor cat except that it was on death’s door. Dr. Simpson, and her staff, were absolutely amazing in their care and responsibility toward this cat. It turned out that the cat had a microchip registered to Forgotten Feline. Dr. Simpson did a full examination, called Forgotten Feline and offered a very knowledgeable diagnosis to Forgotten Feline, who technically was responsible for the cat. Clearly, she went above and beyond what would be expected from a simple «appointment.»
I have several pets of my own and am not new to visiting a veterinarian practice. If you are looking for a doctor that will take whatever time is necessary to insure that your cat has the very best care then look no further than Dr. Simpson and her staff.
HUGE KUDOS to Forgotten Feline for taking responsibility for the ongoing care of this cat. I’ve met some remarkable people today.

First I want to say that I LOVE Dr. Simpson and her staff at The Cat Doctor. I have two cats (sisters) that I rescued when then were just 6 weeks old, they are 9 now. A few months ago I noticed that one of them was experiencing some usual behavior, drinking tons of water, frequent and lots of urination, acting like she was starving right after she’d just eaten, etc. I found The Cat Doctor and was seen the next day. It turns out my ‘Shiloh’ has diabetes, a difficult and frustrating condition to treat in cats (as well as people apparently). Dr. Simpson walked me through all the what ifs and told me all about what to expect. She sent me articles to read and had so much knowledge in her head I was not sure how she keeps it all straight. Her staff trained me on how to give my little one two shots every day. At first it required me to visit the Dr once a week for Shiloh to have her blood glucose monitored. There has never been a time that I felt lectured or rushed or anything negative. Dr. Simpson is a very caring professional who takes her time to explain everything. She has called me at home numerous times during the last three months of treatment just to ask how Shiloh is doing. I’ve purchased supplies from her (cat food for diabetic cats, needles for the insulin injections, etc) and her prices are very fair. As a matter of fact, she charges me less for the cat food than every place I could find on
buy it.
I would not trust my cats to anyone else. I highly recommend her if your cat is a member of your family and not «just a pet».

I find every visit with each of my cats very thorough and complete. It’s always a learning experience for all of us and the Doctor and her Techs handle my cats with care and consideration.
I would recommend The Cat Doctor to anyone that loves their cat.

I first visited the cat doctor because I was looking for a cat only facility who could bathe one of my cats. My cat Kozi has continued to get his veterinary care since then. Dr. Simpson puts a strong emphasis on preventive care and I appreciate getting reminders for regular checkups that may be needed. Everyone on staff is always friendly and courteous.

After reading the doctor’s response, I think we are simply of different minds. The issue for me was not money, but the best interests of the animal — and not drugging an animal unless it was absolutely necessary. Fortunately, money is not a major concern for us — we love our animals and have spent nearly $ 10K on vet bills over the past few years for an old cat and a dog who likes to eat foreign objects…
I simply don’t believe in drugging animals unless absolutely necessary — and our new vet, who also treats cats only, suggested (before I recounted our experience) that we simply treat the cat symptomatically based on her reaction to the prescribed steroid treatment over time — my suggestion to the Cat Doctor. No drugging, not anesthetic, no gas. The cat is happy and doing well.
While I agree that there is scientific value in testing for results to get objective results there needs to be a balance between 100% definitive results testing and the well being of the animal under treatment. A 16 year old cat cannot be anesthesized and given another drug to wake her up every time she visits the vet without negative repercussions. Our new vet examined her — with no sedation — and told us she could «drug her and take blood for testing» IF we insisted. She erroneously thought that was what we were asking her to do, but also said that she would not recommend it. We assured her that was not our desire…

My cats have been going to see Dr. Alice Simpson and her team since my family moved to Santa Rosa in 2000. She has consistently been professional and knowledgeable and always gives me lots of options and information. What’s more, she really knows how to handle a cat; one of mine is a real escape artist but Dr. Simpson manages to keep her on the exam table without any trouble.
The staff is always well-​trained and sweet to my cats, and whenever I’ve boarded them there they’ve been well-​taken-​care-​of. I highly recommend The Cat Doctor to anyone with cats. If you dogs or birds, though, you need to go somewhere else ;)

I boarded my cat here for 2.5 weeks. I have to say this was ideal. Only cats with a wonderful vet and a charming and friendly staff. My cat came home happy and normal. I found the service excellent and the Doctor was very helpful.
The cats get to wonder around and not be shut up in the tiny cages listening to dogs barking night and day.
I highly recommend the Cat Doctor.

Can’t I rate a business with ZERO stars?
I’ll make a long story short (ish):
Brought my cat in after he was hit by a car. Dr. Simpson (with plenty of grumbling) agreed to treat him (she had to cancel her Friday afternoon plans… so sorry) and she capped his two broken teeth. He was lucky that aside from some cuts, bruising, and serious discomfort, that was all that was wrong with him.
After peeing on the xray table (for head xrays for the tooth repair… not body xrays) they wiped up the urine and found what they thought to be blood. But they didn’t do anything.
So, we picked up our cat the next morning and the gal at the counter said keep your eyes open for blood in the urine and if you find any, take him to the emergency vet. Why didn’t they test him the day before? Oh, she tells me, because they couldn’t tell if it was blood in the urine or «stain from the wood.» Uh… WHAT?! I’m sorry, but are you stupid or something? Stain from the wood? I can’t even understand how that made sense to anyone for more than .2 seconds. Oh yeah, and we told them when we brought him in that there was blood on his rectum when we found him. Red flag, don’t ya think?
Took the kitty home, sure as hell he pissed blood. Rushed him to the emergency vet where he was xrayed (like he should have been), tested (like he should have been), and given pain medication (like he should have been).
Another $ 600+ added to the $ 1600+ tooth repair and it made for a lovely weekend. I spoke with Dr. Simpson on the phone and she admitted she should have tested him, and apologized for not doing so. Where’s the tape recorder when you need one? Also, she admitted that she didn’t take it seriously that I checked the box on her form to do anything necessary to care for the cat (like an xray or urinalysis at that point would have sent me through the roof??) So, feeling nice, I wrote her a letter, asked only for the $ 600 back (rather than all of it) that I spent at the second vet since she clearly didn’t want to do any tests, find anything wrong, and ruin her weekend plans. She responded with a 14 page letter lecturing me on her expertise and telling me I made it into an emergency (uh, I followed her staff’s directions???). I’ll refrain from adding all the curse words I’d like to insert here.
And did I mention when we picked up the kitty he was dripping with urine and the whole place smells like piss?
After I find time to respond to her letter and contact the vet board (as I’ve been advised by three other vet professionals who have heard the whole story), I’m creating a blog. This is BS. It’s one thing to screw up, and another thing to renig on your ADMITTED errors.
Kitty owners beware. I, for one, will never, ever go here or recommend that anyone else does. Lucky for her the kitty didn’t have a ruptured organ or I’d plant his capped-​tooth corpse on her doorstep. Luck shouldn’t save someone from the repercussions of his/​her actions.
And if Dr. Simpson or her staff reads this before I get to responding to that 14 page waste of my time, FYI — because I spent to within $ 3 of my CareCredit limit to save my cat doesn’t mean that when I ask for a refund, I’m doing it because I’m low on money. Screw you for having the nerve to suggest that my dollar is worth less than anyone else’s. I’d sell my car to fix my cat, and wouldn’t have flinched at the total if it weren’t impacted by your neglect. So here’s my offer: Either refund me the amount I spent at the other vet OR refund the FULL amount of the service in the form of a GIFT CERTIFICATE to PetCare (the awesome vet across town) for a low income pet owner in need of an anonymous gift — I’ll even coordinate it with them for you, and be assured that *I* won’t use it — I already paid my bill. Does that assure you that I’m not trying to shaft you? YOUR negligence caused my expense and renewed grief and stress and YOU admitted YOUR wrongdoings and then LIED about them in your letter. Not to mention the 24 hours after my cat was hit being in pain, soaking in his own urine, and smelling the stench of your kennels all night long. I REFUSE to be moved by your sorry attempt to sweep this situation under the rug. Take responsibility or feel the wrath of karma. That’s how life goes. And if you do decide to resolve this, I’ll remove this last paragraph of the post, but the rest stays, forever.

I found this vet and the doctor in particular to be very judgmental. My cat is thin and has fleas because his mouth is misshapen due to his breed, which makes it very difficult for him to breath or eat properly. They seemed to blame me for this, even though I tried to tell them I’ve done everything I can to take care of the fleas and that they just keep coming back with a vengeance! Then, as if to add insult to injury, when I pleaded for help with my cats inappropriate elimination problem, the vet gave me lame advice that I already knew about from a cursory search on the Internet and proceeded to charge me $ 65 for this 30 minute or less, over the phone, session. I will never go here again. Thanks for nothing.

I love, love, love my cats. To the point of ridiculousness. I have three special needs ladies; one elderly with bladder stones, one who had a stroke as a kitten, so has a weak heart and is a little «slow», and one who has seizures. I would trust them to none other then Dr. Simpson and all the wonderful staff at the Cat Dr.
Dr. S may be a bit lecture-​ish, but that is because she has so much knowledge to impart. I am always amazed by her «in the latest cat medicine journal» or «at the last lecture on cat neurology I attended» diatribes. She is amazing and informed.
Yes, she doesn’t walk in all sunshine and smiles, but she is a cat expert who will care for your cat like no other. But, be warned, she will give you the business if you are not a responsible pet owner! She is not for the weak-​of-​heart casual cat owner, but awesome for someone who puts their cats first and foremost.

I hate to write reviews like this.
Pros: Dr. Simpson is very knowledgeable and by the book. She has 4 wonderful kind cats in the office, and kind wonderful staff. Dr. Simpson specializes in cats. The office is nice and big.
Cons: Dr. Simpson could do with improving her bedside manner. A bit too lecturing, and I felt she was a bit too rough with my cat.