Cat Care Clinic BLOG

Cat Care Clinic: The only 2 board-certified feline specialists in the state of Wisconsin.

Ready to talk cats? So are we!

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Hello everyone and welcome to the Cat Care Clinic Blog!

My name is Steve and I am a veterinary technician here at the clinic and I along with Dr. Laura Challoner are starting up this blog so you can follow us and see what goes on “behind the curtain” at the clinic, to see things from the point of view of a veterinary staff, and to learn a little more about the people who live the life.

I think that many people always dream about working with animals at some point in their lives, don’t they? I know that folks are also a little wary too knowing what kind of sad things we can see on a daily basis. Veterinary medicine is a great thing to do. Challenging, fun, rewarding, crazy…so many things at once it’s a little hard to put into a few simple words. I guess the best way to do this is to show you and you can learn a little bit along the way.

I’ll start with something about myself.

I live in Madison. I have 5 cats of my own, 4 chickens and 2 rabbits at the time of this writing. My wife and I are debating next if we want to get a beehive for making our own honey and bees wax (legal in the city) or a miniature goat for making our own yogurt and cheese (not legal at this time, but we are in contact with the city government and exploring possibilities).

I am really into “homesteading” crafts if you didn’t get that yet. I refer to my home as Shire House from Lord of the Rings. I go out to a friend’s farm in the spring where I help in the annual sheep shearing. After that I end up with a few fleeces to clean up and process to spin (I can use both a spinning wheel and a drop spindle) and weave into something cool on one of my 2 looms. I also have a pretty large production garden; make my own beer, wine and mead, have a few fruit trees and planted a special variety of wine grapes that are starting to really take off.

On the flip side of this, when I am not out working the “farm” I love computers and have built my own supercomputer so I can play my MMO online video games: my elf champion can beat up your orc reaver lol!

Professionally, I started out in retail as an area manager in the Boston Store chain for about 15 years. Shifting gears after a few life changes and wanting to do something more meaningful, and simply to learn how to take better care of my feline family I started at the clinic here in February of 2005. I really had no idea at the time how far that road would go, how much I would learn and that I would find myself continuing to journey and grow 5 years later.

I love getting to meet and work with all the cats that I see every day as well as their people. Some of my own special interests are feline behavior and working through some of the challenges that come with living with animals, and nutrition; especially in light of all the different types of foods out there whether they are from the grocery store, the pet warehouse or one of the many alternative or holistic types of foods.

I could go on and on right now telling you about some of my favorite patients like Sha who would huff and puff here at the clinic he would get so nervous, or Aisling who made me want a kitty who looked just like her. Or some of the unusual medical problems I have seen like Toto, Jules and Bootsie…the three cats with the diarrhea that we had a devil of a time getting back to heath. I could mention some behavior guidance I have given like to the retired lady who wanted an easy going lap cat and wanted an Abbysinian (tip: Abbys are the most active cat breed) I advised her to get a Persian. I could talk about some of the more difficult surgical cases like Edison, the cat who ate the little girl’s toys and had to have 3 surgeries to remove them 3 separate times (yes he is fine now and no longer eating kid’s toys).

So I guess I will ask you, what do you want to hear about? Let me know and I may show you….

And the Doctor says....

I’m Laura Challoner, an associate Veterinarian at the Cat Care Clinic. You already know a little about me from the clinic website, here’s your chance to learn more about me and how I came to be here.

I grew up in Neenah, Wisconsin and lived in the best location possible for a tom boy. My house was located between a small woods and Lake Winnebago, so days were spent exploring, climbing trees, jumping creeks, and checking out all the birds, bugs and animals the woods had to offer; as well as fishing, swimming and turning over endless numbers of rocks on the shoreline to catch crayfish (I’d let them go). If I wasn’t covered with dirt, I was soaking wet.

It was here I developed my interest in science and love of animals. I wasn’t content to collect and look at bugs & frogs. I asked for a microscope for my birthday so I could look at the pond water and see things close up. Much to my mother’s dismay, I brought home every tadpole, snake, turtle and injured bird I could find.

For years, I had to content myself with the neighborhood dogs, stray cats that came and went, and an assortment of dime-store turtles (I’m dating myself here, who else remembers them?), chameleons and white mice.

One day I brought home a black and white kitten from neighbors. The next day, with tears in my eyes, I took him back. Enter Grandma. With the words “those kids need a pet”; cats entered my life and never left. Frosting. Peppy. Chessie. Barney.

I left Neenah to attend college in Madison where I graduated with a degree in Medical Microbiology and married Bill, my high school sweetheart. After graduation I worked for several years for a UW physician who was researching the effects of new drugs on the kidneys. Some of those drugs are in common use today! It was here that one of those life-changing moments occurred. I read a newsletter that stated 1 of 3 state residents who applied for the 1^st UW Veterinary school class was accepted. I remember thinking “I can beat those odds” and soon afterward found myself back in school.

I’m not sure what prompted our desire to get a Himalayan, but one day I found myself at a cat show looking at a breeding quality kitten and telling her owners that I just wanted a pet. “Just hold her”. I did, and fell in love. Hours later the scene was repeated with Bill, and Samantha came home with us.

Again, not remembering why, we entered Sam in the Madison Cat Club’s household pet show purebred division. She was named Queen of the show (complete with trophy, cape and crown!). This began 10 years of breeding and showing…..and other life changing moments. At a Cat Show, a fortunate placing of our cat next to another Himalayan breeder who had an apartment available resulted in us moving to Jefferson. That led to Bill being a law clerk for a judge and attorney, which then lead to becoming a partner in the firm and later being elected as a Circuit Court judge. We hadn’t planned to stay in Wisconsin, but stay we did.

Cat breeding & showing ended when the demands of Veterinary School no longer allowed the free time necessary to continue properly. I do remember fondly trying to study with kittens draped all over me and my text books, and spending the night before an exam delivering kittens instead of studying.

After graduation in 1990 I applied for the only job I wanted and was accepted as an Associate Veterinarian here at the Cat Care Clinic. Since I couldn’t own every cat in the world J I was happy knowing I could extend my feline family to include your kitties too.

My work schedule often results in nighttime drives home. One evening something white caught my eye. The something white was a 6 month old kitten who had been hit by a car resulting in broken bones in his muzzle and many missing teeth. I named him Beeper. His injuries healed but gave him a unique look. A blood test found that he had Feline Leukemia and meant he would not be a good candidate for adoption. By then I had fallen in love with him and couldn’t have parted with him anyway. Beeper only lived 15 months. A year later, still mourning Beeper, I overheard Dr. Rodan telling a client the new kitten she wanted to adopt had Feline Leukemia. The owner requested euthanasia, but I had other plans. Scully came home with me that night. The die has been cast, I knew that I would never need to look for a cat to adopt, they would find me; and I knew that Feline Leukemia cats would always have a special place in my heart. Over the years, 4 more Leukemia kittens/cats found their way to me from clients. Scully, Annie, Butters & Marta. Marta is queen of the house. She’s my miracle girl….at 9 yrs old; she’s lived 7 years longer than most Leukemia cats. You can read her story on my blog at http://veteranveterinarian.blogspot.com/

As the years progressed, time took its toll and my Himalayans passed away. A feral kitty found her way to my garage confirming that cats that needed me would find me. Over the course of the next 1 ½ years I worked to gain her trust. I’ve had Momma Cat and her 5 now adult kittens for 6 years.

In January we added to our “family” with the addition of Gator, a Catahoula/Lab mix puppy adopted from the Humane Society of Wisconsin. He loves Marta, she’s still thinking things over. For now, we have no plans to increase our furry family, but you and I know that I won’t go looking…if a cat needs me, it will find me.

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Isn't this JUST like a cat?
September 4, 2010
Watch the YouTube video about a cat playing "I spy" this is right on!

Dr.s Rodan and Miller to attend continuing education conference
September 1, 2010
Dr.s Rodan and Miller attend The American Association of Feline Practitioner's continuing education conference Sept 10-13, 2010

August 31, 2010

August 31, 2010

Visit Dr. Challoner's new blog posting
August 21, 2010
Constipation: when the "going" gets tough

Employee Anniversaries in August
August 20, 2010
Congratulations to our employees who are celebrating work anniversaries this month!

Dr Rodan to speak at Catapalooza
August 18, 2010