Dr. Richard A. Thoms: As founder of Cat Care, I am living my perfect career. To work as a feline veterinarian, with an excellent staff and exceptional clients, is the most rewarding vocation I can imagine.

After receiving my DVM degree from Michigan State in 1978, I entered a rural mixed animal practice in Maine. It was a daunting introduction to veterinary medicine, treating dogs and cats, farm animals including cows, horses, sheep and pigs, plus some exotic or wild animals occassionally. After that experience, I decided I wanted to refine my veterinary focus. I moved back to Michigan after several years and worked in two companion animal practices. I often saw cats were treated as second-class citizens compared to the canine population. This inspired me to open a practice catering to cats exclusively! Cat Care was established in 1989, the second feline facility in Michigan.

As a memeber since 1988 of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, I regularly attend their educational seminars. These meetings are the most comprehensive, focused informational sources for feline medicine and surgery.

My personal life is also fulfilling. I have two grown sons, both successful in their chosen fields. We enjoy skiing and other outdoor pursuits together. The balance of my time is spent keeping healthy and sane. I enjoy running, reading, and time with friends and family. My home life is enriched by three cats.

The priorities I have held in my work are to keep my patients healthy, to build and maintain the trust of their owners, to stay current with the ever-changing knowledge of feline medicine and surgery and to communicate effectively and compassionately with the people whose cats I treat. Working with a wonderful staff in a progressive facility is the foundation for successfully accomplishing these goals.

Dr. Pamela Frank:  I have been a member of the Cat Care team since August 1999. I love my job and feel very fortunate I am able to work in an environment catering to cats and their owners.

My husband and I graduated from Michigan State University in 1985.  Yes, my husband is also a veterinarian and we married one week after graduation.  We headed out east where I was employed at a couple of small animal practices.  In 1990, we came home to Michigan to be closer to our families and I continued to work as a small animal practitioner.  In 1995, I heard Dr. Norsworthy speak at a local veterinary conference about feline-only medicine and became very interested in this specialty.

At Cat Care, I have pursued this interest in feline health care.  I really enjoy the challenge of internal medicine cases and try to attend feline continuing education when possible.  I have been a member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners since 1999 and am on the student chapter committee.  This allows me to interact with veterinary students who are specifically interested in feline medicine.

On a personal note, I am a mother of two wonderful daughters who are still in school (high school and college).  My husband works with race horses for the State of Michigan and is an avid marathon runner.  We have two great cats, Orion the Abyssinian and Trinity the crazy Bengal.  They bring a smile to my face every day, even when Trinity is doing something naughty.  I better not forget to mention our dog, Pippin, who is an extremely handsome Pembroke Welsh Corgi.  He actually gets along great with the cats and prefers cat treats to dog treats.  When not busy with my family, I love to read and am a member of a local book club.  I also enjoy walks with Pippin and working out at my health club.  My favorite activity is traveling to different parts of the world to visit new places.

Dr. Tamara A. Sloan: I joined Cat Care, PC in March of 2004. Since my husband, Pat (who is not a veterinarian), refers to me as "The Crazy Cat Lady," I guess I have the perfect job!

I grew up in the Chicago suburbs with anywhere from two to five cats. I attended the University of Michigan for college because I planned to follow in my dad's footsteps- I wanted to become a human physician. Late in my senior year I realized that I would rather treat four-footed furry patients, especially ones that "meowed." I attended the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in Champaign-Urbana (or "Chambana" as we lovingly called it). I graduated from vet school in 2002, and my husband and I immediately moved back to Southeast Michigan. I worked for almost two years at a small animal practice in the western suburbs of Detroit before landing my dream job here at Cat Care, PC.

Pat and I live with our four cats in Farmington Hills. Sethra, our oldest feline daughter, is a petite, beautiful, and very bratty dilute torbie (she has both tortoiseshell and tabby markings). McCarty (as in Darren McCarty) is my oldest feline son- what he's lacking in intelligence he makes up in cuddliness! Cawti is our orange tabby girl, and she has both my husband and her older brother McCarty wrapped around her little paw. Morrolan (aka RolyPoly) is our youngest cat, and he is a Bad Boy. He likes to stalk and pounce on his siblings like they are antelopes on the open savannah!

I am a voracious reader- my preferred genre is Sci Fi, but I delve occasionally into fantasy and some non-fiction. In fact, Sethra, Morrolan, and Cawti (and her late brother Vladimir) are all named after characters in my favorite fantasy series. I also enjoy gardening and working on updating my first house. I am an avid (my husband prefers "rabid") hockey fan- I live and die by my Red Wings!