So our cat had kidney disease and I was treating her myself since they found out years ago. No grain food, etc. She was doing great since we found out, but needed a check up. Took her for the check up and they put her on heart meds. OK, can do that. Many of hundreds dollars later and two weeks later she had a heart attack and died in my daughters arms. Although it difficult to prove and I really want to point fingers, I believe this medicine they put her on killed her in the end. It's hard to believe that but putting 2 & 2 together it's logical... I would not take any of my future animals there.Read Less

So our cat had kidney disease and I was treating her myself since they found out years ago. No grain food, etc. She was doing great since we found out, but needed a check up. Took her for the check up and they put her on heart meds. OK, can do that. Many of hundreds dollars later and two weeks later she had a heart attack and died in my daughters arms. Although it difficult to prove and I really want to point fingers, I believe this medicine they put her on killed her in the end. It's hard to believe that but putting 2 & 2 together it's logical... I would not take any of my future animals there.Read Less

I like the concept of a cat focused practice but they were incredibly slow and an appt took 90 minutes to complete and 3/4 of it was waiting. Ask how long you'll be there and how they're staffed for the day unless you're ok waiting. Read Less

When we first went to the Westside Cat Practice, I thought they were very kind, and honestly cared about my kitty's welfare...until her last two visits. My cat has never had fleas (she is completely an indoor cat, with no contact to outdoor cats) but none the less, she, and my parents home has become infested with them. We suspect it is the blanket they wrapped her in to check her blood pressure. As to how they checked this, well, it was truly traumatic for her. Using a baby cuff, they checked her at the foot. It can be done at the tail, with much less effort. But, she was held down harshly and her face muzzled. They wrapped her in a blanket (obviously unclean and flea ridden). When they took a urine sample they pressed on her bladder until she peed, which is ridiculous, because they could simply insert a needle into her bladder to get said sample. These last bits are examples of what a much more skilled vet did when we took her elsewhere. --From this urine sample they said she was in stage two of kidney failure and said she needed blood pressure medication. When we took her elsewhere, we were told this was not the case. Her kidneys, thyroid, and blood pressure were all fine. THEN, this last visit, they tried to foist a bill on us of nearly two grand for a teeth cleaning and general check up. My kitty has had cancer this last year and seemed to be recovering from it, until this last month when it popped up again. They refused to even look at her without her being out, also saying they'd need two people to hold her down (which made no sense, if she was already out). Then they put a number of incredibly useless and expensive items on the bill which is when we took her to another vet. And according to them, apart from the cancer, my kitty is an incredibly healthy 17-year-old cat. The vets at the Westside Cat Practice never cared about our baby, they just wanted to fill their pockets with our money. So disappointed. Read Less

We just had our first visit here with Dr. Vasquez and we left relieved.   Firstly - being a cat only practice - you're already ahead of the game.  Their waiting room is quiet, clean and filled with natural daylight.  I appreciated that a lot of the items they sell up front are made by quality, ethical companies.  Not entirely important to the visit, but worth mentioning.  The front desk staff was professional and kind, and spoke in soft voices that helped the ambiance of the waiting area.The rest of what we saw of the facility was also impeccably clean and well laid out, and quite pleasant to be in.   My cat can be fearful and tense at the vet, and if not handled well she will often blindly panic, making a lot of scary sounds and flailing wildly. ( As a kitten, she required ear surgery, and along with it  a painful recovery, causing a severe head tilt.)   Anytime we're with a new vet or technician, I explain this to them, and they generally ignore me, then have a wildly difficult time trying to do anything with my cat.  Dr. Vasquez and her technician both listened to my warning that she does not like to be touched up around her ears, and understood her boundaries.  They were so kind and gentle with her, using a light touch instead of restraining fully - which my cat totally appreciated. They answered all of our questions, addressed our concerns, and came up with a treatment plan for us.  Every service was laid out in an estimate for us, and the technician went over it in detail, both for a future visit and what they were going to do for us that day.  As for costs, they weren't much different than what I would expect for this area.  They were able to fully examine my cat, draw their samples for labwork as well as administer her vaccination without any difficulty.  Normally, after being returned to her carrier, my cat would hide under her blankets, but after this visit she was sitting up, grooming her paw and looking around the waiting room while we checked out.  I highly recommend bringing your kitty here!  Thank you Dr. Vasquez and team!  Meow! Read Less

I could not have been happier with my experience at the Westside Cat Practice. Stacey and Oscar were so incredibly warm from the moment my cats and I walked in. Dr. Elstan was incredibly calm and patient. We were the last patients of the day and I'm sure everyone was tired, but Dr. Elstan made me feel as if he had all the time in the world to answer my questions and get to know my cats.  Unlike previous reviews, in no way did I feel pushed to buy any products or additional services. There were no surprises in terms of the prices either. I will definitely be bringing my two cats back in the future. Thank you!!! Read Less

I actually didn't like my experience w/them that's why I stopped going there. It was so expensive as well. I used to provide my own topical flea medicine because of the expense. I had never had a flea infestation on my cat until I started taking him there, because they don't let people go in2 the examination room w/the cats I couldn't be sure that they actually put the flea medication on my cat. I also didn't like that once I took him for a grooming session & they gave him a seditive just 2 bathe him & cut his hair. The lady that we have now to bathe my cat comes to the house & gives my cat the full treatment & with out sedation. Read Less

Dr Elston is the best! He makes you feel at ease during stressful situations and is extremely knowledgable. He also makes you feel as if your pet is his own so I trust his decisions and opinions and my cat is now doing so well considering her health issues. This place is pricey but I think it's worth it. Oscar, the technician is great too. Read Less

NEVER AGAIN WILL I GO HERE!!I have been a very loyal client of Cat Practice since they opened.  Starting with my boy Joe of 19 years, and my 2 tabbies since him, I found the owner Dr. Beth to be the most amazing cat Vet I have every known!  Unfortunately to mine and many other customers' extreme disappointment, she has since left the Cat Practice.  I continued to take my 2 cats to this facility, namely for periodic checkups and nail trimming every 6 weeks.  Until yesterday when I called to bring them in for routine grooming.I was told by the "new" receptionist that my cats will first require rabies shots. Both cats have already been vaccinated according to their requirements.  Apparently they "missed" this on the prior visits, and new Health Laws require this in the event my cats "bite the staff".  Are you kidding me?  For real?  It gets better.  So not only do I have to pay for rabies shots I feel may be detrimental to my indoor cats well-being, but I have to additionally PAY ANOTHER $110 for examination (in order to administer rabies shots).  So they want approx $200 before I can bring my cats in for $34 trimming!I mentioned to both the receptionist as well as an assistant that I will no longer continue there as a client, that I needed to speak with the manager there.  Never got a call back, obviously they do not care about losing my business and loyalty!I have since called 2 other Vets in the neighborhood, no problem bringing them in for grooming!  I would have preferred taking my cats to an "exclusive" cat Vet, but obviously this place has gone down the tubes!  Its all about money now! Read Less

This business is not built on customer service. They are making lots of changes this year, one of them is raising prices for the same services as last year. Jodi the manager, not very polite. Definitely not going to come back here. :( Read Less

Dr Sholz is amazing!!! She was so kind, compassionate and knowledgable! She provided answers where others hadn't been able to. I'm super grateful my cat was able to be seen by her. I highly recommend her!!! She's awesome! And she stays totally current with veterinary medicine and was able to provide me with great options and a great course of action. She's also such a pleasure to speak to and you can tell she really loves animals. Also special mention to the technician Brittany. Brittany is also so super knowledgable (I'm seriously impressed), such a sweet heart (to me and my cat) and a total animal lover! I highly recommend Dr. Sholz and Brittany!! Read Less

This clinic is extremely overpriced and they sell you on expensive unneeded procedures. Because I care so much for my cats I fell for their game and it cost me over $3,000. Shame on me. So that's why I'm writing this review to alert you to beware and compare their prices and get a second opinion. This place is a very fancy front for a bunch of money grubbing charlatans. Read Less

I liked The Cat Practice at first. A little expensive but my babies are worth a good vet. Dr. Kent diagnosed my one cat within 2 minutes of evaluating her. I have had more problems getting medications ordered from this office leading her to suffer. No calls to pharmacy for 3 days 1st time. Dr. Kent said medication had been ordered by her, no note in chart. So I have waited for my 7-10 days and have.................................. nothing for my cat. NOT HAPPY! Follow through is not that great. Read Less

I'm only giving one star because of the staff. They have always bee polite and helpful.I went to this clinic when it was run by Dr Beth. I had gone to Dr. Kent at Westside Cat Hospital but thought her diagnosis were $$ driven and left. She also misdiagnosed. Loved Dr Beth but she retired. I stayed on for Dr. Stegman.When I took my cat for her annual earlier this year, I asked to make an appointment with Dr Stegman. They never mentioned that she was no longer there and that the practice was now run by Dr Kent.  Dr Kent had misdiagnosed two of my cats (one with wrong cancer) and was the last person I wanted to see but there she was.  I went through with the visit then left and signed up at the West Hollywood Animal Hospital. I'm incredibly happy with them.  I was annoyed that her staff didn't mention the ownership change when I called to make an appt.  But I'm not surprised. Read Less

Very disorganized staff for such a tiny place.  Not a single person in the office including the doctor knew prices for any treatment.  Made us feel cheap asking over and over.  Seems like they hide the prices so you have sticker stock after the fact.  Not cool.  Will compare other vets in the marina.Dr. Kent was nice and did give good advice about taking care of our two cats. Read Less

I brought my cat here after I adopted her from Love and Leashes. Since my cat was a stray, we didn't have much health history for her. They were very nice here, especially Heather.  I saw both Dr. Kent and Dr. Elston. However, I ended up choosing a different vet for both convenience and because I prefer to have just 1 vet not 2. It seems like the prices are a bit higher than my current vet, but this is also an expensive part of LA. The two have pretty different styles of communication, but I had positive experiences with both. Read Less

Please, please, please, listen to this, and never take your cat to Dr. Kent.My male cat experienced a urinary blockage and I was told that he needed PU surgery. I listened to the Dr. Kent and did my own independent research, that most cats do very well after the procedure, so I consented to the surgery, and the multiple thousand dollar cost.Over the next 7-8 months, my kitty was still having issues urinating..I was told a variety of things, post op swelling (really? months after surgery), bladder infection..etc..everything but the truth.One evening, he was not able to urinate AT ALL!! I rushed him to an emergency vet hospital, and learned the reason my kitty had been suffering all these months was because whoever did his surgery did not make a large enough opening for urination. They were shocked that they could not even pass the smallest catheter. I was horrified. Dr. Kent botched the surgery and caused my pet almost a year of suffering. The ER practice did a second surgery, properly. My pet recovered well and, it has been 8+ years since then, and he has never blocked again.A responsible vet would have referred me to a surgeon for the procedure, NOT charge me thousands of dollar to use my pet as surgical guinea pig. I so regret that I ever allowed this to happen, but I put my trust in Dr. Kent to care for my pet, and that was a horrible mistake!!!Please, please, please NEVER take your cat to Dr. Kent, and if you do, second guess everything you are told, seek a second opinion on everything and NEVER let her operate on your cat, EVER! I hope this review saves someone from making my mistake, and saves a kitty untold suffering. Read Less

Dr. Tom Elston is wonderful. The staff is lacking, and it's a shame because the doctor is excellent. I know it's hard to find good staff given the fact that being a tech isn't high-paying job/doesn't require a long education. Still, they should take a little more pride and treat the patients and owners like the paying customers that we are.  The wait time is sometimes long- this is both with the old vet and the new one. But, I can make allowances for that. Also, the techs keep calling my cat "chubby" even though he's 12 pounds, long, active, and athletic. Ok, I'll choose to ignore that and chalk it up to the annoying LA culture. The downside of this place is certainly the unprofessional, disorganized staff. I went a couple months ago to give my cat the feline distemper vaccine, and the tech asks me to hand him the cat carrier. When I asked if they could instead put us in a room and administer the shot with me present, the tech looked at me like I was nuts. When the tech went in the back to prepare the vaccine, I heard him talking about me with someone else- "why would she WANT to be in the room?" I'm sorry, but talking about paying customers within earshot is unprofessional. Also, there was a cat being held in the back and he was meowing loudly- didn't want my cat to cross paths with an ornery and possibly sick cat.Anyways, my cat took the vaccine like a champ (didn't even flinch). I think that's in part because I was present, and I didn't send him to the back alone. I probably won't return because I don't live especially close, and there are other places closer to home where I can be kept waiting and then be insulted. Read Less

I took my cat in for a check up and was told that my cat needed four teeth extracted at a whopping $1400.  I took her to a different vet and they told me they won't know if she needs those teeth extracted until *after* they clean her teeth, but *if* my cat needed them extracted, it would be $700.00.    Well, they cleaned her teeth, and they didn't need to be extracted. In summary:  THE Westside Cat Practice will overcharge you for things your cat may or may not need, but a different vet will only charge you for things your cat actually needs. I highly recommend THE Westside Cat Practice to those who enjoy paying double to make their cat suffer pointlessly. Read Less

What a scam!I was quoted over the phone $400 for a teeth cleaning, however after an hour and a half consultation (mostly just waiting) prior to the cleaning, I was given a proposal for $1500!  The extra costs were for pre-op blood work, catheter, anesthesia, the actual cleaning, whatever.  I walked out.I called 2 other vets and their all inclusive cost was between $340 and $375.Absolutely outrageous! Read Less

This place used to be the Cat Practice.I loved the owner and chief vet, Dr. Beth Hagenlocker and her staff. They were always accessible and helpful and provided really great longterm care for my cats, both of whom have chronic illnesses. I was very sad to learn that she retired and sold her practice in December 2013. tl:dr version: Dr. Beth no longer works here and no longer owns this practice. Most of Dr Beth's staff is also gone. I do not like the new owners, who are from the old Westside Cat Hospital (some of their reviews appear to be merged with those from Dr Beth's clinic on this page...). The vibe is worse, the front desk staff isn't that good now, and the only people I can give five stars to are the techs and Dr. Beth's old receptionist, Kathleen. I actually did give them a try under the new ownership (albeit still seeing Dr. Stegman, the only vet left from Dr. Beth's practice - from what I understand, she's gone now too), but as of March 2014 I've decided to transfer my cats elsewhere.  ***NOTE: If you're interested in knowing where I bring my cats now, please check my profile for my list of reviews! I have reviewed my cats' current vet. ***They seem to have let go of most of TCP's staff and techs - which is a shame because they were awesome. In the very first month of dealing with the new staff I had issues - they sat on my chronically ill cat's prescription, for which he had a standing order in his files, for three days. It took three days, three calls and a complaint before it was called into the pharmacy, during which time one of their receptionists actually decided to debate the treatment plan with me instead of calling in the scrip. That never would have happened on Dr. Beth's watch. Ever. One more thing: when we had an office visit and they brought me an estimate for my cat's services, there was a test listed that the vet had NOT ordered, and could not even be performed that day. I was told that it was just part of the "test bundle."  When I asked why I would be charged for a test my cat didn't need, hadn't been prescribed and wasn't even getting, they came back with an estimate that was $50 less. I don't ever bargain for veterinary care and I have no problem paying for whatever is needed. However, I don't think it's cool to ask someone to pay for a test that hasn't been ordered and isn't even being performed. Again, that never would have happened on Dr. Beth's watch - my cats had numerous test panels with her, and I was never charged for anything that had not been specifically ordered by the vet. Aside from Dr. Beth's old receptionist, Kathleen, the front desk staff doesn't seem that friendly. The smiles and cheerful greetings you used to receive when you walked into the clinic are gone now.However, the techs I met - one of whom was from Dr Beth's time and one of whom was new - were both great and went out of their way to accommodate my cat's special needs. Now that Dr. Stegman's gone, there aren't any vets there I'd recommend for any reason. I wouldn't let the two vets who own the place now come near my cats even in an emergency. I happened to run into Dr. Kent in the lobby, and even that limited interaction wasn't very warm and fuzzy. It's a real shame. This was an amazing place when Dr. Beth owned it, and you couldn't find a better vet. It's a pity that the wonderful practice she built no longer exists. Read Less

They seem to think their posted hours are a suggestion. I've had to wait anywhere from 30min - 1.5 hours for them to decide to open. They have a terrible location for picking up your pets in the evening. They give you an estimate like, your pets should be finished by 2pm, then call and tell you it's now 5pm when it's nearly impossible to get there. Fortunately for me, I've managed to make it there every time, but i expect that if i didn't they'd charge me for having to keep them over night. Unless you have a completely elastic schedule that you can tailor around when this vet decides to do the work you are paying them for don't bother. Read Less

I don't know about the other's experience, but I certainly love WESTSIDE. They've always taken great care of me and my cat - as well they clearly love and respect the animals under their care. These reviews seem to draw out the worst in people. WESTSIDE is excellent I've been going to them since 2000 - in fact when they put down my first cat they were very sweet and supportive. Tom Gregory Read Less

I won a raffle for a free exam from Westside Hospital for Cats and consequently I took my 2 year old male cat for a check-up. The doctor seemed quite thorough - she noted my boy's severe gingivitis/stomatitis and recommended his molars be pulled. The staff was very helpful, too. However, due to the enormous cost of the Westside Hospital for Cats, I had my boy's molars pulled at another facility. Thus, while I recommend the vet, the prices are way out of line with other equally good vets in the area.Read Less

This place is amazing! Nurses were great, even gave my cat Tony a toy with catnip to help him feel more at ease and play, rather then be stressed out. Dr Beth is SO patient, attentive, and informative. I felt like i was getting 5 star treatment the whole time i was there so they get 5 stars from me! She even followed up with me via email the same day with some customized tips. WHO DOES THAT!!!??? Not even my Dr is that thorough! You can tell she really cares! If you love your little feline, then make sure you take them here! Read Less

I love WHC. I have been taking my cats there for many years and I have never had a bad experience. Yes, it is a more costly, however I believe my cats receive more knowledgeable care and they are not exposed to dogs or other animals when I need to bring them in. Further, Dr. Kent has been kind enough to work with me financially when necessary. The staff there is very helpful and WHC does its best to help out with the treatment of stray and feral cats. Read Less