The Cat Hospital

Katana Sohma

2024-04

I typically only write positive reviews, however, feel it important to warn others of this place. This was the worst experience I have ever had at a veterinarians office.We are new to the area and do not have veterinarian care established yet. I brought my cat here because it was the only nearby place that would accept her for an urgent visit without established care. She was bleeding near her vaginal area.When I brought her in, I completed all of the paperwork, which included information about her previous vet, in Arizona. I was informed that I could leave her in their care and they would call me after the vet saw her. I've never just dropped a pet off before, but being new to the area, thought maybe this is how practices operate here. I was not entirely comfortable with the idea, but obliged. I never received a call, so called them at the end of the day to inquire. I was told that the vet had just seen her, so to come in.When I arrived, I was met out front by the vet, who immediately asked what I feed my cat. This was followed by a long conjecture on why I should never feed a cat dry food. I mentioned that we had just moved to the area. At this the vet looked at me stunned and asked why I hadn't told them earlier (it was in the paperwork I completed), then proceeded to scold me on the basis of this being important information that I withheld and that I hadn't considered various 'pests,' 'spores,' or 'diseases,' that could have been transported with my cat.Following this, I was asked about my opinion on some political person in Arizona. Being concerned about my cat, I had no idea who the vet was even talking about, so I replied that I hadn't heard of them. The vet started talking about this political person, and in an effort to just move the conversation towards my cat, I told them that I'd heard the environment here was better regarding politics.Eventually, the vet turned to the matter of my cat. She was still in the care room with the vet. I was invited in, and only then told that my cat would require an overnight stay and stitches. I asked what had happened to her and the vet looked at me and said, "you tell me," showing me my cat's underside where I could see she was still slightly bleeding. I looked at the vet confused and ONLY THEN did she explain to me that somehow my cat had gotten a cut.After all of this, I was extremely uncomfortable, but feeling as though I had no other choice than to let these people complete my cat's care..... I let them keep my cat overnight, having little confidence in their concern for my cat's well-being, and absolutely no idea what all of this care was going to cost me at any point up till now, nor the upcoming expenses.The following day, they, again, did not contact me. I called near the close of the day again and received word that I could pick my cat up. I did so immediately. Only after I had my cat and was ready to check out was I finally made aware of the costs.When I had initially filled out the paperwork, I had made well visit appointments for both of my cats. This place made me so uncomfortable that I waited until I had my cat back safe at home to call and cancel both of the future visits. Now, I am nervously hoping that I can find a decent vet in the area to establish care with for all of my little guys.I hope that this serves as a helpful warning to any considering taking your animals here. And for those of you at The Cat Hospital; please take this to heart. I'm not sure what you are doing over there, but every vet I have ever been to previously has had the decency to care for both pets and their owners as family/friends, to focus on the well-being of our furry friends, and to let people know of diagnoses, costs, and options up front.

gerrlmore //

2023-10

After my own vet failed me countless times, I was finally recommended to The Cat Hospital. I was so glad to be welcomed by such warm and genuine staff. They provided affordable and professional care for our animals every time we are in need. I highly recommend visiting the Cat Hospital if you are already on the search for Veterinary Care or Boarding. Thank you Dr. Robin & Staff.

mrs saucier

2024-03

Beware of this place. I took my cat here because I suspected she had a UTI. Our regular vet was closed and my cat gets UTIs frequently so I figured this would be fine. A simple urine test and antibiotics should have done the trick. Instead the vet told us that we needed to feed our cat only wet food, she was constipated, and that she had kidney disease. How she came to this conclusion without any blood work was shocking but she is a vet so she would know better right? She sent my cat home with IV fluid bags, a crazy priced special kidney wet food diet and made us feel our cat was ready to die at any moment. She never checked her urine as requested and sent her home after charging us hundreds of dollars. After a couple of days and my cat getting worse I brought her to her regular vet. He checked her urine and sure enough she had a UTI just like we had thought. On top of the money I had to pay this horrible place I also had to pay for a second vet visit to our regular vet. While at our regular vet we had blood work done to check her kidneys. Our vet was beside themselves to find that this women never did blood work and had us giving our cat IV fluids without even doing blood work. After her test came back that her kidneys where fine we immediately stopped the IVs and I contacted the Cat Hospital.The vet immediately tried making excuses for her lack of care for our cat and admitted that she was in a rush and tried to give every excuse. I honestly at that point was so angry. I told her that her excuses where useless and that there was zero excuse for her negligence that had us believing our cat was going to die.Had she done the urine test as we had requested originally this could have all been avoided. Instead my cat had to suffer because this women and her negligence. NEVER AGAIN WILL I EVER BRING ANOTHER CAT TO THIS HORRIBLE EXCUSE FOR A VET.

Chauncy Paradis

2024-01

I brought in a stray cat, that my fiancé and I have decided to give a home, for a wellness check, vaccinations, and a microchip implantation. Just to start off the review, it was an extremely unprofessional environment, and we were immediately told that we should be only giving our cats wet cat food for nutritional benefits, which is fine to educate people, but when you look at them like they’re bad owners for not giving them only wet cat food, that is where I draw a line. I have always given my animals the best care. So that had already started the visit off with a sour taste in my mouth. Then as the visit progressed, it got worse and worse. The vet assistants had no confidence in their skills, and it felt like by the end of it they were torturing the poor cat. At the end of the appointment the doctor asked the assistant if she was comfortable implanting the microchip, and the assistant acted very hesitant and uneasy about doing so, even though she had stated she had done it in the past. When I got home after the appointment and checked on our cat to make sure she was okay, I was petting her, and felt something hard, only to realize that it was the microchip coming out of her skin and only halfway embedded. It ended up falling out, and I have left a voicemail with no contact from the cat hospital to fix their mistake, and refund our money, or at least let us know that they are willing to put in a new microchip in correctly. Honestly it was an awful experience, and I hope that they contact us to fix this mistake soon, as the microchip was $60.00.

Michael Lovaglio (Mike)

2024-02

This is a great place to take your cat whether it's injured or at the end of its life. They are very warm and accommodating and are very compassionate to what you as a pet owner are going through. They have a very knowledgeable staff that is great at explaining exactly what is happening and what your options are.

Megan Moone

2024-02

I am so loyal to these guys because they are so loyal to me. Thank you so much for being such kind hearted animal lovers 💕✨

Melissa Lapierre

2023-10

The Cat Hospital really helped get my senior kitty back on track. The doctor is very knowledgeable, honest, and thorough.. She got the testing done that we needed, got her started on some meds to treat her conditions, and provided some valuable information.. In addition, the *amazing* vet tech was able to give her a beautiful lion cut and bath to remedy her matted fur (since she had given up on grooming herself as of late), so now she is comfortable, happy, and will have a better quality of life for her remaining years.. I would definitely recommend The Cat Hospital, thank you so much!

Rosa Tierney

2023-08

They were absolutely wonderful. They made me comfortable while I held my cat and said goodbye to her. They allowed me to be with her during her last breath, giving me my own time with her. They were great about giving me some fur and whiskers as mementos, and allowing me to place my girl gently in the basket before they took her away. It was the most peaceful experience way of saying goodbye and they talked me through the process as we went along.

Adam Newton

2023-06

My wife and I could not have asked for any better of an experience when needing to euthanize our cat who had cancer. The entire staff realized that she was a much-loved family member of ours, and were very compassionate and comforting to us. Dr. Elms herself was the utmost of caring in allowing us to spend our last moments with her privately. They even sent us a hand-written sympathy card in the mail following her passing, which was such an amazingly kind gesture.We are extremely grateful to the Cat Hospital for their care and expertise, and would highly recommend them to anybody.

Spending time with Lil Bit

2023-11

Take a moment, do NOT rent that room here. One, someone died in that room and I feel she will hide that stain at all cost, two this women was shady about details I know to be true and I’m not happy about that. I can do nothing and will do nothing but leave this review warning EVERYONE to stay away. It takes more than a smile to be friendly people, move along.

Kristen A

2023-05

If I could give zero stars I would! Do not ever take your animals there!! My husband was belittled by one of the receptionists for feeding our cats dry food. Their doors are always locked when we show up to drop off our cat and when picking our cat up. After we got our cat home, and got him out of his carrier he wasn't even cleaned up after his procedure! And the lack of communication is unbelievable!! The receptionist only answers the questions you ask with no explanation, you have to ask them to explain everything if you want any information out of them, and even then I'm not sure if you should believe them or not. Such a huge change from when we took our cat there 2 years ago. We will never go back!! They should be put out of business!!!!!!!

Amy Zimba

2023-05

Beware, Beware Beware!!!!Years ago, I brought my cats here had an amazing experience so when my daughter and mom got kittens, I told them they had to go there. Boy was I wrong I never should’ve sent them!On three different occasions, when I was helping my daughter, set up the appointment for the kitten to get fixed, first time I called we were quoted $400-$500 the next time I talk to somebody was in person and they showed me the numbers and everything and assured me that’ll be between $400 and $500. Then my daughter talk to them which I was there and the phone was on speaker and she double checked on the cost and they quoted her $400 and $500. When I called today because they never called us to let us know that she was ready even though they said they would they never did. Found out she was ready to come home and I asked what the cost was. They told me it was over $600 Big difference from between $400 and $500. When I asked to talk to somebody about the bill, the woman they put on the phone was rude. Didn’t even want to talk to me didn’t have time to want to give me to explain the bill and was told to check my attitude even though I didn’t have one until I found out they lied to us and she didn’t have the time or want to even talk to me. So if you wanna be lied to overcharged and treated like you’re nothing, bring your animal to this hospital. But I will never have anything good to say about this place ever again.

j W

2023-05

********Beware New Ownership**********I moved to the area last year and did not have a vet for our two cats. I soon found this location and would have our Persian Cats grooming done here. The staff was wonderful and they would even call after her appointment to make sure she was doing well.Most recently our older cat was showing some concerning signs that led us to schedule an appointment. She had been in remission for diabetes so we explained that we would like that checked first to determine if she was having issues again. I was charged over 800$ (More than the emergency vet in Lewiston) for many tests and was only provided with an itemized receipt and not given any other paperwork on the results, recommendations, or outcomes of said testing. I called the office the next morning because I wanted to know the results of the tests, and our cat was not acting like herself. The receptionist who by the way is a very nice and polite empathetic gentlemen took my information and advised that someone would call me back shortly.I never received a call and assumed they were busy (which is understandable). Two days past After making many calls and sending several emails I have still not heard back from them. I did however receive one email response that said “got it”. It has now been two weeks since the visit and they have not made any attempt to reach out to me. Ironically enough I work in financial crimes and should have noticed the red flags sooner. Shame on this business for the poor service and lack of follow up.

Love Your Yard

2023-07

The office staff was friendly and Dr Elms gave my cat Willow the best exam she’s had for ages! Willow was also more calm with Dr Elms. I am very happy with my first visit to The Cat Hospital and plan to return.

Jennifer Bennett

2023-12

First time I found a vet that cared and didn't say go to Portland for an expensive ER visit she has the time and takes her time and is so smart and sweet love this place thank you so much for everything

Ben Webber

2023-05

Where to even begin with what this place has become…When we first started here it was with the previous owners, good treatment, they were upfront with things…Now it’s an absolute joke.Drop off at 8am for basic check up and first shots.8 hours later finally leaving after being told it would only take a couple hours.Also told we would be be called at 130 to discuss something prior to further treatment done…No call, they went ahead and did it anyway.They treated for fleas (and charged us) after telling them they were already treated a week ago.They didn’t test them for what we brought them there to be tested for.Kept blowing me off about the concern I had for what I brought them there for to begin with.Save your cats. Go somewhere else.

C D

2024-01

Misdiagnosed my cat and charged me $350 for it. Tacky place and cold people. I will never go back.

Banoona

2023-05

Dropped my chinchilla with a broken leg off expecting to have to put her down, but this wonderful staff was able to successfully amputate our baby without any issues. Not only is she doing great but the staff was so kind and supportive through the whole process.

Samara Holbrook

2023-05

Exceedingly kind and knowledgeable staff. Kitties returned to me both visits acting calm and unconcerned. I like dropping them off in the morning and picking up later- convenient and fast. I feel good leaving my babies here.

Tabrizia Phillips

2023-05

Had to put down my girls tonight… 2+ year old rats- Nibbles and Sandy… they had massive tumors that came out of nowhere. these people were very compassionate, and took us in last minute. We come from Bangor and it was 3:45 when we called. The entire process was very loving and caring… will definitely be back 😔❤️

angieandhannah7

2023-05

When my cat started having seizures, it took 6 weeks to get him an appointment. During the follow up appointment they "observed" him in a cage in their office all day, didn't even examine him, and charged me for it. When I asked for basic testing like blood work and an x-ray to help determine the source of the seizures, I was threatened with discharge because I was trying to overstep my bounds with Dr. Robin Elms, when all I wanted to do was have the basics conducted that any good vet should be doing before spending thousands more dollars. Curbside service means you drop your cat off for the whole day and wait for a 2 minute rushed call from Dr. Elms to discuss treatment and then go get your animal, who's been stressed and seizing all day. The final straw was threefold...After paying over 950$ for very vague treatment that they called "Tier 1 level" testing/treatment for seizures, I pick my cat up and his whole neck was shaved with several abrasions, needle marks, and a cut on his lip. To add insult to injury, because you can't get anyone on the phone, for two weeks I couldn't get a call back to have his seizure medicine filled, even though the pharmacy their office typically uses was the one filling it. I finally got him switched to a new vet who is wonderful, and I strongly caution anyone who's considering The Cat Hospital to rethink this decision. Their care borders on animal abuse in my opinion. I hope their doors close forever and they can never treat another animal like this.

Vince Altavilla

2023-05

I agree, beware new ownership!! Since July when Dr Wade left this place has tanked. I will never bring my kitties back here!TL;DRWhere to begin....I brought my two kitties in for boarding and when i showed up, the girl who was supposed to handle intake was sick so no one was there to accept my pets. The hospital staff had to watch them for the day until someone else could be called in. I left detailed feeding instructions (which were pretty simple, calorie count and bowl color) just as a guideline to help but they didn't read it. My cats, per this vet recommendation, were to recieve 200 calories each per day. Well, turns out they were only feeding them 130. I know for sure because there were many "extra" cans left over. They were also supposed to take a picture of each cat each day and send it, but they only sent one and to a random phone number. It wasn't until I called out of concern that they finally sent 1 picture to the right number. Never heard from them again until pickup. They also gave me the wrong carriers at pickup, which I didnt notice until they called as we had just gotten back from our flights and were very tired. Then, the next day both cats were sneezing and coughing. One ended up sneezing blood...we asked to bring them in for a checkup and were told it could be up to $400 to diagnose since we didn't know what was wrong with them. That was insulting because they were fine before entering the facility, and after a week of being there got sick. Pretty obvious it was some URI from the kennel.When I brought them in to get checked up (and to get the shot they were supposed to get while in kennel) I was told they were now triage only and we'd have to leave them ALL day just to get a simple shot and check out the "cold". But, they'd still charge the $400 triage for something that happened in their care...I asked them when they switched to triage only, and why they didn't inform customers I was told they had "been triage only for years, and no one has stepped foot in the building or had ann appointment in years". This is simply not true. They used to have in building appointments for standard checkups. I let the man know this, and he must've realized I'd been before and then changed to say they stopped doing it over the summer. Why couldn't he just be honest with me?Anyhow, to top it all off every time I go in they ask me to bring the kitties records (had done it three times for them). Why they cannot store records is beyond me. As a software engineer, I even offered to help them get their data into the cloud but they refused my help...This place seems to be a lost cause and I would only go there in an absolute emergency because they are closest to me. Currently, our pets don't have a vet now because they've decided to only do triage and many other area vets just aren't accepting new patients. So sad to se this place decline....

Stephanie Chase

2023-05

I've been taking my cats here for eight years and I don't think I'd ever switch. They're very affordable and they've always taken wonderful care of my kitties. Currently, they are still doing curbside business when possible and I highly respect that. Would recommend them to any cat owner.

Madeleine Ejdys

2022-05

I am SO impressed with The Cat Hospital! Being new to the area, I was so nervous to take my best friend to a new vet, especially during the pandemic when I couldn't go in with her. The Cat Hospital was so professional and knowledgable. After speaking with them over the phone and meeting them in person, I knew my cat was in good hands. Not only are they extremely knowledgable, they also keep their prices 100% affordable and accessible. Big thank you to the whole team for keeping my cat comfortable and healthy during her teeth scaling. I am so happy that I found The Cat Hospital! If you are considering a new vet for your feline friend, I highly HIGHLY recommend. Thank you!

Holly D. Chamberlain

2021-05

Clean, friendly and very knowledgeable staff. They even gave me a referral to an at-home Veterinary clinician that came right to my home and administered all of my Veterinary needs right in the privacy of my own home including unfortunately euthanizing my cat in a quiet calm non clinical setting which is what our family was seeking. She also brought the cat with her when she left so that the cremation was simple and the remains were sent directly to our home.

Dee Waterman (Little Ferret Feet)

2021-05

We bring our ferrets to the cat hospital. All of the staff is friendly and very helpful. We get our ferrets implants done here as well as all of their other medical needs. Dr. Elms is amazing! She is compassionate, friendly and extremely knowledgeable. She always goes the extra mile to make sure our babies have the best and up to date care. This is extremely important to us as ferrets have many health issues and having a vet that you know you can count on is priceless! If you want a vet who cares about your animals as much as you do then Dr Robin Elms is the vet for you!

LilBearPrincess ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

2023-05

Edit: This WAS the best vet. After the visit I had today I will not be returning. The previous Owner and staff were amazing. These new people care about money and didn’t seem like they cared about much else. It’s a cat triage center now and they lack the care and attention you got previously. I’m hoping I can find a vet that comes close to what The Cat Hospital used to be.

Jackie Gaudet

2023-05

Great place! The staff was amazing and they were so kind and helpful. We took our chinchilla in for an emergency and they were so reassuring with us and helped us with every part of the visit.

DJ Oshansky

2023-05

This Cat Hospital is THE MOST PROFESSIONAL you can get in Maine. The vet and his staff are brilliant and their cat-boarding hotel are unparalleled !! If you are a cat-person this vet is an answer to your prayers..I highly recommend !!!UPDATE: THE CAT HOSPITAL CHANGED HANDS--it no longer belongs to Dr Wade. The cat owners have to wait OUTSIDE in their cars while the vet exams their cat..even with masks--NO ENTRANCE! I found this unreasonable because I had much to tell the vet, instead you have to relay the information this a 15 yr old girl (?) and hope she remembers.If you want to board your cat, the "staff" comes out to your car to get the cat--the owner can't even get their cat set up in their pen like how Dr WADE WOULD ALLOW YOU TO DO. ---AVOID THIS PLACE!!!!!

Dayna

2023-05

They care more about your money than your cat. I am never one to make a bad review on a business but this one deserves it. Do yourself a favor and go anywhere else but here.