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February 2024 by Sonia Lilani
Especially Cats is the very best! Their entire team is professional, compassionate, knowledgeable and thorough. Dr. Wilson and Dr. Lawson are both gentle, empathetic experts in cat physiology. Dr. Wilson especially went above and beyond to ensure my cat was as healthy and comfortable as possible and that I was informed and empowered in my decision making for his health. Thank you Especially Cats ❤️
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January 2023 by Doris Perez
I have been taking my cat to Especially Cats for years. I like that their focus is cats only. Dr. Wilson was wonderful with my old guy cat. She is an excellent vet -- explains everything clearly and in-depth. It is clear she cares deeply about the animals and their care. I trusted her guidance and my cat was able to live comfortably the last three years of his life. Office staff are kind, patient and quick to assist. They supported me when I was trying to research a cheaper price on some meds. Vet techs are experienced and reassuring. My cat received the best of care and for that I am grateful.
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January 2023 by Angie C.
My 19 year old cat was very sick so I tried to schedule an appointment, but they didn’t have any spots open. When I first tried to make an appointment, the only thing wrong for my cat was her back legs weren’t working fully. Two months later, her back leg was worse, she couldn’t walk without leaning on the wall, she didn’t eat much and slept all the time. She also became blind from blood in her eye from injury (caused by her not working back legs). We later learned she had thermoregulation problems. Despite being aware of this, especially cats didn’t move her up for an appointment or emergency care at all in the three weeks this happened. So I took her to the ocean avenue vet clinic and they found that she had a lot of problems, and we had to euthanize her. Even though my cat had been going to this vet clinic for almost a decade, they still didn’t care to save her life.
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December 2022 by Eccomi at SF
I've been coming here for a few years after Pets Unlimited closed. I'm very happy with this place. My cat is 20 years old, plus, and has been in kidney failure for a long time and Dr. Lawson has done an excellent job with his kidney failure, arthritis and heart murmer, keeping him going and thriving with a happy life. The staff here is so careful with my senior cat's needs.
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August 2022 by Valentina N.
I have been going to Especially Cats for many years and take our 3 fur babies to them. Dr. Wilson has been our primary vet, and she has been the best vet I have gotten to work with over the years. She is extremely patient and will answer all questions in detail, never making you feel rushed and explaining every little thing so that you fully understand it. She is super responsive and has always sent me detailed instructions about each cat to make sure that we know exactly what to do. You can tell she cares deeply about the fur babies and wants what's best for them. We also had a good experience with Dr. Lawson, who was very thorough and gave us some great recommendations on how to feed our 3 cats so that they'd be able to all eat together (previously one of them was always waiting for the other two to finish). She also noticed that one of our cats didn't have a microchip, which was a great catch! As others have mentioned, recently it's been hard to get an appointment, and not all receptionists have been nice (there was one instance where one of the receptionists recommended I find another vet, which was a bit shocking, but luckily only happened once.) I'd still recommend Especially Cats because there's still some really kind and thoughtful people working there - the technicians are all so caring and thoughtful, and they love the cats so much, and Tanya, who picked up the phone when I called today, was so caring and thorough! I immensely appreciated her picking up and it made all the difference.
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August 2022 by Alex L.
Horrible, Horrible....What happened to this place???....Ever since Dr. Butar left, it has gone downhill...Front desk staff is lame....just ridiculous....No urgency, No compassion, just Apathy....Covid with a sick cat was horrible, last week was the last straw...taking cat elsewhere
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July 2022 by Herbert Lee
This is the best Veterinary Hospital I ever met. The Vets and all the staff are professioal and experence and they all have kind hearts. If your cat need medical service, I'll believe Especially Cats Veterinary Hospital is the only place you need to consider.
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May 2022 by Eric O.
When you are in the clinic, Especially Cats is great -- however, I've found they have now become completely unreliable in urgent situations. I've now twice had experiences with cats that require quick care, but upon calling for an appointment the best they can give me are appointments a month out and no other helpful advice -- and have had to take my pets to other facilities where appointments are actually available. At this point I am not sure I would recommend them because you cannot count on them being available when you need a vet the most.
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April 2022 by Parth S.
I sought a new vet because while our previous one was convenient, the facility was dog-centric and this stressed our cats out for several days after every visit. I skipped their annual checkup last year in part because I worried about going back to that vet. I just check in one article about cats health: and found that there're some ways we can actually take care for our cats.
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March 2022 by Doris B.
I have loved Especially Cats for years. Dr. Wilson in particular has helped keep an elderly cat with IBD and his litter mate with insulin-dependent diabetes alive and as healthy as can be expected for years. Until the last about year and a half, I also depended on the practice in general for support and information. I don't know who bought the practice and don't blame the vets for what has happened. The last time we bought insulin from them, the price was more than $150 than previously and was more than we could use before it hit its expiration date. The last visit, for the nearly 17yr old cat with IBD, the cat and I were left sitting in the waiting room (which is now open and is small and not well ventilated) for more than an hour, being told every few minutes that it would be just a few minutes. And watching other cats come in and go while we waited. I am immune compromised and would have waited elsewhere had I known how long it would be. The practice also will not permit other prescription providers for insulin to call for the prescription. They will take calls for other prescriptions that they do not sell. Both old cats are nearly 17 and have been through a lot of medical procedures -- for the better. The diabetic cat is doing fine, the other is failing. Neither needs an extensive panel of blood tests to discover that they are old and ill. The vets understand, but the staff seems to be pushed to upsell. I do hope the new owners of the practice get their stuff together and begin to understand that we are not bringing in appliances, but creatures who are a big part of our lives. I know the vets understand and do the best they can under the circumstances. I am so conflicted about this. Had I not been jacked over the insulin, I would probably be a little less resistant to the calls for checkups.
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February 2022 by Ursula W.
My cat was a patient since 2014. Since the pandemic started 2019 we were not able to get an appointment with doctor Wilson. Today my cat needed exam and check up since Im little concern about her health and it was so important for us to see someone we trust during the years. I called and ask for first available appointment.All I heard was: "We are fully booked and cant tell you when we can see your cat." I have no words.So disappointed.I would never thought that in time when my cat will need medical help we will be left in a situation like this.
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January 2022 by Vanessa M
I had such a lovely experience at Especially Cats Veterinary Hospital. The staff at the front desk were kind and helpful. The vet techs were so sweet and patient with my cat. Callie does not like being handled, and they managed her wiggles and resistance like a pro! I cannot say enough nice things about Dr. Wilson. I am so grateful to have worked with her. She was so thoughtful and thorough when it came to explaining Callie’s dental procedure and what to expect in the future. Overall Especially Cats was beyond professional and compassionate when it came to my little one’s care. I am so grateful for Dr. Wilson and all the lovely staff members who assist her.
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January 2022 by Maggie Kothmann
I came to Especially Cats after one of my newly adopted kittens was having some ear trouble that a previous veterinarian could not decipher and didn't seem overly concerned about. I was really worried of course, because I knew he was not feeling well. They managed to get me in sooner than my current vet even could. I took the appointment on a day/during a time when I am really overwhelmed but really wanted my cat to feel better. Consequently I was really disheveled at the appointment. They bent over backwards to help my cat. Quiet, small, low stress exam room and waiting room. A very good environment.I was so impressed with Dr. Lawson. She did not leave one stone unturned and she developed an aggressive treatment plan to help him and had several possible explanations. She also identified some misaligned teeth to keep an eye on and some dental advice which is awesome. Nobody likes to hear bad news but catching things early and preventing is so helpful. She is no-nonsense and tells you how it is- which I love. She really puts the cats first and she gave me a lot of constructive but also positive feedback about myself as a cat guardian. She knows A LOT and is very smart. Right away I knew I could trust her advice. I think she is definitely the most thorough veterinarian I have seen.After growing up with dogs and converting to becoming a cat person, I really value the patient education aspect. One thing I've learned about cats is that there are a lot of misconceptions about them and that they have behaviors and needs that people don't really get or understand, so I think it is really important to have a veterinary hospital that does have thorough patient education. They really addressed the whole cat- lifestyle, play, food, litter box, cat/guardian relationship, etc.Of course the highlight of my experience was bringing him home finally feeling better after months of pain and cold ear drops everyday with no relief. They did an amazing job cleaning his ears, way better than my previous vet, and most importantly: he was WAY less stressed. The last vet visits would knock him out for two days because he was exhausted from the stress.I guess Casper gives them five stars too, because he finally slept peacefully (see picture) and has been purring and loving on me excessively today, almost like he's thanking me for finally getting him the care he needed. He also has been grooming and trilling and loving on his buddy (our other kitten Primo who is roughly the same age) who he had started bullying a lot (and acting out in general) over the last few weeks which I attributed to pain. It is amazing to see his behavior change with that tiny bit of relief. He also enjoyed some good neck scratches from Dr. Lawson during his visit. :)Prices seem to be on par with other veterinary hospitals in San Francisco- I didn't come here initially because I assumed it would be more expensive. Considering the cost of veterinary medicine in San Francisco, I feel happy with the price I paid for the quality of care I received- and of course them putting up with my scatter brain that day.
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December 2021 by Caglar Unlu
Moving abroad soon with a very vague schedule. Dr. Lawson was able to set aside time for our cat's health certificate at short notice and even prepared health certificates for two different countries due to sudden change in plans. Greta also was very accommodating and followed-up with us to make sure everything was done right and in a way that would give us the most flexibility.
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December 2021 by Maggie Kothmann
I came to especially cats after my newly adopted kitten was having some ear trouble that two different veterinarians could not decipher and didn't seem overly concerned about. I was really worried of course, because I knew he was not feeling well. They managed to get me in sooner than my current vet even could. I took the appointment on a day/during a time when I am really overwhelmed but really wanted my cat to feel better. Consequently I was really disheveled at the appointment. They bent over backwards to help my cat. You can really feel that the cats truly come first at this place. Quiet, small, low stress exam room and waiting room. A very good environment. I was so impressed with Dr. Lawson. She did not leave one stone unturned and she developed an aggressive treatment plan to help him. Prices seem to be on par with other veterinary hospitals in San Francisco- I didn't come here initially because I assumed it would be more expensive.
