Focus on Community Partners: Loudoun Cat Care

Dr. Krista Wiechmann, owner of Loudoun Cat Care (LCC), is a veterinarian and member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners. Since 2007, she and her health care team have been providing feline-exclusive veterinary care and boarding in Leesburg. As a full-service facility with medical, dental and surgical care, her practice prioritizes the bond that forms between clients and their cats and is dedicated to ensuring they have long and healthy lives together. LCC also offers an on-site boarding facility featuring luxury cages with separate “living” and “potty” rooms for feline clients whose families are out of town.

Focusing on one species allows the practice to stay on top of the most current therapeutic techniques, according to Alison Trent, one of LCC’s Veterinary Technicians. “Feline practice allows us to provide a much more friendly, positive environment for our feline patients, many of whom are very upset by dogs, and trips away from home in general,” she says. “Our practice is much quieter than the average mixed practice, and we tailor our exams to cat preferences.” Special features such as exam tables with soft covers, cat-specific pheromones, and fear-free distraction techniques are designed specifically to help alleviate the anxiety felines often feel at the vet.

LCC has been partnering with HSLC for the last 4 or 5 years, providing affordable healthcare for cats who may never have received veterinary care before. Juanita Easton, President of HSLC, is grateful for the partnership with LCC, stating, “Dr. Wiechmann is great at working with us on our difficult cat cases.” Services provided include examinations, treatment for parasites and medical conditions, testing for communicable diseases, spaying and neutering, vaccinations, permanent microchip identification, and counseling on behavioral considerations. Ms. Trent shares that for the staff of LCC, “Using our education, resources, and talents to help animals live happier and healthier lives is our life’s work, and our passion. Also, the ability to give back to a volunteer-run organization that strives to rescue at-risk cats is a wonderful feeling.”

HSLC and LCC share the goal of making a difference in the plight of homeless animals, with education being one of the most important ways we can collaborate to try to address common issues. For example, according to Ms. Trent, “Most people don’t know that left unchecked, one female cat can turn into 100 cats in just over a year. Spaying and neutering is vital to controlling the homeless pet population.” By offering services at a reduced cost, LCC provides crucial support to HSLC’s Trap/Neuter/Return program and its efforts to improve the lives of stray and feral cats in Loudoun County.

HSLC relies on our community partners to help us help as many animals as possible. Specialists such as LCC teach us that, as in human medicine, innovations in veterinary care occur constantly. By specializing in feline veterinary care, LCC is able to stay on top of innovations in the field, and their willingness to share their knowledge and passion with HSLC demonstrates their commitment to caring for cats and their understanding of those who love them. For LCC, the most important thing anyone who lives with feline family members can do is “understand, respect, and celebrate their cat-ness!”—something LCC does each and every day.

By Valerie Burton
June 24, 2018