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The Cat Practice, opened in 1981, is Michigan's first cats-only veterinary hospital providing advanced preventative and medical care with an emphasis on early detection to help cats live longer, better and healthier. With early detection and the right preventive care, cats are living 20 years and more. These complex and sensitive creatures are masters at hiding their illness.

So spotting warning signs early is essential in helping families make good choices about their cat's care. Located in Birmingham, Michigan, we care for mixed breed and purebred felines from around southeast Michigan.
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Each cat is unique and is affected by its breed (see common purebred & breed specific health conditions), health history, age, habits, environment and quality of life. At The Cat Practice, our feline veterinarians and veterinary nurses (licensed veterinary technicians) treat each cat as an individual.
At The Cat Practice, we treat each cat as an individual and work closely with cat families to make sure they have all the information they need to make informed decisions about their feline's care. The Cat Practice is also active in the community to help advance understanding and care of felines around the Detroit metro area.
Special interests: Developing close and respectful relationships with my feline patients and the people who love them. Oreo loves everyone (especially my daughter!) and enjoys being a demonstration kitty on TV and at school science day. He also likes riding in doll carriages, playing dress up, and taking showers with my daughter.
The Cat Practice often has adoptable cats and kittens in our lobby. We are an adoption satellite of Oakland Pet Adoption Center in Auburn Hills. All cats and kittens up for adoption have been socialized, vaccinated, dewormed, negative for internal parasites, tested for feline leukemia and FIV, and are typically spayed or neutered (exceptions are kittens that are too young).
Reviews (20)
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Alex Henry
May 24, 2022
Wonderful veterinary care for my senior cat! The staff is extremely supporting and caring as well.
Jennifer Hong
Apr 26, 2022
Great vet for your cats. I use them for boarding as well and they take good care of my girls.
Renna J.
Mar 23, 2022
This practice is so wonderful. They were so sweet and playful with my cat and made him feel SO comfortable (he gets nervous in new surroundings). They were so so thorough and gave me all the information I needed for my cats health and then some! Very sweet staff, nurses and doctor included!
Stacy Fowler
Jan 20, 2022
Dr. Houlihan and her incredible team at The Cat Practice treated us like family. From the strong communication for scheduling to the extensive time they took to answer all our questions, we left knowing we are in good hands for all future needs.
Elena'S. Homes
Dec 06, 2021
This is the best vet practice I have found for my cat. I feel that they are really knowledgeable and truly care. Our Dr is amazing and she spent a lot of time with us during the appointment, we never felt rushed. Highly recommend!
Rich Lamb
Nov 05, 2021
We have taken our cats to the Cat Practice for years. They keep accurate records on each pet and are proactive in letting the human know what each cat needs. Friendly and wonderful sense of humour.
Rock Valley Girl Rochestermi
Aug 28, 2021
This is the best place for veterinary care and boarding for cats. I have, over the years, boarded six kitties there and have always been so impressed with the care they have gotten. The doctors and staff are clearly very engaged in their work and are professional and kind. Highly recommend The Cat Practice!
Barbara Ann Libbrecht
Apr 09, 2021
I love The Cat Practice! The doctors and staff are wonderful and very invested in the health of my kitty! Everyone is so kind, caring and responsive. My cat is very precious to me and I trust The Cat Practice with his health and well being! They are friendly, knowledgeable, thorough, efficient, they answer questions, explain options, and they follow up out of concern! I highly recommend them!
Mara Livezey
Dec 05, 2020
I love bringing my fur babies to the Cat Practice, and have been for the past ~3 years or so! I can tell that everyone there has an immense love for cats. The staff, techs, and veterinarians are all attentive to my cats and pick up on their personality traits in such a short time, which is impressive. I appreciate their great service, and the extra-special treats they give my cats for "good behavior" after a visit. Can't recommend highly enough!
M. P.
Feb 25, 2020
The Cat Practice took care of our cat Ketsa so wonderfully and completely. Ketsa had blood drawn and was given Cosequin and pain salve for her arthritis. The nurse and Dr. Shay were so sweet and caring with her because she's very anxious. Ketsa presented with Hyperthyroidism and after discussing the options of treatment with Dr. Shay, (whom we love!) we choose to go with trans dermal Methimazole. I would highly recommend the Cat Practice for any cat owner for their vet needs. It matters that all they treat is cats! Thank you Cat Practice for your care and expertise!
Jen H.
Jun 08, 2017
Moved from Denver with my buddy Leo who has a slight complex care need and these folks went out of their way to care for him with the help of my wonderful Tender Touch crew back in CO. Then they made him their own little project to keep him healthy and us less worried. Great Cattery for health needs and boarding. It can be trying to find a place kitty specific and they are greatly appreciated by us! Worth the drive from our new home!
Cedes S.
Jul 01, 2016
My cat, Potvin, had the best visit a cat could ask for at The Cat Practice in Birmingham. Our doctors and the vet tech were both so kind and were so incredibly careful with her even while giving her a couple of shots. It was such a relief to have a waiting room free of dogs and allowed Potvin to relax a little bit. Love that we got to take home a report card on how she was doing to show her dad at home. You guys do amazing work- thank you for putting that much heart into every patient you see each day.
Sahar R.
Feb 07, 2016
My first visit exceeded my expectations. My cat Picasso was quite difficult to say the least, but the doctor and all of her staff were so genuinely nice and concerned. Dr. Larsen was very professional and had a very kind and respectful demeanor about her. She was very thorough and answered all of our questions. The atmosphere at this clinic is very warm and cozy. You immediately feel welcome when you walk through their clinic door. I would highly recommend this practice to anyone!
David C.
Aug 03, 2015
I came to them because of their supposed expertise on cats. I made it clear to them that I had lost a cat suddenly before and didn't want to experience that again. They were given carte blanche to run every test possible to track my cat's health and I requested it over and over. They did an ultrasound in October 2014 and that combined with the blood work indicated some kidney disease and pancreatitis.

A twice a day compound ointment that relieved pain, increased appetite and reduced nausea was prescribed for the pancreatitis. In addition Adequan for inflammation and a B-12 shot were prescribed weekly. All of which was administered by me. In March 2016 I paid for a house visit and the exam indicated that he was alright although a urine sample couldn't be accomplished and he had experienced a significant weight loss.

I did indicate that he periodically had a strange odor to his saliva and I didn't mean bad breath, but no action on that. In early July 2015 he experienced vomiting and diarrhea which subsided after a couple of days. Verbally over the phone they suggested it was probably a virus. I brought him in for an office visit July 22, 2016 and the exam was positive although a change in the liver enzymes caused them to recommend an Ultrasound which could not be scheduled until August 6.

This is one of the problems--you can't get an ultrasound and an office visit the same day as Thursdays when the ultrasound technician is there as the doctors there that day only do surgeries. Two visits then or leave your cat overnight. Unfortunately my cat never made it to that ultrasound appointment. I found him in a state of shock early on Sunday morning and rushed him to the closet emergency 24 hour veterinarian hospital.

It turns out that he had a tumor which they believed was in the spleen, it had ruptured and he was severely anemic and received a blood transfusion. It was explained to me that an operation to remove the tumor would not solve the problem and he was still critical. All there vets there recommended that he be euthanized, which after many tears I did.

Why wasn't the tumor identified by The Cat Practice earlier? A virus it obviously wasn't. Even if they had identified it earlier chemo may not have worked, but at least if he needed to be euthanized I would have been prepared and his state of shock he suffered through could have been avoided. Again I pleaded over and over to test him for everything so if there was a problem we could catch it early; as far as I'm concerned that didn't happen.
Brant F.
Nov 19, 2014
The Cat Practice is a great place to take your cat. I had an elderly cat (around 20 years of age) and the folks there helped me provide her with pain medication and drugs to lower her blood pressure as she began to decline. Eventually, it became clear that she needed to be released as she began to refuse food and water. One of the vet techs came to my house and euthanized my cat without stress of travel.

They are wonderful. Also, after reviewing some of the other comments here, I disagree with those who say the billing is high at The Cat Practice. I think it is about average and I was never pressured to take aggressive, painful or expensive actions for my cat, which would have been inappropriate given her age.
Vicki C.
Dec 02, 2013
We boarded our 2 cats there over the Thanksgiving weekend. The staff was caring and awesome. The kids were allowed to go visit and play with them and they kept us informed on how they were doing when we visited and gave us a detailed page on their stay. Would highly recommend them to anyone looking to have a caring place for their cats.
Jess T.
Jan 22, 2012
We moved to the area and needed to get our cat checked out. We also needed a plan to help Mr. Sausage Cat (not his real name) get back to a healthy weight. The staff were very friendly and helpful. We left with a clear meal plan and calorie counts for Watson. I also was able to take a tour of the facilities for the cat boarding. While boarding my cat would not be my first option, it is a good looking second option.
Bob D.
Dec 30, 2011
This place truly cares about your animal. We had to put our 4 year old cat down a couple weeks ago and they where amazing. I took the cat up so my wife wouldn't have to be there. Thinking I could be a tough guy and not be emotional. I was wrong it was the hardest decision I have ever made. They didn't make me feel uncomfortable at all. I had to call the wife to come up for support.

There goes the tough guy act. They treated my cat with such gentle care and made her so comfortable at the end. They turned a terrible time in our lives to one that we could accept and understand. Thank you for being so kind!
E. T.
Mar 27, 2010
The cat practice is the best care you can get for your cat. The problem is.not everyone can afford this place: if I was a millionare I would gladly use the cat practice as my regular vet. I took my older cat here because I really wanted the best for him.they suggested I get a 400 cardiogram and 450 worth of bloodwork done. The blood work turned up a slight enzyme problem. i went back to my old vet and got treatment for a third of the price.
Evelyn W.
Jun 25, 2007
The name says it all - cats only. A good place to go for general care of cats. Anything way out of the ordinary would be better served by Michigan Veterinary Services. Complex health problems are best handled by getting a second opinion and using the Cat Practice for monitoring of the issue. This has been my experience; I'm sure other feline folks will vehemently disagree. I do like the Cat Practice but feel that the focus is sometimes more on revenue than overall care.