There’s a new pair of hands fixing homeless cats at FixNation! Caitlin grew up in Santa Paula, studied Animal Science at Fresno State and earned a DVM at St. George’s University in the Caribbean. She’s now completing her externships and we’re thrilled to have her to help out!
What made you decide to be a vet?
Growing up I wasn’t always sure I wanted to be a vet, but I knew I wanted to work with animals, and I really wanted to work with marine mammals like dolphins, sea lions and seals. I was really involved in Future Farmers of America and raised sheep when I was in high school. It wasn’t until my second year of college that I made the switch from Marine Biology at CSU Monterey Bay to Animal Science at Fresno State. The transfer wasn’t easy but I eventually began to feel at home in my classes and working in the vet field only strengthened my love for animals and my drive to become a veterinarian.
What did you enjoy most about attending vet school in the Caribbean?
There are so many things that I loved about being in Grenada, the scenery for sure but also getting to know the Grenadian people, their customs, and cuisine. It was such a great opportunity to learn about another culture and it really made me respect everything that I have in America and I know that I should never take that for granted. I definitely want to return at some point in the future as well and possibly find a way to give back to the community. (Swimming with green sea turtles was pretty awesome, too!)
What aspect of veterinary work do you like best?
It’s hard to pinpoint one aspect of veterinary work that I enjoy the best because I really do like so many different areas – but if I had to narrow it down, dermatology would be very high on my list. I love finding bumps and although it may be really gross to some, I love a lanced abscess! Some other areas that also interest me are dentistry, surgery, internal medicine and oncology.
What’s an interesting thing you’ve learned about cats during your training?
One of the first things I was taught in Vet school was the phrase “cats are different,” and by that I mean they have certain muscles that dogs don’t have. This became a running theme throughout my classes and one interesting thing I learned about cats is if they happen to develop a splenic mast cell tumor that has spread all the way to the bone marrow, they have a decent response to solely removing the spleen, instead of the additional chemotherapy or radiation that dogs might need.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing vets at the moment?
I think it’s the amount of student debt new grads are dealing with. It can range from $250,000-$400,000 and then starting salaries and costs of living can make it hard to pay it off. On top of this there are the rising numbers of veterinarian suicides. This is based on a multitude of factors but some have linked it to compassion fatigue – or caring so much every day and the stress that leads to. Luckily, there is more discussion happening on both of these topics and hopefully there will be change on the horizon.
Do you have any pets of your own?
Yes, I do! Rory and Mac. is a 7-year-old mutt. He is my first official pet and I got him when he was about 8 weeks old. Someone had left him in a shopping cart at the grocery store and I ended up taking him home. He has been the best first dog and is always by my side.
Mac is a 6-year-old Border collie mix. She was also dumped, but luckily someone found her and brought her to the hospital where I work. She would cry often if left unattended in the kennel so it was my job as the kennel assistant to go hold her, and the rest is basically history. She loves to be active and to herd things and is such a wonderful, independent dog.
At this time I do not have a cat because my fiancé is pretty allergic (myself too, but not as bad), but maybe in the future. At the moment I get by visiting my mom’s cat as well as all the kitties I get to see whenever I’m at FixNation!
