T.H.E. Westside Cat Practice

Dr Elston is the best! He makes you feel at ease during stressful situations and is extremely knowledgable. He also makes you feel as if your pet is his own so I trust his decisions and opinions and my cat is now doing so well considering her health issues. This place is pricey but I think it’s worth it. Oscar, the technician is great too.

NEVER AGAIN WILL I GO HERE!
I have been a very loyal client of Cat Practice since they opened. Starting with my boy Joe of 19 years, and my 2 tabbies since him, I found the owner Dr. Beth to be the most amazing cat Vet I have every known! Unfortunately to mine and many other customers’ extreme disappointment, she has since left the Cat Practice. I continued to take my 2 cats to this facility, namely for periodic checkups and nail trimming every 6 weeks. Until yesterday when I called to bring them in for routine grooming.
I was told by the «new» receptionist that my cats will first require rabies shots. Both cats have already been vaccinated according to their requirements. Apparently they «missed» this on the prior visits, and new Health Laws require this in the event my cats «bite the staff». Are you kidding me? For real? It gets better. So not only do I have to pay for rabies shots I feel may be detrimental to my indoor cats well-​being, but I have to additionally PAY ANOTHER $ 110 for examination (in order to administer rabies shots). So they want approx $ 200 before I can bring my cats in for $ 34 trimming!
I mentioned to both the receptionist as well as an assistant that I will no longer continue there as a client, that I needed to speak with the manager there. Never got a call back, obviously they do not care about losing my business and loyalty!
I have since called 2 other Vets in the neighborhood, no problem bringing them in for grooming! I would have preferred taking my cats to an «exclusive» cat Vet, but obviously this place has gone down the tubes! Its all about money now!

This business is not built on customer service. They are making lots of changes this year, one of them is raising prices for the same services as last year.
Jodi the manager, not very polite.
Definitely not going to come back here.
:(

Dr Sholz is amazing!!! She was so kind, compassionate and knowledgable! She provided answers where others hadn’t been able to. I’m super grateful my cat was able to be seen by her. I highly recommend her!!! She’s awesome! And she stays totally current with veterinary medicine and was able to provide me with great options and a great course of action. She’s also such a pleasure to speak to and you can tell she really loves animals. Also special mention to the technician Brittany. Brittany is also so super knowledgable (I’m seriously impressed), such a sweet heart (to me and my cat) and a total animal lover! I highly recommend Dr. Sholz and Brittany!

I have taken my cat here for the past couple of years for grooming (bath and lion cut). The work they do is good, and previously I had never had an issue. This week, when I called to schedule my cat’s grooming, I was informed the price had gone from $ 92 to $ 148! Apparently the ownership changed, or the current owner changed the pricing. Ridiculousl grooming price hike!

love that this is a practice solely devoted to the care of cats. love the doctor that examined mine.
do NOT love that the front office staff needs training on how to properly process a payment and how to gracefully admit to an error. my credit card was run OVER 20 TIMES in order to process payment. NEVER IN MY ENTIRE HISTORY OF HAVING CREDIT CARDS has that happened. the staff member get my card company on the phone after she told me there was a problem because there were «20 previous attempts to make a purchase on my card.» what she didn’t tell me was that those previous attempts were her failures to process the payment properly which I found out after I spoke a representative of the card company (because I wanted to know why I hadn’t been notified after multiple failed attempts to make fraudulent purchases were made on my card). so lack of integrity in business practices on the part of the office staff may have just cost this office a client. judging from the other reviews, that is something that should be addressed. immediately.

This clinic is extremely overpriced and they sell you on expensive unneeded procedures. Because I care so much for my cats I fell for their game and it cost me over $ 3,000. Shame on me. So that’s why I’m writing this review to alert you to beware and compare their prices and get a second opinion. This place is a very fancy front for a bunch of money grubbing charlatans.

I’m only giving one star because of the staff. They have always bee polite and helpful.
I went to this clinic when it was run by Dr Beth. I had gone to Dr. Kent at Westside Cat Hospital but thought her diagnosis were $$ driven and left. She also misdiagnosed. Loved Dr Beth but she retired. I stayed on for Dr. Stegman.
When I took my cat for her annual earlier this year, I asked to make an appointment with Dr Stegman. They never mentioned that she was no longer there and that the practice was now run by Dr Kent. Dr Kent had misdiagnosed two of my cats (one with wrong cancer) and was the last person I wanted to see but there she was. I went through with the visit then left and signed up at the West Hollywood Animal Hospital. I’m incredibly happy with them.
I was annoyed that her staff didn’t mention the ownership change when I called to make an appt. But I’m not surprised.

Very disorganized staff for such a tiny place. Not a single person in the office including the doctor knew prices for any treatment. Made us feel cheap asking over and over. Seems like they hide the prices so you have sticker stock after the fact. Not cool. Will compare other vets in the marina.
Dr. Kent was nice and did give good advice about taking care of our two cats.

Used to be great. Has been sold, and is still ok, but cost has doubled. Honestly, $ 800 for basic checkups on two cats is just too much.

I brought my cat here after I adopted her from Love and Leashes. Since my cat was a stray, we didn’t have much health history for her. They were very nice here, especially Heather. I saw both Dr. Kent and Dr. Elston. However, I ended up choosing a different vet for both convenience and because I prefer to have just 1 vet not 2. It seems like the prices are a bit higher than my current vet, but this is also an expensive part of LA. The two have pretty different styles of communication, but I had positive experiences with both.

I like this place. They are nice and helpful. It is expensive though, but I love that it’s just for cats ! Easy to park and close to my house

Please, please, please, listen to this, and never take your cat to Dr. Kent.
My male cat experienced a urinary blockage and I was told that he needed PU surgery. I listened to the Dr. Kent and did my own independent research, that most cats do very well after the procedure, so I consented to the surgery, and the multiple thousand dollar cost.
Over the next 7 – 8 months, my kitty was still having issues urinating. I was told a variety of things, post op swelling (really? months after surgery), bladder infection.etc.everything but the truth.
One evening, he was not able to urinate AT ALL! I rushed him to an emergency vet hospital, and learned the reason my kitty had been suffering all these months was because whoever did his surgery did not make a large enough opening for urination. They were shocked that they could not even pass the smallest catheter. I was horrified. Dr. Kent botched the surgery and caused my pet almost a year of suffering. The ER practice did a second surgery, properly. My pet recovered well and, it has been 8+ years since then, and he has never blocked again.
A responsible vet would have referred me to a surgeon for the procedure, NOT charge me thousands of dollar to use my pet as surgical guinea pig. I so regret that I ever allowed this to happen, but I put my trust in Dr. Kent to care for my pet, and that was a horrible mistake!!!
Please, please, please NEVER take your cat to Dr. Kent, and if you do, second guess everything you are told, seek a second opinion on everything and NEVER let her operate on your cat, EVER! I hope this review saves someone from making my mistake, and saves a kitty untold suffering.

Dr. Tom Elston is wonderful. The staff is lacking, and it’s a shame because the doctor is excellent. I know it’s hard to find good staff given the fact that being a tech isn’t high-​paying job/doesn’t require a long education. Still, they should take a little more pride and treat the patients and owners like the paying customers that we are.
The wait time is sometimes long– this is both with the old vet and the new one. But, I can make allowances for that. Also, the techs keep calling my cat «chubby» even though he’s 12 pounds, long, active, and athletic. Ok, I’ll choose to ignore that and chalk it up to the annoying LA culture.
The downside of this place is certainly the unprofessional, disorganized staff. I went a couple months ago to give my cat the feline distemper vaccine, and the tech asks me to hand him the cat carrier. When I asked if they could instead put us in a room and administer the shot with me present, the tech looked at me like I was nuts. When the tech went in the back to prepare the vaccine, I heard him talking about me with someone else– «why would she WANT to be in the room?» I’m sorry, but talking about paying customers within earshot is unprofessional. Also, there was a cat being held in the back and he was meowing loudly– didn’t want my cat to cross paths with an ornery and possibly sick cat.
Anyways, my cat took the vaccine like a champ (didn’t even flinch). I think that’s in part because I was present, and I didn’t send him to the back alone. I probably won’t return because I don’t live especially close, and there are other places closer to home where I can be kept waiting and then be insulted.

Dr. Kent is flat out exceptional! After three disappointing visits with three different vets yielding nominal results, I decided to brave the 405 and visit Dr. Kent upon the recommendation of a friend who happens to be an MD. Dr. Kent possesses an irrepressible vitality that comforts and a rare ability to make complex things simple while keeping the simple things simple comforts even more. Dr. Kent was the only vet who had the skill set and experience to diagnose and successfully treat our beloved cat. The differences projected themselves within 48 hours of treatment and medication; the differences were life changing not only for our cat but for us as we no longer had to see a family member in pain. I cannot say enough great things about Dr. Kent and her staff and I do not dole out compliments easily.

I took my cat in for a check up and was told that my cat needed four teeth extracted at a whopping $ 1400. I took her to a different vet and they told me they won’t know if she needs those teeth extracted until *after* they clean her teeth, but *if* my cat needed them extracted, it would be $ 700.00. Well, they cleaned her teeth, and they didn’t need to be extracted.
In summary: THE Westside Cat Practice will overcharge you for things your cat may or may not need, but a different vet will only charge you for things your cat actually needs.
I highly recommend THE Westside Cat Practice to those who enjoy paying double to make their cat suffer pointlessly.

What a scam!
I was quoted over the phone $ 400 for a teeth cleaning, however after an hour and a half consultation (mostly just waiting) prior to the cleaning, I was given a proposal for $ 1500! The extra costs were for pre-​op blood work, catheter, anesthesia, the actual cleaning, whatever. I walked out.
I called 2 other vets and their all inclusive cost was between $ 340 and $ 375.
Absolutely outrageous!

Awesome! I took my cat in for a dental and got a routine check up for her as well. Dr. Kent was very friendly and articulate when explaining the needs of my cat and was very comforting and reassuring when she explained it in a very «there is no need to worry» fashion. She even gave me a few helpful tips to give my cat a better sense of well-​being.
I feel safe when I take my cat into the Westside cat practice and my cat has been happier since she went in! It is important for clients to feel safe with their veterinarian just like they would their own physician, and I felt that way at The Westside Cat Practice. This practice comes highly recommended for anyone that cares as much as I do about their cat :)

This place used to be the Cat Practice. I loved the owner and chief vet, Dr. Beth Hagenlocker and her staff. They were always accessible and helpful and provided really great longterm care for my cats, both of whom have chronic illnesses. I was very sad to learn that she retired and sold her practice in December 2013.
tl:dr version: Dr. Beth no longer works here and no longer owns this practice. Most of Dr Beth’s staff is also gone. I do not like the new owners, who are from the old Westside Cat Hospital (some of their reviews appear to be merged with those from Dr Beth’s clinic on this page…). The vibe is worse, the front desk staff isn’t that good now, and the only people I can give five stars to are the techs and Dr. Beth’s old receptionist, Kathleen.
I actually did give them a try under the new ownership (albeit still seeing Dr. Stegman, the only vet left from Dr. Beth’s practice — from what I understand, she’s gone now too), but as of March 2014 I’ve decided to transfer my cats elsewhere.
***NOTE: If you’re interested in knowing where I bring my cats now, please check my profile for my list of reviews! I have reviewed my cats’ current vet. ***
They seem to have let go of most of TCP’s staff and techs — which is a shame because they were awesome. In the very first month of dealing with the new staff I had issues — they sat on my chronically ill cat’s prescription, for which he had a standing order in his files, for three days. It took three days, three calls and a complaint before it was called into the pharmacy, during which time one of their receptionists actually decided to debate the treatment plan with me instead of calling in the scrip. That never would have happened on Dr. Beth’s watch. Ever.
One more thing: when we had an office visit and they brought me an estimate for my cat’s services, there was a test listed that the vet had NOT ordered, and could not even be performed that day. I was told that it was just part of the «test bundle.» When I asked why I would be charged for a test my cat didn’t need, hadn’t been prescribed and wasn’t even getting, they came back with an estimate that was $ 50 less. I don’t ever bargain for veterinary care and I have no problem paying for whatever is needed. However, I don’t think it’s cool to ask someone to pay for a test that hasn’t been ordered and isn’t even being performed. Again, that never would have happened on Dr. Beth’s watch — my cats had numerous test panels with her, and I was never charged for anything that had not been specifically ordered by the vet.
Aside from Dr. Beth’s old receptionist, Kathleen, the front desk staff doesn’t seem that friendly. The smiles and cheerful greetings you used to receive when you walked into the clinic are gone now.
However, the techs I met — one of whom was from Dr Beth’s time and one of whom was new — were both great and went out of their way to accommodate my cat’s special needs.
Now that Dr. Stegman’s gone, there aren’t any vets there I’d recommend for any reason. I wouldn’t let the two vets who own the place now come near my cats even in an emergency. I happened to run into Dr. Kent in the lobby, and even that limited interaction wasn’t very warm and fuzzy.
It’s a real shame. This was an amazing place when Dr. Beth owned it, and you couldn’t find a better vet. It’s a pity that the wonderful practice she built no longer exists.

This place is amazing! Nurses were great, even gave my cat Tony a toy with catnip to help him feel more at ease and play, rather then be stressed out. Dr Beth is SO patient, attentive, and informative. I felt like i was getting 5 star treatment the whole time i was there so they get 5 stars from me! She even followed up with me via email the same day with some customized tips. WHO DOES THAT??? Not even my Dr is that thorough! You can tell she really cares!
If you love your little feline, then make sure you take them here!