Welcome to the Cat Hospital of Boulder!

Welcome to Boulder's premier veterinary hospital devoted exclusively to cats!  As the Cat Hospital of Boulder's veterinarian, I will be 100% dedicated to cats and only cats.  Analogous to a pediatrician dedicated to only children, my knowledge and experience will encompass more than any general practice veterinarian about cat-specific handling, behavior, medicine, surgery, pain management, and so much more.  Cats are most definitely NOT small dogs.  They have a unique metabolism, different diseases, and very different expectations and requirements of their human companions.  It will be an absolute honor to care for my feline patients and to teach you as much as possible to ensure the healthiest, happiest, and longest life possible for your kitty companion - or companions (is one enough?!).

Let me introduce myself:  I am Katy Hazzard, VMD, a 1999 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.  The first five years of my veterinary career were spent in feline-exclusive veterinary hospitals in Massachusetts and Maine, where I gained an invaluable foundation in feline medicine and surgery, and affirmed that this is what I love most as a veterinarian.   I married a Maine native and ultimately joined a small animal veterinary practice, where I have worked for over 10 years.  My heart has tugged at me since, for even as the feline advocate in my practice, I have not been able to devote myself exclusively to cats.

The draw to Colorado?  I spent the best of my formative years growing up in Idaho! As avid trail runners, hikers, and skiers, my husband and I instantly bonded to Colorado after our intense introduction via the TransRockies Run, a 6-day/120-mile/20,000+ ft elevation gain ultra run in the Rockies: visit  www.transrockies-run.com if you are interested.  Cats.  Colorado.  What could be better?  We cannot imagine.

My love of cats is lifelong and deep.  I am told my first word was "kitty".  My first Halloween costume was a cat, and I grew up with a medley of colors of domestic shorthair companions and, ultimately, Siamese.  In veterinary school, I was the Feline Club President, and I cared for the feline patients within the Section of Medical Genetics.   After college, my first cats as a grown-up included an Idaho farm cat with predominately Norwegian Forest Cat lineage and a blue point Siamese.  They were my constant companions through veterinary school and into each of my veterinary practices.  I rescued an 8-week-old kitten with a fractured hip who was left on the doorstep at my first veterinary practice to make my total three, and my husband added a Maine Coon and a sassy classic brown tabby domestic shorthair, for a Brady Bunch family of five cats!   Our population has changed through the years, but we still have five felines with a couple of cat-like canine companions, a male and a female Vizsla!

A preview of what the Cat Hospital of Boulder will offer:  Kitty Kindergarten, to ensure stellar manners and to impress your friends when they can do more tricks than their canine counterparts; diagnostics and dedicated instruments such as ultrasound and laser surgery; behavior consultations; exceptional pain management, whether in correlation with surgery or helping geriatric companions to continue graceful and comfortable movements day-to-day; a quiet, calm, and beautiful hospital environment that is open, bright, and technologically advanced.  Let me know what else you would like to see!

Here are a few pictures of your veterinarian through the years:

My first dental exam

My first blue point Siamese

Advertising for the Pet Health Network in Veterinary Economics with my Idaho Norwegian Forest Cat, Pickles

I will blog about various feline health and behavior issues and updates on the Cat Hospital of Boulder as inspiration and progress dictate.  Let me know if you have any topics you would like to see covered.

Katy Hazzard, VMD