When I left home, my pets all stayed with my mum. It's their home and they're happy there so I…read morewould never dream of uprooting them and bringing them to Cardiff. Still, I miss them all like crazy and none of the places I've lived in here allow pets so there's this huge animal-shaped hole in my life. Pets at Home provides some relief from this. Firstly, and most obviously, I get to go and enjoy the cute animals they have there. My favourites are the guinea pigs and the Roborovski hamsters, and I can quite easily spend a good hour in there debating whether my landlord would notice if I bought one. I am eternally disappointed that there are no mice here, but any cute animals will amuse me well enough. Secondly, since I miss my cats and dog so much, and feel pretty bad for abandoning them, I regularly pop in to buy them treats and toys to take home with me. The range of beds is particularly good, which is handy when you have a dog as destructive as mine. This branch also has a Companion Care Vetinary Centre (02920 232 957).

I'm a sucker for pet shops, and I particularly love this chain of pet supermarkets. Although you…read morecan often pick up bits and bobs at little independent pet shops, when you need several things it's often easier to head straight to Pets at Home. My only complaint is that this branch (perhaps it's the same at all Pets at Home branches?) don't sell the dog food I buy (Harrington's), so I still have to pick that up elsewhere. For pick 'n' mix dog treats, squeaky toys, and accessories such as shampoo, bowls, leads and collars, however, Pets at Home has far more choice than most smaller pet shops. The staff all seem real animal-lovers, and if you take your dog in with you they often ask if they can give it a treat or two. Just be prepared for your dog to get into a right frenzy over all the food smells luring them from aisle to aisle - oh, and watch them if you go near the rabbit and guinea pig enclosures!

Croesco Veterinary Hospital is an exceptionally busy veterinary practice that inhabits a large…read morebuilding on Witchurch Road in Heath. They are essentially the only veterinary hospital in Cardiff, offering comprehensive health care to domestic animals. The Hospital is equipped to the highest standards and has its own x-ray development and laboratory facilities which means that diagnoses can be made rapidly, minimizing the distress to the animals being treated, and can obviously save lives where conditions could prove fatal if not treated immediately. Thy also have on-call residential nurses to look after animals that require overnight convalescence after operations have been performed, or who need to be monitored for other reasons. They have a few off-road parking spaces out at the front, but there's also a large car park at the rear. All pet owners should know about this hospital. It is definitely the place to take badly injured pets after road accidents, and other potentially fatal traumas. They also own the Penarth Pet Health Centre in Penarth.

What might one want of a veterinarian? That he takes care of your animal? That he's professional,…read moreaccessible and responsive to your personal needs? That he engages with you, his client? That he provides value for money? Were I to score Martin Francis on this basis, even a bit harshly, it would go tick tick tick cross. He's always been spot on with diagnosis and treatment, even sending me home without charge when in a panic I'd dragged our wee terror there with a limp caused by him crashing through a fence, but as it turned out with an immediate visual inspection he'd only got a dead leg so CALM DOWN. He likes the fact that our dog is all bluff and bravado befitting a Jack Russell cross but in fact he's delicate like a little flower - aw poor puppy dog - 'cos he's got allergies and sneezes a lot and over grooms - it's not his fault, he's unhappy because he's uncomfortable so we give him hugs. Ahem. You might guess he humours our misguided anthropomorphic projections whilst remaining pragmatic and reasonably (and proportionately) didactic. However, there's something galling about forking over £50 for a check up for him to simply write a prescription for more steroids (another £6) which all takes a matter of 120 seconds and costs him no more than a green-lipped mussell flavoured doggy treat (most dogs won't touch 'em, so I'm told) and a bit of cleaning up (puppy loses lots of fur due to his malfunctioning endocrine system as a result of steroid use to combat allergies to grass, pollen, dust and dust mites and dust mite feces and his own hair and dirt and floor polish and carpets and biscuit mites - it's endless). Hence cross at the end of my scoring analogy. Bored? Sorry, I'll put this thing to bed. OK, services great, vet great, parking difficult sometimes but no problem, cost extortionate! But then, maybe we've the only 'roid guzzling allergen magnet in Cardiff and it's our own fault for not taking the shitzu when we had the chance. Cruel fate or not, Martin Francis is still a top quality vet.

The stress of an ill pet is (as you probably know) unbelievable and so it's great to have a vet…read morewho's sympathetic and lovely. My cat, being a battleaxe and made of iron, hasn't visited the vets in years but when she stopped eating and drinking last year it was panic stations at Maddox towers to get her an appointment. We rang up first thing Monday morning and luckily they did their best to fit her in the same day. I can't even do that at my own human doctor's surgery. It is only a small practice and slightly disconcertingly the examination area is just sort of cordoned off with a screen. The receptionist was sweet and very helpful though and the vet himself a sort of eccentric Patrick Moore type. For a quick prod and a shot of antibiotics it cost me about £15 and I can confirm that within a few days my cat was back to her lovely self again.

From the owner: Branch practice for the Small Animal Hospital - Intensive…read moreCare Operating Facilities Isolation Unit Ultrasound ECG Endoscopy Digital Radiography In House Laboratory 24 Hour Emergency Services

Fantastic local vets. I have had nothing but high quality care for my cats here. The vets are…read morefriendly, professional and caring and I would recommend them to anyone.

Our Ragdoll kitten was really unwell at the beginning of January which had to stay over night for…read moretwo nights. The whole team were amazing, we also had daily updates how Luna was getting on, but a big shout out expecially to Eve which was amazing throughout.

Recently had to have two of our much loved dogs put to sleep within a month of each other. Park…read morevets couldn't have been kinder from the reception staff to the vets they treated our much loved pets with dignity and respect I wouldn't go to any other vets. Amazing practice I can highly recommend.

This is a small practice with 2 vets there. They are both relly friendly people. I go there every…read moretime my dog is ill. They dont give you things you dont need to bump up your bill. I took my dog there recently and she had an accident on the floor because she was so nervous but the receptionist just came out with a mop and bucket and told me not to worry it always happens. I was mortified but she was great.

Wow, what a wonderful practice with very friendly staff. My beautiful 5 year old became very unwell…read more, very sudden, Phoned the practice and they gave him an immediate appointment, Unfortunatley they discovered he had been poisened. The vet treated him wonderfully and tried her very best to save him. They treated him with love and respect and he looked so peaceful when i went to collect him to lay him to rest. they were so compasionate to my grief. Would recommend this practice to anyone whom truely love their pets and want them to have the best of care.

We have had quite a few visits to St David's Vets over the last 2 years, with our elderly golden…read moreretriever (now deceased) and our numerous bunnies. I honestly can not fault the vets, they have open surgery every day so you can just turn up without an appointment. Or you can book a fixed appointment slot. They are the cheapest vets that we have ever been to, and I would certainly not hesitate to recommend them. I fact we were recommended them by a relative, who thought that we were paying far too much in bills with our previous vets. I just wish I had always used St David's Vets, as I would have saved a fortune. I have always been treated nicely by the staff, and have found them to be very compassionate when our beloved animals had to be put to sleep. They provide a really good service, at a very good cost.

I highly recommend this st davids vets. Best treatment at affordable prices. We have been going to…read morethem for years after a bad experience at another vets. Menna Morgan truly cares about all the animals. Keep up the good work Abi and Lou Lou the ragdoll cat.

So I have a few animals, four cats and two dogs. Technically they are my parents so I don't have to…read morefolk out! Luckily we've only needed to take them in for routine jabs. Took my kitten in here most recently to have her neutered. It was a very busy practice so its obviously a popular choice. They gave us the price beforehand so we didn't need to worry about the costs and everything was over and done within a few hours. The staff were super nice and made me feel very relaxed about leaving her in their hands.

This is the Cardiff branch of a small, local mini-chain of four well-equipped veterinary surgeries…read morewith a good local reputation (the others are in Caerphilly, Ystrad Mynach and Pentyrch). This Cardiff branch was actually the first veterinary clinic in Wales to specialise in care for exotic pets, although they also treat other companion animals, of course, including dogs, cats, rabbits and other small furries. Back in the 1990s, the clinic also opened the first 24-hour emergency veterinary service in the UK, V.E.T.S. Ltd, which is based at the same site and shares the clinic's equipment but is now a separate company, used by many veterinary surgeries in and around Cardiff who want to be able to offer their customers round-the-clock surgical and medical attention for their pets.

This is a great vet who offer a great service. The prices are reasonable. The staff are helpful and…read morefriendly.

I use this vets and have always found them to be very helpful and professional. The receptionists…read moreare friendly and know how to cope with crying and distressed pet owners and rampaging pets! The premises are always exeptionally clean and the vets are lovely. A recommended surgery.