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.

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.

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.

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.

We've used these vets for quite some time and always found them to be friendly, helpful and full of…read morepractical advice. Of course they're pretty expensive too but that comes with the territory I guess. Appointments are necessary unless its an emergency - took our terrier when it had a stick jammed in its mouth and we thought it had a broken jaw - and that way they can keep the small waiting room reasonably well managed as all kinds of visitors from labradors to tabby cats in a small space can make for some interesting situations! The vet has always been a lady, and they're really good at making nervous 'patients' feel settled during the examination. Park nearby or, if you're lucky, in one of the spaces right outside. Theres also a bus-stop within 30 yards and this road - Cowbridge Road East is on one of the main bus routes in&out of the city. Thats about it, oh, and bring lots of money too.

Veterinary Clinic - Ant's Pants, Bee's Knees & in this case, Cat's Whiskers!…read moreI have only excellent things to say about this Veterinary Group and Vet Service. Every time I have needed advice or, in need of their expert services, they have always been attentive and accommodating and at a "drop everything" moment's notice. This time around, and during Covid no less - which has basically seen me desperate to scale monumental Super Woman styled heights to convey my message of share glee, rewarding them all with mountains of kudos with cream and jam on top. From the warmth of the receptionists/nurses on deck (Christine, Denise, Rachel, Sophie, Sue - hope I haven't left anyone out) and then onto 'Cat' Catherine Durrant, MRCVS, my tremendous Vet. This could become an Academy Award length speech. But no, facetiousness aside. Long winded I'll try not to be, but just enough to convey my heartfelt thanks for Cat's care and attention to my little, Bertie who I thought I might just lose. And that's not a thought I could even bear to contemplate ever since Bertie 'strayed' into my life. The poor little mite must have been in devastating pain, but giving nothing much away to indicate exactly what. I even thought he may have bitten a large slice out of his own tongue as he went into complete 'lock-down' mode. No eating, no purring, playing, just hiding from the world. And, of course, they can't tell you what's amiss, you truly have to have a crystal ball when it comes to a cat who wants to usually assure you they're simply 'purr-fect.' No question about it, off to the Vet. Next day an immediate appointment. FABULOUS! Cat went straight into 'action hero mode' deftly and gently prizing open the boy's mouth - where no man/woman or beast normally dare go, and immediately recognised the problem, ascertaining his teeth needed desperate attention. Weight checked. Sedating him and relieving his pain. Bloods taken to check kidney/liver function and general health. Having had a likelihood of previous 'untreated' dental disease - and the reason why a large number of teeth were missing - the lucky few left were either fragile, broken, infected - you get the picture.  Cat extracted the unstable/diseased ones. She had to remove 6 teeth with 10 only remaining - which he can live with. The major infection throughout his mouth was dealt a swift blow with long acting antibiotics to send him on the road to full recovery. He was kept on fluids until I picked him up, fully hydrated, nails also clipped while under sedation. His remaining 10 teeth scaled and polished ready to chomp his favourite food again. His pain has also been taken care of with a prescription formula for the next few days. He is now a (little bigger, thanks to Cat) and a much 'Happier Chappie.' And with that, Bertie and I thank you from the bottom of our incisors.

Imagine a red setter dog; who is old in his years, he isn't dying yet, but he has a nasty broken…read moreleg all bandaged up. He's a large dog that was largely loved. I must have been around eight years old if not younger than that at the time, when grandma and granddad visit us in Cardiff with their dog. Kelly was his name... he was gorgeous and used to play with him many times even when he was old. He hurt his ankle whilst they stayed with and so we took him down to Penylan's veterinary and the vet people were very good with him and they were very quick in trying to get him mended again. Grandma was in tears and those of us who went with the dog had to say good bye there and then because he was so poorly by then, being old an all... It is such a sad thing to be a part of: the time when you have to say good bye to an adorable pet who you have had many memories with, but at least we got time to do so... And then it wasn't and ending to a life that was too tragic; unlike for my brother's cat, but that is another story... Enjoy your time with them to the full whilst you still can for time and life are both very precious towards all life. I recommend this place to all animal lovers.

Great service, friendly atmosphere and people. My puppy love this place! Been with them only couple…read moreof months but haven't had any problems. I do recommend this place! My Staffie probably to :)

I have been taking my cats here for many years and the service is wonderful. I now have only one…read morecat, they were brilliant when I had my elderly cat Mitzi put to sleep and kept her there over the Christmas period until I had decided what to do. The vet and his wife are wonderful and sooo knowledgeable about every breed of cat. It is the most calming atmosphere and they are very caring. They work a lot with Cat Protection and I would give them 11/10. I would never go anywhere else