Great experience here. Dr. Coughlin is thorough, professional, and up front about all procedures and treatments for your cat. She has never "talked down" to us; rather, she explains everything as though she's speaking to a peer. She has helped us on many occasions, and we've always had good results. We've come away from visits feeling our pet was in good hands, and that we're a little more informed about our pet's health. With the exception of one vaccination that was high (we found out later they charge by the cat's weight, and it had been calculated incorrectly), most services have been very reasonable in terms of cost. The lobby can be a little loud and quirky, but it's a vet office. What do you expect. I'd recommend this vet highly for anyone with a cat in the Oak Park area. read more

Lori was great. She didn't push anything on me that my cat didn't need, and you can tell she is both knowledgable about cats and truly loves them. It was less expensive than I thought to take my cat in for a checkup (he was overdue) and get a vaccination. I did have to wait a bit once I got there (although it was at the end of the day), and some of the initial staff seemed a bit like they just wanted to go home (but, again, it was the last slot in the day, so I get that). read more

I went to the Cat Practice for the first time this morning because my beloved Cookie was not doing well and I absolutely recommend everyone to bring their cats to this amazing place! Dr. Lori is the sweetest and most knowledgeable veterinarian that I have ever met and she was such a blessing to me and Cookie. The entire staff was so kind and sincere to me and I am looking forward to coming back again to visit. Everyone in the world should bring their cats to the Cat Practice!! read more

Last time there, felt uncomfortable with Dr. Coughlin. Didn't seem that she had my cat's best interest in mind, nor seem to really care about cats in general. She was rough with my cat, with me in the room; seemed to not handle with care. Teased my cat, after my cat became grumpy with being mishandled. Then taunted verbally by saying that she would have to get other people into the room to restrain my cat if she didn't relax. When my cat was on examination table, Dr. Coughlin seemed to responded aggressively towards my cat's grumpy attitude. Maybe Dr. Coughlin was having a bad day, but my cat is too important to be giving vets second chances. read more

I lived in Oak Park for four years and discovered this place. Friendliest staff you'll ever meet. I moved to Chicago but keep driving back just for the Cat Practice! read more

I love Dr. Lori and the whole team. I love how they specialize in only cats because atleast it gave me a little more piece of mind that my cat was being taken care of by someone that really knows what they are doing not only with all animals but specifically with cats. I brought my cat to the Cat Practice for 15 years and was always satisfied with the care they gave not only her but me as well. My cat was not the friendliest and was very overwhelmed and aggresive when I would take her to the doctor but Dr. Lori had alot of patience with her and would do whatever she can to examine her and a treat her in a way that would keep her calm and happy. read more

While some reviews may focus on ongoing service for a current pet, I'd like to highlight my experiences with The Cat Practice during the end of my cat's life. My cat, Mr. Bromley, was an old guy. He was approaching his 17th birthday when his health took an unexpected turn for the worse. Foolishly, I thought I'd have Mr. Bromley forever, and so it was with a bit of a frantic sob that I called The Cat Practice begging for an immediate appointment. I was met with kindness, generosity, patience, and an overwhelming amount of support. Michelle moved mountains by coordinating my appointment, and Ruth graciously accommodated my unique schedule. These two are saints. When it came time for Mr. Bromley's appointment, Dr. Couhglin was deliberate, thorough, and warm. I could tell she was just as invested in Mr. Bromley's healthcare and recovery as I was. She sent follow-up emails outlining my cat's labs, and she responded quickly to my questions. I wasn't sure how much longer I'd have Mr. Bromley, but Dr. Couhglin and the rest of the staff instilled a sense of peace after that initial appointment, as well as the next couple of times Mr. Bromley and I made a trip to The Cat Practice. Unfortunately, his health continued to decline, and I walked away alone after our third trip. But while I was without my cat, I was completely enveloped by love. Dr. Coughlin, Ruth, and the other staff members onsite that day helped share my grief by giving me time to say goodbye, and by holding my hand or offering me hugs. It was a very difficult time made easier by the Dr. Coughlin and her team. If I ever adopt another cat, I will definitely return to The Cat Practice. read more

I just went to The Cat Practice today for an emergency visit. Dr. Lori was absolutely fantastic. She was informative, thorough, and very very nice. The exam, pain meds, rectal exam, and removal of impacted feces came to a total of just over $100, which was surprisingly cheap and much lower than I expected. I had called around to a few clinics, and the reason I chose this vet was because of Ruth at the front desk. She is the most informative receptionist I have ever dealt with at a vet office. The first time I called was a few weeks ago about a spay. Other vets simply said to bring my cat in and they could discuss prices and procedures then, and you can tell all they were trying to do was bait you in so you weren't turned away by their high prices, or so the vets could recommend a bunch of other treatments that aren't needed. Ruth gave me a full lowdown of everything that needed to be done and more importantly why it needed to be done and how much everything would cost. I felt like she really cared about me and my cat without even meeting us. As long as I know the importance of the things that vets do and why they need to be done, I have no problem paying for it, and I loved the fact that she took the time to really explain things like why it's important to get a feline lukemia test or other blood work. Today when I called concerned about my cat's behavior, Ruth gave me a few suggestions to try before coming in (although she highly suggested I come in anyway) because I told her money was tight. I decided to come in because Chloe's pain seemed to only get worse within a few hours, and she had begun refusing to eat. The reception area and exam room were very clean, and I liked the Keurig machine so I could make a cup of coffee while I was waiting. I will definitely be taking my Chloe back here again! Thanks Dr. Lori! read more

As an animal lover, Dr. Lori has given me the ability to help my fur friend even more. When it came to time to introduce insulin shots, I was hesitant and each day I know it is best for my friend. I apologize I will leave out many of the valuable people that run The Cat Practice, so to say the least I am Grateful to have such a connection as Dr. Lori, Ruth & all in the clinic even the small kitties walking around :) read more

These guys are great! I adopted my 9 year old cat about a year ago, and had brought him to another local veterinarian, they were fine, but very expensive. Full blood work, and several visits and never mentioned his high blood sugar or other signs. Fast forward to now, my cat has diabetes and neuropathy. Dr Lori spent so much time with me, talking about the cat, diabetes, diet and care. Then her assistants were so patient me, taught me to prepare and administer the insulin shots. Dr Lorri even called me at home a couple of times to see how it was going. I never thought I would be one of those folks that could inject my own pet, but they showed me how, and honestly, I really dont think my cat even notices the shot! I give him some of those freeze dried chicken treats, he purrs and doesnt stop purring thru the whole procedure (takes me less than a few seconds to do it, and from shaking the bottle to end, its like 2 minutes tops) I can see improvement every day, and although it isnt cheap - it is much much more reasonable than I thought it would be. Thanks Dr Lori, and all your great staff! read more

I brought my cat here a few months ago and I was extremely pleased. This is a cat only vet, which is a lot less stressful for my 8 year old kitty. The staff is very friendly and the office is clean and modern. Dr. Coughlin was very kind and patient with my cat. My cat had a problem with his anal glands and Dr. Coughlin explained everything before she treated him. She even gave me some great suggestions on how to help my cat safely lose weight. Great vet. read more

I like this place because it's clean, doesn't smell like urine like a lot of other places and they seem to really care about your cat. Best vet I've been to in a long time! read more

I love the Cat Practice! We have been taking our cat, Murray, there for about 5 years. He is a shy, nervous cat and does much better in an environment with just cats. Dr. Coughlin is very caring and always explains everything in great detail. The staff there are also very nice, helpful and sweet to our cat. read more

We just moved to town and our cat became very ill and we had not established a new vet yet. They took him in, offered realistic options (he was very, very old) and helped us to care for him for a short period of time. When it was time for him to go, they helped us to make the right decision at the right time and were very respectful and caring during a very hard time. All of the staff are obviously cat lovers and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend... read more

We've taken all 3 of our cats to Dr. Lori for everything, from new kitten stuff to care for my 18-y.o. calico Dink, who was euthanized there a few weeks ago. They were endlessly kind, helpful, sympathetic and accommodating. Thanks to them, my sweet Dink lived many many quality months longer than I'd hoped, giving me extra time to love on her, pamper her and treat her as the queen she knew she was, even in her dotage! read more

2ND TIME POSTING THIS SINCE SOMEONE DELETED IT. WHICH LEADS ME TO DISLIKE THEM MORE THIS IS A WARNING FOR ANY NEW PATIENT WHO GOES BY WHAT THEY READ ON THE CAT PRACTICE WEBSITE. IT'S NOT VALID INFORMATION!!! I will tell you that I have used yelp for years, for reviews and help in making decisions. And I have thought many times of doing a review, but I have never been so upset until now that I HAD to do it. Not to mention there is no way to contact them except by phone on their website (I could have signed their guest book , but I didn't want to do that, besides they could just delete it). I do hope the doctor keeps a tab on their reviews on here because she needs to know how misleading the information they are giving out is. We recently adopted a kitten from a shelter... Shortly after the adoption she started a hack... She was a medium hair, and already a parent of a long hair I figured she was experiencing her first hair ball... However, the hacking became more frequent and in a few days time extremely hard sneezes started... my concern was she was getting an URI. Being new to the area we had not established a new vet for our pets so I came on yelp to look for some reviews. I was very impressed with the reviews The Cat Practice had received and being as close as they were I decided to check out their website. Everything looked great, and as they were a "cat only" facility I was sold. Unfortunately I chose wrong. After being up all night on Friday watching my sweet new little baby suffer with hacking we got up early and were at the Cat Clinic just before 8am when they opened. A VERY VERY not happy (maybe it was because it was 8am on a Saturday morning, and she wasn't expecting to have to do any work just yet) front staff women unlocked the door. She didn't even speak to me until she fully walked around the counter and sat down (a good at least 60 secs, - I'm not saying she had to engage me in full convo, but come on a simple GOOD MORNING would have been nice). After taking her time and sitting down she then asked me what she could help me with. I calmly (even though I was anxious inside because of my poor baby) explained our situation. She cut me off even before I had finished with - "We don't take walk ins, it's appointment only." I said, "well you're website says you do... " to which she then very shortly snapped "well I don't even have a doctor here, and I am not sure when they'll be in..." I said... "ooo ok..." thinking I can not believe this, but getting upset was not going to help the situation, and not going to keep my kitten calm. The only redeeming thing she did was offer me a list of Emergency Vets in the area. I took them from her, but had no intent of using them. I did not want to go to an ER Hospital. I have been through that with my dog, and have been completely unsatisfied (VCA Berwyn to be exact). They are completely high priced, and it was not an ER situation... it was a situation that could have been handled in a normal Vet office... so there was no NEED to spend the pricey office visit fee any of the ER vets would have charged!! I understand some clinics do not accept walk-ins, and some have limited weekend hours -but I was going off what is directly listed on The Cat Practices website. Their site states they open at 8am on Saturday, and in regards to walk-ins it reads: "Walk-in clients are welcome but cats with scheduled appointments will be seen first. Therefore, to avoid any inconvenience to you, we ask that you schedule an appointment. Emergency cases involving life and death situations will always receive first priority. A drop-off option is available for cats that need to be seen when no appointment times are open. " At the worst I figured we would have a longer wait (or have to leave her), but that we WOULD be seen. No where on the site does it say that doctors aren't available during open hours!! How was I suppose to be a mind reader and realize that they have open hours when doctors are not present!!! Absolutely ridiculous. I am just glad that my boyfriend was still outside trying to park in the snow or I'm afraid he might have went off. Our baby is daddy's lil girl, and he was FURIOUS when I had come back out just as he was getting out of the car. Luckily I had remembered another vet (Elmwood-Grove) whose reviews I had liked on here. I called them immediately after getting back in the car and asked if they took walk-ins . The girl who answered the phone was AMAZING. Not only did she tell me to bring her in, but as a new customer that I could use a coupon on their website that would wave the first exam. She even added, if I couldn't print it out she would do it for me once I got there!! I am beyond happy with the service I received from them before AND during our visit. I will be making this our vet for my three pets, and have already referred my sister and dad to them as well. Sorry Cat Practice you just lost a lot of b read more

Our kittens were patients at the Cat Practice, but we will absolutely never be back. I called them on Thursday morning after one of our kittens had spent the night puking to try to determine if he needed to come in. I was told that even it it was an emergency, under no circumstances would they be able to see him since they didn't have any appointments available. My kitten ended up having emergency surgery two days later after we called our old vet in the city who had never seen him. Despite their busy schedule, they immediately fit him in. If the Cat Practice can't fit in an emergency situation, I can't be bothered to take my cats to them or to recommend them to anyone ever. read more