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Thursday, June 11, 2009

Chat cats with Dr. Rachel Lee

Dr. Rachel Lee, a native New Yorker, received her BS in Animal Science from Cornell University in 2003 and her DVM from the Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island in 2007.  After graduation, she spent a year in private practice in Annapolis, Maryland.  Her true passion, however, has always been working for underserved populations.

It was this love that brought her to The Pennsylvania SPCA in July 2008.  Since then, Dr. Lee has worked numerous animal fighting and puppy mill cases as a member of the Animal Cruelty Investigations department.  In October 2008, she took on the role of Director of Shelter Medicine and oversees the health of thousands of animals left in the PSPCA’s care after seizure by humane society police officers or surrendered by their owners.  In March 2009, she became Medical Director at the Animal Care and Control facility and has extended her oversight to the more than 30,000 homeless or unwanted animals in Philadelphia.  In addition, Dr. Lee continues to see exotic pet patients including small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish.

Dr. Lee shares her apartment with two Manx cats, Sebastian and Viola, two small parrots, Buddha and Blue, and a foster puppy named Zephyr.
Posted by Amy Worden @ 9:24 AM  Permalink | 2 comments
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  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:52 PM, 06/11/2009
    Hi. Two months ago, I rescued a lovely blue point siamese (3-year old, female - totally declawed). Am having a horrible time introducing her to my 10-year old male cat (front paws declawed). Have kept her in a bedroom with baby gates so at least they could see each other and get familiar. For the past couple of weeks have tried putting them in the same room (with supervision) but she growls and he attacks her. It seems to get worse and not better. Any suggestions because I'm about to give up.
    — ehf1955
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:38 AM, 08/15/2009
    hi, this is common with declawed cats and is an anxiety reaction. the fastest way to get this to work out is to medicate both of them on a temporary basis with clomicalm, obtainable in gel that you rub on the ears. the victim cat's body language is triggering an aggressor cat's reflexive response which in turn scares the victim cat more. the clomicalm takes everyone's anxiety down a notch long enough for them to learn they have no need for anxiety then you withdraw it. this works over 90% of the time, the clomicalm has no side effects and it is a very kind approach. you are not drugging your cats, you are altering the fear mechanism so they are ABLE to learn they are safe, then you withdraw it. hope this helps.
    — sphillyrocks


2 comments
About Amy Worden
Amy Worden is a politics and government reporter for the Inquirer. In that capacity she has explored a range of animal issues from dog kennel law improvements and horse slaughter to the comeback of peregrine falcons and pigeon hunts. From hamsters to horses, animals have always been part of her life. To pass along a tip or contact Amy, click here.
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