Dr. Leslie Nelson prides herself on providing the purr-fect place for veterinary care for cats. She knows that cats need and like soothing sounds, calming colors, and appealing scents, so her Lighthouse Veterinary Care for Cats in Virginia Beach offers all that and more. Quiet instrumental music, dimmable lights, and pheromone-infused aromas greet cats when they arrive and when they are in one of the two exam rooms.

Anxious cat owners will find themselves relaxing, too, especially when they meet Dr. Nelson-the "Cat Whisperer."

"Cats make me calm,"she says in her naturally soothing voice. "I flow easily with them. They like me, and I like them."

A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Nelson has spent 23 years caring for pets. For six years, she worked at a cat-only practice in Norfolk, but it closed, and now some of those same clients travel miles to her practice.

Cats have always been a part of Dr. Nelson's life, ever since she was very young and was photographed holding her mother's cat. "I have found it very easy for me to work with cats, even if the cat is not very happy being in the veterinary office,"she says. "That does not bother me."
 

A waiting room painted in soothing shades of peach and blue welcomes clients to the cats-only clinic, which she says is a rarity in Hampton Roads. The complex boasts a surgical suite, treatment room, and facilities for some in-house lab work. Short-term boarding is also offered.

Dr. Nelson's day begins around 8:00 a.m., when she and her assistants begin seeing patients. Young cats are often there for wellness visits, while geriatric cats are typically there for more serious conditions like diabetes, kidney disease, and arthritis-all common ailments that the clinic can treat.
"On a busy day, we can see up to ten to twelve cats or more,"she says. "I like to take my time with my patients, especially geriatric cats that can be dealing with many conditions. Their appointment time could be up to 40-plus minutes."

Lighthouse Veterinary Care for Cats treats cats of all kinds-everything from Domestic Shorthairs and Calicos to exotic Persians, Siamese, Ragdolls, and Bengals.  

"We had a Bengal in just recently, and yes, she was a bit more skittish,"Dr. Nelson says. "But I definitely know cats feel calmer in our office because I hear that a lot from clients who come here for the first time. We keep everything as calm as possible, and the cats like that."

Dr. Nelson is also a passionate advocate of veterinary dentistry. To keep cats from having dental disease, she advises cleaning their teeth annually. If brushing a cat's teeth at home is difficult, owners have other alternatives such as dental hygiene treats and water additives that promote good oral health.

"If you want to brush your cat's teeth, start them off young,"she says. "Use a pet toothbrush and toothpaste-not human toothpaste, because large amounts of fluoride can be toxic to pets."

Just like humans, cats are subject to gum disease. But they can also have specific tooth issues such as cervical lesions that can falsely look like a cavity. These lesions are very painful and usually require extraction of the tooth.  

Patient and caring, Dr. Nelson enjoys counseling clients on how to achieve and maintain overall good health for their feline friends. She suggests regular checkups because an exam can often catch a health issue early and, therefore, earlier treatment. She recommends annual bloodwork and up-to-date vaccines and heartworm and flea preventatives, whether a cat stays indoors or outdoors. She also thinks cat insurance is a wise investment.

Because a proper diet is critical to a cat's overall good health and specific health issues, the clinic sells prescription diets that treat gastrointestinal, kidney, thyroid, and skin problems. Lighthouse Veterinary Care's in-house pharmacy provides a wide variety of medications.  

Dr. Nelson also stays current on the latest developments in cat medical care. For example, experiments are currently underway with an antiviral medication that looks promising in treating feline infectious peritonitis-a fatal disease that primarily affects young cats.

Because it can be difficult to administer oral medications to cats, a new topical, transdermal form of an effective pain medication will soon be available. Applied by the veterinarian inside the cat's ear flap, the medication will provide pain relief for up to four days.

Treating osteoarthritis in cats has always been a challenge as they typically have unique concerns with some medicines traditionally used in treating other species. This year will see the release of a new medication, Solensia, to treat osteoarthritis in cats. Given as a once-a-month injection, the medicine is a monoclonal antibody that attaches to a protein that regulates pain and prevents the pain signal from reaching the brain.

Lighthouse Veterinary Care for Cats is open four to five days a week and does emergency visits within its regular office hours. It is sometimes a stressful profession-one that requires good time management. Therefore, Dr. Nelson has developed a balanced lifestyle that allows her to make time for herself while offering her best to her patients. When away from the office, she enjoys gardening, taking walks, and dancing. She currently has one cat-a tortoiseshell named Priscilla, who is 15 and quite healthy. "Priscilla means ‘ancient,' so I'm doing all I can to ensure she enjoys 18 to 20 years of life,"she laughs.

"I also stay connected to my personal faith,"Dr. Nelson says. "I love to serve the people who bring in the animals, and I have an incredible support team that helps me do that. I want people to enjoy their cats, and keeping those cats healthy is essential to that enjoyment. I want my clients to feel good about what is happening at Lighthouse Veterinary Care and to think of it as kind of like home."