Dog & Cat Vets in Houghton Le Spring

## Summary Westway Veterinary Centres Ltd is part of the Westway Vets group (established in 1975) and is supported by a Tier 3 RCVS hospital. The clinic highlights a **separate dedicated feline unit** and **Gold standard Cat Friendly Clinic** status, suggesting it’s set up with cat-specific handling and facilities in mind. From recent owner feedback, day-to-day care seems focused on making visits manageable for anxious pets (for example, taking time to help a **timid puppy settle before vaccination** and moving efficiently through appointments for a **nervous large-breed dog** to avoid escalating stress). Reviews also mention **compassionate support on a “very sad day”** and staff being willing to give **advice over the phone**. ## Services - **Cat-focused facilities and standards** - Separate dedicated feline unit (website) - Gold standard Cat Friendly Clinic status (website) - **Routine preventative care** - Vaccinations are explicitly mentioned (review) - **Support for nervous/anxious pets** - Socialisation classes for nervous pets are mentioned by an owner (review) - Staff taking extra time before/after a vaccine to avoid a negative experience for a young puppy (review) - **Clinical assessment and treatment** - Owners describe vets providing analysis and treatment for presenting issues in cats (review) - **Telephone advice** - Owners report staff are willing to help with advice over the phone (review) - **Veterinary Nurse Training** - Listed as a Veterinary Nurse Training facility (clinic data) ## People - **Hannah (vet)**: Mentioned for “analysis and treatment” that owners felt was consistently accurate for their cats, with strong confidence in her decision-making (review). - **Charlotte**: Credited with “outstanding care” over the past year for a dog (review). - **Sophie**: Mentioned alongside the nursing team for compassion during an end-of-life situation (review). - **Nursing/reception team**: Repeatedly described as helping nervous pets settle (including sitting with a timid puppy and offering treats), and helping reduce stress for anxious dogs by keeping the visit efficient (reviews). ## Reviews **Google rating: 4.7 stars from 148 reviews.** **“Themes below are drawn from the latest written reviews available to us.”** - Efforts to reduce fear and stress in-clinic: extra settling time, treats, and handling approaches tailored to nervous dogs/puppies. - Strong experiences with individual clinicians (notably Hannah; also Charlotte) for ongoing care and problem-solving. - Compassion and support during difficult visits, including end-of-life care. - Practical helpfulness outside appointments, including willingness to give advice over the phone.

## Summary SimplyCats Vet Clinic is an independent, feline-only veterinary practice founded in 2009, and it states it holds the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) “gold standard” accreditation. The clinic appears set up specifically to reduce stress for cats, with a cat-only environment and longer consultations, and it says it provides “all services under one roof.” Reviews strongly reflect the cat-only setup (owners explicitly mention the absence of dogs reducing stress), and include examples of follow-up communication (a vet phoning and talking through kittens’ health for around 20 minutes). There’s also at least one recent negative review saying care feels worse since a named vet (Michelle) left, which conflicts with other reviews describing reassuring, kind support from another named vet (Sarah). ## Services - Cat-only veterinary care (the clinic presents itself as feline-exclusive, focused on feline medicine). - Longer consultations (stated on the clinic website). - “All services under one roof” (stated on the clinic website, without specific procedures listed). - End-of-life support is described in a review, including making a cat comfortable “in the last few months of her life” and during a final visit. - Follow-up/telephone advice is referenced in a review (a vet called and discussed two kittens’ health and questions for ~20 minutes). - Emergency veterinary services are listed in the structured clinic data (no further detail provided on how this is delivered). ## People - **Sarah (vet)**: mentioned by name as “always reassuring and kind” (review describes her manner rather than specific treatments). - **Michelle (vet)**: described in one review as “the nicest and most dedicated vet” who helped save a cat’s life when “another vet tried to push us to euthanise him”; the same reviewer says they stopped returning after she left and feels the remaining team doesn’t provide the same level of care. - **Lucie/Lucy (vet)**: one review thanks Lucie for taking great care of a cat (Izzy) during end-of-life care; another review describes “Lucy” calling and chatting for ~20 minutes after a 6‑month review, answering questions and discussing the kittens’ wellbeing. - **Caroline and Deb**: thanked in a review for helping “sort everything else out” and making things easier when the owner was upset (administrative/support role implied but not explicitly stated). ## Reviews **Google rating: 4.8 stars from 98 reviews.** **“Themes below are drawn from the latest written reviews available to us.”** - Owners repeatedly mention the **cats-only environment** as a practical benefit (no dogs “woofing” to stress cats). - **Communication and reassurance**: examples include a vet phoning an owner after a review and talking for around 20 minutes, and another review describing the team making end-of-life visits as comfortable as possible. - **Mixed signals on continuity of care**: one reviewer says the clinic changed for the worse after a named vet (Michelle) left, while other reviews (including recent ones) still describe the vets as excellent and reassuring. - **Price expectations**: one owner says it “wasn’t as expensive or difficult as I had imagined,” while another says it’s “no cheaper than” large vet groups (no specific prices given).