About us

Our veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and support staff have almost forty years' collective experience working exclusively with cats. 

Jennifer Divitt-Smith BVMS MRCVS                                                         Claire Ferries  MVB, MRCVS
Veterinary Surgeon                                                                                                                                   Veterinary Surgeon

Jenny graduated from Glasgow Vet School in 1998 before going to work in a mixed  practice in the North East of England. She then took a year out to travel and locumed throughout Britain for a further year on her return. 
Jenny spent several years working in small animal practice in Glasgow, moving through  to Edinburgh in the summer of 2006. Soon after joining The Cat Clinic in 2007, Jenny gained her ESVS GP Certificate in Small Animal Medicine. She now works part-time juggling her love of veterinary medicine with motherhood.  She also lives with a (not so clever) kitten called Jester. Jenny became owner and Director of The Cat Clinic in February 2017.

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Claire graduated from University College Dublin in 2002. She worked in small animal practice in England for 4 years before accepting a position with a charitable organisation in Mauritius working to improve the lives of the numerous cats and dogs on the island. Claire initially came to Edinburgh as a locum vet which included some time working for The Cat Clinic. She made the permanent move here in 2010 and has worked in small animal practice in the area ever since. Claire has always had a particular interest in feline medicine and lives with her husband, daughter and their cat Molly.

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Catriona McHardy BVMS MRCVS
Veterinary Surgeon

Having graduated from Glasgow Vet School in 1995, Cat has a wealth of experience in small animal veterinary medicine. She joined The Cat Clinic team in May 2021. Outside of working at The Cat Clinic, Catriona spends time with her husband, daughter and lovely working cocker spaniel Jojo (who certainly keeps her on her toes)! 
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Photo to follow...

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Sam Brigg RVN
Registered Veterinary Nurse

Sam joined our team in August 2021 and hit the ground running when his hand over period disappeared with COVID related absences!
Sam has proven himself a caring, compassionate and empathetic nurse. He is always keen to learn and to ensure that we, as a clinic, maintain our high standards of clinical care.
​Sam has recently completed his ISFM Nursing Certificate. 
Sam's list of pets not only include (the almost obligatory) cats but also a pygmy hedgehog!

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Lucinda MacDonald RVN
Registered Veterinary Nurse

 Luci is our longest -standing RVN, having joined our team in September 2019.With an eye for detail and organisation, Luci is integral to the smooth running of the clinic.  Her passion for cats is unquestionable - there's nothing she loves more than a kitten to cuddle and her calm, confident nursing skills pay dividends with our nervous kitties.
When not at work, Luci is often to be found playing  tennis. Ask her about her recent win in the Club Championships!

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Kim Clark
Office Manager

Kim has worked in small animal practice since 1989 when she first began her vet nurse training. Since joining The Cat Clinic in 2004, she has worked in a number of roles from nursing to reception and laterly has become our reception staff team leader and part time practice manager. Throughout the years Kim has gained certificates in Hills Pet Nutrition and as a Petplan Pet Insurance Advisor. She and her husband currently share their house with 2 gorgeous Ragdoll cross boys - Seb and Ari.

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​Emma Bamelis
Veterinary Receptionist

Emma joined The Cat Clinic in the summer of 2013. Emma previously worked as a Veterinary Receptionist in Qatar in the Middle East where she re-homed four stray dogs and brought them back with her to the UK.  As well as helping the stray dogs, she also helped with a TNR (Trap Neuter Release) programme for many stray cats in her compound as well as fundraising and volunteering for the animal charities in the country. Emma has always had a love for animals, especially for the less fortunate ones. She lives in Edinburgh with her husband, two daughters and her dog Chloe who has recently joined the family.
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Rebekah Sutherland
Administration Manager 

Rebekah joined The Cat Clinic team in February 2017. Having graduated from Queen Margaret University with a degree in Theatre and Film, what started as a stop-gap job in a local cattery prompted a change of heart and the decision to pursue a career in veterinary care.  Rebekah is one of our most experienced front of house team members at The Cat Clinic and loves meeting all of our clients and their many cats!
Rebekah recently completed (as of April 2024) the ILM Level 5 Certificate in Veterinary Leadership and Management, studying with the Veterinary Management Group (VMG) in order to progress in her veterinary career goals. Rebekah lives with her husband and three crazy cats of her own; Bailey, Gizmo and Sebastian. 

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Bernadette Stranack
Veterinary Care Assistant

Bernadette has joined us this summer (2023) in a combined Reception/ Veterinary Care Assistant role and is quickly finding her feet.  As an experienced VCA, Bernadette is often to be found chatting (and humming!) away to our hospitalised patients, finding them the perfect tasty morsel and ensuring their bedding is perfectly plush 😊.
She shares her home with two beautiful Senior Kitizens - Regan and Sheeva.

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Colette Chien
Veterinary Receptionist

Colette joined The Cat Clinic in 2024 having just graduated from a master's programme at The University of Edinburgh in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare. Colette conducted her dissertation research in Porto, Portugal, where she collected data on thermoregulation in the European Hedgehog. When not conducting her research, she spent time helping to rehabilitate the 50+ hedgehogs at the rescue centre. Colette is originally from the United States and has been living in the UK since 2021. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, hiking, and cycling with her partner.

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Lucy Amos
Veterinary student at RDSVS & Receptionist

Lucy joined The Cat Clinic team in May 2022 assisting with our Saturday morning reception shift. She is currently studying at The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and will become a Veterinary Surgeon in a few years after a lot of hard work and studying! She is hoping to gain much needed experience working with us and we are thrilled to have her. You will often see her around even more during the Summer months when she picks up extra shifts. 

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Other Faces at The Cat Clinic
Veterinary Students

We have a number of approaches from veterinary students who are keen to "see practice" with us during their undergraduate studies. We're very happy
to offer these placements to allow us to pass on our knowledge and
experience to the next generation of veterinary surgeons. Clients can
be assured that the students are supervised at all times.

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"After scolding one's cat one looks into its face and is seized by the ugly suspicion that it understood every word. And has
filed it for reference."- Charlotte Gray