Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittney Kilgore.
Hi Brittney, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have always known I wanted to be a veterinarian. Although no one in my family was an animal lover, let a lone a cat lover (they liked dogs), this passion remained constant throughout my childhood. A family friend who owned his own clinic gave me a job when I was 16 years old, but he was on his way to retirement and I knew I needed more up-to-date veterinary experience. Luckily, this was a very hands on experience that gave me so much experience to step into a middle-tier vet assistant role. After my first year of undergrad at UGA I drove around giving my resumes out and I stumbled across and all cat clinic. I didn’t even know they existed, but unfortunately, they told me they weren’t hiring at the moment. I sat in a Walmart plaza parking lot looking for other clinics to go give my resume out to when they called back and asked could I come in for a brief interview. They gave me a tour, scheduled me for a working interview and the rest was history. I worked every break – summer, Christmas, Thanksgiving – you name it. I loved the clinic, the staff, the clients, and the medicine. The owner and manager always supported me through undergrad and vet school and they became my biggest mentors and like family. The owner of the clinic decided to sell in 2018, the year I started veterinary school. Luckily, she sold it to the practice manager at the time so I still continue to come in every break throughout that school. I’d always wanted to be a practice owner, but with her buying so soon I never imagined the opportunity at Cat Care would be mine. She’d hired a new doctor just 6 months before I graduated, so once I graduated, I took a job elsewhere in Atlanta. Just eight months after graduation she gave me the news that she was thinking of selling the clinic. I was the first person she asked and of course, I said yes! For the first half of 2024, there was the entire process of learning business management, finance, and more as the buyout process began. By the end of August I was officially the owner of Cat Care.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a rewarding journey, but there’s definitely been ups and downs. One of the main struggles is not having a background in business and literally learning as I go. The ‘firsts’ of everything is hard – first mischarged item/invoice; first firing; first hiring process; first tax season; first negative month. Another thing is learning to manage people – no one tells you that management is a huge juggling act of positivity, leadership, culture, and firmness.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Cat Care of Fayette is a feline-specialty clinic (although we also see exotic mammals as well!). Many people think we see all cats because we don’t like dogs, but it’s really because it provides cats a stress-free environment. We’re also feline focused instead of treating cats like small dogs or as the “accessory” pet. Cat diseases and medicine varies greatly from dogs and sometimes working through their cases can be tricky. We’re different not only because we only see cats, but also being able to provide tips and insight on cat behavior, lifestyle, and enrichment. I’m most proud for being non-traditional. While much of the industry pushes big brand foods, indoor only access, vaccines and flea prevention, annually, etc, I push for more natural/fresh/and wet foods; outdoor access; and vaccines and flea prevention based on lifestyle. I like holistic and alternative medicine, which is common in the dog/canine world, but many people with cats just won’t go all out for them. I’m happy to be offering this exclusively to cats and just doing my best to show how unique and interesting cats can be!
What were you like growing up?
I was always an adventurous, outdoors kid. I enjoyed being outside, collecting stuff animals, and doing anything involving animals. As I got older, I enjoyed my friends, but everyone knew me as the girl who loved cats and lions. Coincidentally, tigers are my favorite animal, but I was very big into Lion King fanart and it was what struck my creative drawing side. I also played soccer and flute in band for several years each. However, I always knew my motive was to become a vet. I’ve always considered myself an extroverted introvert socially.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://catcareoffayette.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thatvetbk
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/brittneykilgore
- Other: https://dot.cards/thatvetbk
