Dr. Sharon Forster-Blouin
I have always been fascinated by cats. In fact, my first suitor, a sweet seven-year-old named Lance, presented me with a National Geographic featuring a cat article. It worked!
I was inspired to start Corvallis Cat Care after many experiences working in other veterinary clinics where I became the doctor always scheduled to see the cats, especially those thought to be irascible. I came to appreciate that they were not “bad”, they were just scared. After experiencing how uncomfortable my own cats were when visiting veterinary clinics, I wanted to create a hospital where I would want to take my own cats, a place that would meet my expectations as a concerned cat guardian.
I envisioned a space that, unlike most practices, would have windows in the exam rooms so feline patients could connect to the outside world, soothed by something familiar while being in a very unfamiliar place. I wanted to build a hospital staffed by members who all really liked cats and wanted to work with them; staff who were themselves cat people and would understand and appreciate feline sensibilities and cat opinions. I wanted more wood and less metal, fewer smells to offend cat noses, and fewer noises. And I wanted to work with other doctors who themselves had a particular fondness for cats.
My educational background includes a master’s degree in parasitology and a Ph.D. in population genetics. Achieving both of these involved teaching requirements and initiated my commitment to client education. I feel that if I can teach you how to prevent most medical issues before they arise, then your young feline friend may not need more than a yearly visit.
I want your yearly visits, in addition to a thorough physical exam, to focus on learning optimal ways of caring for your cat including eliminating unnecessary toxins, promoting a healthy diet, risk reduction, and strategic vaccine plans. This approach minimizes medical problems until natural age-related issues arise. At that point, we will work together to guide your cat companion through as long, and joyous a life as possible. I want our work together to be a team effort that closely involves you, the patient’s guardian. As the guardian, you are the one who will be offering the nurturing environment, ideal nutrition, as well as any necessary medications, and we are here to offer you the knowledge and support you need.
I routinely practice conventional medicine including diagnostics, procedures, and many avenues of prevention. I became an integrative practitioner when I had to search for alternative ways of treating the health problem of my beloved fur child for whom conventional healthcare failed to provide answers. While conventional medicine is especially suited for crisis management and temporary “band-aids” for annoying symptoms; I feel it is suboptimal in treating the underlying causes of chronic health challenges. Holistic medical approaches seek to unearth the causes and address them so that band-aids are no longer needed. Holistic medicine also provides us with many more options to treat pain and other symptoms, especially when a patient is sensitive to conventional medications.
In addition to graduate training and my veterinary degree from the University of Florida, I have received training in craniosacral therapy, homotoxicology, classical homeopathy, and nutritional medicine. I frequently attend seminars on human nutrition and naturopathic topics to see what we could use for our patients. Organic acid testing and functional medicine (restoring the body to proper function at a biochemical level) promise new avenues for improving the health of our feline companions in the near future.
When I’m not at the clinic I enjoy gardening and growing my own food, cooking, camping, scuba diving, and traveling. One of my major passions (aside from feline medicine) is earth stewardship with an emphasis on recycling.
Dr. Tamara Kimmel
Dr. Tamara Kimmel grew up in the Willamette Valley and in 2006 she graduated from the Oregon State University/Washington State University veterinary program having been honored with the Outstanding Senior Award and American Association of Feline Practitioners Senior Award. After graduation Dr. Kimmel completed a small animal medicine and surgery internship at East Bay Veterinary Specialists in CA. She joined their staff as an emergency clinician and for the next four years offered overnight and weekend critical care for the specialists as well as care for walk-in and emergency patients.
Dr. Kimmel’s professional interests include preventative care, internal medicine, critical care and diagnostic ultrasound. She is a current member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, Oregon Medical Association and American Veterinary Medical Association. In 2013 she also completed additional training in Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation.
Dr. Kimmel and her young family moved back to Oregon in 2010 because, as she says, “The Willamette Valley will always be my home”. When not working her personal interests include knitting, gardening, hiking, camping, as well as just spending time outdoors with her daughter and husband.
Amy
Amy, a Certified Veterinary Technician, joined the Corvallis Cat Care team in September 2022. She is a Cat Friendly Professional, certified by the American Association of Feline Practitioners. While living in ND, Amy set up and ran a program with the local shelter to house and process for adoption the cats rescued from area pounds. She has also worked as a lead zookeeper, zoo vet tech, and wildlife rehabilitator. In 2013 she moved with her 5 cats to a more desirable climate and married her high-school sweetheart. They live in the country with 7 feline overlords (2 are foster fails), 2 goofy Newfoundlands, and a cheeky Lionhead rabbit.
Danica
Danica, a Veterinary Technician, has been working in the veterinary industry as both a receptionist and an assistant since 2016. She grew up in Northwest Washington and lived in Los Angeles for three years, before coming to Oregon in 2021 to attend OSU and started working at Corvallis Cat Care. She has a spunky Pomeranian and a goofy black cat at home, and enjoys playing video games, reading, and various other activities in her free time.
Sheri
Sheri is a Certified Veterinary Technician and has worked at Corvallis Cat Care since 2006, she particularly enjoys assisting in surgery and dentistry. Sheri’s career as a technician began in 1985 after earning a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology and then an Associate’s degree in Veterinary Technology. She enjoys reading, gardening, hiking and mountain climbing, and has summited Mt. St. Helens. She shares her home with her husband, their two young boys, three cats, and one dog.
Victoria
Victoria, a Veterinary Technician, grew up in Charlottesville, VA and moved to OR with her three cats in 2001 to work as a certified veterinary technician in a small animal practice in Portland. She moved to Corvallis in 2004 to pursue a degree in Public Health and graduated from OSU in 2009. She then went on to graduate from OHSU with a degree in nursing in 2014. Victoria works as a human nurse in Salem when she isn’t here working with her cat family. She worked with non-releasable birds of prey for 15.5 years and loves all animals. She lives with her partner and his two teenagers, and is owned by four cats; a 20 yr old ginger and 3 adult cats affectionately known as “The Kittens”. Oh, and she also has several “pet” house spiders she and her partner catch insects for!
Judy
Judy has been Corvallis Cat Care’s receptionist since 2005. She spent some time in New Mexico where she earned a degree in computer mapping. Then, some years later, she graduated from the four year program at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing as a Certified Practitioner. She currently resides in the country where she spends time with her two cats and her dog.
Mary
Mary began working as a receptionist with Corvallis Cat Care in June of 2017. She is new to Corvallis but has lived in Oregon most of her life. Mary and her rescue dog Koda like to visit Willamette Park and she also enjoys spending her free time with friends and family.
Liz
Meet Elizabeth! Or Liz. Or Liza. (Just don’t call her Lizzy.) Having worn a multitude of hats in her youth – from hospice to Navy contractor – this PNW native and UC Santa Cruz graduate finally worked up the nerve to try what everybody had been suggesting she pursue since she was little: veterinary medicine. (What stopped her? She was afraid of needles!) Having conquered her trypanophobia with a blood donation, she realized they weren’t that scary after all, and she dove into the work with gusto. Cats are her favorite animal, and while she’s worked with animals ranging from horses to hamsters, a feline-friendly family-style clinic is her version of heaven. She and her husband are currently owned by one sassy black cat and a rather goofy Ball Python, and they frequently foster kittens… especially the spicy ones!