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Biography
- Our Staff
Dr.
Plotnick
 Contrary
to the belief that the world is going to the dogs, Dr. Arnold
Plotnick has made a career believing in felines. He is the
founder of Manhattan Cat Specialists (MCS), a cats-only
veterinary facility on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. As a
native New Yorker who is board-certified by both the American
College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) and the American
Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP), Plotnick is uniquely
qualified in this capacity. In fact, he is currently one of only
a handful of board-certified cat specialists in the United
States.
Plotnick knew at an early age that he wanted to be a
veterinarian. “My childhood cat once swallowed a sewing needle
with thread,” he said. “When the vet put the X-ray on the viewer
and I saw the needle, I knew at that moment that this is what I
wanted to do.”
After earning a master’s degree in immunology in 1983 from the
University of Florida in Gainesville, Plotnick attended UF’s
College of Veterinary Medicine the following year. He graduated
with honors, finishing fourth in his class and elected into The
Society of Phi Zeta, the Honor Society of Veterinary Medicine.
He then attended the University of Pennsylvania’s School of
Veterinary Medicine, where he completed a one-year internship in
small animal medicine and surgery. “I started to be known as
‘The Cat Guy’ when I was at Penn,” said Plotnick. “My professors
and fellow interns could see that I had a kinship with cats and
encouraged it. I’m grateful that they did.”
Plotnick took his academic flair for felines to the real world
of private practice when he became an associate veterinarian at
the Cat Hospital at Towson, a high-quality cats-only veterinary
hospital in Towson, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore. However,
Plotnick eventually left to pursue a residency in small animal
internal medicine at Colorado State University and became
board-certified in small animal internal medicine in 1997. While
he was chief of staff and hospital director of VetSmart Pet
Hospital and Health Center in Columbia, Maryland, Plotnick
became board-certified in feline medicine in 1999.
Seeking to return to his hometown, he accepted the position of
vice president of animal health at The American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the oldest animal
welfare organization in the United States. He was promoted a
year later to vice president of the prestigious ASPCA Bergh
Memorial Animal Hospital.
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001,
Plotnick strongly believed that he wanted to use his special
skills to make a significant contribution to the renewal of New
York City. He decided to pursue his dream of running his own cat
hospital. He left The ASPCA soon after the terrorist attacks and
began seeking financing for his venture. In January of 2003,
Manhattan Cat Specialists was born. “MCS is just a small part of
the city’s economy, but rebuilding our economy takes place one
small business at a time.”
In addition to routine veterinary services such as vaccinations,
dentistry, neutering and spaying, MCS also offers
state-of-the-art procedures including blood typing, micro
chipping and blood pressure measurement. Plotnick has also
designed unique wellness programs for middle aged cats and
geriatric cats. “Cats are different from dogs, so MCS is
designed to be different than most veterinary hospitals,” he
said. “Because cats don’t like leaving the safety of their
space, they exhibit great stress when visiting the veterinarian.
As a result, I’ve tried to create a peaceful environment that
replicates home.” The muted colors, soft lighting and soothing
music help to bring about a calming atmosphere appreciated by
both his pet-clientele as well as their human counterparts.
“I’ve had many customers tell me that their previous
veterinarians needed to sedate their pets for a check-up.
They’re amazed when I examine their cats with no sedation and no
problems,” he said. “My staff and I pride ourselves on making
every visit as tranquil as possible for both parties.”
In addition to his veterinary duties, Plotnick spends much of
his time writing. He is the medical editor of Catnip magazine,
and is a regular contributor to CatFancy magazine. He is on the
editorial advisory board of the veterinary journal Veterinary
Forum, and is one of the feline experts on CatChannel.com.
Dr. Plotnick's Curriculum Vitae
Meet
Dr. Plotnick's Pets
Dr. Tina Waltke
 Dr.
Tina Waltke recently joined Manhattan Cat Specialists, working
part-time starting in October 2007.
Dr. Waltke graduated from Cornell University School of
Veterinary Medicine in May 2007 and returned to practice in New York City, where she has lived for the
past 20 years.
Originally from Nebraska, Tina moved to NYC soon after completing her
undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Nebraska.
While she had always dreamed of becoming a veterinarian
growing up on her family’s farm in Nebraska,
Tina soon became attracted to the fast-paced world of business
in Manhattan, where she
pursued her other dream of becoming a lawyer.
Tina graduated from New York University School of Law and
practiced corporate law in
Manhattan
for a number of years until September 11, 2001.
The monumental events of 9-11 inspired her to pursue her
dream of becoming a veterinarian, which she had previously only
joked about with her colleagues during long weekends at the
corporate grindstone.
Dr. Waltke has always been
obsessed with cats, to which her family and friends can attest.
Her earliest memory is of a little black kitten being
presented to her as a “gift” from a kindly neighbor.
At Cornell, Tina was well known for her focus on cats,
leading the student chapter of the American Association of
Feline Practitioners and earning the AAFP’s Senior Student Award
for achievement in Feline Medicine and Surgery.
She also has spent a large portion of her free time
fostering rescued cats and helping them find new homes (and
trying to resist keeping all of them).
Dr. Waltke is ecstatic to have
found her dream job of working with cats in
Manhattan, surrounded by a great staff
and the wonderful mentorship of Dr. Plotnick.
She lives in Manhattan with her partner, four cats (yes,
four!) and one dog.
When not living her dream at MCS, Tina enjoys agility training
with her dog (she is trying to agility train her cats, too,
although that has been less successful), cooking, exploring
wine, watching movies, and dreaming about all things related to
cats.
Dr. Waltke’s
Critters
Hiromi
Karagiannis
 Hiromi
has been with Manhattan Cat Specialists since the day we opened
(January 1st, 2003). Hiromi
began her veterinary technician career as a volunteer for The
ASPCA. Soon after
that, she was hired by The ASPCA to work as an animal care
technician. During
that time, she assisted the veterinary technicians and
veterinarians in nearly every department, and became so inspired
by their work that she chose to return to college, at the age of
35, to obtain her degree and license in veterinary technology.
She recently graduated (with honors!) from the Veterinary
Technology program at LaGuardia Community College.
As
a technician, Hiromi’s areas of interest include patient care,
anesthetic monitoring, and radiology.
Under Hiromi’s watchful eye, inpatients are always clean,
dry, well-fed, and happy. Her
soothing manner puts even the most nervous and skittish cats at
ease. Hiromi also has
an interest in veterinary nutrition, and is a certified Hill’s
Veterinary Nutrition Advocate.
Hiromi lives
in Weehawken, NJ with her Greek husband, her teenage son, two orange tabby cats, and a geriatric Golden Retriever.
Hiromi was born in Tokyo, Japan, and our Japanese-speaking
clientele are grateful that Hiromi is able to serve as a
translator, especially when complicated medical conditions and
instructions are being explained.
When
not taking care of animals, Hiromi likes to relax by practicing
yoga, listening to music, and taking leisurely walks with her dog
in the park.
Rita
Santiago
 Rita
is Manhattan Cat Specialists' Hospital Manager. She joined
us in June, 2003. Rita is a licensed
veterinary technician, having obtained her license
in 1999, after graduating from LaGuardia
Community College’s veterinary technology program in 1998.
After graduation, she worked at The ASPCA as a
surgery and treatment room
technician.
Rita’s
areas of expertise include anesthesia, surgical nursing, emergency
and critical care, and veterinary dentistry. In
fact, Rita is a certified veterinary dental
technician. With her primary training
as a surgery technician, Rita is very proficient at
anesthetic monitoring. Most cat owners are apprehensive when their
cat is scheduled for a procedure that
requires anesthesia. Under Rita’s care, our
clients have nothing to fear. All of our patients are anesthetized
gently, and recover smoothly and uneventfully.
A native New Yorker, Rita lives in midtown with her
husband Tommy, also a veterinary
technician. They have a male cat named Jake (he’s FIV positive,
but doing very well). They also had a female cat named Simone who was
rescued from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Simone
has since passed away.
Meet Rita's Pets
Jackie Luther
 Jackie
works the reception desk here at MCS. A native New
Yorker, but currently residing in
Jersey City, she shares her home with
her husband Bruce, and a bevy of very naughty kitties.
Besides taking care of her feline brood she also helps the
stray cats in her neighborhood by feeding them and taking
part in a trap and release program in
Jersey City. Before coming to
MCS, Jackie worked as a bartender for the infamous punk rock
club, CBGB. Influenced by her rock-n-roll
surroundings, she formed the band The Chickletts, playing
bass and lead vocals with the three-piece girl group for the
last decade. Jackie is also a published writer of
short fiction. Her perfect day would include cooking a
great meal, cuddling with her husband and a good book, and
hugging each and every one of her ten (!) cats. “I
usually kiss all of them before retiring to bed…they are so
spoiled.”
Kamilla Shmakalova
 Kamilla came to
work at Manhattan Cat Specialists in May 2007 as a Veterinary
Assistant/Receptionist. She graduated from Brooklyn College with
a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology and has found her life’s
calling in animal care. Although this is her first job at a
veterinary clinic, she is happy to have found a place where
everyone shares her exceptional love for cats.
Born in Russia, Kamilla immigrated to Brooklyn, NY in 1993 and
is currently living in Rockaway Beach, Queens with her mother,
younger sister, and two cats, Musya and Miso. Kamilla also
volunteers at the NY Aquarium Sea Cliffs, helping to care for
aquatic mammals like walruses, sea otters and fur seals. In the
near future, Kamilla is planning to apply to Veterinary School
and become one day a licensed veterinarian herself.
Meet Kamilla's Pets
Topeka
Topeka came to us labeled a ‘feral’ cat, complete with a cropped
ear meant to identify her as an animal to be wary of. Just goes
to show you that first impressions are often wrong. Topeka
apparently got picked up by rescue workers along with a group of ferals, but she is clearly the sweetest, gentlest cat and must
have gotten out of someone’s home to end up with the stray
crowd. She’s roughly five or six years old and as you can see
from her picture, is absolutely beautiful. She loves belly rubs
and has recently been promoted to ‘receptionist’, considering
the fact that she is always sitting at the front desk,
overseeing our office. We are not planning to adopt Topeka out -
she lives here with us and Ludwig, our other hospital cat- and
we wouldn’t have it any other way. She loves visitors so feel
free to swing by and say hello, ignoring the cropped ear that
initially masked her true personality.
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