Over the years, several Cat Adoption Team staff members have been inspired to pursue careers in medicine. Some have become nurses, others have sought careers as certified veterinary technicians, and a few have completed their post-graduate veterinary studies to become veterinarians. This fall, CAT hospital staffers, Simon and Dania, will be joining this distinguished crew.
Before coming to CAT, Dania didn’t think that a future in veterinary medicine was within reach. “A veterinarian was one of the career paths I learned about through this love of animals but I didn’t really have any connections or experience working in the field,” muses the 14-year veteran. Conversely, Simon made the decision to become a veterinarian some years ago, but was struggling to narrow down a specialty. Once he started volunteering— and eventually working— at CAT, things came into focus. “I really enjoy working with cats, and I’d like to work specifically in feline medicine.”
From her start as a hospital volunteer nearly 14 years ago to her current position as ringworm lead, Dania has worn many hats at the shelter. In addition to her work experience with CAT, she holds a graduate certificate in shelter medicine from PSU. In 2023, Simon began as a hospital laundry volunteer, keeping us in clean blankets and surgery preparation items. A year later, he joined the hospital staff and has worked as both a hospital support associate and veterinary assistant. Simon and Dania will be leaving CAT to attend veterinary school this fall and we caught up with them to find out how they’re feeling.
When we asked them both what they were most looking forward to, Dania said, “I’m excited to learn more as well as to share some of my shelter medicine experiences… my classmates and teachers.” Similarly, Simon is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to share space with “classmates that are all working towards the same goal…All of my classmates right now are pre-med, and so we don’t have a lot of the same academic interests.”
Check out more about what they have to say about their journey from CAT to vet school!
CAT: What’s been your history at CAT?
Dania: I first got involved with CAT as a hospital recovery volunteer and room caregiver shortly after graduating high school in 2012. I lived about 15 minutes away so the shelter was accessible and had schedule flexibility that worked around my availability since I was starting school at Portland Community College and was working part-time on weekends at a Denny’s. As an employee, I’ll be celebrating my 10 year anniversary this July/August! It’s kind of crazy to think I’ve been part of CAT for that long! The vet assistant position I was originally hired for has changed drastically but the foundation and goals of the work have led to many positive changes and improvements to get us to where we are now. In my time at CAT I’ve gotten experience learning to help with admissions, dentals, ringworm, surgery and veterinarian and client interactions.
Simon: I started volunteering at CAT in 2023. I did laundry in both the hospital and in the shelter, and also did surgery prep and packs. I started working in the hospital as a hospital support associate (HSA) in the summer of 2024, and as a veterinary assistant at the beginning of 2025.
CAT: What experiences at CAT have helped to inspire you to expand your career in the field of animal welfare to veterinary medicine?
Dania: Growing up I knew I always wanted to work with animals after watching childhood role models like Steve Irwin and The Kratt Brothers. A veterinarian was one of the career paths I learned about through this love of animals but I didn’t really have any connections or experience working in the field. At CAT, I was able to learn more about specialized cat care and shelter medicine and it quickly developed into a passion and made me proud of the work I was helping accomplish. It was one of the reasons I pursued a graduate certificate in shelter medicine after finishing my undergrad studies at Portland State University.
Simon: I knew that I wanted to be a vet when I started volunteering at CAT, but at that point I didn’t really know what, if any, specialty I wanted to do. I’ve learned that I really enjoy working with cats, and I’d like to work specifically in feline medicine. I was also working full-time during the summer where we had all of the panleukopenia, and I’ve become very interested in feline parvovirus (I’m actually doing my undergraduate thesis on it!)
CAT: What animals do you share your life with?
Dania: I currently have two senior boys. My CAT Alumni and foster fail Ernie and my Lhasa Apso mix dog, Roky. Both have taught me a lot even before getting into vet school haha.
Simon: My family collectively has 6 cats and 2 dogs (+ some fish), but only one of the cats is “my” cat. She’s also a CAT alumni, and she’s my baby 🙂
CAT: Do you have any advice for others seeking out opportunities in shelter medicine or animal welfare?
Dania: My biggest advice for anyone interested in shelter medicine, animal welfare or any career really is to get involved sooner rather than later! Start looking for volunteer opportunities in your interests or hobbies and even if you decide later you don’t like it, you learn more about yourself and gain experience that will help you at the next place. Volunteering really became my stepping stone into animal welfare and also helped me meet people who have become my friends, mentors and biggest supporters.
Simon: My advice would be to volunteer! Shelters are always looking for volunteers, especially for the less “glamorous” positions like kennel cleaning. County shelters are also pressed for volunteers, so look into your local county shelter to see if that’s somewhere you’d like to volunteer. If you want to do something easy for animal welfare, be registered to vote in your local elections! There are often local laws for animal welfare that don’t get a lot of attention, but are important to be aware of!
CAT: Could you share some of your favorite milestone memories with us?
Dania: I think some of my favorite milestone memories were getting to train into the next specialized role in the hospital. As I became more comfortable in my VA role and practiced skills, it was nice to add on new tasks, skill sets and responsibilities. Exciting milestones like doing my first solo blood draw, my first x-ray after getting certified, and placing my first IV catheter are all happy memories that have taken place at CAT. Becoming the ringworm lead was another huge milestone for me and something I’ve been really proud to have worked on and allowed me to work with a fantastic group of volunteers that have helped get some of our ringworm cats adopted!
Simon: Learning to do blood draws was a big milestone for me. I actually used to have a weird bodily reaction to seeing blood draws getting done, where I would get really faint and dizzy even though I wasn’t bothered emotionally by it. Oddly enough, no issue seeing surgeries, just blood draws. I was also re-hired as a veterinary assistant after my initial position as a support associate was over. Most of what I was doing when I was re-hired was medicating cats and restocking the hospital. I’ve since been trained as a surgery assistant, and so now I get to help hold cats for sedation and do pre-surgery treatments.
CAT: What are you most looking forward to as you enter this exciting new adventure?
Dania: I’m excited to learn more, see more and do more! I’m also excited to be able to share some of my shelter medicine experiences and knowledge with my classmates and teachers.
Simon: I’m really looking forward to having classmates that are all working towards the same goal as I am. All of my classmates right now are pre-med, and so we don’t have a lot of the same academic interests.
CAT: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
Dania: I feel so lucky to have such a strong support system at CAT and it’s going to be really hard leaving my CAT family! I hope once I’m a veterinarian I’ll be able to come back to CAT as a volunteer or work with the organization in other ways!
We’re hopeful that both Simon and Dania will keep in touch and come back to the shelter to visit. Who knows, maybe they’ll join the shelter team as fully-licensed veterinarians in a few years. We are proud of this pair for making the decision to chase their dreams and we’re going to certainly miss their contributions. Best of luck Simon and Dania!
