For Cats Only — Local services in West Palm Beach

Don't be misled; some of the 5-star ratings contributing to For Cats Only's current rating were for Dr Faigen & his staff, predecessor to the current owners/vets "Dr. J and Dr. S. Karpf." Dr. Faigen gets 5 + stars all day long. The current owners/vets? A (-) 1.

My cat treated with Dr. Faigen since she was a yr old. (He was amazing.) When the practice was sold, I rolled along. Underwhelmed by the "bedside" manner of the new owners (to put it mildly), I continued with 4CO primarily b/c the care seemed generally competent & they continued to offer kenneling - which my cat was used to from having stayed frequently during Dr F's time.

I then moved to Broward.

End of 2022, my (then) senior cat needed ultrasound testing that was surprisingly hard to find. Credit to 4CO for offering that service. I made an appt for 12/20 & though I received (& reviewed) advance material, on the day of the appt I received the same paperwork plus an adhesion contract (i.e., the parties are at disproportionate bargaining powers [meaning 1 is in a stronger position than the other, & in this situation, the stronger party being the vet] which contained an inconsistency.

I verbally questioned the disparity and the receptionist told me I had to sign "as is." I did not feel comfortable, explained the reason for my discomfort, crossed-out & initialed some of the inconsistent language, added a further note of clarification, & signed. Dr. S rejected my handiwork & instructed the receptionist to print "clean" pages which I was to sign w/o changes. I refused and ultimately left. (Later getting the ultrasound at an Oakland Park facility.)

While I didn't appreciate Dr. S.'s refusal to discuss, much less entertain, the existence of an inconsistency, I don't begrudge her or 4CO that. Her business, therefore her choice. What I do take issue with are her text messages several days later.

On the morning of the aborted ultrasound, I also dropped off a stool sample, which was part of the earlier, & previously paid for, CBC & health check package. A day later, I received a text from Dr. S advising that the sample was clear, & requesting my "updated" address to send records because [and I quote] "I think it is best that you find a veterinarian that better meets your personal needs as I don't think we are able to here. Dr. S. Karpf."

More than surprised at being "fired" by a vet - especially given the circumstances - I nonetheless took the high road responding [again I quote]: "The email [address] is correct. The pending results of her stool test is all that is needed. Please forward at your earliest opportunity. Thank you. It is unfortunate that my questioning an inconsistency in a form led to the declination of [my cat's] treatment. In any event, best regards to all."

My "High Road" email was sent on 12/27/22 at 7:01 PM, only 2 days post-Xmas, and triggered an immediate, automated text reply of "You have reached FOR CATS ONLY. The office is closed [after hours emergency number etc. etc.]." Strangely, after that automated message, followed a second text: "It's not a declination of [your cat's] treatment. It's a declination of a

[white space in original]

FOR CATS ONLY", ending sans punctuation.

It's the 3d text, sent on 12/28/22 at 1:24 AM and hours later, that speaks volumes: "Just do [sic] we are crystal clear what got in the way of [your cat's] treatment was YOU. Dr. S. Karpf." (Caps and typo in original.)

In the midst of caring for my 82 year old father in NJ following his surgery, in addition to still unraveling the cause of my ailing cat's health, the 1:24 AM text really went through me. Nonetheless, I was able I bite back the multitude of replies vying to escape my fingers. Which only underscores the concern for a vet practitioner obviously incapable of such self-control. Petty? Perhaps. But petty and "must have the last word" are not hallmarks of a compassionate, level-headed guardian one seeks to entrust one's...

After visiting almost all of the pet hospitals in West Palm Beach, we were about to give up hope of finding a suitable place for Rocket (The Cat That Ate Pittsburgh), to board for the two weeks while we were on vacation.

We had been using a large corporate hospital with multiple clinics throughout the United States as our source of primary care for Rocket. The thing is, every time we visited the clinic, we got a different doctor. And in addition, we were required to drop him off and leave him for the entire day until one of the doctors or their assistants got around to seeing him. It was also hard for us to get in touch with the doctor who actually saw Rocket as ‘hand-offs’ were the order of the day, which is usually the case in today’s corporate medical environment.

Then we found For Cats Only.

For Cats Only is exactly what we were looking for, so we called the corporate hospital and had all of Rocket’s records transferred to For Cats Only. His experience as well as ours at For Cats Only, I must say, was superior. The entire experience couldn’t have been better.

Here are some of the reasons why.

You couldn’t possibly find more qualified professionals to provide health care for your cat. The Hospital is owned by Drs. Jeff and Stephanie Karpf, both of whom have impeccable credentials. Both are undergraduates of Cornell University and both have graduate degrees from New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell. (BTW the Cornell Feline Health Center is the leading center of feline research in the country).

There is no ‘assembly line’, in-and-out, revolving door policy or indifference at For Cats Only. Every minute that we spent at For Cats Only was hands-on, beginning with a complete physical examination done by the Doctor, not an assistant. After the examination there was a detailed description of any problems, followed by a thorough and exact explanation of the required treatment.

We were also given handouts regarding the best foods for Rocket and foods to be avoided, a pamphlet on dental care and a timetable for immunizations. This was an impressive experience as I never realized that there was so much to know about cats.

Whenever labs are drawn, the staff and Drs. are willing to provide updates and offer detailed explanations regarding interpretation of the results

The waiting area is quiet and peaceful without other animals to upset your pet.

For Cats Only is immaculately clean and contains a fully equipped and up to date surgical center with anesthesiology and radiology capabilities including an up to date lab and examination facilities.

The staff is well informed and able to answer any questions without delay. For instance when Rocket was staying at For Cats Only for two weeks whenever our family was on vacation, we called every few days to check in to see how he was doing. This was never a problem with the staff, who were kind and compassionate and happy to give any updates on his condition.

It has always been easy to schedule appointments for Rocket with the Drs. within a couple of days. Emergent conditions are seen immediately.

We are delighted and very fortunate that we were lucky enough to find two highly qualified and dedicated professionals in a center with a kind and caring staff to take such good care of Rocket. Simply having the knowledge that there is someone out there who can take care of Rocket in case of an emergency or a routine evaluation, offers ongoing reassurance to our family that Rocket will always get the best, most professional and compassionate care available.

I cannot recommend For Cats Only more...

QUACK ALERT****QUACK ALERT**

Dr. Faigen retired and the people that took over his practice has been a nightmare for us.

IF I COULD PUT 0 stars I would because these vets are no good at all!!

The practice is owned by a married couple who took over the practice (Dr. Jeff and Dr. Stephanie Karpf) We switched to them knowing that they only specialize in cats and we have 3. We had a previous vet that had made some mistakes in diagnosing our cats so we decided to leave that practice. Some of the staff are very nice and attentive but there is also exceptions to that. Overall, THESE TWO ARE QUACKS ESPECIALLY DR. JEFF. If your cat has a pre-existing condition and has of a treatment regimen that works DONT LET THEM CHANGE IT!! THEY DID WITH ONE OF OUR CATS AND IT ALMOST KILLED HIM.

WE went through hell and burned cash thanks to Dr Jeff. One of our cats a Siamese was symptomatic to "megacolon," and was already under a regimen of fiber rich food and medications. Dr. Jeff knew this if he read that in his records but while he was making a change to his diet from dry to wet food he took him off the Fiber. BAD CALL and the part that pisses me off the most is that he did not own up to his mistake. No apology, remorse, NOTHING!!

God forbid your cat has a serious problem just before a holiday weekend. Our Siamese stopped eating or drinking and was miserable on Friday of labor day weekend. Dr. Jeff did not see it serious enough to bring in. His response was that there was nothing he can do. Since it was an hour and a half before closing on a holiday weekend he didn't want to see him since it would have likely have taken him into after hours. Our cat ended up in the ER TWICE and cost us up to $5000.00 dollars! Thank you Dr. Jeff!

These people nickel and dime you every chance they get and put your cats on meds that they don't need AND BOY DO THEY GOUGE YOU!! MEDS AND VISITS ARE 2 to 3X MORE EXPENSIVE. They charge you for every little thing possible. One example after another one of our cats had to get brought in at their request. My wife dropped him off and when he was ready to get picked up she told them she would be there in a couple hours to get him, these people charged 18 dollars for pet sitting? YHGTBSM!! WE HAVE SPENT OVER 7000.00 TO THIS DATE most of it THANKS TO THEIR SCREW UP AND THEY HAVE THE AUDACITY TO DO THIS?!?

These so called doctors don't even take in any recommendations even orders from multiple internal medicine vets when our Siamese was literally dying at the specialty ER clinic.

This place is not accommodating in any way whatsoever. My wife had car trouble one day and had to take all 3 in to board so she can go to work and even though we lived 8 minutes away they said there's nothing they can do. Their response was if they knew sooner they would have sent a car service for her. Really? Next time our car breaks down we will advise it to give us some notice. My wife ends up calling in sick and getting a bad mark on her record at work! THANK YOU DR JEFF!

In a nutshell, Prior to this change our Siamese was responding fine to his current treatment before Dr. Jeff started screwing around with his diet.

IF YOU LOVE YOU CAT, STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!! THEY WILL RECOMMEND TREATMENTS AND MEDS YOUR CAT or Cats DO NOT NEED AND THE CONSEQUENCES ARE AT YOUR EXPENSE.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE* COMPLETE RIPOFF* THEY SHOULD CHANGE THE NAME TO "FOR...