Congratulations to Dr. Cat Cross, who has recently accepted an invitation to join the Animal House Board of Directors. Dr. Cross and Friendship Hospital for Animals have supported Animal House since they opened four years ago.  She looks forward to assisting them with their important role in our community.  

Dr. Cat Cross received her DVM degree at Texas A&M University in 1986. She completed a post-doctoral internship at the University of Illinois with areas of concentration in internal medicine and oncology.

Before moving to Fort Collins, Dr. Cross practiced for six years at a large multi-doctor practice in Washington, DC. In 1996, Dr. Cross became Board Certified in Canine and Feline practice with the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. At that time, she was one of only 330 veterinarians in the country with that distinction.

In addition to leading the veterinary team at Friendship, Dr. Cross serves as one of twelve selected members of the General Practitioner Advisory Board for Eli Lilly and has served as a Key Opinion Leader for Novartis. Dr. Cross is a past board member of the National Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners and the Larimer Humane Society.

Dr. Cross knew at an early age that she wanted to become a veterinarian. In fact, says the doctor, "I cannot remember a time when I didn't want to become a veterinarian!” Dr. Cross's specialties include internal medicine and dentistry. Her most memorable veterinary experiences all involve families and children enthusiastically welcoming a "four-footed angel" into their lives.

Dr. Cross's pets are Dooney, Callie, Patrick, Kiko, Moki, and Fiona. There may be others hiding around the house. Dooney is a calico cat rescued in Stove Prairie, Colorado after her mother and littermates were taken by a coyote. She was three weeks old at the time and sixteen years later she is still in charge of all Cross household activities. Hearty stock, those Stove Prairie girls!   Fiona was found at six weeks of age in a tree in Greeley begging our lead Client Care Provider to take her in and introduce her to the Cross "zoo".

Kiko and Moki are two calico female cats who were adopted together in February 2007 and are graduates of the Larimer Humane Society. Kiko, a six-year old, has set a new standard for “cool” in our lives. Moki, a four-year old, is an irresistible combination of beauty, affection and really poor motor skills.

The official Friendship mascot is Callie, a one-eyed, lop-eared “American Standard” adopted from the Larimer Humane Society in April, 2002. She has demonstrated her gratitude by being “the best girl in the whole wide world.” Patrick (The “P”) is a handsome, sweet and ebullient Llewellin Setter from our friends Laura and Bob Whitlock of Hickory Hollow Llewellins in Shellsburg, Iowa. Patrick is as happy as only a four-year old can be and is looking forward to a wonderful career as a therapy dog. In the meantime, he contents himself with putting all of us into therapy.

Each of these special creatures traveled a different route to “Cross Heaven” and we are so happy to have them in our lives.  

Dr. Cross enjoys spending time with her husband and her friends. She is a fan of all types of exercise, and likes to get out in the great outdoors.