The Cat Doctors

Dr. Welborn was the valedictorian of his 1976 graduating class from King High School here in Tampa and as a President’s Scholar, he earned an undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida. Dr. Welborn graduated with honors from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 1982. He is Board Certified in Canine and Feline Practice and is a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist and Certified PennHIP Veterinarian.

He is past president of the prestigious American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and served as Chairman of the AAHA Standards Enhancement Task Force that developed the most recent revisions and enhancements to the AAHA Standards of Accreditation for primary care small animal practices. He also served as Chairman of the Accredited Referral Practice Task Force that developed AAHA Standards of Accreditation for small animal specialty practices. He currently serves in several national veterinary leadership roles including being the Chairman of the AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines Task Force and serving as a member of the AAHA-AVMA Preventative Healthcare Guidelines Task Force.

Dr. Welborn has received the following honors:

• • 2022 AVMA Award
• • Prestigious AVMA President’s Award
• • American Animal Hospital Association Practitioner of the Year Award
• • University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Achievement Award
• • Florida Veterinary Medical Association Veterinarian of the Year Award
• • Hillsborough County Veterinary Medical Society Outstanding Service Award

Underwater photography and attending Tampa Bay Buccaneer and Florida Gator football games are among his favorite activities. Dr. Welborn’s family includes: wife, Laura, daughter, Kaitlin, son, Christopher, furry friends, Jenner and Emma Rose, two birds, Harper and Connie, and a marine aquarium full of aquatic companions.

Dr. Simon is our Medical Director who joined our team in 1997. Dr. Simon is originally from the south Florida area and graduated with high honors from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Simon went on to complete an internship with Hollywood Animal and Emergency Hospital in Hollywood, Florida. She spends her free time with her husband fishing and boating. She also happens to make the most amazing chocolate chip cookies! They share their home with their 2 poodles Dallas and Teddy and 2 cats Romeo and Figaro.

Dr. Connolly is one of wonderful Veterinarians here at The Cat Doctors. She is originally from Orlando, Florida. Dr. Connolly received her BS in Biochemistry from the University of South Florida in 2015. She graduated from Ross University of Veterinary Medicine in 2020. She really enjoys animal behavior, animal nutrition, Dentistry, ophthalmology, and Parasitology.

Dr. Connolly joined our family because she wanted to be part of a team that supports each other and cares for their patients like family. It is very important to her to create a stress-free environment for her clients and their pets, while providing quality medicine.

When Dr. Connolly isn’t caring for her patients, you can find her gardening, painting, and spoiling her three cats (Hiccup, Nova [pictured], and Ike [her bottle-fed baby].) Hiccup and Nova were two very lucky kitties who Dr. Connolly rescued from St. Kitts, where she ran the TNR program. Dr. Connolly also spends her time with Mabel the hamster, and her fish. She is the youngest of three siblings. Her family lives in Orlando and Maryland.

Dr. Connolly would like to continue her work with a TNR program, where she plans to spend her free time volunteering at a local rescue as a Veterinarian.

Dr. James Whitlow is one of our awesome associate veterinarians here at The Cat Doctors. He received is BS in Wildlife Ecology from LSU, and his DVM from Ross University.

Dr. Whitlow is very passionate about the welfare of all animals. He chooses to practice with cats because he believes they are under-served in the veterinary industry.

His goal when walking into every patient visit is improving the quality of life of both his patient and their humans.

Dr. Whitlow shares his home with is girlfriend Courtney (who also practices veterinary medicine), and their two cats – Raya (Pictured), and Eggnog. His family and fur family mean the world to him.

When Dr. Whitlow isn’t working you can find him practicing martial arts and playing the guitar.

Dr. Colby Burns, a board-certified surgeon at North Tampa Veterinary Specialists, provides specialized orthopedic, soft tissue, neurologic and emergency surgical services to small animal veterinary practitioners. This service allows our veterinarians the ability to offer advanced surgical services in the comfort of our own hospital while maintaining direct contact with our clients and primary care for patients. Mobile surgical services are available six days a week (Monday through Saturday). Emergency surgical services are available seven days a week, including evenings and weekends.

Raised on a working horse ranch Cassy has always had a strong love for all animals and a desire to improve the human-animal bond. She began working in the veterinary field at the age of 15 as an assistant in a veterinary hospital in Plant City, FL, and from 1993 to 2000 worked as an emergency and day-time veterinary technician. Since 1995, she has served our six hospital group, as our Practice Administrator.

Cassy graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from the University of South Florida in 1998.

Cassy has been a member of the VHMA since 2001 and served on their Board of Directors for 2 years. Cassy earned her Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM) designation in 2005 and her Certified Canine Rehabilitation Assistant (CCRA) designation in 2008. She was the co-chair of the Bay Area Managers Network Group in Tampa for 10 years and is a past adjunct professor for Webster Veterinary University.

Residing in Valrico, Florida, Cassy shares her home with her husband, her 2 children, her cat, Gordy and her dog, Dolly Brown. Her interests are client advocacy, team building, physical rehabilitation, communication, and compliance. Cassy’s hobbies include reading, outdoor activities and her family.

Kelly is originally from Altamonte Springs, Florida. She has a husband named John and two brothers and one sister. Kelly has been a veterinary technician for over 15 years. She has been with The Cat Doctors since August of 2010. Kelly worked in an all cat veterinary hospital prior to working here, and that is what she loves about The Cat Doctors. Kelly attended Saint Petersburg College for her Veterinary Technician Certificate. She has an adorable dog named Romeo, and a spunky calico kitty named Rey. She enjoys reading, playing with Romeo and cycling.

Alayna is one of our wonderful technicians that has been working with Cat Doctors since October 2015. She has always lived in Tampa. She loves animals and working at The Cat Doctors. She has attended Hillsborough Community College and the Tampa Police Department Academy. She is a certified dog trainer. Alayna’s hobbies are napping, Memes, and Scary Movies. She has a Husky named Titan and an adorable pup named Little Man A.K.A. Trippy. Her mom lives locally and her brother is in the Air Force. She would like to learn how to cook, and adopt more dogs.

Samantha is one of our Veterinary Technicians. She is from Tampa, Florida. Sam loves working with cats and making connections with people. Sam has attended Hillsborough Community College. She enjoys reading, hiking, watching shows, playing video games and sleeping. She has four cats: Otter, Moo Moo, Quincy and Link. Her goals are to continue her education and technical knowledge.

Jessica is one of our wonderful Veterinary technicians. She is originally from New Jersey but she lives in Tampa now. Jessica attended the University of Tampa and she has a B.S. in Biology and Psychology. She enjoys comic books, bowling, shopping, going to the movies, and playing video games. She has three kitties named Garfield, Jack and Oreo. She has a ½ brother. Jessica would like to become a veterinarian.

Patience is one of our awesome Veterinary Technicians. She was born in Florida, but she lived most of her life in Arizona. She moved back to Florida when she was 21. She has worked in an all cat hospital before and she really enjoys working at The Cat Doctors.

Patience is currently enrolled at Saint Petersburg College. She is working on becoming a certified veterinary technician. Patience enjoys going to the beach and playing with her children, Holly and Ryder. She has five kitties named Baxter, Anthony, Sophia, Littles and Oliver. She is the second oldest of her 4 siblings. Her goals are to purchase a home and become a certified Veterinary Technician.

Amanda is our fabulous Assistant Hospital Manager at The Cat Doctors. She is originally from New Mexico. She loves animals and helping people. She earned her associates degree in Business Administration and has transferred to St. Petersburg College to start her Bachelors program. Amanda enjoys watching movies and spending time with her family. She is the youngest of seven siblings. She has two dogs named Copper and Penny.

Amanda looks forward to continuing her education and growing in our practice.

Holly is one of our wonderful technicians here at The cat Doctors. Working with animals is her passion. When she is not at work, Holly enjoys reading, camping, discussing memes, and playing Pokemon. She shares her home with her handsome kitty Pip and her beautiful pup Leia. Her goal is to become a CVT.

Joanne is one of our wonderful technicians here at The Cat Doctors. She grew up in Missouri, and moved from Colorado Springs, Colorado. She loves working with all animals, but has a special love and gentle touch for cats. She is especially interested in dental imaging, ultrasounds, and surgeries. She attended The Colorado Academy of Veterinary Technology, where she earned her associates in Veterinary Technology. Joanne enjoys art, reading, plants, and The Aquarium. She has four cats and a shrimp aquarium. Her parents and four of her sisters live local, leaving one sister to still visit in Missouri. She fits right in here at The Cat Doctors.