Merivale Virtual Consultations

Consult with a Veterinary Professional via Video or Phone

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Our clinics are Ottawa's only veterinary hospitals devoted exclusively to cats!

We Offer Virtual Heath Consultations for our Clients!

We are pleased to offer you a virtual health consultation for your cat. We added this service because it's safer than coming to the clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic, and still allows us to assess and treat your cat and answer your questions. You can have a one-on-one consult with your veterinarian from the comfort of your own home. It’s easy- all you need is your computer, phone or tablet- and your cat! We offer a range of virtual consultation services to meet your specific needs.

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About Merivale Cat Hospital

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Our team of veterinary professionals has dedicated their careers to learning how to speak cat. We are locally owned and offer a wide selection of preventative care, diagnostic, and surgical services that help us keep your cat healthy. Most importantly, we offer years of experience in feline enrichment and cat-only-medicine that benefits your unique kitty.

We introduced virtual health consultations during the Covid-19 pandemic because we care deeply about the safety of our clients, team, and community. We asked ourselves "How can we keep everyone safe but still help as many cats as we did before?" This was the answer! If your cat needs help, we are here for you. So meow at us! We speak cat, after all!

Book a Virtual Health Consultation

Book a one-one-session via video or phone with a Veterinary Professional to handle your needs -Service unavailable for vaccine appointments-

Video Health Consultation with a Veterinarian $139.30

Video Communication

  • Video Health Consultation with a veterinarian. The video consultation is done within our platform, no downloads needed!
  • If applicable, please upload any photos or videos that would be helpful for our veterinary team to review.
  • PLEASE NOTE: This service is not available for vaccination appointments. The veterinarian will not address health concerns for multiple cats in one consultation- each cat will require a separate consultation to be scheduled. A Virtual Health Consultation is not appropriate in some circumstances. When urgent care is needed such as for injuries, difficulty breathing, difficulty urinating, bleeding, or severe vomiting or diarrhea, an in-person appointment would be more beneficial. Additional costs can occur if your cat is referred to the clinic for follow-up and/or diagnostics.
  • Requirements: Apple phones and tablets (iPhone 5+, iPad 2+, iPod Touch 5+, iPad Mini) are supported using OS v11.0+ and the Safari browser is required. Older Apple iOS devices are not supported. For all other devices (PCs, Laptops, Android 4.1+), the latest versions Chrome or Firefox are the required browsers. Do not use Internet Explorer. The device must have a camera and microphone. A Wifi connection is recommended for the best experience but not required.
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Phone Health Consultation with a Veterinarian $139.30

Phone Communication

  • Phone Health Consultation with a veterinarian. We call the number you provide!
  • If applicable, please upload any photos or videos that would be helpful for our veterinary team to review.
  • PLEASE NOTE: This service is not available for vaccination appointments. The veterinarian will not address health concerns for multiple cats in one consultation- each cat will require a separate consultation to be scheduled. A Virtual Health Consultation is not appropriate in some circumstances. When urgent care is needed such as for injuries, difficulty breathing, difficulty urinating, bleeding, or severe vomiting or diarrhea, an in-person appointment would be more beneficial. Additional costs can occur if your cat is referred to the clinic for follow-up and/or diagnostics.
  • Requirements: Any device using Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. An actual phone is required. Do not use Internet Explorer.
Get Started

If you're unsure if a Virtual Health Consultation is appropriate for your cat, please contact our team by email: mch@cathospitals.net or phone: 613-722-0251

Frequently Asked Questions about Virtual Health Consultations

What you need to know about your cat's virtual care

What type of health problems are appropriate for a Virtual Health Consultation?

Here are some situations where a phone or video consultation with your veterinarian is possible: Skin problems, concerns about feeding your cat, behaviour questions or concerns, monitoring of a long-term health problem as long as your cat appears to be doing well, problems with litter box usage, mild acute illness such as sneezing, discharge from the eyes or nose, or diarrhea as long as your cat is still eating. Following your consultation, you may be asked to bring your cat to the clinic for additional care or to pick up treatments recommended by the veterinarian.

Can anyone request a Virtual Health Consultation?

Normally, veterinarians can only offer Virtual Consultations in very specific circumstances to ensure pets get the right level of care. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some restrictions have been relaxed and we are able to help more cats virtually.

When is a Virtual Health Consultation not appropriate for my cat?

A Virtual Consultation is not appropriate in some circumstances. When urgent care is needed such as for injuries, difficulty breathing, difficulty urinating, bleeding, or severe vomiting or diarrhea, an in-person appointment would be more beneficial. Vaccination appointments can not be done as a Virtual Health Consultation.

How Our Platform Works

It's extremely easy to use. Follow the simple steps below!

Sign-Up

Get started with our platform by clicking the ‘Register’ button in the top right corner. There is no fee to sign-up!

Schedule Appointment

Once in the application, select your preferred communication channel (video or phone) and select an available time slot.

Communicate with your Expert

Our unique communication system provides a high-quality video chat with an expert within the browser on your phone or desktop, no app install required! If you don`t have a camera, our experts will call you on the phone!

We are accepting new client applications! Visit our website to submit an online application: cathospitals.net

Our team of veterinarians

Meet the veterinarians available for Virtual Health Consultations

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Dr. Doug Boeckh
Veterinarian and part owner

Dr. Boeckh was born in Toronto and graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph. He founded first Merivale Cat Hospital and then Bytown Cat Hospital over 25 years ago after working in Newfoundland and Ontario. He says his favourite things are raspberry pie and his family. When not working, he likes cross-country skiing, rowing, gardening, and cooking. His family includes a cat, Scharnhorst, and a dog, Willow. Bet you didn't know his name originally was Robert! It was changed to Douglas when he was young.

Video Health Consultation with a Veterinarian $139.30

Video Communication

  • Video Health Consultation with a veterinarian. The video consultation is done within our platform, no downloads needed!
  • If applicable, please upload any photos or videos that would be helpful for our veterinary team to review.
  • PLEASE NOTE: This service is not available for vaccination appointments. The veterinarian will not address health concerns for multiple cats in one consultation- each cat will require a separate consultation to be scheduled. A Virtual Health Consultation is not appropriate in some circumstances. When urgent care is needed such as for injuries, difficulty breathing, difficulty urinating, bleeding, or severe vomiting or diarrhea, an in-person appointment would be more beneficial. Additional costs can occur if your cat is referred to the clinic for follow-up and/or diagnostics.
  • Requirements: Apple phones and tablets (iPhone 5+, iPad 2+, iPod Touch 5+, iPad Mini) are supported using OS v11.0+ and the Safari browser is required. Older Apple iOS devices are not supported. For all other devices (PCs, Laptops, Android 4.1+), the latest versions Chrome or Firefox are the required browsers. Do not use Internet Explorer. The device must have a camera and microphone. A Wifi connection is recommended for the best experience but not required.
Get Started
Phone Health Consultation with a Veterinarian $139.30

Phone Communication

  • Phone Health Consultation with a veterinarian. We call the number you provide!
  • If applicable, please upload any photos or videos that would be helpful for our veterinary team to review.
  • PLEASE NOTE: This service is not available for vaccination appointments. The veterinarian will not address health concerns for multiple cats in one consultation- each cat will require a separate consultation to be scheduled. A Virtual Health Consultation is not appropriate in some circumstances. When urgent care is needed such as for injuries, difficulty breathing, difficulty urinating, bleeding, or severe vomiting or diarrhea, an in-person appointment would be more beneficial. Additional costs can occur if your cat is referred to the clinic for follow-up and/or diagnostics.
  • Requirements: Any device using Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. An actual phone is required. Do not use Internet Explorer.
Get Started

Hey cool cats! Like our page on Facebook for clinic updates and adorable kitties! Facebook.com/MerivaleCatHospital

Happy cats shop our online store!

Free shipping for orders over $125, register now!

Cats everywhere are meowing about our online store! Our store offers so much more than cat food- we have toys, treats, fountains, harnesses, litter and litter supplies, scratching posts, and of course, catnip! All items are delivered right to your door!

Check out our online store: https://myvetstore.ca/merivalecathospital

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We are working hard to keep you safe by offering contactless services!

Order your cat's products online and pick-up in clinic!

Submit a medication refill request for your cat

Medication refill requests are submitted using an online form: https://form.jotform.com/213226148757055

Submit a cat food order for in-clinic pick-up

Cat food orders for in-clinic pick-up are submitted using an online form: https://form.jotform.com/213225580257251

Important note

Orders are summited online because it eliminates multiple phone calls or emails to ask important questions and puts your cat in a priority queue to have your refill processed. Requests can take up to 3 business days to process. Special orders can take longer. If items go on backorder we will let you know. We will contact you when your order is ready for pick-up.

Visit our Cat Hospitals Library

Frequently updated with valuable information about cat ownership and feline health, carefully curated by our team of veterinarians! Visit our Cat Hospitals Library: https://cathospitals.net/library

Have an emergency when we're not open?

Visit our website https://cathospitals.net to view a list of veterinary emergency hospitals. Please contact the facility before you arrive to inquire about its services, availability, and COVID-19 precautions.