Our Veterinarians


​Dr. Annie King is a native North Carolinian and third generation animal professional.  ​It was in the cat ward of her grandparents' boarding kennel that Dr. King fell in love with and adopted her first cat, a little tabby cat she named Purr.  And so began a lifetime love of cats...

Dr. King graduated from the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011.  Her passion is providing the highest quality veterinary care to her feline patients while respecting their individual personalities and needs.  She wants all cats to live the happiest, healthiest, and most rewarding life possible.  Dr. King is certified as a Cat Friendly Medical Professional and has achieved the Elite level of Fear Free Ceritication.

When not at work, you might catch Dr. King paddling the French Broad River or hiking the trails with her beloved companion, Emmylou Adventurecat. 
​Dr. Anne Peden Symonds is originally from Cleveland Ohio, and graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999.  She moved to Asheville and has worked in private practice for the past 12 years. During her years in general practice she has fallen in love with her feline patients and decided to focus on the particular medical and behavioral needs of this unique species. 

 She is a member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the IAABC (International Association of Applied Behavioral Consultants): feline section.   She loves ALL THINGS feline.  She is on the board of directors for the Asheville Humane Society (AHS) as well as an active volunteer.  She also provides in-home behavioral consultation services via her business ADVETCAT.
 In her free time, you can find Dr. Symonds spending time with her 2 sons and husband as well as her two wonderful cats: Auggie (a blind Adventurecat), Cian (wonderful super senior), and Kona the dog.
Dr. Lauren Hathaway is a native of East Tennessee and attended the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.  After graduaion, she completed a one year internship in Small Animal Medicine, Surgery and Critical Care, before moving to North Carolina where she has been practicing since 2015.
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Dr. Hathaway is a Fear Free Certified Veterinarian, having earned their highest certification of Elite Practitioner. She is passionate about internal medicine, dentistry, and geriatric medicine and loves building relationships with her patients and their families and educating her clients on the lifelong care of their cats in order to preserve the human-animal bond for as long as possible.
In her free time, you can find Dr. Hathaway spending time with her family, including two dogs and her two cats Marlowe and Albert.  

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Our Staff

Our staff cares about you and your cat.  They are specially trained in all aspects of feline friendly care and low stress handling techniques to ensure your cat has the best experience possible.  We have one of the most experienced staff of veterinary professionals in Western North Carolina with an average experience of over ten years in the veterinary field.  Your cat will be in the best possible hands while in our care!
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Debra Baumann
​Office Manager, Veterinary Nurse/Assistant
Deb is a veterinary nurse with over seventeen years of experience in the veterinary industry.  Deb excels in all roles in the clinic and can be found anywhere from manning the phones at the front desk to monitoring surgical anesthesia. Deb is very active in our local feline community as the Vice President of the Asheville Cat Weirdos Emergency Fund, where she assists cat owners in getting financial assistance for unexpected emergency veterinary care.  She is kept busy at home catering to the needs of her many cats, most of whom know more tricks than most humans!
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Crystal Eisenhower
Registered Veterinary Technician
Crystal is a licensed veterinary technician with over sixteen years of experience in the veterinary industry.  Another talented multi-tasker, Crystal may be found manning the front desk or caring for cats in the hospital.  Crystal is such an accomplished technician that she spent five years at AB Tech's Veterinary Technician Program teaching aspiring technicians the skills they would need to be successful in their career.  When not workng, Crystal can be found spending time with her family, including her two dogs and tuxedo kitten, Lego.
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Katya Wickiewicz
​Veterinary Nurse/Assistant
Kat is a veterinary nurse with over nine years of experience in the veterinary field.  Kat is a Fear Free certified professional, indicating that she has undergone additional training to assure that your cat gets the best possible care with the least amount of stress or fear. When not at work, Kat is kept busy at home caring for her ELEVEN cats and caring for a stable cat colony at a local gas station.  Kat is passionate about TNR and cat rescue!​

​Karen LaCroce
Veterinary Receptionist
Karen keeps all of us in line as the keeper of our schedule, master of the phones, and all around administrative maven. With over three years of experience in the veterinary industry, Karen also has extensive experience in animal rescue having volunteered for multiple rescue and animal welfare organizations. Karen has a soft spot for our feral feline friends having managed a feral colony in her home state of Pennsylvania. Several of those ferals have since found themselves lucky enough to have a permanent loving home amongst Karen's eight cat clowder.
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Karen Bencivenga
​Veterinary Nurse/Assistant
More coming about Karen soon!