Team
Our Cat Care Experts
Our Vets
Dr Carolyn O'Brien
Feline Medicine Specialist
Carolyn is the director of Melbourne Cat Vets. She graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1994. She completed a residency program in Small Animal Medicine at the University of Sydney in 2003, and concurrently completed a master’s degree in veterinary clinical studies in the epidemiology and treatment of Cryptococcosis in cats and dogs. She successfully completed the Fellowship examinations of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in Feline Medicine in 2004 and has worked in both university and private referral practice. Carolyn has just completed a PhD project investigating the ecology and epidemiology of environmental mycobacteria, specifically looking at Mycobacterium ulcerans infection in animal species, and the causative agents of feline leprosy.
Dr Alice Hardy
Feline General Practitioner
Alice graduated from the University of Bristol in 2016 and worked in a large hospital in the UK for two years. She also spent time volunteering at clinics in India and Grenada before moving to Melbourne in 2018. During the past three years she has worked at various clinics in Melbourne while taking plenty of time to explore Australia. Alice joined the MCV team in 2021 and has since enjoyed the peaceful environment of a dedicated cat clinic. She loves all aspects of feline medicine but her passion lies in dentistry and caring for cats in their senior years. Outside of work Alice is a foster carer for a cat rescue charity, so her house is always filled with orphaned kittens. Alice is also horse mad and spends as much time as possible in the saddle on her days off. Her other hobbies include running, pilates and gardening.
Dr Khaled Ayoubi
Feline General Practitioner
Khaled has always wanted to be a veterinarian and realised his dream when he graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2007. Since then, he has worked in several clinics across Melbourne including working at an emergency and specialist surgery centre. His last job was in South Gippsland before moving back to Melbourne in 2019 to work at the Melbourne Cat Vets. He has a raw and unfiltered bias towards cats and enjoys all aspects of feline medicine but has a particular interest in surgery. Outside of work he enjoys photography, exploring green spaces and is on a constant search for Melbourne’s best burger.
Dr Hannah Savage
Feline General Practitioner
Hannah completed her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2022 at Melbourne University. In her past life, she initially completed a commerce degree and worked in Marketing, but soon realised that her passion was helping animals and their families and decided to make the switch to veterinary medicine. Hannah is passionate about all things cats! She is owned by two beautiful kitties - Barney a cheeky British Shorthair, and Ruby a cuddly calico. She is interested in feline medicine, strengthening the human-animal bond between people and their cats, and helping our senior kitties live their twilight years in comfort. In her spare time, Hannah enjoys reading, going to the beach, pilates, cross-stitching, and sampling all the best brunch spots of Melbourne. Originally from Sydney, Hannah now calls Melbourne home, and is excited to get to know all the wonderful cats and catparents of Fitzroy and its surrounds.
Dr Jamelle Buono
Feline General Practitioner
Jamelle graduated from James Cook University in 2019 and spent her graduate year in a rotating internship at an emergency and referral hospital on the Mornington Peninsula. Jamelle continued on as an emergency intern before starting at Melbourne Cat Vets in 2021. Jamelle has always dreamt of working with the amazing team at Melbourne Cat Vets and even completed placement at the clinic as a student. Jamelle is passionate about all aspects of feline medicine and has a keen interest in feline emergency and critical care. Outside of work you will find Jamelle mostly with her two cheeky and playful Bengal boys, Prince and Phoenix
Dr Rachel Yuen
Advanced Feline General Practitioner
Bio coming soon!
Dr Jeny Heislers
Feline General Practitioner
Bio coming soon!
Our Nurses
Samara McLoughlin
Practice Manager
Samara has always been a cat person. Her favourite toy was a grey and white cat that she now still uses for cat handling training. She always had cats growing up and after deciding that human biology wasn't quite the right fit, she completed her Cert IV of veterinary nursing in her home town Christchurch, NZ. She moved to Melbourne in 2015, which allowed her the opportunity to gain further training in behaviour, nutrition, anaesthesia and dentistry. While Melbourne Cat Vets was still being constructed she was quick to apply for her dream job, and has enjoyed becoming a better cat nurse ever since. She has soft spot for Burmese cats but has a big love for ginger cats too. She currently has Daphne and Maeve, two ginger sisters from a foster fail....She also likes Karaoke and a good wig.
Vanessa Chan
Vet Nurse (Cert IV)
Bio coming soon!
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Tali Cirillo
Vet Nurse (BVN)
Tali grew up in Melbourne and has been nursing since 2019 after completing the Bachelor of Veterinary Nursing. She joined Melbourne Cat Vets as she has always had a love for all things feline. At home she has two cat children: Beverly and Meep. Outside of work, Tali enjoys video games, board games, and collecting records and pop culture figurines.
Jess Campbell
Vet Nurse (BVN)
Jess has always had a passion for animals and knew from a young age that she wanted to work with them. She had many pets growing up but quickly found her love for cats when she got her first cat, Kitty. Her family has since grown to include two more cats, Nino and Simba, who love to cause lots of trouble. In 2024, Jess completed her Bachelor of Veterinary Nursing and is eager to continue expanding her knowledge, particularly in emergency and critical care. Outside of work Jess enjoys spending time with friends and family, painting, snowboarding and travelling to new places.
Jessica Kendall
Head Vet Nurse
Jess grew up on 3 acres on the Mornington Peninsula surrounded by many cats, dogs, horses, birds, turtles and pocket pets. Since completing her certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing in 2012, Jess spent many of her early years in a large general practice hospital, and the last four years in several emergency and referral centres around Melbourne as an emergency and critical care veterinary nurse. Jess joined us in December 2020 and is very much enjoying the calm cat clinic life. She has an interest in patient-focused care and feline behaviour. Outside of work Jess enjoys too many hobbies for one person to manage, including but not limited to yoga, bouldering, snowboarding, sewing, reading, camping and hiking. Jess is also an escape room extraordinaire. Personal motto: There is no such thing as 'too many house plants'
Hailley Smith
Vet Nurse (Cert IV)
Hailley always wanted to work with animals, growing up on a hobby farm in country QLD and having many different pets when they were younger. In 2019 they completed their Cert IV, moved to Melbourne to pursue a career as a vet nurse. In 2020 Hailley joined the Melbourne Cat Vet team, where they don't have to tamper down their love of cats. Hailley is not lying when they tell each and every cat they meet “I love you.” Hailley has two very spoiled cats; Yuki and Sheska, who keep them disciplined with 5am wakeup calls every day. When not working they enjoy bushwalking, reading and pancakes.
Iolanthe Mae
Receptionist
Io has always been an animal person. She became a cat person when she adopted her rescue cat Selkie. Io officially levelled up to crazy cat lady status when she started working at a cat vet in Canberra. She was delighted to find another cat vet when she moved to Melbourne (and we were delighted to have her as part of our team). Io loves reception because she is passionate about giving clients compassionate care and advice. She is excited to start studying vet nursing in 2025. When she's not at work, Io enjoys spending time in nature and reading.
Sophie Stephens
Vet Nurse (BVN)
Bio coming soon!
Rayssa Coimbra
Practice Manager
Rayssa grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and graduated from veterinary school in 2019. Her connection with Australia began when she spent a year here as an exchange student in 2011. After finishing university, Rayssa moved to Melbourne in 2022 to make Australia her permanent home. While working as a vet in Brazil, Rayssa developed a special love for feline medicine. Along the way, she found herself drawn to management, especially after completing a Leadership and Management course in Melbourne. This led her to the role of Business Manager at Melbourne Cat Vets, where she enjoys working with cats and supporting the team. Rayssa enjoys spending time with her partner Adam (who she’s proudly converted into a cat person), their staffy Bronx and two cats, Kiki (a tabby) and Mango (a ginger). She loves caring for her plants, painting, camping and making the most of Melbourne’s (sometimes unpredictable) beach days.
Maria C
Vet Nurse (Cert IV)
Bio coming soon!
Lorna Seaton
Vet Nurse
Bio coming soon!
Rachel Florence
Vet Nurse (Cert IV)
Rachel has always been an animal lover, growing up with several cats and dogs. However, she didn’t always know she wanted to work with animals until one of her friends suggested it, and she thought it was a great idea. She began her studies in 2020 during the peak of covid and was very fortunate to get a job in clinic straight away. She has worked in both general practice and Specialist/Emergency settings, and finds both fields just as rewarding. During her spare time you’ll generally find her cuddled up with her cat Phoebe watching Friends for the 1000th time, or going for walk. Her dream is to one day have a farm with some ducks and a highland cow!
Alicia Kew
Vet Nurse
Bio coming soon!