Welcome Shady to the NorthStar VETS Family

“Shady” is the newest member of our NorthStar VETS family and goes by many different names. Mr. Shady, Shady Aquaman, Slim Shady, Nigel, the list goes on and on. His official name is Shady, and we had that name kind-of picked out before we even had him in our arms. We saw pictures of Shady when he was 8-weeks old. Considering he would be the hospital cat for our Maple Shade facility and the fact that he is a lovely smokey grey color, the client service representatives at the Maple Shade facility thought “Shady” would be perfect! Dr. Kimberly Hammer, in charge of the NorthStar VETS Blood Bank for Dogs and Cats, took multiple names from the ones suggested on our Facebook page and had the employees vote on the best one and well, Shady won! He certainly lives up to his name. He will stay in your shadow if you are walking around the facility. He does not like to be left alone, even during bathroom breaks he must tag along. The way he walks suits his name well too as he has this strange, slinky, low to the ground movement when he’s lurking behind you. Shady is the most affectionate kitty if he knows you, and will instantly turn over for a belly rub if you offer them. He loves chasing imaginary things in our huge windows at Maple Shade and he will eat anything you put in front of him. All of us at NorthStar VETS who have had the chance to meet Shady have fallen in love with his fluffy fur and his sweet heart.

Shady also has a rare blood type for cats. He is blood type B which is only found in one percent of the domestic shorthair population. Cats with type B blood who need a transfusion can only receive type B blood. When Shady is full-grown, he will join our blood donor program to help cats in need. His rare blood type will be life-saving! If you have a cat or dog who you think would make a good blood donor, please visit the Blood Bank page on our web site and take the quiz to see if he/she would be eligible.

Kimberly Hammer, VMD, DACVIM
Dr. Hammer graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2000. She then spent a year at Mississippi State University for a small animal internship and then returned to UPENN for a 2-year residency in small animal internal medicine. She earned board certification from the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2004. Dr. Hammer’s professional interests include endocrinology, hepatic and gastrointestinal disease, renal disease, and critical care medicine to name a few. Deeply committed to her patients, Dr. Hammer’s primary goal is to provide the very best patient care, both diagnostically and therapeutically. She joined the NorthStar VETS team in September 2007.