When Karel Carnohan was growing up, her family always had a cat. Cats were her solace and constant companions as a kid. She loved other animals too and used to bring home strays begging her parents to keep them. Karel declared that she wanted to be a vet at an early age and entered college with that goal. However, life takes funny turns and she ended up majoring in theatre and English and finally going to business school (because that WAS what you did in the late 70’s). After a successful career in business, Karel Carnohan finally followed her heart and applied to and got into veterinary school in 2001. After graduating from Kansas State in 2005, Dr. Carnohan spent time working in British Columbia as a mixed animal vet and also in a cats-only clinic.
Dr. Carnohan bought Cat Care Clinic of Asheville in 2013, wanting to build her own veterinary practice and develop a cat clinic that emphasizes a cat-friendly environment and low-stress handling techniques. Cats are special creatures and need unique and specialized medical care. Dr. Carnohan loves Asheville and the western mountains of North Carolina and consider it her new home.
At home, Dr. Carnohan has twelve special felines, including Marmalade, a former paraplegic; Munchkin (a tailless, three-legged tuxedo cat; and Zizou, who was found in Colorado City hit by a car and taken to Best Friends in Kanab, Utah, where Dr. Carnohan was then working (Zizou has had surgery to remove her colon and is doing fine); July, a cured hyperthyroid kitty; Ella, thrown out of a moving car as a kitten ending up at the emergency clinic pretty much DOA: Fuzzy, a Norwegian Forest Cat who peed on the bed (not anymore); three tuxedos, Squeaky, Jelly Bean, and Sebastian, who were found under a house; and Mitchell, a long-haired, blue-eyed pretty boy; two large Kansas cats, Tabitha and Spalding, who have huge personalities, just like the state of Kansas. Dr. Carnohan also hase a parrot, Woody, who keeps everyone in line.
When Dr. Carnohan is not tending to kitties, she is an avid hockey fan, having played for many years. Dr. Carnohan loves to read, listen to live music, and scoop litter boxes.