Our Staff
Dr. Kathleen Keefe Ternes
Dr. Ternes grew up in western Massachusetts and received and undergraduate degree from Cornell University in 1974. She graduated from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1979. She returned home to New England in April 1980, and in July 1984 she opened The Feline Hospital, where she has been and continues to be 100% devoted to the care of cats. Being surrounded by cats brings joy to her life every day. The complexities of feline medicine challenge her daily not only to do her best, but to be a better doctor today than she was yesterday.
She cannot imagine a more ideal work environment than to be surrounded by cats all day. They are a constant source of joy and energy.
Dr. Ternes is a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP), initially certified as a companion animal specialist in 1990. She was certified as a feline specialist in 2000, with recertification in 2010 and 2020. She is a member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association, and her local organization – the Veterinary Association of the North Shore.
Outside of work, she loves to garden, travel and entertain. She is married with two adult daughters. Dr. Ternes and her husband share their house in Salem with two cats, Minnie and Bianca.
Dr. Sarah Lewis
Paula
Paula has been with The Feline Hospital for over 20 years. Her interests include feline anesthesia and especially feline behavior. She is certified in Low Stress Handling and will finish an advanced certificate in Feline Behavior in the spring of 2021.
Aside from her human family at home and two dogs, Paula has 3 cats – Nikoli James, Celebration Birthday Cake (pictured), and Bean.
Margaret
Margaret has worked at TFH since July of 2012 as a technician. (She has been a client here since 1990!) Prior to that she worked as the Health Care Coordinator for Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society (MRFRS). She is a registered nurse who decided to give up humans for cats – her true love. Prior to returning to school to earn her RN, Margaret spent a decade in bank operations, most recently at PNC Bank (formerly The Massachusetts Company) where she was the manager of the EFT department.
Margaret is a Massachusetts native and currently lives in Boxford with her husband Jeff and their 18 (yes, 18!) cats. All were rescues from shelters here in Massachusetts, New York, and Georgia. She has a particular affinity for diabetic cats, and has had at least one, and as many as five in her care since 2001! Taking care of the “herd” is pretty much all she has time for, but if she does find a few minutes of downtime, she enjoys taking advantage of the many trails near her home, taking pictures of her cats, and reading (usually about cats!).
Anna
Anna loves all creatures great and small, but holds cats and horses close to her heart. She is an alum of Umass Amherst, has a BS in large animal science, an AS in agriculture, used to be a farmer, and has always had critters around her for her whole life (wild and domestic). She is at home anywhere there is open space, animals and a garden. She has two cats, Lady Diana Spencer and Martin Luther Kitty, both notable present day figures in my life.
You can usually find Anna saving orphaned or wounded animals, swimming in the ocean or playing her electric baby grand piano (Dr. Ternes thankfully has her real upright Baldwin now).
Cats remind her that it’s ok to be as independent, cute and sassy as you want to be. However, her spirit animal is definitely an otter.
Jen
Jen has been with TFH since 2014. She
started as a veterinary assistant, and in 2019 she began training as a
technician under the guidance of senior technicians Paula and Margaret. In the
spring of 2020 she stepped fully into a technician role. In February of 2022,
she accepted the position of practice manager—she knew there was nowhere else
she wanted to work. She is dedicated to supporting the culture of excellent
medicine and the wonderful staff at TFH. While there are office duties she
attends to, she also spends time on the floor working directly with clients and
patients to get some kitty time and keep her skills sharp.
Jen lives in Salem, the city she loves most. In
her spare time, she enjoys baking, drawing, writing, cooking, video games, and
just hanging out with her cats, Aisling (aka Little Girl) and Pangur Ban.
Marnie
Marnie Witherspoon was born and raised on the north shore, and currently is living in Essex. Youngest of 3 daughters (her oldest sister is also an employee of TFH) Marnie is an Ipswich high school graduate of 2006. She worked briefly has a dental assistant after completing a certification program and quickly realized that definitely was not her thing. Marnie has been working and supporting herself in the restaurant industry over the last 15 years. She loves spending time being outside and could never not live near the ocean. A slightly obsessed auntie to 3 nieces who live in Salt Lake City, and also a very sweet and very smart 4 year old little nephew James who lives locally. A loyal client of TFH herself, she got the courage and asked Dr Ternes for a job. Marnie has been employed since June 2019 as a vet assistant and only works 1 day a week but loves every minute of it! She is considering going back to school for a vet tech program and is extremely happy to be learning and growing in a different environment other than a restaurant. Marnie is a true animal lover, and cant wait to rescue a dog someday hopefully soon! She has 3 feline family members of her own; Mo mo, Bubba, and Ted.
Melissa
Melissa, a long time cat Mom has been working solely with cats for a long time; first as a volunteer and then as a staff member at a local shelter. She finally joined The Feline Hospital in the very beginning of 2012 after bringing her own cats there for several years prior. She jumped on the chance to join The Feline Hospital team when she heard there was an opening.
She works closely with the Doctors and Technicians to ensure the smooth operations of the hospital as a Veterinarian Assistant.
Melissa is also a Mom (to a human child), and loves spending time with her family. When not running around after her young son and beloved cats, she creates seashell and landscape jewelry, and loves losing herself in her garden.
She has three adopted cats, Frankfurt, Jack and Stewart. All who are, of course, patients at The Feline Hospital!
Susan Colehower
Sue joined The Feline Hospital as a Veterinary Assistant in April 2022.
A lifelong animal lover, she is an eighteen-year volunteer at The Friends of Marblehead Animal Shelter. Prior to joining TFH, Sue, like a cat with nine lives, has navigated various career paths in Computer Graphics, Publishing, Retail Management and currently an Airbnb Superhost.
Sue works most Mondays at TFH which is now her favorite day of the week! She is overwhelmed by the sense of community, care, compassion, teamwork and support shown to her, the feline clients, and their owners by the staff at TFH. She feels very blessed to work with this amazing staff, and to get to know the wonderful clients and their beloved cats.
Sue lives in Marblehead with her husband Bill and their goofy Labrador Harry. She has two adult children, Jackson and Molly, a son-in-law, Patrick, and a granddaughter on the way!
Sarah Lewis
Sarah recently graduated from North Shore Community College with her Veterinary Technician degree and veterinary nurse certification. Originally from Virginia, she has come to Salem to enjoy the salty air and spooky vibes while learning new skills! She has loved getting to meet the community (and their cats!) through the front desk at TFH. In her downtime she can be found on her bike enjoying the sunshine or snuggling with her best friend, Ezzie (pictured)
Finnegan
Always ready to make a new friend or sway the local humans for snacks, Finnegan is the sillier half of our handsome Irishmen duo!
His cerebellar hypoplasia may make him a bit wobbly, but don’t let that fool you: he takes on a lot of responsibility as part of our clean-up crew, diligently scanning our rooms post-exam to ensure that no treats get left behind.
In his downtime, you can find him window-watching the neighborhood, wailing down the halls, and maybe even persuading his brother O’Malley into a little play time.