Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon

Top Cat Veterinary Centre; England; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A cat-focused veterinary practice in Brighton seeks a GP vet to join their friendly team. The role offers flexibility with working hours, only 1:4 Saturday mornings, and no on-call duties. They support career progression and have a strong focus on feline medicine, while ensuring that every team member feels valued. This practice boasts a supportive and stable environment with a salary range of £50,000 to £80,000, alongside 6 weeks of holiday and further benefits like private healthcare.

Benefits

6 weeks holiday, including bank holidays

CPD supported and funded

Professional fees paid (RCVS, VDS)

Private healthcare

Company pension

Employee discount

Qualifications

• Ability to work as part of a supportive team.
• No certificate in feline medicine required.
• Looking for a good 'all-rounder' vet.

Responsibilities

• Work a 3 or 4-day week, with 1:4 Saturday mornings.
• Manage outpatient care without inpatient responsibilities.
• Provide excellent client care, supporting cat welfare.

Skills

Passion for feline medicine

Comfortable with surgery and consulting

Job description

If you are a confident GP who enjoys working with a friendly team and a feline-focused caseload, you’ll feel right at home here.

About Us

Top Cat Veterinary Centre opened in 2002 and was the second cat-only practice in the UK. From its inception, we were determined to ensure the comfort and welfare of our feline friends and offer a relaxed environment for our team. Since then, we have grown into a thriving first-opinion practice with an extremely experienced, supportive and stable team, who love to laugh lots. We have a very low staff turnover.

We’re proud to be independent and to have the freedom to tailor our care based solely on the best interests of the patient with no financial targets or pressures. Because our caseload is 98% cats, with just a small number of small furries, we don’t need to compromise on facilities or equipment.

Animal welfare is at the heart of everything we do, and we have built strong relationships with many local animal charities, meaning we can offer options to ensure that all patients have access to the care they need. We are an ISFM ‘Cat Friendly Practice’ and have also won a FAB practice award.

Our Vet team

Martin qualified in Germany over twenty years ago. He is an excellent surgeon and is particularly gifted at dealingwith our more nervous patients (and their owners!). He brought his most un-German sense of humour to Englandand has generally ‘gone-native’. In his spare time, he dedicates himself to being the practice’s leading expert onbatteries and trying not to fall off his bike.

Eili is the second of our Teutonic contingent to settle happily in our little island realm and has over twenty years ofexperience caring for the pets of Sussex. Eili is a qualified veterinary acupuncturist with a particular interest inpain management and is happy to discuss referral cases. Those of us with a fear of needles give her a wide berth! Asa long-term (and repeat offender) owner of various ‘wonky’ rabbits, she has a lot to offer both cat and bunny parentsalike.

Henry qualified in 2015, and we feel very fortunate to have him as part of the team. He particularly enjoys theconsulting aspect of the job and offers a calm and reassuring manner to his patients. Henry lists his interests as Cats,Cars and Coffee, but we suspect he has a dark side...

“I have worked for Top Cat for over 16 years and love working for a small independent practice. The emphasis hasalways been on kind and ethical treatment while delivering excellent client care. The welfare of our patients alwayscomes first, and it’s great to have clinical freedom with no financial targets or pressures and to be able to practice with a common-sense approach based solely on an individual’s needs.”Eili MRCVS>

“Having always enjoyed working with cats, I never quite realized how much untilstarting work at Top Cat in 2012.The working day is so much calmer and less stressful for staff, pets and their owners. I liked it so much I became a partner in 2017 and haven’t looked back.”Martin MRCVS

Our nursing team

You will be supported by our wonderful nursing team, led by our Head Nurse, Karen, who has many years ofexperience and is super-patient, efficient and guaranteed to go the extra mile in caring for her patients. She also keeps us all well hydrated with ‘a lovely cup of tea’.

RVN Charlotte may wear many hats as co-owner and Practice Manager. Still, her particular passion lies with rescueanimals, especially the old and infirm, so she has collected a fine houseful of waifs and strays. Other than cleaninglitter trays, her favourite hobby is tripping over her chickens.

Daisy has brought her positive and cheerful attitude to the practice along with a particular interest in felinedentistry. She’s also rather keen on guinea pigs (I don’t know where we find them - really!)

Holly helps us out with everything. She currently works as an SVN and is keen to help out in any capacity at any timeof day - but needs time to warm up a little when there’s an early start!

Our facilities

Our premises are modern and fully air-conditioned, providing a calm, comfortable environment for both our team and our patients. We are fully equipped for first-opinion medical, surgical, and diagnostic procedures, including digital and dental X-rays, ultrasound, and endoscopy. We are also just about to refurbish and expand our facilities.

About the role

We are looking for a vet to work a 3 or 4-day week, with just 1:4 Saturday mornings. However, we are very flexible with the rota and are happy to chat about part-time hours or a flexible rota if you have other commitments to work around.

Our OOHs are outsourced to a local dedicated provider, VETcall, so your evenings, weekends, and bank are yours to enjoy. We do look after our own inpatients when needed, but you wouldn’t be involved in inpatient care, as this is done by Martin and Charlotte.

While a passion for feline medicine is a must, there is no need for any certificates in feline medicine; for us, it’s the cultural fit that matters the most. We appreciate that everyone has different areas of interest, and we’ll always try to accommodate this into your working day, but we are really looking for a good ‘all-rounder’ who is equally comfortable with surgery and consulting and who is happy to step in where needed. We’re a supportive team who are always happy to share our knowledge and expertise, and we encourage career progression, so if you’re looking to take on a certificate or develop your skills, this will be fully supported.

What the local area is like

The practice is in a great area of Brighton, that’s easy to get to by public transport, but also has plenty of free parking(which is unusual in some parts of Brighton). Whether you love the nightlife or prefer to relax on the beach, it’s fairto say there’s lots to do here and with art, live music and entertainment on tap, plus an abundance of award‑wining restaurants and independent shops, you’ll be spoilt for choice. It’s also just one hour to London and 30 minutes to Gatwick Airport by train.

We are offering

• A salary of £50,000 to £80,000
• 6 weeks holiday, including bank holidays
• CPD, including certificates, is supported and funded
• Professional fees paid for - RCVS and VDS
• Private healthcare
• Company pension
• Employee discount

If we sound like the practice you’ve been looking for, then please call us for an informal chat or just apply now.