PETS AND THE CITY

A veterinarian who makes house calls to pet owners of all kinds in Manhattan shares her unique insight.

It is inevitable that this book about operating a house call veterinary practice in Manhattan for the last 30 years will draw comparisons to the work of famous vet and author James Herriot. In fact, Attas cites Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small as an inspiration to pursue veterinary medicine. Yet her memoir has a rhythm of its own that befits the differences between New York City and the English countryside. Attas describes her professional start at a high-end practice run by a veterinarian who jealously guarded A-list clientele. Her telling of the break she got from Joan Rivers is well worth the cost of the book, as is an unforgettable vignette about pornographer Al Goldstein's Vietnamese potbellied pig. Thankfully, the narrative is about much more than mere name-dropping. Her clients are famous and unknown, and the author has a gift for demonstrating how pets change human beings who live in penthouses and studio apartments alike. “Whether I’m trimming a billionaire’s cat’s nails or chatting with the building’s doorman about his dog’s limp,” she writes, “I treat every client the same.” Attas is perhaps at her most compelling when recounting her determination as an adolescent to become a veterinarian and the literal and figurative lengths to which she went to gain experience even before attending veterinary school. She also includes useful advice and tips for pet owners, including information about food, leashes for city dogs, the value of rescue animals, and quiet dangers that lurk in homes (cat owners, don’t keep lilies). Attas has a sharp eye and an amusing, engaging style that bring to life the vagaries of Manhattan house calls and insight into the bonds that are established among veterinarians, clients, and pets.

A delightful read.