Cathedral Dog & Cat Hospital

Best vet services I’ve ever experienced in Manhattan! Dr. Fierman and his staff are very warm, calming and great at what they do. I’ve brought my dog there since he was a puppy for both routine care as well as a couple of panicked scares, and always leave happy and and stress-​free. I’m so thankful for this neighborhood veterinary office!

«Every time I have been to see Dr. Fierman I am happy and trust him with my whole heart! Even though I am scared and drool a lot I never try to jump off the table… even when he takes my temperature you know where! He commands my respect when I walk in the door, but he also gives really good neck scratches and back rubs and talks to me like he is my friend. I have tried to see two other doctors since moving to Philadelphia with my parents, but they just don’t seem to get me! They try to con me with treats and while they are really delicious I can’t be bought that easily. Overall, I would highly suggest you take your family to see Dr. F as well. He is the best! woof woof!»
–Jitney, 3 years old, Lab/​Weimaraner/​Pit mix and super darn cute

My dog is 4 years old and has been going to Dr. Fierman since she was 3 months and after some less-​than-​stellar initial visits to other clinics. He is the kind of doctor you don’t expect to find in Manhattan (for people or animals) — down to earth, straightforward, caring, responsive, and no-​nonsense. My dog is an absolute love but has had her share of health issues, and Dr. Fierman has been extraordinarily helpful and responsive in his treatment of her.
His office is not some super high-​tech, state of the art facility, which I like — it keeps costs down and saves time on visits. I’ve been to some of the fancier vets in the city, and they always take my dog away from me and into a different room when its time for an exam — I don’t like that and neither does she. At Dr. Fierman’s office I can stay with her in the exam room the whole time, and talk to him about what is being done and why.
Because of my dog’s issues (impacted teeth, arthritis at 3, severe skin allergies, recurring bladder infections, and a torn ACL), he has referred me to two different facilities where she has received excellent treatment from specialists, and I am grateful for his straightforward manner about this and his cost-​and-​time-​saving manor — why mess around with some tests that *might* tell us what we need to know but will cost a lot and probably involve multiple visits, when he can save everyone time and discomfort and allow a specialist to get to the root of the problem quickly?
Like the other reviewers on here, my dog also LOVES going to the office. She can tell when we are getting close and starts trying to run ahead. Sylvia, his assistant, is also an incredible caregiver and always a pleasure to see.

We really lucked out when we found Dr. Fierman! I can’t remember, but I think I picked him out of the phone book, and I’m so glad I did. We took our dog and two cats to him for about three years (until we moved away from NYC). He is wonderful with the animals! He figured out what to feed our dog so he would stop having intestinal problems, and the pup has been great since we changed his diet. Dr. Fierman was so compassionate and caring when we had to have him put down one of our cats. He has been a vet for a long time, but he was up to date on new medications and procedures. Whenever I called and left a message on the days the clinic was closed, he called back the same day (this was completely unexpected).
Once I brought our dog to him because the dog was limping. After examining the dog, he said he thought I should take him to Animal Medical Center (AMC) for more diagnostics (I can’t remember the details), and he didn’t charge us for the office visit because he knew our finances were really tight and I would need to pay at AMC. It turned out that AMC couldn’t find anything wrong with our dog and didn’t charge us either. The next time I saw Dr. Fierman, I told him what had happened and offered to pay for the office visit, but he said not to worry about it.
His assistant, Sylvia, is always friendly and helpful. When we called to make the first appointment, she went through a long list of reasons we would be eligible for a discount (are you a student, an artist, a musician? etc.) until we found one! Just today, I called her to ask her for the rabies certificate for our dog, and even though it’s been over a year and a half since we were there, she looked it up and faxed it to me, which I really appreciate.
My partner just saw that I was writing a Unilocal review for Cathedral Dog & Cat Hospital, and she reminded me to say that our dog used to love going to see Dr. Fierman and Sylvia. He would pull the leash and try to run up the stairs to the office.

Always runs late. Cramped, disorganized, filthy exam room. Recommends unnecessary and costly tests and procedures without telling you the price in advance. Relatively expensive for routine services. Overall, this is greedy old man and a mediocre veterinary practice. Just one person’s opinion. Your mileage may vary.

Like other Unilocalers, I was surprised with the final bill. Extra $ 50 for this, $ 25 for that… my cat basically needed an ear cleaning (no yeast infection/​ear mites/etc…just ended up being wax build-​up) and the final bill was $ 190…WITH my student discount.
What annoyed me the most was that Dr F was so nonchalant about checking for mites, yeast, etc… he said he was going downstairs to use the microscope, but failed to mention that each «test» would cost $ 50…And this is after I told him my cat has a history of just simple wax build-​up, and only needed a cleaning. He’s a sweet old man so I thought he was just being nice and thorough with a new patient, but if I had known he would tack on an extra $ 150 for these unnecessary tests, I would have said something. ugh.

Dr. Fierman is great. My cat has asthma and I brought her in a few months ago when she was in bad shape. He spent about 45 minutes with us, examining her and taking a history, and then prescribed medication for her. Today her symptoms flared up and I called the office, thinking I’d have to bring her in again and pay another office visit fee, but the secretary/​receptionist put me right on the phone with Dr. F and after a minute it became clear that it was just a matter of my not following the medication instructions correctly (oops!) He told me to call again if I needed to come in for more medication. One of the best vets I’ve dealt with, and the fees were not outrageous, particularly considering it’s NYC. Plus, there’s a discount for Columbia students.

I never ever write reviews but Dr. Fierman really deserves the praise. I’ve been taking my frenchie to Dr. F since she was a puppy, and 2 years later I still have no complaints. One of our first visits occurred after my puppy jumped off the couch and made this horrible Unilocaling noise. I knew Dr. Fierman was a really great vet by the way he calmly and sympathetically handled not only her terror but also mine. He’s smart, helpful, kind, and gentle with animals; everything you could ask for in a vet.

January 19,2012 — Today was my 1^st vet visit ever. My puppy whose 4 months old went to get a check-​up and I must say Dr. Fierman and his staff are AMAZING!. Once you walk right in you’ll feel right at home. The vibe and energy is wonderful esp my puppy who was calm and relaxed during the check-​up. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Dr. Fierman!!!

My dog loves Dr. Fierman so much that she literally pulls at the leash and jumps on the table in the exam room! He is incredibly kind and helpful, and I tell anyone who will listen how great he and his assistant Sylvia are!
My pup was very sickly when she was young, and Dr. Fierman provided her with incredible care, taking the time to both treat and comfort her when she was horribly uncomfortable. I always leave his office feeling incredibly informed and pleased with the experience.

Dr. Fierman is like a country doctor (think Little House on the Prairie). He has an unpretentious office, Sylvia, his assistant and that’s it. His dog and Sylvia’s dog will often greet you and your pet/​s.
I came to see him when my dog had Giardia symptoms a week after a weekend at a lake house. My dog had had Giardia before and Gotham Vet ran 3 separate Giardia tests and had me change his food 4 times. I was tired of being told to change his food, so I decided to use a new vet this time.
I walked into Cathedral dog and cat hospital in a panic after I had to pick up a watery and bloody stool. I didn’t have an appointment and it was the end of a busy Saturday, but when Sylvia said the words «bloody stool» to Dr. Fierman, he said he’d see me. He did, after his closing hours. He talked to me about his practice, asked about my dog and discussed some ideas. He prescribed meds and a few days later I brought in a stool sample for a Giardia test that was $ 23 less than Gotham’s. It came back negative and he explained that Giardia tests often come back with false negatives because you need to catch it at just the right point in the parasitic cycle to get a positive. He didn’t run another test, he suggested a different deworming medication because the first one had mixed results for my dog. The 2^nd medication worked! And that was the end of the Giardia.
He’s easily one of the least expensive vets around. And he’s really honest about prices. There are certain common medications (flea & tick, heart worm etc) he does not sell because you can get them online at ¹⁄₃ the price vets have to sell them at. So instead of ripping you off he suggests Drs Foster & Smith and Petmeds.
He’s called me on his days off to check in on my dog and to answer questions I’ve had. He really cares about his furry clients!!!
Pro: He works Saturdays and Sundays.
Con: He’s closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Pro: You always get the same vet caring for your animal.
Con: Because he’s such a small operation things can take a little longer so if your animal has an emergency he’s likely to have you go to Animal Medical Center.
I’ve come to learn that no vet is perfect and it’s best to have a couple you like. I HIGHLY recommend having Dr. Fierman on your list of top 2 vets in the city!!!

My very healthy lab has had diarrhea on and off for a couple of days. I realized (too late) that Cathedral is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I optimistically called and left a voicemail requesting that if they are in, they see my dog real quick. Dr. Fierman called me back at 11pm on a Monday night about an hour or two after I left my voicemail. He left me the sweetest message suggesting that I take my dog to one of the 24-​hour hospitals because it shouldn’t wait until Thursday and that if I have any questions I can call him back. «You won’t be disturbing me no matter what time you call». I am so impressed that not only did he check messages on his night off, but he would have been fine with me calling him at 1am (I didn’t). I love the old-​school, personal service I receive for my dog here. Also, Dr. Fierman offers his services FOR FREE to the Guide Dog Foundation pups, which is extremely generous and charitable.

I’m not sure about this place. My pet has gone here about 5 times. Like someone else said, the doctor always checks for fecal parasites and my pet NEVER has them. I didn’t like how the vet seems to always blame me for my pet’s illnesses. I won’t lie, I am a wonderful owner for my dog. But she gets sick! It’s not always my fault. I leave there paying at least $ 150 (minimum) and that’s with my discount. I’m planning on checking out another place next time fido’s ill.

Like most manly men, I like my meat bloody, my sports violent, and my pussy… furry.
Yes, I have a cat. I didn’t mean to. Nikki F. of Unilocal Phoenix fame left him with me and never came back. Lucky for me it turned out that Oliver, a 4-​year old Bengal that I’ve had since he was a kitten, has turned into a monster of purring ferociousness. I take credit for this. He plays fetch, digs garbage out of the trash can, and sleeps on my face. His lack of opposable thumbs is hilariously charming.
Obviously, I love him and wouldn’t trust him with just any veterinarian. As a matter of fact, I walked out of Riverside Animal Hospital due to their obvious test-​pushing, money-​grubbing bullshit. Read the reviews for that hospital as I think you should avoid it like zombie plague.
Dr. Henry Fierman of Cathedral Dog & Cat is amazing. He’s up-​front about everything he can offer, he’s not pushy about anything unnecessary, and was surprisingly good with my xenophobic cat. It’s hard to express how trustworthy he and his staff are with your pet. They even offer discounts for everyone from artists to students to firemen.
I must remind you, however, that this is not a huge hospital; it’s a veterinary clinic. If you have an emergency, this isn’t the best place to go as there is the highly reputable Animal Medical Center on the east side.
Aside from those emergencies, I highly suggest you travel to Dr. Fierman as he’s the best I’ve dealt with in the city.

Pros: Reasonable prices, small practice with one vet who is really great with handling your pets. He takes his time, and gives your pets time to get comfortable with him before he does anything.
Cons: Every time I go he tries to retest my (indoor and not-​so mighty hunters) cats for fecal parasites — a test that costs $ 50 a pop without insurance. Personally, I just don’t see the need for testing indoor, adult cats for parasites unless there’s some outward sign or risk factor involved, but every time he tries to get me to do it and makes me feel guilty when I say no. I’ve never had any vet recommend this to me before, nor do I really see why it’s necessary.
Recommendation? Go here, see this vet. He’s great and is excellent with your pets. But don’t take his word that all the «necessary» tests are quite so necessary.

This place is perfect. We got an appointment for our cat the same afternoon and the people were so friendly and helpful. Dr Fierman reputation in the vet-​business is very good, a recommendation from him is enough to see any specialist needed.
Our cat has never come home so relaxed after meeting with him. I’m very happy we decided to take our cat to Cathedral Dog & Cat Hospital.