Who We Are
The Hyperthyroid Cat Centre is fortunate to have some of the UK’s leading experts on feline hyperthyroidism.
Between them, our team has managed over 3500 hyperthyroid cats with radio-iodine therapy. We very much understand the importance of each patient as an individual to their owners but we are also interested in the disease itself. As one of the most experienced providers of radio-iodine in the UK we are able to make use of our extensive database to investigate and study feline hyperthyroidism, by collaborating with university colleagues, commercial laboratories and cat owners. It is our belief that by working together we can each contribute to improving our collective understanding of feline hyperthyroidism, with the objective of improving the outcome for our patients. Best of all would be if we could find a way to prevent feline hyperthyroidism but until then we focus on providing the best treatment and clinical care to achieve the best outcome.
Andrew Bodey
Veterinary Surgeon
Andrew Bodey qualified from Bristol in 1989, and spent 2 years in mixed practice in Staffordshire before working with pets in the South East. In 1995 he joined Bishopton Veterinary Group in Ripon, obtaining his Certificate in Veterinary Radiology in 2003. From this, he further developed his interest in ionising radiation, and solved his frustration at having to refer hyperthyroid cats either to Glasgow or Newmarket by establishing the first radio-iodine unit in the North of England in 2008. In the process, Andrew reduced the minimum hospitalisation period to 2 weeks. In September 2013 he founded the Hyperthyroid Cat Centre, providing radio-iodine treatment on a much larger scale and further reducing the minimum hospitalisation period to 7 days, 5 days and then 4 days. His own cat is called Dennis.
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Angela Bodey
Veterinary Surgeon
Angela Bodey qualified from Bristol in 1988, and since then has worked in mixed and small-animal practice, carried out clinical research, and done some teaching. Her clinical research has included a large epidemiological study involving over 1,000 dogs, leading to her PhD entitled A Clinical and Comparative Study of Canine Hypertension. Following on from this and her post-doctoral research, Angela authored and co-authored several scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals on the subject of blood pressure and related issues. Angela oversees clinical research at the Hyperthyroid Cat Centre, advising on how best to collect and process clinical data so as to draw relevant and robust conclusions.
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Francesca Connolly
Veterinary Surgeon
Francesca graduated from Glasgow University in 2004. She spent her first 18 months enjoying mixed practice before deciding to concentrate on companion animals. She has a keen interest in surgery and after five years of extra study in this area she achieved the royal college certificate in Small Animal Surgery in 2012. She enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine and was very proud to be nominated by her clients for vet of the year in 2011. She has a special interest in feline medicine and has been part of the hyperthyroid team since 2017. She has two cats, Oscar & Delilah.
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Leonie Springle
Veterinary Surgeon
Leonie graduated from the University of Liverpool in 1999. Since then she has enjoyed working in general small animal practice until recently when she joined the Hyperthyroid Cat Centre to indulge her love of cats. She particularly likes looking after geriatric felines. She recently completed a certificate in Advanced Clinical Practice from Edinburgh University with a focus on feline medicine. She enjoys time with her family when not at work and has two cats Pippa and Plum who keep everyone entertained!
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Hannah Parkin
Veterinary Surgeon
Bio coming soon!….
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Amanda Mockett
Practice Manager
Amanda has considerable experience in business management and governance, having previously worked as company secretary for a charity. She also ran her own business providing Wi-Fi to rural areas, and worked with the legal team at NHS England, dealing with clinical negligence and claims management. Here at The Hyperthyroid Cat Centre, Amanda uses her enthusiasm for providing outstanding client care to make sure that all of our clients – both human and feline – are having their needs met in a way that exceeds expectations. An excellent communicator, Amanda may well be your first point of contact by telephone or email. Amanda has three cats named Molly, Lou-Bear and Rosie.
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Sarah Heptinstall
Head Veterinary Nurse
After completing a degree in Animal Biology, Sarah went on to train as a Veterinary Nurse, qualifying in 2017. She spent time working within busy veterinary practices and at animal welfare charities before joining the team at The Hyperthyroid Cat Centre. Sarah has a keen interest in feline behaviour and welfare and is passionate about minimising patient stress – making sure they feel safe and at home with us! Sarah is the practice Cat Advocate and has completed the ISFM certificate in Feline Veterinary Nursing. Sarah has a rescue cat called Floki and a border terrier called Tess.
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Alex Gallacher
Veterinary Nurse
Alex has always been around animals, her grandparents owned a pet shop and she spent a lot of time around – small furries, cats, dogs, reptiles, birds, even koi carp! Cats have always held a special place in her heart and Alex has always wanted to work with animals. After her daughter entered full time education, she was able to pursue a veterinary career. Alex started out in 2018 as a patient care assistant in a 24-hour small animal first opinion practice, she thrived in this role and was able to begin her veterinary nurse training in 2021, qualifying in August 2023. She developed a love for inpatient care, which led her nicely into the RVN role at The Hyperthyroid Cat Centre! Alex has 3 cats (Dexter, Aster and Barrett) and 3 guinea pigs (Bert, George and Hettie), she loves reading and being with her family, and of course the animals!
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Charlotte Joynson
Veterinary Nurse
Charlotte qualified as a Registered Veterinary Nurse in 2015. She then went on to gain her Feline Behaviour Certificate with International Cat Care. After working for a busy, 1st opinion practices for some time, she decided she wanted a career change to focus on her cats and and joined The Hyperthyroid Cat Centre in December 2022. Outside of work, Charlotte enjoys keeping fit, spending time with friends and family and reading. She has two amazing cats called Alfred and Clyde.
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Siobhan Delahaye
Veterinary Nurse
Siobhan has been working within the animal welfare and veterinary industry since 2009, after qualifying as an RVN. Siobhan has worked in busy 24 hour hospitals, referral centres and within the pet insurance industry. Having a deep passion and understanding for cat welfare and behaviour, Siobhan is right at home at The Hyperthyroid Cat Centre. She completed the ISFM certificate in feline nursing and is hoping to complete the diploma in the future. At home, Siobhan has two rescue cats, Binks and George.
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Hannah Blackett
Senior Client & Animal Care Assistant
Hannah has wanted to work with animals all her life. This began by being bought up in a family where there are typically more animals than people and was nurtured through a part-time job at her local wildlife park while she was at school, as well as work experience at equine yards and a veterinary centre. She pursued this dream in her chosen degree; a BSc in Animal Management and Science. When she graduated and the opportunity of a job at The Hyperthyroid Cat Centre arose, the chance to have a job which allowed her to make animals’ lives better and work with her favourite species, cats, was too much to resist. Hannah has successfully completed the ISFM Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional course whilst working with HCC. In her spare time, Hannah enjoys experiencing as much of life and the world as possible; she likes to travel and learned to dive with an ocean conservation charity in the Philippines. In quieter moments, she enjoys reading and spending too much money on her pets – three cats; Archie, Henry and Bea, four hamsters and two snakes!
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Lucy Blackett
Senior Client & Animal Care Assistant
Lucy’s family have always owned cats, making them a species particularly close to her heart whilst she was young. Through school and working at the local wildlife park, her love of animals grew and for as long as she can remember, Lucy wanted to work with animals, a passion she followed up on with her degree of choice: BSc (Hons) Animal Management and Science, which she recently graduated from with a 2:1. In her quiet time, Lucy enjoys reading and spending time on her pets, which include a hamster, 2 crested geckos, an axolotl and a millipede as well as 2 cats and a dog. Lucy was delighted to join the Hyperthyroid Cat Centre part-time in 2018, and was thrilled to become a full -time member in 2019.
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Kat Deschain
Client & Animal Care Assistant
Kat has long been a lover of all animals, and growing up, she knew one day that she must work with them. Whilst life didn’t lead her down that path at first, it did lead her to her other great love- helping people. One thing led to another and before long, in 2018, she embarked, upon a degree in Evolutionary Biology. After graduating successfully in 2021, it was time to explore how she could weave her two passions- helping animals and people- together. Volunteering at two local animal charities confirmed she was on the right path, and before long, she found a role that allowed her to do exactly what she loves the most, caring for animals and supporting customers. Taking on the role of Client and Cat Care Assistant in September 2022, Kat knows that she has found her calling and believes she is exactly where she is meant to be. Kat feels very happy that she gets to do what she loves, every day. In her spare time, you can find Kat cuddling rescue donkeys, walking rescue dogs, lost in the fantastic worlds of Stephen King and enjoying the outdoors with her own two dogs. If she’s surrounded with animals and books, you will find her with a big smile on her face.
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Abby Powell
Client & Animal Care Assistant
Abby has completed a BTEC National Extended Diploma in Animal Mangement, Level 3, where she was based at Temple Newsam Farm. As part of the the course, Abby got the once in a lifetime opportunity to complete a work placement in Botswana and South Africa. Whilst studying at college, Abby has worked in animal supply stores and a kennels/cattery. Abby was brought up around animals and always knew that she wanted to work with them. Abby started at The Hyperthyroid Cat Centre in July 2023 and is very excited to start her career with us where she enjoys meeting new people and working within a team to make cats lives better. When Abby is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her 2 dogs, Bella and Peanut, keeping fit and spending time with her family.
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