Veterinarians
Dr. Janet Figarra is a 1988 graduate of Michigan State University. She practiced small animal medicine and surgery at the Ann Arbor Animal Hospital for 31 years before purchasing the Ann Arbor Cat Clinic in 2019. Her passion is for soft tissue surgery and we have had plenty to keep her busy with ear polyps, mass removals, abdominal exploratories and, via our foster program, sooo many sterilizations. Raised with her 12 siblings on a produce farm in Superior Township, Dr. Figarra is a lifelong area resident. Her love of animals grew with her experiences raising and showing animals in 4-H. She was a Washtenaw County 4-H leader for 16 years and mentored students through the Ann Arbor Public School Health Profession Program for 30 years. Dr. Figarra lives in Ypsilanti Township where her family runs a greenhouse. They have a myriad of pets including horses, goats, poultry, dogs and, of course, the ruler of their farm, Boris the cat.
Dr. Mengel graduated from Michigan State’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1984. After graduation she moved to Andover Massachusetts and practiced in a hospital there for almost 12 years. Her patients were mostly dogs and cats, but also included birds, pocket pets, and even a pot bellied pig. She treasured the years she got to explore beautiful New England. Dr. Mengel moved back to her hometown of Ann Arbor at the end of 1995 and started practicing at the Ann Arbor Cat Clinic shortly thereafter. She promptly added to her fur family by adopting a kitten within the first week. January 8th marks her 25th anniversary at the Cat Clinic caring for fabulous mysterious felines. Besides cats, Dr. Mengel has a passion for gardening, music and photography. In 2014 she had the honor of having her gardens included on the Ann Arbor Garden Tour. She shares her home with 2 elderly cats and her amazing 91 year old mother.
Dr. Molly Avery graduated from the Michigan State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2004 and became an associate veterinarian at the Ann Arbor Cat Clinic. Dr. Avery is passionate about educating clients on issues that impact their cats' physical and behavioral health. Having experienced the golden years of her 18 and 19 year old cats, elderly kitties hold a special place in her heart. The Avery Farm is home to 12 hens, 6 rabbits, 2 goats, 2 rats, 2 cows, and 2 horses. Dr. Avery is a 4H leader and the superintendent of the Washtenaw County 4H Youth Fair Cat Show. She splits time between the Cat Clinic and homeschooling her two daughters. In her spare time, she enjoys running, volunteering, and helping her husband with projects around the farm.
Dr. Mary "Molly" Lynch joined the staff of Ann Arbor Cat Clinic in 2016. She is an alumna of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. Feline medicine has always been her passion in the veterinary field. During vet school, she served as President of the MSU Student Chapter of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, pursued feline specialty externships and training opportunities, and received the American Association of Feline Practitioners Outstanding Senior Student Award for her graduating class. Cat-specific continuing education remains a hobby in her spare time. She has been a SEMVMA Academy Member since 2014, which requires a minimum of 50 hours of medical continuing education annually. Dr. Lynch lives with her small clowder of senior cats and shares custody of two corgis with her father. Outside of work, she enjoys swimming, woodland walks, and playing music with only her cats as an audience.
Dr. Racey graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University in 1991. She spent the next seven years working on both dogs and cats first in a rural practice in western Michigan and then in an urban practice outside of Washington, DC. She joined a feline exclusive practice in Alexandria, VA in 1998 and there her passion for cats caught fire as she was immersed fully in the intriguing and challenging world of feline medicine. After returning to Michigan in 2005, she spent the next 14 years with a cat clinic in Plymouth before joining Ann Arbor Cat Clinic in February 2020.
Dr. Racey’s special interests are internal medicine and preventative health and she is dedicated to helping families understand how the environment their cat lives in has a large impact on health and behavior. It is her personal goal to help balance the needs of the family and the needs of the cat all while respecting the cat as the majestic and mysterious being that it is.
Dr. Racey lives in Canton with her three-cat clowder. Clowder matriarch, Bambi, was the first cat in Dr. Racey’s version of TNR: Trap – Neuter -- Retain, when Bambi gifted her with two unusually large, mildly neurotic, gray boy kittens just days after her rescue on a snowy day in April 2018. The cats have been intriguing and entertaining housemates and Dr. Racey sometimes feels like the feline version of Jane Goodall. Dr. Racey’s favorite clowder, however, remains her four amazing adult children of whom she is very proud. And she is very excited to be adding the title of “Gamma” to her curriculum vitae in 2023.
