About

About Soulcat Feline Farewells

Meet the Portland veterinarians behind Soulcat — decades of thoughtful, highly skilled care for cats. Our cat-only practice provides compassionate end-of-life support in your home.

Feline-exclusive care, in the comfort of your home.

Portland’s feline-exclusive end-of-life care practice, dedicated to honoring the bond between cats and the families who love them.

Dr. Louise Mesher

For more than 25 years, Dr. Mesher has been part of the local Portland veterinary community. Her Portland career began in emergency medicine at Dove Lewis in 2001, where long nights taught her that the hardest decisions families face deserve the most compassionate guidance.

Louise realized that almost all cats, and most people, are more comfortable at home. She began doing house calls exclusively in 2004 and launched her own mobile, in-home practice, called At Home Veterinary Services, in the Portland metro area in 2008.  

Over time, Louise found herself drawn to the quiet moments — sitting with a family in their living room, a beloved kitty resting on a favorite blanket, helping them navigate the questions that come when a treasured companion is slowing down. She knew these moments deserved more than a rushed appointment in a clinical room.  She knew from personal experience that the final moments in a cat’s life are revisited over and over in the heart and mind of the person who loves them. It’s important to have it be as peaceful and love-filled as possible.

After a while, Louise chose to focus exclusively on cats because they deserve care designed for them — with feline comfort at its center. Cats are special creatures - sensitive, intuitive, and often cautious.  They need time to warm up (usually!), a quiet, gentle approach, and the treats and sensory input they favor.  Anyone who loves a cat knows this!

Today, she brings her experience, her love of all things feline, her memories of her own Soulcat Sweetpea, and her deep respect for the human-cat bond into homes across Portland.  Her mission is making sure every cat’s final chapter is as gentle and dignified as the life that came before, and that that cat’s Soul_Person_ is cared for as well.

Dr. Heather Dillon

Dr. Dillon brings 30 years of veterinary experience to Soulcat, with a lifelong dedication to understanding cats on their own terms. Her approach is quiet, observant, and unhurried — exactly what a cat needs when the world feels uncertain.

Heather believes that every cat communicates clearly if you know how to listen. A shift in posture, a change in breathing, the way they seek out a particular sunbeam or a familiar lap — these are the signs that guide her care. She meets each kitty where they are, not where a textbook says they should be.

As an associate veterinarian with Soulcat, Heather shares the same commitment to feline-exclusive, in-home care that defines the practice. She understands that being invited into a family’s home during their most vulnerable hours is a profound trust, and she honors that trust with every visit.

Together with Dr. Mesher, she ensures that Soulcat families have access to compassionate, experienced care when their cat needs it most.

Our Philosophy

Cats are special little beings. They experience the world differently — through scent, through sound, through the subtle rhythms of a home they know by heart. Their care at the end of life should honor that difference, not ignore it.

Soulcat exists because we believe feline end-of-life care deserves its own practice, its own language, and its own approach. We draw on our decades of experience visiting cats in peoples’ homes - in the cats’ homes! - and our desire to bring calm, peace and comfort to the kitties and to their caregivers.

The name “Soulcat” honors the deep, profound bond between cats and their people. We have witnessed it thousands of times — the way a cat knows their person’s movements and voice, the way a family reshapes their entire day around a kitty’s comfort. That bond is sacred, and our role is to protect it, especially in the final hours.  

Transitions are part of the natural world, of life. When guided with care and gentleness, they can carry a quiet beauty, even in the midst of grief.  We want your cat’s final moments to be peaceful and gentle, and for you to feel supported and confident that we have the expertise and - perhaps more importantly - the demeanor and gentle manner that can allow you to focus on what is of most importance….your beloved companion. This is an important moment; it can be scary, we know this, and we are here for you.

The Cats Exclusive Difference

An experience tailored to cats alone

Everyone who loves a cat understands this about cats: they like what they like, and they dislike everything else.  They have opinions.  They love the people that they choose to love, and tolerate some others (maybe).  To provide veterinary care to such an evolved species, you have to learn and adapt to them, not expect them to just want to do or endure what you want them to endure.  Over our decades of caring for cats in their homes, we have developed some skills that now come naturally to us. It also helps that we bring Churu or other crunchy treats as an offering of goodwill…

By creating our end-of-life practice specifically for cats, we eliminate several sources of stress that most practices cannot address. Your cat’s last experience is calm, familiar, and entirely their own.

Soulcat Feline Farewells is Portland’s only feline-exclusive end-of-life practice. No other hospice or euthanasia practice in the Portland area can offer this level of comfort, expertise, and cat-centered care in your home.  And cats do prefer to be in their homes, in their own beds, in their own catios or gardens.  And, of course, with their own people.

The Dog-Free Guarantee
A dedicated, dog-free practice — every visit is feline-only, from the first hello to the final farewell.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Soulcat different from other euthanasia services?
What makes Soulcat different from other euthanasia services? A: We are Portland's only feline-exclusive end-of-life practice. Every detail has been designed and tailored to cats and their needs and desires. Every approach is respectful and unhurried, with your cat’s comfort as our first priority.
How much experience does your veterinarian have?
Dr. Mesher and Dr. Dillon bring 27 and 30 years of veterinary experience, respectively, with deep expertise in feline medicine and end-of-life care. All of those years have brought insights into cats and their caregivers, and the ability to truly understand what is at stake when someone is contemplating saying goodbye to their treasured kitty. It is scary and heartbreaking, and we are here to support you and make it just a little easier at this awful time.
Do you serve cats of all ages?
Our practice, Soulcat Feline Farewells, focuses on end-of-life care — quality-of-life consultations, comfort care, and in-home euthanasia and aftercare for cats in their final life stage, however old they may be. Our sister practice, At Home Veterinary Services, provides care to cats of all ages for wellness care and for chronic condition management in their homes.
Do you provide hospice care?
Some terms that you may see used interchangeably that are actually not the same thing: Hospice, Euthanasia, Palliative care. Sometimes, practices advertise that they offer “hospice” care or may even have “hospice” in their name. Hospice care, technically, is providing comfort services (medical or otherwise) to a being that has a terminal condition, to make their final days, weeks, or months more comfortable. Most euthanasia services that claim to provide Hospice Care are not actually set up to provide that level of round-the-clock medical support or multidisciplinary expertise (therapists, counselors, etc., though some may be… things have gotten better recently). Most of the time, what is offered is actually euthanasia, or perhaps a quality of life assessment prior to a euthanasia decision. Palliative care, on the other hand, is very common in the veterinary world and refers to providing symptomatic treatment to improve an animal’s comfort, whether or not the underlying condition is known or is being treated specifically. Our sister practice, At Home Veterinary Services, is highly experienced in all aspects of palliative care. Every situation is different, just like every cat. Palliative care is fairly accessible; true hospice care for animals is not yet. But, in-home euthanasia is easily accessible, and in our view (and we are not alone in this), it is the best way to handle a very difficult and painful situation, when the time is right.

Ready to talk?

We're here to listen. Whether you have questions about your cat's quality of life or you're ready to schedule a visit, a conversation is always the first step.

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