Born and raised in Oakville, Ontario, Dr. Chris Catena dreamt of becoming a companion animal veterinarian from a very young age. Over the years his menagerie of pets included dogs, gerbils, a great rat, a lovebird, a fish, a turtle, and at present two wonderful felines.

Amongst the youngest three in his class, he graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) at the University of Guelph in 1999 with the goal to one day own and direct a compassionate and progressive small animal veterinary hospital. In 2007 he had the privilege of joining Dr. David Polson at Royal Ford Veterinary Hospital and continues his journey as co-director. Special interests include internal medicine, dentistry, and mentoring students from the elementary to university level with similar goals and interests. He is a current Ontario Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA) member and actively attends continuing education lectures.

In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his loving partner, confident young daughters, boisterous twin sons, and their two wonderful cat/dog duo, Obi-Wan and Princess Leia! Family activities include skiing, hockey, coaching soccer, camping, anything outdoors and enjoying life! He considers every day practising as a veterinarian a blessing and a privilege!

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Kathryn has been with Royal Ford team since 2012 and had worked in small animal practice for several years prior to joining our team. Most days you can find her greeting our furry patients and their families at reception but she can also be found assisting our doctors and technicians during appointments or working away on administrative duties.

Although Kathryn has an educational background in advertising, it was never what she truly wanted to do. She had wanted to work in a veterinary hospital ever since she was a child attending appointments with her family pets.  Growing up, Kathryn was an avid competitive horseback rider but these days her life looks a little different. When not at Royal Ford, Kathryn can be found taking care of her kids both human and fur baby alike. Alongside her partner Justin, Kathryn’s little family includes her daughter Emma, as well as her fur kids, her French Bulldog, Phil and her two cats, Marvin and MJ!

Sandra has been with Royal Ford Veterinary Hospital since 2017 as one of our client care team members. She is originally from Niagara, and has been living in Oakville for the past 10 years. You will typically find her greeting our furry friends and their families at reception, but she can also be found assisting our doctors and RVTs during their appointments.

Her original career path was as a Geologist, and once her kids came along, she changed directions to be able to spend more time with her family and pets. In her spare time, you will find her busy with her 14-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son, and you can’t forget their 2 dogs (Russell and Piper) and their newly added kitten (Suzy). Sandra has always had a passion for animals, so it’s clear that this is a great fit!

Kristen joined the Royal Ford team in 2023 as our client care representative! Kristen was born and raised in Oakville, ON. She told her parents she wanted to be a vet when she was 4 years old! She changed her mind when her first pet passed away, and eventually attended the University of Guelph, graduating in 2013 with a Psychology Honours degree. It wasn’t until she was laid off from her job during the pandemic that she was offered a job in a completely new field to her – veterinary medicine! She started working at a 24 hour emergency and specialty referral hospital and realized that she can handle the bad that comes with the good in the world of pets. She fell in love with working in vet med, and began a self-paced online RVT program earlier this year. She joined Royal Ford Veterinary Hospital in March 2023 and she loves working with such a tight knit and caring team. Outside of work, she spends most of her time reading, playing video games, and crafting while cuddling her two elderly yorkshipoos, Ozzy and Zoey, and her foster cat, Lincoln, who is a life-saving blood donor cat!