When it comes to healthy cats, Dr. Arnold Plotnick is an expert. In fact, his Twitter handle is TheCatExpert! The founder and head veterinarian of the Manhattan Cat Specialists in New York City, Plotnick has been performing checkups and treatments for his feline patients for more than eight years. Plotnick studied veterinary medicine at the University of Florida and finished his education at the University of Pennsylvania. He is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine as well as the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, making him one of the few board certified cat specialists in the nation. Plotnick blogs regularly about general pet health and cat-specific issues on Cat Man Do.

Why did you decide to pursue this career field?
I have always loved animals, science and medicine. This field let me combine all three of those things.

What type of preparation did you do to get into this field?
In college, I did a lot of course work, which included biology and chemistry, and I did volunteer work at vet hospitals to gain experience working with animals. I helped the vets, I restrained the animals, I cleaned cages—it was a lot of dirty work, but it was worth it.

How did your education help you in your career?
Education is key to it. Of course, they teach you how to be a vet in vet school. But I think what's more important is a good mentor; you need a good mentor to show you how to apply what you learned in vet school.

What was your career path like in this field?
Once I graduated, I worked in a private practice, but then I sort of missed the academics. I went back to school, and then did an internship (working with small animals in medicine and surgery). I then went back to school—I have a love/hate relationship with school!—and specialized in internal medicine and became board certified. Once I did that, I got an appointment to work at the ASPCA [American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals]. They were recruiting someone to become the vice president of animal health, so I worked there for a while (as VP) before I decided to open my own practice. I've done as much schooling as I possibly can do, and there's no higher I can go.

What do you do on a typical workday?
I come in each morning and check on my patients in the hospital. I see my morning appointments, then I get a break to each lunch, make phone calls and check my emails. Then, I may have one or two surgeries before my appointments in the afternoon. I'll check on my evening patients, and then I can go home.

What types of skills is someone required to have to work in your position?
They have to be able to relate to people. Our patients can't speak for themselves, so [vets] have to be able to listen to clients and take their observations seriously. You also have to strike the balance between being compassionate and concerned and being too emotionally paralyzed by it all. There will be many times where you will have to put animals to sleep or give people bad news, but you have to be able to get through it.

Do you have any advice for those who are looking to launch a career in your field?
Go for it. It is the best career in the world. What you do really has a major impact on people's lives, and you can change their world in a good way. You just know that you're doing important stuff. So, go for it.