Cat people or dog people?
For two Iowa State DVM graduates, there really isn’t a choice. And ironically, the pair are working at the same veterinary clinic halfway across the country from Ames.
“I just have a love for kitties,” said Dr. Kayla Wafful Oldham (’15). “In particular, I really love geriatric cats. They hold a special place in my heart.”
That special place was won by a 12-year-old cat Oldham adopted from a clinic she had an externship at during vet school.
“He gave me a great love for older, geriatric kitties,” she said.
Oldham’s co-worker at Happy Tails Emergency Veterinary Clinic in Greensboro, N.C., also has a deep love for cats. But the cat that won her heart entered her life at a young age.
Dr. Jennifer Carne Wiegel (’14) was seven years old when she and her younger brother were each allowed to choose a kitten from a litter born to strays. Wiegel’s kitten was a calico and the two were quickly inseparable.
“Crystal was the best companion a little girl could ask for,” Wiegel remembered. “She would allow me to carry her around in a little purse. She slept with me every night and licked my tears when I was sad.
“She was my best friend and the reason why I chose to become a veterinarian.”
At Happy Tails, Wiegel doesn’t practice feline medicine exclusively, but she does as much as possible.
“I’ve always loved cats,” she said. “I think cats are often villainized for no good reason and that makes me what to fight for cats, the proverbial underdogs.”
After graduating from Iowa State, Wiegel’s professional career led her to North Carolina where she worked for a small animal general practice before joining Happy Tails. While at Happy Tails, she has worked emergency and general practice medicine. Currently she is a relief veterinarian at the Greensboro, N.C., clinic.
“I enjoy the challenge of ER cases and learn something new practically every shift,” Wiegel said. “Relief work has allowed me to pursue a higher calling of being a mom.”
After graduating from Iowa State Oldham practiced in San Antonio before taking a job at a feline-only hospital in Greensboro. Like Wiegel she is a relief vet with Happy Tails.
And not coincidentally it was a cat conference that brought the two together long after their Ames days.
“Jennifer and I ran into each other at the AAFP (American Association of Feline Practitioners) conference,” Oldham said, “and she got me involved with Happy Tails and we both still work there.”
December 2025