Our Team

Dr. Anne Sassen is a 1990 graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. She practiced Feline Exclusive and Emergency Medicine in the suburbs of Detroit, MI for 5 years before returning to Minnesota. Dr. Sassen opened Cats Preferred in April 1999.

She is a member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, a Certified Cat-Friendly Veterinarian and Past President of the Metropolitan Animal Hospital Association.

She and her husband Kevin, also a veterinarian, share their home with their 3 cats-Squirrel, Marvin & Teddy.

Dr. Lori Boettcher, a Minnesota native, graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 1991. She has worked in companion animal practices in Minnesota and Florida for several years and a cat exclusive clinic in North Central Florida for 4 years. After returning to Minnesota, she joined Cats Preferred Veterinary Hospital in 2001.

She is a member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, American Veterinary Medical Association and a Certified Cat-Friendly Veterinarian.

She lives with her husband and their 5 cats- Coconut, Scooter, Simon, Mr. Grey, Big Orange Kitty and a Labrador retriever – Maui.

Dr. Ellen Buckley graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 1991. She completed her undergraduate training in animal science at the University of New Hampshire.

Dr. Buckley has worked at feline-only practices since 1994 and joined Cats Preferred in 2001. She is a member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners and is a Certified Cat-Friendly Veterinarian.

Her husband, Robert, owns a floor covering/furniture business in Northfield, MN.

They live in Apple Valley with their cat Count Lukas, and one dog-Mya.

Dr. Robert Schmitt graduated with a Bachelor of Music from Berklee College of Music. After working in the music business in New York, he moved to the Twin Cities where he obtained his veterinary degree from the University of Minnesota. Since graduating, he has worked exclusively with cats in the Twin Cities and most recently in the Boston area. He first became familiar with Cats Preferred while doing a two week externship during his clinical year in school and then later doing relief work for our vacationing veterinarians.

He was happy to return to the Twin Cities and join our staff as an associate veterinarian when the opportunity presented itself.  Dr. Schmitt is a member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners and has contributed to their online educational materials. He lives with his wife, their 2 sons and their 2 kitties – Bijou and Bonkers.

Dr. Karen Randall is a 1992 graduate of Colorado State University School of Veterinary Medicine. During her 30 year career, she has been the owner of a small animal practice, a feline exclusive practice and, most recently, a practice that focused on providing chronic pain management, palliative care, hospice and in-home euthanasia. She has a passion for helping ill and aging cats live their best lives.
Dr.Randall is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, The International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management and The International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care.
She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and their 2 dogs, Luther and Cullen. She enjoys walking the lakes, gardening, running and riding Ellie, her 19 year old thoroughbred mare.

Jill graduated from the Medical Institute of Minnesota in 2001. Animals are just one of her passions. She also enjoys gardening, hiking, lying in a hammock by the water and playing legos with her son.

Trisha graduated from Globe College in December 2003. She has worked as a veterinary technician since that time and joined Cats Preferred in December 2009. She lives with her husband, cat-Nala and dogs-Harper, Charlie and Jade.

Kelsey joined Cats Preferred in September 2015 as an intern. She graduated from Minnesota State University Mankato with a bachelor’s degree in Zoology in December 2015. After completing her internship, she accepted a position at Cats Preferred as a veterinary assistant. She lives with her boyfriend and cat Edgar.

Jess graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology in 2011. Since then she has volunteered/interned for the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, interned at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo rehabilitating manatees, and volunteered at the Minnesota Zoo connecting the public to wildlife. Following her passion to work with animals, she has worked in the pet care and veterinary fields as a Boarding Facility Supervisor and Veterinary Receptionist since 2013. Jess joined Cats Preferred in May of 2015 and loves contributing to the focus on high quality feline care and being part of our team! She has no pets of her own for now, but loves her spunky four-legged sister Sophie, a Choodle (Chihuahua Poodle mix).

Graduated from Ridgewater College in 2015. She joined the Cats Preferred team in May of 2022 and has enjoyed working exclusively with cats since then. She shares her home with her cat Momo and likes going for hikes in her down time.

Joined us at Cats Preferred in February 2023 and is currently in the Pennfoster Veterinary Technician Program. She has worked in the animal field for 7 years, starting off as an animal care tech and learning animal behavior and then transferred to veterinary medicine in 2020. She shares her home with her 4 cats: Levy, Tabby, Lucy and Sparta along with her 2 dogs: Cyra and Bella

Joined Cats Preferred in December of 2022. She started off as a kennel assistant at an animal daycare, which sparked her interest in Veterinary medicine. Since then, she has worked at veterinary hospitals increasing her knowledge. She lives with her Fiance Zach and cat Benny.