Antonia Phelps', RVT kinship with animals started early, snuggling with the kitties during chore time on her parents dairy farm in Wisconsin where she was raised. From rabbits and goats to cows she has had pets of every type. Her favorite was a horse named Tucky. Their connection and his untimely death sparked a passion for helping animals that led her to Bel-Rea Institute in Denver, Colorado. She graduated in 2008 with an Associate's Degree in Veterinary Technology. After school this country girl had had enough of big city life and moved closer to home. She currently lives in Cedar Falls, IA with her husband Catlon and dog Bear.

Lisa Kattelman lives in Cedar Falls with her husband George of 25 years, and their 10 ½ year old German Shorthair, Woody. She has a daughter, Lauren who is currently attending school for radiology. They enjoy spending quality time outdoors and George and Woody are avid bird hunters. Lisa grew up on a dairy farm in rural Cedar Falls where her love for all animals began at a young age. Cows, horses, dogs, cats, rabbits and chickens were among the many farm animals she grew up with. She was also very involved in horseback riding and enjoyed showing them.

Audra Kooiman, RVT grew up in the central valley of California with her 3 sisters and the many stray animals they adopted . She especially has a love for cats and exotics. She graduated with a bachelorâ³ degree in Biology from CSU Stanislaus in 1999 and then attended a Veterinary Technology program and became certified in 2002. She has 10 years of experience working in small animal clinics. She recently moved from Madison, South Dakota with her husband Wade who was accepted last fall into UNIâ³ doctoral program in Education & Leisure studies. They have a daughter, Payton, and a son, Kamden, and 2 cats Kobe and Toni. Her 2 dogs, Milo and Maggie and amazon parrot, Shelby, live in California with her parents.

Samantha Pierce graduated with a Veterinary Assisting Degree from Hawkeye Community College in 2006 while working at a local vet clinic. She worked there for three years assisting the veterinarians and as the supervisor of the kennel staff. She then went on to work at Pet Smart in January of 2008. She attended grooming academy in Milwaukee Wisconsin returning to start her new career. She's been grooming since then and truly enjoys working with animals. Samantha has lived in the Elk Run / Evansdale area all of her life. She and her boyfriend, David, own a yorkie bichon named Ellie,a Lab Husky mix named Tippy and a white cat named Sugar.

Brea Witt grew up on an acreage in Southeastern Iowa where she spent her childhood caring for many stray cats and the animals on her grandparents farm. As an adult she has lived in other states including Montana, where she learned her love of all animals could lead her to work in the veterinary field. Brea has worked in vet clinics ever since. In 2008 she moved to Jesup, Iowa where she eventually married her husband, Shane, and they lived until last fall when they bought a home in Waterloo. She is currently attending night school pursuing a degree in Business Administration and together with Shane enjoys many hobbies including motorcycles, boating, camping and playing with their chocolate lab, Harley.

Did you know? Baby ferrets are called kits or kittens.