get to know us
Four Paws Animal Hospital & Wellness Center Veterinary Team
At Four Paws Animal Hospital & Wellness Center, we are proud of our highly trained, experienced, and compassionate staff. Get to know our team members and why we love what we do so much!

Veterinarian in Fredericksburg, VA
Meet Our Veterinary Leadership Team
We are solely dedicated to your pet’s care! We look forward to getting to know you, and we hope you’ll take the time to scroll down and get to know us.
Our Senior Team Members
Once our team members have been with us for five years, they are inaugurated into our “Four Five Club.” (Four Paws, Five Years). These special individuals have proven their dedication to the profession and the patients they serve. Their longevity has allowed them to get to know our clients very well, facilitating an even higher level of customized customer service. We are privileged to have them as part of our team.
Our Veterinary Care Team

Veterinarian/Owner
Dr. Kathy Kallay
Dr. Kathy Kallay believes that animals should be cared for in a conscientious, responsible manner. Education is an important part of her relationship with clients because better-informed clients have longer, healthier relationships with their pets. As the owner of Four Paws, she is committed to providing exceptional customer service and the highest quality medical care.
Dr. Kallay’s medical interests include Internal Medicine, Behavior, Dentistry, and Surgery. She has received advanced training in all of these disciplines. She is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and Phi Zeta, a veterinary honor society.
Outside of work, she enjoys reading, walking her dogs, kayaking on our local waterways, and painting. She is also an avid photographer and has won multiple awards in amateur competitions. In the Fall of 2018, she started learning Spanish. Ella estudia cada dia.
A native of Southern California, she moved to Fredericksburg in 2001 following graduation from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University. She has been practicing veterinary medicine locally since 2001. Four Paws opened in 2006 as a result of her desire to provide high quality, compassionate, and professional hospital closer to her home in Spotsylvania County.
Dr. Kallay adopted all of her pets from animal shelters or rescue groups: Hobbes, a 7-year old all-around mutt, Willow, a 7-year old Border Collie mix, and Domino, an adult black and white domestic shorthaired cat.
Community service is a way of life for Dr. Kallay. She has been a puppy-raiser for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) and has performed therapy visits in the community with her previous dog Scarlett. She was a Big Sister with Rappahannock Big Brothers Big Sisters and volunteered with Team River Runner helping wounded veterans.

Hospital Administrator
Cindy Barrett
Cindy’s two great loves are veterinary medicine and accounting! Her journey to Four Paws Animal Hospital has been circuitous, having first managed veterinary hospitals in California, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Maine. Cindy graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA in 1993 with a B.B.A. in accounting. Following graduation, she gained experience in the field of accounting while still maintaining her position as a veterinary practice manager.
In 1997, Cindy joined the Ohio accounting firm of Owen E. McCafferty, CPA, a firm specializing in veterinary tax, accounting, and consulting. While employed with Owen McCafferty, she sat for and passed the CPA exam in 1998. In 2003, Cindy joined the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) as a Practice Consultant. AAHA is a voluntary professional association designed to help veterinary hospitals achieve outstanding standards of medicine. After spending several years in the accounting/consulting arena, Cindy returned to private veterinary practice. “One of the most wonderful things about Four Paws Animal Hospital & Wellness Center, aside from the great doctors and staff, is that it is privately owned. Our ability to be truly creative, innovative, and flexible is due to that fact. I feel privileged to be part of this great team!” When not working, Cindy enjoys just about everything, especially her dog Sky, her three “special-needs” kitties, and two baby mice.

Practice Manager
Stephanie Starner
Stephanie joined as Practice Manager in 2013, coming to us with 13 years of human medical management experience. Her genuine love for fur babies, their people, and her great team at Four Paws shines daily in her role as Practice Manager.
Currently, she is pursuing her degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on Human Resources. She enjoys working out, healthy cooking, and going to concerts in her free time. Spending time with family and friends is a top priority, and whenever she gets the chance, she heads to the beach.

Lead Veterinary Nurse
Patrick Dunham, LVT
Patrick obtained his degree from Sanford-Brown college in 2013 and started working for Four Paws in 2019.
He has one cat, Chaos, and a senior chihuahua/min-pin mix named Dutch. He enjoys drawing, hiking, and teaching his cats to do tricks in his spare time.
He believes all creatures deserve compassion and empathy and works hard to ensure all his patients feel safe and comfortable.

Front Office Manager
Cyndi Vera
Cyndi Vera joined Four Paws in October 2020 as our Front Office Manager. She has been working in the veterinary field since 2005, so there isn’t much she doesn’t know about how to provide excellent care to our four-footed friends!
She is a native Texan but has been living in Virginia since 1987. She now has an extended family that includes some grandbabies that are the joy of her life.
She enjoys skiing, camping, and watching movies in her free time. She says her secret Super Power is being an awesome Mom! She does not have any of her own pets currently, so when you bring yours in, be sure to give her a chance to love on yours!

veterinary assistant
Marie Johnson
Marie started at Four Paws in 2015. She is one of the most compassionate and kind-hearted people we have ever known.
In Partlow, she lives with her husband, kids, dogs, cats, and horse. She enjoys listening to country music and spending time with her extended family.

senior veterinary assistant
Beth Neidrauer
Beth had already been working in the veterinary field for over 20 years when she joined the Four Paws team. She has lived in CA, LA, FL, and Japan before coming to Virginia. Her menagerie at home includes dogs, cats, pocket pets, and her husband.
She likes hiking with her dogs, kayaking on our local waterways, and is interested in learning sign language in her free time.

front office assistant manager
Garnetta Taylor
Garnetta grew up in West Virginia and lived in Fairfax for about 20 years before moving to Fredericksburg in 1995. She joined the Four Paws Team in 2015. Despite having no prior veterinary experience, she has moved up quickly through various positions and now is our valued Front Office Assistant Manager.
She enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with her human family and her “grandpets.”