Don't Call Me Catty
Don’t Call Me Catty is the unapologetic, plain-talking podcast for veterinary professionals who want real conversations, not sugarcoating. Hosted by Jillian Carr, a veterinary financial strategist, and Leilani Saad, co-founder and CEO of a 24/7 veterinary teletriage company, the show dives into the messy, meaningful parts of vet med: burnout, boundaries, big decisions, money moves, and midnight emergencies.
The podcast began as a pop-up at a veterinary trade show, where unscripted, in-the-moment conversations with the community struck a chord and sparked something bigger. Today, it continues to grow into a movement connecting vet med professionals and their clients through honesty, humor, and the courage to say the quiet parts out loud. Whether you’re leading a practice, on the clinic floor, or you just love animals, this is your space for truth, tools, and the occasional F-bomb.
Don't Call Me Catty
Shea Lee, RVT (ABVTA) | Challenging RVT Misconceptions & Advocating for Forgotten Animals
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Registered Veterinary Technologists are the backbone of veterinary medicine. But so many people (including pet owners) don’t fully understand what RVTs do, what they’re trained for, or how much they carry.
In this episode of Don’t Call Me Catty, we sit down with Shea Lee, RVT, President (Vice-President at the time of recording) of the Alberta Veterinary Technologist Association (ABVTA), to talk about the real work happening behind the scenes. We focus especially on shelter medicine, where patients often arrive with no owner, no history, and no one to advocate for them.
We get into:
- How Shea found her way from NAIT’s VMA program into RVT life (and why shelter medicine became her calling)
- Why the “pound” stereotype is outdated and what shelter medicine actually looks like
- Microchips, identification, and hold periods
- ABVTA’s current priorities: member engagement, wage insights, governance focus, and sustainable funding
- The big conversation: scope of practice, confidence, delegation, and what “top of license” really means
- Burnout, boundaries, and Shea’s honest take on mental health leave and building longevity in vet med
Plus: we end with Shea’s walk-in song, funeral song, and win song—because of course we do.
Learn more about ABVTA: https://www.abvta.com/
Questions for the ABVTA team? info@abvta.com
About Shea Lee, RVT:
Shea Lee graduated from the NAIT VMA program in 2013 and the NAIT AHT program in 2015. Since graduation, she has worked full time in shelter medicine while maintaining a part-time position in small animal practice. Shea is passionate about advocating for homeless and neglected animals and takes a special interest in creating fear free environments for them. When not working one of her various jobs, she spends time fostering for local rescue groups and volunteering on the ABVTA Board of Directors. She and her husband share their home with an Australian Cattle Dog named Riggins, a Domestic Short Hair cat named Dill.
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For podcast inquiries, please contact dontcallmecatty@gmail.com
