H.A. Hang: Lauren Cohn
The coolest part of our business has always been our clients. We’re amazed by all they do: CEOs and business owners, world travelers, authors, inventors, healers, entrepreneurs, newscasters, artists, pro athletes, musicians, caretakers, and philanthropists.
We launched this series to share the stories of our clients and form connections within the H.A. community. Enjoy!
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H.A.: When did you realize you wanted to be a vet?
L.C.: My mom rescued animals when I was little, so I always had an affinity for helping injured and sick animals. I was actually working in advertising and PR in New York when 9/11 happened and I just didn’t feel fulfilled anymore after that. So, I went to veterinarian school when I was 30. In the Caribbean!
That must have been different ...
It was really cool. Culturally, people view animals there differently. A lot of dogs live outside. They aren't necessarily pets, but more guard dogs. But I adopted the love of my life while I was in vet school and had him up until three years ago. It was a great experience.
Did you open up Fishtown Animal Hospital right away?
When I came back, I pursued specialty training. I was certified as an acupuncturist for animals, so started doing acupuncture house calls. Then I began providing regular pet care in people’s homes. From there, I opened the brick and mortar in 2015. I wanted to support rescues, especially because a lot of larger practices don’t support that.
What kind of animals do you see?
Mostly dogs and cats. We have a few bunnies, a few ferrets. I will try to help anything. I've had possums that we bottle fed. They were my absolute favorite. We've had multiple pigeons! Acupuncture wise, I have even treated camels. I used to donate acupuncture services to Popcorn Park Zoo in New Jersey.
What’s Fishtails Animal Rescue?
We take animals—mostly cats—that are going to be euthanized and find them foster homes. We provide medical care. We have a high foster failure rate, meaning, we have a lot of fosters who end up adopting. There are some rescues that frown on that, because they lose those people as foster families— fosterers are hard to find. But, my opinion is that they bonded with the animal, they love the animal … I would be devastated if I fostered an animal and fell in love and then someone said I couldn’t adopt it.
Tell us about Marty … he’s kind of Instagram famous.
Marty was a six-month-old orange and white cat that was found in South Philly. He couldn't move his back legs super well. We figured out that he had a neurological issue called Storage Disease and was only going to live about three months. We decided to celebrate his life by making him a bucket list. It was in the middle of COVID and it was helpful for everyone here and following along to focus on making some positive memories for Marty. He was invited to a Flyers game and met Gritty, he went to Adventure Aquarium to watch the fish. We took him on a million shopping trips. It made so many people smile, to see a cat doing all these things. Because of his special treatments, such as acupuncture and rehab, he lived happily for a little over a year.
How can people support Fishtails?
We're always looking for foster families. If we don’t have fosters, we can’t take animals. Obviously, we’ll always take donations. But people can also volunteer and help transport an animal from the shelter or even donate food. Just sharing a post really helps. There are a thousand ways to be involved and still feel good. I’ve had people come in crying because they can’t take an animal, but there are lots of ways to support us! We also have lots of adoption events. The next one is at Art City on March 11th; there's a dine-in fundraiser on March 19th at Santucci’s on North Broad; an anniversary party in April; and an adoption event called Cinco De Meow-o on May 5th at Philadelphia Brewing Company.
Where do you live now?
My husband and I lived in Northern Liberties for a really long time, but had a fire and moved to New Jersey.
I had been searching for a meal delivery service and had tried many. I was raised vegan, started eating dairy in college and also eat seafood. When I found Home Appétit, I was so excited because there are...always options and the food is so tasty. And when I pick something that might have dairy in it, someone always reaches out and catches it! I really appreciate it.
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