Veterinarian talks about pet frog, grandfather who worked for NASA and Belmont office
When a veterinarian talks about having a 22-year-old frog as a pet that tends to pique a journalist's curiosity.
"He's kicking a long great," Dr. Cait Moreland says of her African clawed frog. "I got him as a tadpole when I was a kid."
She describes her aquatic frog as being "sort of flat," and "a little larger than a key fob." The mostly gray frog has black spots and eats formulated pellets to meet its nutritional needs.
Moreland didn't name her frog Kermit, in fact she hasn't named her frog at all. Yes, Moreland's faithful frog has no name.
"When kids come over they tend to give him lots of names," she said.
Moreland grew up in Aiken, South Carolina, the daughter and granddaughter of veterinarians. She has moved to Gastonia and plans to open Belmont Animal Hospital in the early summer of 2023, shooting for either June or July.
Her veterinarian office at 1806 South Point Road, just north of Boat Club Road, will start taking shape as construction work on the now vacant lot will get underway this month.
"Since I was 4 years old I knew this is what I wanted to do," Moreland said of being a veterinarian. "I was born and raised into it. I couldn't have avoided it if I had tried."
While her father had several traditional veterinarian offices in South Carolina, her grandfather, now in his 90s, was a veterinarian for NASA, specializing in monkeys and rats. And yes, some of his patients made it into space.
"It was his job to make sure they were healthy enough to do that and healthy when they came back," she said.
Belmont Animal Hospital will specialize in cats, dogs and fish, Moreland said, although she would like to one day bring in another veterinarian who specializes in more exotic animals. And she expects to see a lot more cats and dogs than fish, but she especially likes to care for fish.
Her practice will focus on pet wellness, animal emergencies, general care and surgery.
She'll start off alone, she said, but would like to add another veterinarian by the end of 2023 and says her planned building could handle up to four veterinarians.
About Dr. Moreland
After high school, Moreland did her undergraduate work at Clemson University, and then went on to St. Georges University in Grenada, an island country in the West Indies in the Caribean Sea. She chose Grenada for school, she said, because she wanted to do some more traveling.
Moreland graduated from veterinarian school in 2020 and did her clinicals at the University of Georgia. She'll cheer for the Bulldogs in the college football playoffs, but when asked her favorite team, her voice raised two notches as she answered, "Go Tigers."
Other pets
Moreland has a 5-year-old Catahoula leopard hound named "Tetra," like the fish and a mixed breed hound named "Jelly Belly."
Moreland adopted Jelly Belly after he needed hip surgery while she was a student in Grenada. She also has a "whole lot of fish."
Her dogs come to work with her each day. She now works in Florida in the veterinary practice of one of her father's friends.
"They are my buddies," Moreland said of Tetra and Jelly Belly. "They hang out in my office as I work on other people's pets. They are my buddies." The fish and frog stay at home, although she wants to get a fish tank for the office.
Why Belmont
Moreland has family in the Charlotte area and fell in love with Belmont on her first visit, she said.
"It's just such a nice town. I knew I needed to be there," she said.
She specifically likes the "closeness" of Belmont's downtown, and how friendly everyone has been to her as she has visited restaurants and shops there.
"It felt like home from the first time I came in so that's where I stuck," she said.
You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-201-7016 or email him at Kellis@gastongazette.com. Support local journalism by subscribing here.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Belmont veterinarian talks pet front, NASA working granddad and office
