Obituary of Dr. Nicola A. Painter

Dr. Nicola Painter died on January 6th, 2020 in her Manhattan home at the age of 37. With her passing, the veterinary profession lost an exceptional and devoted practitioner. An irrepressible advocate for animal welfare, Dr. Painter had been Lead Veterinarian at Manhattan Cat Specialists since July 2018. Through an alloy of wit, mastery, compassion, and awe-inspiring mettle, Dr. Painter ensured that every one of her patients and their families received the best care that veterinary medicine could offer. As a doctor, peer, and mentor, her lasting professional legacy will be her insistence on delivering an impeccable standard of care. She will be remembered for everything she did for the welfare of all creatures, great and small.

Dr. Painter graduated from Brown University (2004) and University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (2014). She joined Manhattan Cat Specialists with several years of veterinary experience, including at the VCA Cat Hospital of Philadelphia, The Cat Hospital of Media, Pennsylvania, and the Whitehouse Veterinary Hospital, New Jersey. A skilled surgeon, she had expertise in internal medicine and feline behavioral issues. At the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Painter completed externships with the Governmental Relations Division of the American Veterinary Medicine Association in Washington DC and the Veterinary Business Advisors and received the Senior Veterinary Student Outstanding Patient Care Award.

Dr. Painter came late to veterinary medicine. Upon graduation from Brown University, she began a career in finance on the trading desk of SEB in London. She learned that the lifestyle of a hedge fund trader was not for her and instead set a course for a career in corporate litigation, joining Shearman & Sterling, LLC in New York as a paralegal. Once she realized her calling as a veterinarian, she began working as a veterinary technician while completing veterinary degree prerequisites in a two-year pre-health post-baccalaureate program.

Her devotion to animal welfare led her to many hours of pro bono work with animal rescue organizations in the tri-state area. In keeping with Dr. Painter’s mission, please consider donating in her honor to one of the charities she supported: 

• Pet Adoption and Lifecare Society: https://www.palscatrescue.org/
• Red Paw Emergency Relief Team: https://redpawemergencyreliefteam.com
• Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, New South Wales, Australia: https://au.gofundme.com/f/saving-australian-koalas