Our team members work hard to serve the needs of you and your pets. We aim to provide the highest quality medical and surgical care, friendly and compassionate service, and a clean and inviting atmosphere. To contribute successfully to our efforts, team members must be willing and able to offer ideas and suggestions, accept tasks and responsibilities beyond their regular job descriptions and maintain a high degree of self-respect, emotional maturity and personal accountability. In return, we strive to offer our team members regular continuing education opportunities, team-building opportunities and a respectful and encouraging environment in which to work.

NATALIE M. WARREN, DVM

Dr. Warren received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University in 1999. After vet school, she left her beloved Rocky Mountains for western Washington to be closer to family. She has since expanded her veterinary medical expertise by working in a variety of settings including rural large-animal practice, suburban small-animal hospitals and urban emergency centers. She has also enjoyed providing relief veterinary service to area animal shelters.

Continuing education and organized veterinary medicine are a passion for Dr. Warren, and she enjoys many opportunities to contribute to the veterinary community. She actively contributes to the activities of the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association when time allows, and she has contributed to the local business community in many ways.

In her free time, Dr. Warren enjoys bicycling, skiing, gardening, and tearing up the streets on her BMW motorcycle. Her personal life is managed by 3 cats and a horse named Boz.

CHRISTINA M. GRAY, DVM

Dr. Gray received her DVM from Washington State University in 2004. Since then, she has worked at a variety of small animal practices in Western Washington and Oregon.

She is a well-rounded practitioner, and she strives to provide pet owners the information they need to make informed choices about their pets' medical care. Patient well-being and clear client communication are her top priorities. She has a long-standing affection towards cats, and has volunteered to help feral cats in a variety of capacities as an undergraduate, veterinary student, and doctor. She currently shares her home with 2 teenage cats who started their lives in a feral cat colony in Seattle's University District in the 1990's.

She moved to Tacoma from Seattle in 2008 and loves it more here each day. In her spare time you may find her buried in a book or in the kitchen tackling a new dish. She loves her historic stadium district apartment, but misses gardening.

KAT HENTSCH, Veterinary Assistant

Kat is skilled in most veterinary technician procedures and has several years experience in the veterinary field.  Her passion is for client  education.  She lives with her Husky/Greyhound mix (Vlad), Mini  Schnauzer (Potter), Aubrey (Green-cheek conure), Angora bunny (Buckthorne), Rex bunny (Bramble)  and several other cold-blooded counterparts.  In her spare time Kat  exercises with her dogs by bikejoring, participates in a local aquarium  society, enjoys fiber arts including spinning her rabbit's fur, gardens, and  hikes/backpacks.  Before moving to Sumner from Eugene, Kat volunteered  with the local humane society to socialize and groom rabbits and rats; since moving to the Tacoma area she occasionally fosters Humane Society buns.   Her undergrad degrees are in Natural Resource Management and Computer  Information Systems.

PATRICIA O'JALA, Office Manager & Vet Assistant

A Tacoma native, Patricia lives with her daughter, Amira, partner Andy and his three children Nic, Zac and Zoe. They also have three cats named Tigger, Princess and Crooky.  She enjoys reading and being with family.  Patricia has been working in the veterinary field since 2003, and we feel lucky indeed that she has chosen to join us at Met Vet.

SARAH SMITH-FALKNER, Licensed Vet Tech

Sarah was raised in Puyallup and graduated from Puyallup High School and Pierce College.  She has been in the veterinary profession since 2000 as an assistant and technician.  She has also worked in kennel and reception throughout.  She and her husband have a son, as well as 6 dogs (4 basenjis, 1 australian shepherd and an elderly rhodesian ridgeback) and 4 cats of various ages, fish and 2 flying squirrels.  They show their dogs in conformation, lure coursing, agility and obedience together as a family for fun!

Favorite motto:  Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
The journey is, and will continue to be the reward

ANDREA WRIGHT, Receptionist

Andrea is a Tacoma native who spent 8 years living in Seattle before and after college. While in Seattle Andrea earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Social Science from the University of Washington and plans to attend graduate school in a few years. She recently returned to the area to be closer to family and is living with her twin sister Jessica and her two cats, Tango and Julie. In her spare time Andrea loves to read crime and science fiction novels and spending time with friends. From the time she could walk Andrea has had a love for animals and she is excited to share that passion as a member of the Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital team!

MARY LEVISON, Receptionist

Mary is one of our receptionists at Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital. She has worked in customer service in Tacoma for 7 years; including some brief volunteer work with the Tacoma Humane Society. Mary grew up in Puyallup, but has lived in Tacoma for 12 years. She loves to travel, and has driven all over the US, spending a brief period living on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi/New Orleans. She is currently living in Tacoma with her boyfriend and their son Markus Jr. Mary attended Tacoma Community College through the Running Start program her Jr. and Sr. year of high school, and continued her education as a Psychology Major. She loves visiting the horses on her parents land in Winlock, WA and spending quality time with her family.

LIZ DOBSON, Veterinary Assistant & Webmaster

Liz was born and raised in the Puyallup/Tacoma area, and loves it more each day.  She and her husband share their 1925 Craftsman home with an Australian Cattle Dog and a fuzzy little cat. They stay busy chasing around their son, Jonah, and caring for new baby, Hazel .  Liz has worked as a Pharmacy Tech for 15 years, and has fostered eight Australian Cattle Dogs through Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue.  In her free time she loves being with family & friends, enjoying music and spending time outdoors exploring mountains via snowboarding, hiking, camping and biking.

JONATHAN OLDFIELD, Kennel Assistant

If you're here for an appointment with your pet, you'll very likely see Jonathan working hard and staying busy taking care of boarding cats and Humane Society foster cats.  Jonathan has lived in Tacoma all of his life and is a proud graduate of Henry Foss High School.  He's been married for six years and has a very handsome cat named Rigamoroll whom he loves very much.  Jonathan is a cat-person, just LOVES being alive, and enjoys movies and taking walks in his free time.  If you see Jonathan around, make sure to say, "Hello!"

LEAH THORNTON, Kennel Assistant