Meet the Team at Forest Hills Cat Hospital

Dr. Jay Luger

Veterinarian

Some of my earliest and fondest childhood memories involve the pets I have enjoyed—dogs and cats, naturally, but also lizards, chameleons, birds, and fish. As a teenager, I also owned five rabbits. At that time, I believed breeding my rabbits was my ticket to fame and fortune. I am embarrassed to admit but retrospectively happy to recall that I was unsuccessful in the “simple” enterprise of breeding rabbits. I graduated from the New York State Veterinary College at Cornell University in 1969, fulfilling my lifelong ambition to become a veterinarian. In 1970 I adopted my very first cat, who I named Vashti. Vashti was a beautiful black female short-haired cat with gorgeous golden eyes. She was the very first cat for whom I was solely responsible. Vashti converted me from a dog person (I also owned a dog named Spock at that time) to an ailurophile (cat lover).

I spent the first five years of my career working for other veterinarians in the metropolitan area, with dogs and cats as my patients. In 1972 with my cat Vashti as my inspiration, I decided that I could be a much better veterinarian if I limited my practice to cats. In pursuit of this objective, I devoted the next two years of my leisure time to reading feline literature, both professional and non-professional. In August 1974, I opened the Forest Hills Cat Hospital on Austin Street in Forest Hills. Shortly after I opened the office, my staff and I adopted our first office cat, Puss-Puss (not a name of our choosing), a 2-year-old long-haired female cat. Puss-Puss shared with us the early and challenging growing years of our practice and many lunches. Puss-Puss graced our office for nearly twenty wonderful years.

Over the years, the number of our patients grew, as did the size of our staff. In July 1998, we moved from Forest Hills to our current roomier and better-equipped facility in Glendale.

I am currently a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP). For more than twenty-five years, I have been a member of the Research Committee of the AAFC, and for more than twelve years, I served as chairperson of that committee.

My wife, Dr. Zita Goldfinger, is also a Veterinarian. Unfortunately, she has developed allergies to dogs and cats. Thus other than our daughter and son, we have no mammalian pets. However, of the nonmammalian variety of pets, we own two Sun Conures and a Bearded Dragon.

Dr. Helen Tuzio

Veterinarian, Diplomate ABVP (Feline Practice), CVA, FFCP (Veterinary) – Senior Associate

Dr. Helen Tuzio is a board-certified cat medicine and surgery specialist, having undergone an intensive process of credential approval, continuing education, publishing requirements, and testing. There are still fewer than 100 veterinarians certified in Feline Practice by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners worldwide. She is also a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist and a Fear Free Certified Veterinary Professional.

Dr. Tuzio has been an Associate at the Forest Hills Cat Hospital since 1991. She graduated with Honors from Ross University. She studied for six months at the University of Liverpool (UK), then completed a post-doctoral clinical year at Purdue University before entering private practice. She was appointed as Associate Dean and Clinical Program Director of the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine – a position she held for 12 years. In 2016 she was appointed as an Associate Professor at Long Island University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Tuzio is an active member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), serving on their Guidelines Committee until 2022 and having chaired the Committee for four years. She has co-authored the Senior Care Guidelines of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the AAFP, as well as the Guidelines for the Judicious Use of Antimicrobials published by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). She is a contributing author of several feline medicine textbooks and has contributed to developing licensing examinations for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and Feline Practice specialists. In the fall of 2007, Dr. Tuzio was appointed to (and later chaired) the Examination Development Advisory Board of the National Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (NBVME) to oversee the development of the Feline section of the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE). This position is only open to only two people in North America. In 2017 she was elected by her colleagues throughout the United States and Canada to serve as their Representative on the Board of Directors of the International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA) International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA). She was nominated and elected to a second term in 2021.

She credits her first cat `K.C.’ who lived to the tender age of 23, with teaching her the intricacies of feline medicine.

Dr. Anthony Nanton

Veterinarian, Diplomate ABVP

Dr. Nanton was born and raised in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He attended the St. Vincent Boys Grammar School, the University of the West Indies, and the University of Ibadan. He has been a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners since 2000. In 2003, he established Brookhaven Cat Hospital, which became an American Animal Hospital-accredited referral facility in 2008. In 2013, Dr. Nanton lectured at the University of the West Indies School of Veterinary Medicine and presented a seminar on feline hyperthyroidism.

Dr. Nanton is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), New York State Veterinary Medical Society, a board-certified specialist in cat medicine, and the Long Island Veterinary Medical Association, of which he is a past president. Dr. Nanton is married to his college sweetheart, a grandfather, and a hobbyist DJ. He is a board-certified and active member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP)

Dr. Nanton has enjoyed meeting our clients and patients these past few days and is looking forward to seeing more of you! He is available for appointments and cannot wait to provide you with the exceptional care you have become familiar with receiving from Forest Hills Cat Hospital!

Dr. Victoria Sheheri

Veterinarian

Bio coming soon.