Grote Veterinarian Clinic and Riverstone
Veterinary Hospital
D
Dr. Ryan Cate
and did, helping with everyday operations. He eventually
purchased Dr. Grote’s clinic in 2016, keeping its legacy
and namesake alive.
Dr. Cate values his clients first, serving as many as
seven pets per client. He is also passionate about train-
ing and developing young veterinarians, building loyalty
along the way. He has a technician who started with him
when she was in 10th grade, and is still with him today.
He also works with Weatherford High School’s Health
and Science program, sharing his knowledge with young
people while instilling ethical work habits to better serve
pets in Parker County.
He also wants people to know how dedicated all
veterinarians are to helping and saving pets’ lives. “We
strive to fix everything, and I think my colleagues would
agree. You have no idea how important a simple ‘thank
you’ is to us. Veterinarians have a high suicide rate, partly
due to the lack of empathy from our clients, so the next
time you visit your vet, remember how much a simple pat
on the back means to us.”
Outside of practice, Dr. Cate enjoys spending time
with his family and spending time outdoors, hunting and
riding roping horses.
r. Ryan Cate knew at a young age that
he would grow up to become an equine
veterinarian.
He grew up in Boyd around horses, and
when the family vet would come to treat their
horses, young Ryan would be right there,
watching over the procedures with interest
so apparent that he was invited to ride along
with him to make house calls. Dr. Cate went
on to attend Weatherford College, where he
obtained an Associate’s Degree in Agricultural
Science. He continued his undergraduate stud-
ies at Texas A&M University and graduated
with a BS in Animal Science. He then gradu-
ated with his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
from Michigan State University in May 2009.
After graduating with his doctorate, Dr.
Cate completed an Equine Medicine and
Surgery internship at Lone Star Park Equine
Hospital in Grand Prairie. After his internship,
Dr. Cate moved to Grenada where he was a
faculty member at St. George’s University. It
was in 2012 when he was working on equines
only that he got a call that changed his life.
“I was working in Argyle after I taught at
St. George’s Veterinarian School of Medicine,”
Dr. Cate recalled. “I got a call from Dr. Braden
Vincent [and] he wanted to know if I was
interested in buying his practice. I had to
figure out how I was going to switch to small animals. I
knew that Brock would be a good opportunity for us, so
at the end of 2012 we bought his practice and started
fresh in 2013.”
Moving to a small community, Dr. Cate knew how
important it was to give back, so he became involved
with Parker County Pets Alive, a group whose mission
it was to find at-risk pets with medical conditions that
would make good pets and find good homes for them
once they were healed.
“We started helping with those pets, and PC Pets Alive
would find foster families who would care for the pets
while we were working on their issues. In a lot of cases,
the foster families would fall in love with the pets and
keep them,” Dr. Cate said.
Dr. Cate is also involved with multiple organizations
around the county, including the American Quarter Horse
Association, Parker County Sheriff’s Posse, Parker County
Livestock Improvement Association, Meals on Wheels,
the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society,
and many more. In 2015, local vet Dr. Gary Grote was
involved in a serious accident that would eventually
prohibit him from practicing. Dr. Cate was friends with
his son and wanted to help Dr. Grote in any way possible
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