Meet Our Staff

Dr. Kathleen Deckard is a native of Jacksonville, Florida. She received her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 1999 from the University of Florida then immediately joined a large veterinary practice and remained there for the last 16 years. In 2014, she began her dream of building Pets R Family Veterinary Hospital to service the community in which she lives and provide excellent compassionate care for the pets in the St. Johns area.

Dr. Deckard enjoys challenging medicine cases and has a special interest in Dermatology. Her years in practice have enabled her to become proficient at soft tissue surgery including cystotomy, intestinal surgery, splenectomy and tumor removal. She also has advanced training in abdominal ultrasound. She has a special way of making owners and their pets feel comfortable.

When she is not caring for her patients, she enjoys spending family time with her husband and her two children. The rest of her family includes her three dogs, Captain, Fitzgerald and Isabelle. In her free time she enjoys cooking, fishing, dancing, roller blading and tennis.

Dr. Erika Pitkat is a proud native of Jacksonville, Florida. She graduated from the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2004. She practiced small animal medicine in Washington DC, Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Virginia Beach before moving back to her home state in 2012. Approximately half of her career was spent exclusively working with cats, as they hold a very special place in her heart.

Dr. Pitkat joined Pets R Family in October of 2017 and is excited to again be working with dogs, though seeing cats on her schedule makes it a purrfect day! She strives to create a stress-free visit for every patient, treating each pet as if it were her own. She still very much enjoys feline medicine, especially older cats with multiple conditions. Dr. Pitkat has also developed an interest in dentistry over the years, as the negative impacts of poor oral health can be substantial in a pet’s life.

At home, Dr. Pitkat enjoys spending time with her husband Frank, and her two beautiful daughters. Her 4 cats have trained her to do their bidding.  Her entire family has developed a passion for TaeKwon Do, training together over the past 4 years.  Dr. McDivitt earned her 2^nd Dan black belt last year as well as her junior instructor certification.  They also enjoy traveling, gardening, and any outdoor activity!  Dr. Pitkat is thrilled to be a part of the St. Johns community at Pets R Family!

Dr. Scarlet Motycka was born in Lansing, Michigan, but grew up in Orlando, Florida with her older brother and sister. She attended the University of Florida where she earned dual bachelor’s degrees in both microbiology (1997) and animal science (2001), working between that time as a veterinary technician. She then went on to earn her doctorate from the University of Florida-College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005. Dr. Motycka has spent her career as a small animal clinician in the Jacksonville and St. Augustine area, primarily as a relief veterinarian and including 3 years working in emergency medicine. As a lifelong pet owner herself, Dr. Motycka embraces the human-animal bond and treats her patients with the level of care she would give her own pets. She truly understands that pets are family members too. She and her husband of 11 years, Brian, have a beautiful 4 year old daughter named Elise. The three of them reside in Nocatee with their 4 rescue cats. When Dr. Motycka is not practicing veterinary medicine, she enjoys travel, movies/television, reading, playing games and most of all, quality family time.