Rob Willingham is the fourth person nominated in our Kingston's Best Vet competition.

The 39-year-old has worked for Acorn Veterinary Surgery in Kingston for seven years and was nominated by Miss Adams from Surbiton.

She said: "I work in cat rescue specialising in trapping feral cats. Rob is so gentle with these frightened creatures when I take them to him."

Rob, of Fairfield, Kingston, decided to become a vet at 13 after making a bet with his best friend at school. He said: "We both decided that we wanted to be vets when we were older so from then we really egged each other on to achieve it. He's now a vet in Edinburgh."

They both studied for their degrees at the Royal Veterinary College in London. Born in Yorkshire, it was the first time Rob had been away from home.

He said: "It was hard work because unlike other degrees we had to spend our holidays working in vet practices for experience."

At 26, Rob spent a year travelling across Africa and India. On his return, he moved to south-west London where he has worked ever since.

He said: "The team at the Acorn practice are excellent. The small animals side of being a vet is now quite specialised and you need advanced skills. Most vets specialise now - the idea of being a jack of all trades and master of none is quite outdated."

As an animal lover, Rob recently attracted the attention of a rather strange pet. "There is a city fox that likes to get into my house through the cat flap. I came down at 5.30am last week to find it asleep on my sofa," he said.

The vet with the most votes from Kingston Guardian readers will win the title. Votes for Kavit Manro from Henderson Keywood and Partners Practice are coming in thick and fast but there is time to vote for your favourite vet or nominate someone else.