Windsor Veterinary Clinic
On February 5th I brought my 6 month old female cat into Windsor Veterinary
Clinic to get her first set of shots and an examination. It was brought to
the vets attention during the examination that she (the cat) was showing
symptoms of being in heat, and I was concerned for her health. They told me
then that she was far too young to be in heat and laughed at me for thinking
it was even possible. No mention of kittens were EVER indicated, even though
a full examination was performed. I was present for the entire appointment
and the cat never left my sight, and I watched as they poked and prodded
around her abdomen. In short, I scheduled to have her spayed on Friday the
23rd of February, as I thought this was best to avoid her becoming pregnant
because I was not convinced that she wasn't experiencing being in heat. After
the appointment, I arranged for my mother to pick up the cat because due to
my work schedule, I could not be there. When she arrived, they told her of
the cost which was a bit pricey and not at all the amount estimated during
the first visit. When my mother asked why the price was so high, they
notified her that the cat was, in fact pregnant, so they took it upon
themselves to dispose of the kittens. This was absolutely appalling to her.
She asked why they would have done such a thing, and why they did not call me
to tell me. They claimed that because I signed a paper that they *assumed* I
knew of the cats situation. My mother also argued that they should not have
*assumed* anything in this sort of profession as they did not have just ONE
life in their hands, in this case, they had multiple. They also claim that
the cat was "obviously" pregnant and they did not know how we could not have
known. My mother explained to them that this cat was a house cat and she
always just looked plump; we did not know at all that she was pregnant or I
would have let her carry out her pregnancy as it would be cruel not to. When
my mother asked how far along these kittens were, the nurse avoided the
question repeatedly, contending my mother into asking multiple times. The
nurse finally answered by a show of hand how big the kittens were, indicating
that they were almost full term and well developed. Then the following
question arises. If this cat was "obviously" pregnant, how did the vet
performing the examination on my cat on February 5th, miss such an obvious
condition during this first appointment? They had never informed me of any
chance of pregnancy as they again, laughed at me for bringing up the subject.
Not only did they kill our litter of kittens that we did not even know about
and certainly not informed of during the first examination, but also to add
insult to injury, charges us an additional fee for the disposal of these poor
babies. No phone call was made to verify knowledge of the kittens, no
questions were asked before taking the cat in, and the only explanation that
they could give my mother was that I signed a release to perform these
actions, of which she argued the plain truth that if we were to have known
this cat was pregnant with kittens, developed or not, would NEVER had gone
through with such a terrible procedure. You would also think that a
Veterinary Clinic would take actions to avoid the death of ANY animal,
newborn, fetus, or elder, as they are there to save and help animals. In
proceeding actions, I called their emergency line to hear an explanation from
the veterinarian who performed the surgery, because I wanted to know what
happened in his words, as I don't understand how a cat that can't be in heat
could possibly be pregnant. This cat never leaves the house and the only
time she was out of the house was before I got her when she was 6 weeks old.
I called the Veterinary Clinic and told them exactly that. I told the doctor
that performed the operation, Dr. Praul, that she must have been pregnant for
6 months because she does not leave the house and we do not have any other
cats. Dr. Praul answered me by insulting my intelligence, telling me that
someones opinion who thought the cat could be pregnant for 6 months, really
doesn't matter much to him. I do not claim to know everything about cats,
that's why I take mine to the vet. I was under the impression that a
veterinarian would know more about this situation, considering that this is
their job. This so called "well trained, professional" as they like to call
themselves there, not only threw this insult at me, but also hung up the
phone during our conversation as I was expressing my concern of their
incompetence. For a "well trained professional", they certainly handled this
phone call a little immaturely. After researching online I've found that the
gestation period is in fact about two or two and a half months, and that
sometimes it can be hard to tell if the cat is pregnant. The research also
says to bring your pet to a veterinary clinic if they show any signs, in
which I did, only to be made a fool of. I feel I took the proper steps to
avoid this whole situation. I felt there was definitely a problem when I took
the cat to the vet the first time, and explained it to the so called
"professional" only to have them dismiss it. They neglected to inform me of
her pregnancy during BOTH visits to this clinic. They were not even going to
inform me or my mother of the pregnancy at all. The only reason it was ever
brought up was due to my mother asking why the visit was so expensive.
Besides their unprofessional and inconsiderate manner of business and the fee
for their neglectful and irresponsible act, I feel they have committed a
terrible wrong in depriving this cat of a litter of "well-developed" kittens.
I feel strongly that similar situations may have aroused for other clients of
this clinic as the same day of my visit a friend of mine also schedule a
neutering for her cat and witnessed many clients of this clinic complain that
the procedures done on their animals were NOT what they had originally come
in for. My reason behind writing this letter, is to inform you of the
unprofessional actions this veterinary clinic has taken, and to ask what else
I can do besides informing the public, friends, and family to remove their
animals from their care. I do not wish for any other family to experience
such a horrible thing. I consider this a serious matter.
Clinic to get her first set of shots and an examination. It was brought to
the vets attention during the examination that she (the cat) was showing
symptoms of being in heat, and I was concerned for her health. They told me
then that she was far too young to be in heat and laughed at me for thinking
it was even possible. No mention of kittens were EVER indicated, even though
a full examination was performed. I was present for the entire appointment
and the cat never left my sight, and I watched as they poked and prodded
around her abdomen. In short, I scheduled to have her spayed on Friday the
23rd of February, as I thought this was best to avoid her becoming pregnant
because I was not convinced that she wasn't experiencing being in heat. After
the appointment, I arranged for my mother to pick up the cat because due to
my work schedule, I could not be there. When she arrived, they told her of
the cost which was a bit pricey and not at all the amount estimated during
the first visit. When my mother asked why the price was so high, they
notified her that the cat was, in fact pregnant, so they took it upon
themselves to dispose of the kittens. This was absolutely appalling to her.
She asked why they would have done such a thing, and why they did not call me
to tell me. They claimed that because I signed a paper that they *assumed* I
knew of the cats situation. My mother also argued that they should not have
*assumed* anything in this sort of profession as they did not have just ONE
life in their hands, in this case, they had multiple. They also claim that
the cat was "obviously" pregnant and they did not know how we could not have
known. My mother explained to them that this cat was a house cat and she
always just looked plump; we did not know at all that she was pregnant or I
would have let her carry out her pregnancy as it would be cruel not to. When
my mother asked how far along these kittens were, the nurse avoided the
question repeatedly, contending my mother into asking multiple times. The
nurse finally answered by a show of hand how big the kittens were, indicating
that they were almost full term and well developed. Then the following
question arises. If this cat was "obviously" pregnant, how did the vet
performing the examination on my cat on February 5th, miss such an obvious
condition during this first appointment? They had never informed me of any
chance of pregnancy as they again, laughed at me for bringing up the subject.
Not only did they kill our litter of kittens that we did not even know about
and certainly not informed of during the first examination, but also to add
insult to injury, charges us an additional fee for the disposal of these poor
babies. No phone call was made to verify knowledge of the kittens, no
questions were asked before taking the cat in, and the only explanation that
they could give my mother was that I signed a release to perform these
actions, of which she argued the plain truth that if we were to have known
this cat was pregnant with kittens, developed or not, would NEVER had gone
through with such a terrible procedure. You would also think that a
Veterinary Clinic would take actions to avoid the death of ANY animal,
newborn, fetus, or elder, as they are there to save and help animals. In
proceeding actions, I called their emergency line to hear an explanation from
the veterinarian who performed the surgery, because I wanted to know what
happened in his words, as I don't understand how a cat that can't be in heat
could possibly be pregnant. This cat never leaves the house and the only
time she was out of the house was before I got her when she was 6 weeks old.
I called the Veterinary Clinic and told them exactly that. I told the doctor
that performed the operation, Dr. Praul, that she must have been pregnant for
6 months because she does not leave the house and we do not have any other
cats. Dr. Praul answered me by insulting my intelligence, telling me that
someones opinion who thought the cat could be pregnant for 6 months, really
doesn't matter much to him. I do not claim to know everything about cats,
that's why I take mine to the vet. I was under the impression that a
veterinarian would know more about this situation, considering that this is
their job. This so called "well trained, professional" as they like to call
themselves there, not only threw this insult at me, but also hung up the
phone during our conversation as I was expressing my concern of their
incompetence. For a "well trained professional", they certainly handled this
phone call a little immaturely. After researching online I've found that the
gestation period is in fact about two or two and a half months, and that
sometimes it can be hard to tell if the cat is pregnant. The research also
says to bring your pet to a veterinary clinic if they show any signs, in
which I did, only to be made a fool of. I feel I took the proper steps to
avoid this whole situation. I felt there was definitely a problem when I took
the cat to the vet the first time, and explained it to the so called
"professional" only to have them dismiss it. They neglected to inform me of
her pregnancy during BOTH visits to this clinic. They were not even going to
inform me or my mother of the pregnancy at all. The only reason it was ever
brought up was due to my mother asking why the visit was so expensive.
Besides their unprofessional and inconsiderate manner of business and the fee
for their neglectful and irresponsible act, I feel they have committed a
terrible wrong in depriving this cat of a litter of "well-developed" kittens.
I feel strongly that similar situations may have aroused for other clients of
this clinic as the same day of my visit a friend of mine also schedule a
neutering for her cat and witnessed many clients of this clinic complain that
the procedures done on their animals were NOT what they had originally come
in for. My reason behind writing this letter, is to inform you of the
unprofessional actions this veterinary clinic has taken, and to ask what else
I can do besides informing the public, friends, and family to remove their
animals from their care. I do not wish for any other family to experience
such a horrible thing. I consider this a serious matter.