am I overreacting?

would like some input on this... I brought in my kitten yesterday for his castration. My vet (also my boss) was being helped in his surgeries by a good friend of his (also a vet), so my kitten was in good hands... right?

They gave Elmo his pre-anaesthetic injection and put him back in his cage until he fell asleep. I had thought I'd wanted to assist in the surgery, but as the receptionist pointed out, it was best I didn't because I was too attached to the cat (stresses me out and therefore stresses out the vet).

Here's what really ticked me off. My boss' friend went to get Elmo out of the cage and bring him to the surgery room. But he was carrying MY kitten by the scruff only! I KNOW he's asleep and I KNOW it doesn't hurt him, but I was really insulted because this vet was showing NO respect for the cat. Treating him as though he was a toy. He thought it was funny! I would have been just as ticked at him if it was anyone's cat. Asleep or not, this cat is not "just another cat"... it's a living being, that should be treated with decency and respect. Not carried around like a soiled rag!!! When he found out it was my cat, he started laughing!! He never even apologized! (to give you an idea of how upset I am... I'm trembling!) Worst thing is... since he's my boss' friend (and a vet), I can't bite his head off for doing it (not usually something I'd do, but this time... screw the consequences, I'd have given him a big piece of my mind!!!). Which ticks me off even more!!!

I wonder how he'd feel if I showed up at his house and carried his toy poodle around by one back leg? It's the same principle. Treat all animals with the respect they deserve...

It doesn't make sense to me when a vet shows such disregard for any animal. If the kitten was drugged and asleep, there was no need to scruff him. Scruffing, if done right, temporarily renders the animal powerless and you usually do this on an aggressive or active cat, not one that is unconscious.

That would Tick me OFF, too! Your boss' friend has no compassion, in my opinion. Slopping Elmo around like "poultry" is not exactly professional in my book.

Personally, I would have carried Elmo like a baby, close to my chest...you know, like an ANIMAL LOVER!

I don't think you are over-reacting.

There's My 2¢ anyway...

Kim

I would be furious too! Holding him like he was a piece of soiled laundry makes no sense at all!

Just tell yourself... one day, a loudmouthed owner who doesn't have to worry about their job will see him doing that or something similar, and he'll be in trouble. I think the local news has broadcast things like that before.
If you still feel strongly about it the next time you see your boss, I would calmly mention the possibility of that scenario happening while this guy was "helping out", and trouble coming down on his head.
I don't know your boss, so you might just get patted on the head and patronized, but it's worth a shot to say something, IMO.

This is only my opinion, but your boss's friend sounds like someone who is in the wrong profession!!

I've seen a lot of vets do that. I actually never knew for a fact if it harmed them in any way shape or form. I always felt that it couldn't possibly be that great of a thing, which is why I have never picked up a cat like that, with out supporting the rest of it's body.

A vet I went to with some foster kittens, plucked each kitten out of the carrier by the scruff, and kinda flicked them around by the scruff and stared laughing, saying things like "well will you look at them."

Cats are people, too.....
Hope my Doctor doesn't do that to me...I'm scheduled to have surgery soon....wouldn't that be a sight!

I don't think you are overreacting at all. I would have been infuriated as well if I saw a vet (or anyone else, for that matter) handling one of my cats that way. Laughing when you told him it was your cat was the icing on the cake. I would find a tactful way to address this with your boss if at all possible. Poor kitty!

I have to clarify that Elmo wasn't dragging on the floor, but the vet (the friend) was holding him in front of him like one of those paintings of hunters holding a dead rabbit by the ears with this "look what I just killed" look on his face. All that was missing was the pinky finger in the air.

When Elmo left the surgery room, he was cradled like a child in the arms of my vet. One thing's for sure. I'm NEVER letting the vet-friend lay his hands on my animals again... conscious or not.

Good for you! If you can't talk to your boss about it, a nice anonymous letter can do the trick. Or check the vet out with the Better Business Bureaux (BBB) He might have something against him. Then you can make a complaint and say how you felt when he laughed at you. You should make a complaint anyways, NO professional laughs at a family member of a surgury patient-EVER!

I have no idea how my boss' friend started in practice, but I know that my vet started by working on large farm animals (horses, cows mostly.. maybe pigs too, I don't know.) and I'd like to see how he scruffed a horse! So it's a good indication that he's found alternative ways of caring for animals. Maybe his friend could profit from working on a few large ungulates? Maybe a couple of well placed kicks would set him straight? (me? vindictive? no way! )

I think I'll try talking to my vet. I remember they were talking about someone who had been "kicked out" of the vet profession and I'm praying that it wasn't his friend. If it WAS him... even if he has all the know-how to assist in surgeries... I don't think he should be allowed to. Presumably he was kicked out for a good reason... I'm crossing my fingers it wasn't him they were talking about.

Side note: Elmo is now home safe and sound, and everyone is happy to see him back to his "old" self again. Our little turkish van impersonator has happily resumed his duties of snuggling with his "auntie" Kermitte and stalking our dog's tail!

I don't blame you one little bit for being upset!!!! I would have been too!!! I think you should say something to your boss. If you say it in a nice way he may not be upset. That is terrible how Elmo was treated by that guy!!!!

And I am glad to hear Elmo is home and doing well now!!! I love the name Elmo!!!! How cute!!!! I will have to remember that if another feral crosses my path, that is a good name!!!!!!!I may steal it!

Sounds like your boss' friend is a total arrogant pr@ck.

To laugh at you is SO obnoxious and degrading.
I say stick it to the b@stard. (but don't let yourself get in trouble !)

Debby, we decided on the name Elmo because our first cat's name is Kermitte (like the frog, but since she's female, we added "te" at the end!), and we wanted to keep the muppets/seasame street theme going!

I'd like to bring up the scruffing issue with my boss, but I don't know how. He and I both are very shy people, and we've just recently got to the point where we're comfortable enough that we can poke fun at each other (mostly they tease me... because I'm underweight... but that's a health thing I'm trying to figure out and I really don't mind it. I've gotten a few zingers in myself! )without fear of losing our jobs! (case in point... I'm the only one at the clinic that can speak/understand very basic spanish, and I KNOW that my boss has no idea what I'm saying when I say "hasta manana or hasta luego" (see you tomorrow and see you later) so I got a small gift for him at Christmas:... a spanish-french dictionary! lol ) And I HATE confrontations. Can anyone suggest who to bring things up without things getting out of hand? (when I get really stressed and am backed into a confrontation, I've broken into tears before... so I really don't want that to happen if I can possibly avoid it.

I guess you could call me a whimp...

I agree - I would also mention that I read somewhere that holding a cat by the scruff only (without supporting his body weight) can actually harm the cat. Only kittens are supposed to be handled like that by their mothers when they move them - not adult cats. I do know that sometimes you have no choice but to scruff a hostile adult cat but then you would do that for a very short period of time and definitely not often. So, I would also say that a vet that does that on a regular basis is putting the cats in danger. You can tell your boss that whole your Elmo looks well now - that vet friend of you could sometimes hurt a cat like this.

And no - you were not overreacting IMO - sorry you had to go through that and I'm glad Elmo is feeling fine now