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- Thread starter meerkat
- Start Date
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #22
(Notes: Dr V is the vet who tried to save my cat, twit-vet is the one who made the mistake (also male) and "she" is the head-vet or whatever her title is, at the Vet Hospital where we took Patches on Sunday night. She has a strange surname; I'm not sure if I have the spelling correct. The twit-vet's name I got from the container of tablets he finally gave me. DH = Dear Hubby, or something else,
depending on mood. )
On Monday, after Patches was dropped off at Dr V's office and he said "let's give the cat a chance", I phoned the lady vet and told her I was not happy with twit-vet's performance. But at that stage, we still thought the cat would make it. She phoned again on Tuesday, just after Dr V called to say Patches had to be put down, and she was totally shocked to hear the news.
She phoned me every day so far, and yesterday spent more than 45 minutes with me on the phone. Finally she admitted that the original vet is a new graduate. I asked why he was alone in an emergency clininc. She said if we were in a small town, and there was a new graduate vet, we wouldn't have had the luxury of a second opinion anyway. I said but the point is, this is NOT a small town, it is a huge city of 375 000 people, (near Toronto, with 5 million people) and they are a big hospital with many vets and assistants; why didn't he just pick up the phone and get a second opinion? Silence.
She wanted to pin the cat's death on me because we were not willing to just fork over $700 for the tests. I said I didn't trust the vet from the first moment, and I said as much to DH before we went in. I didn't want to leave my cat there. So I asked her, if she was the vet on duty and I brought my cat in with these symptoms (urinating outside box, straining without product, vomiting, collapsing hind legs) what would she have done first? Silence again from her. I repeated my question, and then said these are the symptoms as I presented them to the vet that night; if she were there, what
would be her diagnosis? Silence again. So I said, "Thank you very much. Your silence is answer enough."
This twit never tried to take a urine sample, never touched the penis, and kept insisting it was not the bladder.
She wanted to know if it was a cultural thing. The twit-vet was wearing a turban; I am not even sure what he is and it didn't matter. I said to her I just wanted help for my cat and I didn't care who could give it to him. When I then suggested it was a cultural thing from his side, because he spoke right through me and over my head and didn't reply to my questions, but just did his own thing; she bristled and said his wife is a dentist; she is sure he doesn't subscribe to that women as subservients idea. I said well, she asked me about culture, so I had a right to ask the same of her. That calmed her right down.
I did not attack her, or yell at her, or cry (this time!) or anything. I just told her I am getting the paperwork ready to send to the Head clinic of Vets in Ontario, who handles complaints. She wanted to know what I wanted. I said I don't want him to practice on his own until he retrained or got more experience. She agreed, and said that if I complain to the Clinic, she is sure that is what they would insist on too. I told her I don't want him to be out of a job, or have him fired; I just don't want him to ever do this to a cat again. She also kept asking what she could do to "make this all go away."
I got the chart twit-vet wrote via the second vet; they had it faxed to them when they got Patches, and they made me a photocopy. This twit never weighed the cat; yet he put a weight down; never asked the history, yet he wrote that it was a stray we got from the humane society??? We got him from a pet shop as a kitten, for crying out loud! I was so angry when I read that. The vet hospital (24 hour emergency hospital) cared for Patches from the first injection; they should have his whole history there. The guy was reading it wrong or didn't read it or had cats mixed up, for sure.
Anyway, I won't go into every thing we discussed, but when I said to this Head Vet yesterday that I would at least expect them to refund the money we paid, she immediately agreed. Then she asked if I could come see her in person. Why, I don't know. DH says maybe to offer a bribe or something that I don't take this further. I told her I already spoke to many other people via email and phone, explaining what happened, and they all agree I have a case and that the vet was at fault. He shouldn't have let us leave that night without at least insisting on something - IV or blood test or whatever, or then telling us that we are removing the cat at own risk. The fact that he insisted it was not the bladder, is a clear case of misdiagnosis.
I have go see her today (Friday afternoon) at 1pm; will take the bus down there. With all the paperwork under the arm. But it is raining hard here; maybe I'll reschedule for Tuesday. Don't fancy sitting in the rain for 20 minutes, waiting for a bus.
And yes, I still miss my cat tremendously. Last night we were watching TV and I got up from the bed; automatically looking to where he would have been, and there was just an empty spot.
Thanks for reading - I just hope this never happens to any pet of mine again. I feel so guilty!
Meerkat
On Monday, after Patches was dropped off at Dr V's office and he said "let's give the cat a chance", I phoned the lady vet and told her I was not happy with twit-vet's performance. But at that stage, we still thought the cat would make it. She phoned again on Tuesday, just after Dr V called to say Patches had to be put down, and she was totally shocked to hear the news.
She phoned me every day so far, and yesterday spent more than 45 minutes with me on the phone. Finally she admitted that the original vet is a new graduate. I asked why he was alone in an emergency clininc. She said if we were in a small town, and there was a new graduate vet, we wouldn't have had the luxury of a second opinion anyway. I said but the point is, this is NOT a small town, it is a huge city of 375 000 people, (near Toronto, with 5 million people) and they are a big hospital with many vets and assistants; why didn't he just pick up the phone and get a second opinion? Silence.
She wanted to pin the cat's death on me because we were not willing to just fork over $700 for the tests. I said I didn't trust the vet from the first moment, and I said as much to DH before we went in. I didn't want to leave my cat there. So I asked her, if she was the vet on duty and I brought my cat in with these symptoms (urinating outside box, straining without product, vomiting, collapsing hind legs) what would she have done first? Silence again from her. I repeated my question, and then said these are the symptoms as I presented them to the vet that night; if she were there, what
would be her diagnosis? Silence again. So I said, "Thank you very much. Your silence is answer enough."
This twit never tried to take a urine sample, never touched the penis, and kept insisting it was not the bladder.
She wanted to know if it was a cultural thing. The twit-vet was wearing a turban; I am not even sure what he is and it didn't matter. I said to her I just wanted help for my cat and I didn't care who could give it to him. When I then suggested it was a cultural thing from his side, because he spoke right through me and over my head and didn't reply to my questions, but just did his own thing; she bristled and said his wife is a dentist; she is sure he doesn't subscribe to that women as subservients idea. I said well, she asked me about culture, so I had a right to ask the same of her. That calmed her right down.
I did not attack her, or yell at her, or cry (this time!) or anything. I just told her I am getting the paperwork ready to send to the Head clinic of Vets in Ontario, who handles complaints. She wanted to know what I wanted. I said I don't want him to practice on his own until he retrained or got more experience. She agreed, and said that if I complain to the Clinic, she is sure that is what they would insist on too. I told her I don't want him to be out of a job, or have him fired; I just don't want him to ever do this to a cat again. She also kept asking what she could do to "make this all go away."
I got the chart twit-vet wrote via the second vet; they had it faxed to them when they got Patches, and they made me a photocopy. This twit never weighed the cat; yet he put a weight down; never asked the history, yet he wrote that it was a stray we got from the humane society??? We got him from a pet shop as a kitten, for crying out loud! I was so angry when I read that. The vet hospital (24 hour emergency hospital) cared for Patches from the first injection; they should have his whole history there. The guy was reading it wrong or didn't read it or had cats mixed up, for sure.
Anyway, I won't go into every thing we discussed, but when I said to this Head Vet yesterday that I would at least expect them to refund the money we paid, she immediately agreed. Then she asked if I could come see her in person. Why, I don't know. DH says maybe to offer a bribe or something that I don't take this further. I told her I already spoke to many other people via email and phone, explaining what happened, and they all agree I have a case and that the vet was at fault. He shouldn't have let us leave that night without at least insisting on something - IV or blood test or whatever, or then telling us that we are removing the cat at own risk. The fact that he insisted it was not the bladder, is a clear case of misdiagnosis.
I have go see her today (Friday afternoon) at 1pm; will take the bus down there. With all the paperwork under the arm. But it is raining hard here; maybe I'll reschedule for Tuesday. Don't fancy sitting in the rain for 20 minutes, waiting for a bus.
And yes, I still miss my cat tremendously. Last night we were watching TV and I got up from the bed; automatically looking to where he would have been, and there was just an empty spot.
Thanks for reading - I just hope this never happens to any pet of mine again. I feel so guilty!
Meerkat
Oh, Meerkat, not only do you have to deal with the grief of losing a beloved part of your family, you have the (justifiable) anger of having him misdiagnosed, which may have caused his loss in the first place! And no matter what happens, he can't be brought back. I know what I would do - I'd pursue it until I was bone-tired of pursuing ievery angle I could think of. But I know not everyone is like me, and some will reach a point where they must let go and move on. But you have every right to lodge a formal complaint to any and every veterinarian board that is involved in licensing veterinarians, running vet hospitals, and even the Better Business Bureau!
I have a story about possible "vet malpractice," only it's not really that serious, and didn't cause irreparable harm. When my little Boo was a tiny kitten 14 years ago, my ex-husband took him in for his booster shots. My ex-husband noticed that the vet's office was crazy - people rushing all around - maybe they had had an emergency that day. He also noticed that the liquid in the syringe was a different color than usual. And he noticed that this shot didn't cost as much as the last time, but he didn't think much of it. Well, later that evening, Boo had a reaction. He was shivering and would cry in a painful little meow when touched. I called the vet's office to report that he was maybe having a reaction to the shot, and they said if he didn't improve in an hour to bring him in. But he did improve - that's the happy part of the story. I looked at the bill and noticed that they marked "canine" next to the shot he had that day, and that it was $10 less than his usual shot. I began to wonder if he had been given a canine shot instead of feline, and if that's why he seemed to have a reaction. But he wasn't suffering anymore and I forgot all about it.
Fast-forward a few months. My ex-husband and I had moved across the country. We started getting bills in the mail from that vet clinic for $10 - the exact difference between what they charged for the "canine" shot and what we usually paid. I called them and said I refuse to pay it because the mistake was theirs, and could have caused the death of my tiny kitten. A few more months pass, and I got a letter from a collection agency for ten lousy dollars! They had turned my huge "delinquent" account balance of $10 over to a collection agency.
The unmitigated gall! I was so angry that I wrote letters of complaint to the vet clinic, the AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association), and the editor of the local newspaper. I pointed out that it was a mistake made by their staff, a mistake that made my kitten sick and could have cost his life, and that I couldn't fathom why they were sending a collection agency after me for a $10 mistake that they had made.
I never heard another word from them.
I have a story about possible "vet malpractice," only it's not really that serious, and didn't cause irreparable harm. When my little Boo was a tiny kitten 14 years ago, my ex-husband took him in for his booster shots. My ex-husband noticed that the vet's office was crazy - people rushing all around - maybe they had had an emergency that day. He also noticed that the liquid in the syringe was a different color than usual. And he noticed that this shot didn't cost as much as the last time, but he didn't think much of it. Well, later that evening, Boo had a reaction. He was shivering and would cry in a painful little meow when touched. I called the vet's office to report that he was maybe having a reaction to the shot, and they said if he didn't improve in an hour to bring him in. But he did improve - that's the happy part of the story. I looked at the bill and noticed that they marked "canine" next to the shot he had that day, and that it was $10 less than his usual shot. I began to wonder if he had been given a canine shot instead of feline, and if that's why he seemed to have a reaction. But he wasn't suffering anymore and I forgot all about it.
Fast-forward a few months. My ex-husband and I had moved across the country. We started getting bills in the mail from that vet clinic for $10 - the exact difference between what they charged for the "canine" shot and what we usually paid. I called them and said I refuse to pay it because the mistake was theirs, and could have caused the death of my tiny kitten. A few more months pass, and I got a letter from a collection agency for ten lousy dollars! They had turned my huge "delinquent" account balance of $10 over to a collection agency.
The unmitigated gall! I was so angry that I wrote letters of complaint to the vet clinic, the AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association), and the editor of the local newspaper. I pointed out that it was a mistake made by their staff, a mistake that made my kitten sick and could have cost his life, and that I couldn't fathom why they were sending a collection agency after me for a $10 mistake that they had made.
I never heard another word from them.
Meerkat, I'm curious to see what she has to say to you face to face... You're right - her silence is as good as admitting the vet's guilt, interesting that she won't actually say it in so many words. I guess she's afraid of being sued.
Let us know how the meeting goes! Heavy rains... I wish those would start here soon! It's still very warm and sunny everyday (though not as hot as July or August). We still wear only t-shirts, even in the evenings...
Let us know how the meeting goes! Heavy rains... I wish those would start here soon! It's still very warm and sunny everyday (though not as hot as July or August). We still wear only t-shirts, even in the evenings...
Dear meerkat
I'm soooo sorry for your loss i feel your pain & anger
. I wonder if this twit vet does not feel for animals why he had to go to vet school. cats are people too & have very sweet soul, they should be treated as people cause their death is so hard & very painful. I read this poem & i found very touchy i hope you will like it:
Don't be dismayed at good-byes.Afarewell is necessary befor you can ever meet again.And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends. Richared Bach
I'm soooo sorry for your loss i feel your pain & anger
Don't be dismayed at good-byes.Afarewell is necessary befor you can ever meet again.And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends. Richared Bach
Meerkat
I just now saw your thread. I am so sorry for your loss of Patches. What a horrible experience for you, your husband, and poor Patches to have to go through! I would be very upset too, if the same thing happened to my cat!!!
The twit vet did poor Patches alot of harm because of his lack of skill and knowledge. This twit vet should NEVER be allowed to work on or even go anywhere near another animal ever again!!!!!!!!
I hope you are letting other pet owners in your city know about your terrible experience with the emergency clinic. I want to tell you again how sorry I am for your loss of Patches.
I just now saw your thread. I am so sorry for your loss of Patches. What a horrible experience for you, your husband, and poor Patches to have to go through! I would be very upset too, if the same thing happened to my cat!!!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #27
HI, everyone, and happy Thanksgiving to those in Canada! We had a lazy day today.
I never did go to see that lady vet on Friday, due to the weather. She was going to reschedule anyway. I'm going to see her on Tuesday evening at 6pm.
On Saturday my husband phoned around to find out about kittens up for adoption. It turned out that one Humane Society had an open house, because they have so many kittens that they just had to try and find homes for some of them. I said ok, but because Patches was a tuxedo, I would prefer a Siamese or ginger cat, if possible, and not a male again. Famous last words!
Long story short, we deliberated for a while - I was so worried about bringing a cat home for my sake and not for the sake of the cat, but it seems our new baby, named Chatter, is very happy and already made this his home. He is black with gorgeous golden eyes, and about 4 1/2 months old. He was neutered on Friday.
Those who would like to see pictures - I've uploaded about 20 of Chatter. On the same link, you will find a picture of Patches, as well as some of our hedgehogs. I think the female hedgie is pregnant!
http://meerkat.pointclark.net/Spiess...PetsIndex.html
So although there is still a lot of sadness about Patches, it is going better. Thank you again, everyone, for sharing your stories, for messages, and for input. I'll keep you posted about what the vet has to say tomorrow.
Meerkat
I never did go to see that lady vet on Friday, due to the weather. She was going to reschedule anyway. I'm going to see her on Tuesday evening at 6pm.
On Saturday my husband phoned around to find out about kittens up for adoption. It turned out that one Humane Society had an open house, because they have so many kittens that they just had to try and find homes for some of them. I said ok, but because Patches was a tuxedo, I would prefer a Siamese or ginger cat, if possible, and not a male again. Famous last words!
Long story short, we deliberated for a while - I was so worried about bringing a cat home for my sake and not for the sake of the cat, but it seems our new baby, named Chatter, is very happy and already made this his home. He is black with gorgeous golden eyes, and about 4 1/2 months old. He was neutered on Friday.
Those who would like to see pictures - I've uploaded about 20 of Chatter. On the same link, you will find a picture of Patches, as well as some of our hedgehogs. I think the female hedgie is pregnant!
http://meerkat.pointclark.net/Spiess...PetsIndex.html
So although there is still a lot of sadness about Patches, it is going better. Thank you again, everyone, for sharing your stories, for messages, and for input. I'll keep you posted about what the vet has to say tomorrow.
Meerkat
Meercat
Thank you for sharing with us.
Patches was a very beautiful cat.
Your new cat, Chatter, looks exactly like my Midnight did, except Midnight's eyes were green.
I hope you have many long and happy years with Chatter!!
Thank you for sharing with us.
Patches was a very beautiful cat.
Your new cat, Chatter, looks exactly like my Midnight did, except Midnight's eyes were green.
I hope you have many long and happy years with Chatter!!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #31
Thank you , Janine, for your note. Isn't it wonderful that we can all share feelings and emotions for our furry friends, even though we don't know each other in person?
Anne - yes, we did see the lady vet last night. Had to wait more than half an hour. I finally went out again and said to the girl in the front we have another appointment at 7.30 pm, and we have been waiting for a long time. The doctor came in shortly after, all flustered and apologetic. My husband said well, this is part of our problem with the hospital - we always have to wait a minimum of two hours and we are not happy with it.
Anyway, we talked lots, but kept coming back to what would happen now. She didn't give us a check or something, but she did say that she has taken the vet under her wing and set up a whole schedule for him to do and to complete. My husband said we insist that he won't be alone in an emergency clinic again until he is more qualified, and she agreed. So I guess when we are out late one night we might stop by and just peek in?
Then I said we got a new kitten, and if they would be willing to declaw him for us. She jumped at the opportunity - saying she would be delighted. We have to call her personally to set up the appointment for him and she will take care of him, and make sure he is ok. Not a word about payment. I said he was neutered last Friday, and got his vaccinations, etc. He now has a bit of the sniffles, but it is clear and he is not weezing, he is eating like a horse and I make sure that he urinates every morning at least. (Talk about a nervous mommy)
She said we should give him at least 3 weeks or so and then to bring him in. She couldn't be more accommodating - I think she was afraid we would be badmouthing them all over the place, but what good would that do? I am sure they will be a little more careful - for a while at least.
We also asked about exotics, and said that our hedgehog is pregnant. She said they have two doctors there - one just did micro-surgery on a hamster to reconstruct the anus/rectum or something, and the hamster is doing fine.
In other words, nothing will bring Patches back, but we gained a contact which might be invaluable in future, even just for advice.
I still think I should write a note to the overseeing vet body, but perhaps not lodge a formal complaint. Just in case this vet ever does something again, that there would already be a record of a mistake. They all make mistakes, and often after a mistake, a person would double-check and be a better doctor in the end than those who don't fail and think they are gods. MHO, of course.
Oh and we commented on this guy's lack of bedside manner too - she said she spoke to him about that!
Well, that is the long story. Thanks for listening and sharing. I still miss Patches dreadfully, but Chatter helps. He is very different, and very much his own personality. No blending of characters there! :-)
Meerkat
Anne - yes, we did see the lady vet last night. Had to wait more than half an hour. I finally went out again and said to the girl in the front we have another appointment at 7.30 pm, and we have been waiting for a long time. The doctor came in shortly after, all flustered and apologetic. My husband said well, this is part of our problem with the hospital - we always have to wait a minimum of two hours and we are not happy with it.
Anyway, we talked lots, but kept coming back to what would happen now. She didn't give us a check or something, but she did say that she has taken the vet under her wing and set up a whole schedule for him to do and to complete. My husband said we insist that he won't be alone in an emergency clinic again until he is more qualified, and she agreed. So I guess when we are out late one night we might stop by and just peek in?
Then I said we got a new kitten, and if they would be willing to declaw him for us. She jumped at the opportunity - saying she would be delighted. We have to call her personally to set up the appointment for him and she will take care of him, and make sure he is ok. Not a word about payment. I said he was neutered last Friday, and got his vaccinations, etc. He now has a bit of the sniffles, but it is clear and he is not weezing, he is eating like a horse and I make sure that he urinates every morning at least. (Talk about a nervous mommy)
She said we should give him at least 3 weeks or so and then to bring him in. She couldn't be more accommodating - I think she was afraid we would be badmouthing them all over the place, but what good would that do? I am sure they will be a little more careful - for a while at least.
We also asked about exotics, and said that our hedgehog is pregnant. She said they have two doctors there - one just did micro-surgery on a hamster to reconstruct the anus/rectum or something, and the hamster is doing fine.
In other words, nothing will bring Patches back, but we gained a contact which might be invaluable in future, even just for advice.
I still think I should write a note to the overseeing vet body, but perhaps not lodge a formal complaint. Just in case this vet ever does something again, that there would already be a record of a mistake. They all make mistakes, and often after a mistake, a person would double-check and be a better doctor in the end than those who don't fail and think they are gods. MHO, of course.
Oh and we commented on this guy's lack of bedside manner too - she said she spoke to him about that!
Well, that is the long story. Thanks for listening and sharing. I still miss Patches dreadfully, but Chatter helps. He is very different, and very much his own personality. No blending of characters there! :-)
Meerkat
Meerkat,
I just read through this thread and I feel so sorry about Patches. I have a pretty good vet but will take extra care to make sure that my cat is getting the best treatment. It's great that you could find a new kitty to love so soon! However, in your last post you mentioned that you would have him declawed. You may already know this but I just wanted to warn you that this procedure is very controversial (even illegal in some countries)because it has been known to cause pain to the cat and affect its behavior. You may want to do a search on "declaw" on this site as you can turn up a lot of information. There are also a lot of posts dealing with alternative ways to control scratching problems.
Whatever you decide, best of luck to you and Chatter!
Regina
I just read through this thread and I feel so sorry about Patches. I have a pretty good vet but will take extra care to make sure that my cat is getting the best treatment. It's great that you could find a new kitty to love so soon! However, in your last post you mentioned that you would have him declawed. You may already know this but I just wanted to warn you that this procedure is very controversial (even illegal in some countries)because it has been known to cause pain to the cat and affect its behavior. You may want to do a search on "declaw" on this site as you can turn up a lot of information. There are also a lot of posts dealing with alternative ways to control scratching problems.
Whatever you decide, best of luck to you and Chatter!
Regina
Yes, Meerkat, please please don't amputate your baby toes! It's so cruel to the cat! I'm sure you wouldn't have all your finger amputated at the first joint! This is what declawing is about and it's extremely painful and unecessary. I am about to publish an article about all the ways you can use to prevent your cat from clawing the furniture. I'll send you a preview if you like. There are so many great solutions today, even if you can't manage to make him use the scratching post (which shouldnt be too difficult with most cats), there's really no need to declaw!
You really should read this thread and follow the links:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...&threadid=137&
I'm sure you want nothing but the best for Chatters and I hope you'll take the time and courage it takes to get familiar with that horrible procedure!
You really should read this thread and follow the links:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...&threadid=137&
I'm sure you want nothing but the best for Chatters and I hope you'll take the time and courage it takes to get familiar with that horrible procedure!
Meerkat,
please don't declaw your new kitten. He will feel pain each time he is walking, and he will not be as agile as with claws. He will be an handicapped cat and will not be able to defend himself, should he ever need it. Even if he is an inside cat, think that he might escape in wich case he will not have any means at all to protect himself.
You have other solutions, for example you can cut the tips of the claws of your cat, taking care of not hurting the cuticle (the skin that shows on the claw), and your furniture will be 90% protected.
Please, think about that, do some research on the internet about declawing...
Anne-Claire
please don't declaw your new kitten. He will feel pain each time he is walking, and he will not be as agile as with claws. He will be an handicapped cat and will not be able to defend himself, should he ever need it. Even if he is an inside cat, think that he might escape in wich case he will not have any means at all to protect himself.
You have other solutions, for example you can cut the tips of the claws of your cat, taking care of not hurting the cuticle (the skin that shows on the claw), and your furniture will be 90% protected.
Please, think about that, do some research on the internet about declawing...
Anne-Claire
It's me again, I found some links about declawing:
http://www.defiant.net/declaw.html
http://www.cfainc.org/health/declawing.html
http://amby.com/cat_site/declaw.html
http://www.defiant.net/declaw.html
http://community-2.webtv.net/zuzu22/STOPDECLAWCOM/ (Beware, the first image on this site is quite heartbreaking, and there are other sections with photographs that illustrate how cruel declawing is. I have been shocked by these photographs.)
http://www.declawing.com/
Here are some extracts of this last one:
"Before you make the decision to declaw your cat, there are some important facts you should know. Declawing is not like a manicure. It is serious surgery. Your cat's claw is not a toenail. It is actually closely adhered to the bone. So closely adhered that to remove the claw, the last bone of your the cat's claw has to be removed. Declawing is actually an amputation of the last joint of your cat's "toes". When you envision that, it becomes clear why declawing is not a humane act. It is a painful surgery, with a painful recovery period.
No cat lover would doubt that cats--whose senses are much keener than ours--suffer pain. They may, however, hide it better. Not only are they proud, they instinctively know that they are at risk when in a weakened position, and by nature will attempt to hide it. But make no mistake. This is not a surgery to be taken lightly.
Your cat's body is perfectly designed to give it the grace, agility and beauty that is unique to felines. Its claws are an important part of this design. Amputating the important part of their anatomy that contains the claws drastically alters the conformation of their feet. The cat is also deprived of its primary means of defense, leaving it prey to predators if it ever escapes to the outdoors."
Anne-Claire
http://www.defiant.net/declaw.html
http://www.cfainc.org/health/declawing.html
http://amby.com/cat_site/declaw.html
http://www.defiant.net/declaw.html
http://community-2.webtv.net/zuzu22/STOPDECLAWCOM/ (Beware, the first image on this site is quite heartbreaking, and there are other sections with photographs that illustrate how cruel declawing is. I have been shocked by these photographs.)
http://www.declawing.com/
Here are some extracts of this last one:
"Before you make the decision to declaw your cat, there are some important facts you should know. Declawing is not like a manicure. It is serious surgery. Your cat's claw is not a toenail. It is actually closely adhered to the bone. So closely adhered that to remove the claw, the last bone of your the cat's claw has to be removed. Declawing is actually an amputation of the last joint of your cat's "toes". When you envision that, it becomes clear why declawing is not a humane act. It is a painful surgery, with a painful recovery period.
No cat lover would doubt that cats--whose senses are much keener than ours--suffer pain. They may, however, hide it better. Not only are they proud, they instinctively know that they are at risk when in a weakened position, and by nature will attempt to hide it. But make no mistake. This is not a surgery to be taken lightly.
Your cat's body is perfectly designed to give it the grace, agility and beauty that is unique to felines. Its claws are an important part of this design. Amputating the important part of their anatomy that contains the claws drastically alters the conformation of their feet. The cat is also deprived of its primary means of defense, leaving it prey to predators if it ever escapes to the outdoors."
Anne-Claire
Meekercat!!
I just got to reading this post.
I am so sorry about Patches. What a horrible experience to go through. NOt only do you have to deal with your beloved pet being sick, but a jerk of a VEt who should have his license taken away.
My heart is with you and Patches.
:angel2:
I just got to reading this post.
I am so sorry about Patches. What a horrible experience to go through. NOt only do you have to deal with your beloved pet being sick, but a jerk of a VEt who should have his license taken away.
My heart is with you and Patches.
Meerkat,
please check the article that Anne has worte about scratching here:
http://www.thecatsite.com/behavior/scratching.html
She explains why cats scratches and how owners can redirect this behavior to proper scratching posts....
Anne-Claire
please check the article that Anne has worte about scratching here:
http://www.thecatsite.com/behavior/scratching.html
She explains why cats scratches and how owners can redirect this behavior to proper scratching posts....
Anne-Claire
