I brought my cat for an emergency euthanasia appointment on a holiday weekend. My cat grew up as a feral kitten, so although he’d lived with me ten years, I’d never been allowed to hold or cuddle him.... Read More
I brought my cat for an emergency euthanasia appointment on a holiday weekend. My cat grew up as a feral kitten, so although he’d lived with me ten years, I’d never been allowed to hold or cuddle him. I requested sedation before the final needle because I wanted to love on him before he died, and because he would normally attack when he felt trapped. I tried getting him to the vet every few years, and never came away without bites and scratches. Dr MacKenzie agreed to the sedation, (an extra $50) and I explained I wanted time to hold him, and gave us between 3-5 minutes, before call into us in. He had stopped breathing… if we waited five minutes he would have died in my arms. She accused me of letting my cat suffer and gasp in his last moments, (sedated, remember) and asserted “ he IS breathing!” after I stimulated him by moving him to the exam table. I was crying and trying to explain at the same time, but she wasn’t allowing time to talk, aggressively saying “are we going to do this or not?” Three sticks to get an IV later, it was done. I took him home, and found halfway to the car that the vet had not clipped the carrier on her side, so I carried him like a half open suitcase to the car. With the emergency fee, $350 that was well worth not having my cat suffer two more days, but Dr MacKenzie did NOT earn her keep with my cat. Read Less