My cat developed a bladder issue about four months ago. I visited the VCA vet many times during this period, and they were always very friendly. However, I have one experience that has left a bad ta... Read More
My cat developed a bladder issue about four months ago. I visited the VCA vet many times during this period, and they were always very friendly. However, I have one experience that has left a bad taste in my mouth.
In the course of two months, I paid for three bladder tests for my cat. The first two showed blood in the urine. I put my cat on a regime to help the bladder inflammation, but he kept peeing outside the litter box. When I got the third urine test, the test was meant to determine whether I should pay for an expensive X-ray, because I was worried that it might be something serious. The vet told me that the urine test revealed "Crystals" in the urine, which are a precursor to stones. I paid for the expensive X-ray, which showed nothing. Two months later, I was still treating my cat's pee problem as something medical, and trying all kinds of hormone therapies and switching out his food in case of allergies. I decided to get a second opinion from a different vet, Paws and Claws (which I recommend), and they looked at the records and told me that the last urine test showed no blood. This was news to me; the VCA vet had not told me this. In addition, the new vet said that the levels of crystals in the urine at the time of that test were perfectly normal. It turned out that the urine test showed that the bladder was no longer inflamed TWO MONTHS prior, and I had paid for an expensive x-ray for nothing. I don't know why the VCA vet failed to inform me that my cat was now healthy and no longer in pain. I want to believe that maybe she was just being lazy or forgot about my history. I am not sure, but this experience has left a bad taste in my mouth. Read Less