7 years ago, I adopted a stray kitten and brought her in for vaccinations and spay. I had no idea…read morewhat you're supposed to do with a cat. After the first visit, I was surprised at how low the cost was; about 50% less than anticipated. Also a little surprised that my follow-up visit was not for the spay. How many visits was this going to take?
At my follow-up, I got asked (again) if the kitten was an indoor cat, an indoor/outdoor, or an outdoor. Little did I know, she invented an extra category to make it easier for me to admit my cat dwells in the dangerous outdoors. But I said mostly indoor, maybe indoor/outdoor because I'm still letting her go outside for a few minutes once and awhile (never anymore). I clearly remember saying, "Definitely not outdoor." She then recommends a Feline Leukemia test. Not the vaccine. The test. I asked why. To see if she has is positive; if not, then we vaccinate. I ask if it's curable. She says it is not. I refuse the test because it makes no sense to know if she will die, but indicate they can go ahead and vaccinate her. She says it will save me money to test her first, since the vaccine is required every year. Little did I know the vaccine is completely unnecessary for "mostly" indoor cats, confers lifelong immunity, and adult cats have a natural immunity to the disease. Little did I know, almost no one with even an outdoor-only cat should be vaccinating their cat yearly for leukemia and that it was purely a money grab. So I very skeptically consent to the "expert" recommendation; but clearly, I did not give informed consent and my initial refusal was swatted away with misinformation. I was also billed for an unnecessary lab test that was free as part of my initial exam; that even knowing nothing about medical care, I would have declined as excessive to repeat on the follow-up. I get the bill at end, which is about triple what I had anticipated.
When I eventually bring in my kitten for her spay, the vet wants to know if I'd also like to declaw. It will save me money to do it now, since I won't have to pay for the other surgery costs twice. Little did I know, declawing is banned in Europe for being inhumane, and most vets in the United States would never suggest such a procedure completely out of the blue because of its controversial status. I declined. The bill was about 20% higher than anticipated.
I brought in my cat for its final visit to get the leukemia shot. I was highly skeptical at this point, mostly because of the billing. I called ahead of time to find out the billing details. I suspect I might be hit with an examination fee, and some other hidden nonsense. I was prepared to fight and refuse to pay anything I was not expressly told about. My bill was exactly as anticipated.
By this point, I knew something wasn't right. The billing was out of whack with expectations, and I was constantly being pressured to super-size my medical procedures. So, I started reading. The next thing I had done was at a different vet. And now I don't trust the medical opinion of any vets, which probably isn't fair to most vets, but is the case nonetheless. I now have to be a damned vet and then pay someone with a state license to carry out my own medical judgments, just to prevent being conned. Shouldn't I be the one with the license, if that's the case?
As far as I'm concerned, Dr. Grappin still owes me the cost of a two lab tests and vaccine. I've never formally complained because this scenario is probably not that unusual, but maybe one day I will. 7 years later, I'm still angry. My relatives have been going to that same location, previously owned by someone else, for at least 25 years. I've been pretty adamant that they switch. By law, cats don't require any vaccinations in Michigan. Vet offices should not be high-pressure sales offices to push unnecessary vaccines and lab tests.
