Righteous Wrath

A little while ago, I wrote about Tristan, my cat who was taken by cancer.

At that time, I also mentioned that we'd taken on a special needs kitten - a little Persian girl, who was born with a deformity (an "open fontanelle", meaning the plates of her skull had not properly closed). She probably had some brain damage, at two weeks old she had been rejected by her mother, and then dropped on her head by her owner. Said owner brought the kitten into the vet clinic in which my wife was working that day, but had no money to treat the kitten.

So, now we had a kitten.

We nursed this kitten. She got over her immediate problems, began to grow, romp, maybe even thrive. She got a name ("Moxie"). She wasn't bright, didn't know quite what to do with our other cat, and had problems learning what a litterbox was for.

Now, my wife's a veterinarian. She's got a lot of tricks up her sleeve, and she can call to talk with behavioral specialists. After trying the mundane and easy things we could try at home had failed, the best idea we came upon was a simple and obvious one - get our kitten in with a bunch of other kittens. She'd get some socialization, get to see other cats her age using the litterbox, and maybe pick up the habit herself. And, one of the technicians in a clinic my wife worked at had a litter she was fostering of about the right age! An excellent option!

What we didn't know is that this technician - a professional in animal care - when given a kitten to watch over... wouldn't actually, you know, watch.

I'd called a few days in to the care, and been told everything was fine. I called a few days later to check in, didn't get the technician on the phone, and left a message that wasn't returned. Today, my wife returned to the same clinic, and the technician (who wasn't working that day) reportedly stopped in, dropped off the kitten, and quickly left without seeing or talking to my wife.

We gave her a kitten that weighed two pounds, and could dash around the house for nearly an hour without slowing down. We have gotten back a kitten that is one pound, three ounces, and barely has energy to stand. Our best guess is that the technician didn't bother to see if she was actually eating the food presented to her, and she's been slowly starving for a week and a half.

We're going to try to nurse her back to health again, but we don't know if Moxie's going to make it.

A kitten. A special-needs kitten. Perhaps the most helpless thing you're apt to run into in your life. Hungry. Listless. Wasting away because the person responsible for her couldn't be bothered to note her condition and call us.

I am a patient man. I am a calm man, not prone to fits of temper. But I am glad that I never need to see this technician again, or I would do or say something that would have ugly repercussions for my wife's professional relations in the area. So long as I am never in that person's presence, I can control my anger. Because that anger won't help Moxie. Moxie needs me to be smart and attentive, now.

But I expect my dreams tonight will be dark ones indeed.

That's horrible to hear. I really, really like cats and a story like this just breaks my heart. Best of luck with her, Umbran; I hope it all works out.

Umbran said:

I am a patient man. I am a calm man, not prone to fits of temper.

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I'm neither patient nor calm and I'm prone to fits of aggressive action. I'm also confident in my ability to handle dangerous situations. I'd confront him in person. As a famous man once said, "Violence solves everything."

Too many people get away with too many things like this simply because they can. I know you're thinking that you're taking the higher ground by not being confrontational, but there's a saying I think you should consider, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Me, my cats and my dog are all rooting for Moxie.

Kzach said:

I know you're thinking that you're taking the higher ground by not being confrontational, but there's a saying I think you should consider, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

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No. I think I'm taking useful ground. Many pet owners get angry about things that could not be helped. If I get confrontational, angry, or irrational, I can be written off as an angry, emotional pet owner.

Right now, the technician and other people at that clinic are assuming that the decline is due to Moxie's neurological state, and they cannot really grasp that one of their own could have done something wrong. Getting irate won't change that - it will only reinforce it.

Now, the kitten has eaten more than a can of cat food since yesterday evening. She's still weak, and lacks energy - if she catches a cold or something, she might not make it. But, if she doesn't catch something, she might come out okay.

If she gains energy, gets her weight back on, then we'll take her back to that clinic, and show them the evidence - that no, it wasn't her neurological condition it was how they cared for her.... That might accomplish something.

Mind you, the malnourishment may have increased her risk for neurological problems. Time will tell.

Wow, I don't know what to say other than that I really hope that Moxie gets better.

well, since you are posting this in a public forum, I'll assume you don't actually plan to do anything illegal. If you do, posting this topic was ill conceived.

Do not cause a scene, that will only make you look like bad. I recommend you mail a letter to the guy's boss detailing the situation. Willingness to obviously ignore an animal in dire health and then lie about it speaks volumes for the work ethic of someone in the veterinary field.

Do not just "talk with" someone down at the office that seems to be in charge. Often the employees and supervisors in an office form a clique that protects one another so the boss never finds out what the hell is going on. The employee is protected from their screw ups,the boss blissfully thinks everything is alright and supervisors carefully maintain the bosses ignorance so everything runs smoothly.

frankthedm said:

well, since you are posting this in a public forum, I'll assume you don't actually plan to do anything illegal. If you do, posting this topic was ill conceived.

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Goodness, no. I am not stupid enough to do anything illegal over this, nor dumb enough to speak publicly about the issue if I were. I speak of it here merely because it is a major thing in life, and worth talking about.

As a cat owner myself, I can understand your anger. I hope Moxie makes it, but with the obvious care you are giving I would think she has a great chance.

I agree with Frank in making a complaint in writing, should things continue to indicate the neglect. I know I would not want someone like that working in my vet's office.

It would be different if they came forward, admitted their mistake and apologized. It's the attempt to hide it/avoid responsibility that really indicates what kind of person they are. I have a big personal issue with people not taking responsibility for their actions.

I suspect Umbran's strategy is wise and sound. Get the cat healthy, then bring it in as evidence of malfeasance.

A case could be made that this is just one kitten on a planet with enough kittens that need the same help, but don't have the same medical disadvantage.

I'm OK with a person deciding not to expend finite resources on the worst cases. That's what triage is for.

However, when somebody says they're going to help, I bloody well expect them to help. Especially when they are in the industry of helping.

So a vet person saying they'll help with your experiment to help the kitten who isn't monitoring the experiment, and even properly aborting it or advising you that its not working, is not a good vet person.

I'm sorry to hear that you've been let down. I hope enough evidence get revealed to get this bozo out of the industry, or at least that office.