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(WA State) Vet tech stole our cat that was supposed to be put to sleep. (self.legaladvice)

prettyorganic が 投稿

Writing this on behalf of my parents, I live in a different city, so some details might be vague.

So - we had this 10 year old cat who has been morbidly obese all his life. That has caused him more and more problems as leg injuries make him unable to walk, which caused him to be unable to use the litterbox, which resulted in a severe bladder and kidney infection.

With all of these things in combination, my parents made the decision to put the cat to sleep. We've been trying and failing to get the cat to lose weight for years and had no luck doing that in a way that did not involve starving our two other cats and our dog or completely isolating the animals from each other (which caused separation anxiety between the fat cat and his brother).

So - this decision was made by a recommendation from our vet, paid for, and then my dad left the cat with the vet, not wanting to watch him die.

Except we found out a few days later (from a friend who works at the clinic) one of the vet techs had decided to take our cat home, give him medical care on her own, and plans to eventually put him back up for adoption.

On the one hand, the cat is getting expensive treatment and specialized care that we couldn't afford or even do with our busy schedules, and it's great that he's alive...on the other hand, a specific treatment was paid for, we dealt with the emotional implications and trauma of losing a longtime companion, and the clinic essentially took our money and went behind our backs with this decision we felt was best for an animal in pain.

Was it legal for the animal hospital to do this? Should we...do something?

I'm happy that the cat is alive but this still feels pretty wrong. My parents have started bringing our other animals to a different animal hospital because of this.

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[–]ZanctmaoQuality Contributor 116ポイント117ポイント  (8子コメント)

Well...

I suppose you should get a refund for the procedure at the very least. I wouldn't insist on specific performance, however.

[–]LocationBot 67ポイント68ポイント  (7子コメント)

Unlike dogs, cats do not have a sweet tooth. Scientists believe this is due to a mutation in a key taste receptor.

[–]hhhnnnnnggggggg 60ポイント61ポイント  (5子コメント)

Location bot is almost relevant...

[–]gimmemyfuckingcoffee 10ポイント11ポイント  (4子コメント)

Location bot should try telling my cat that she doesn't have a sweet tooth. I can't eat marshmallows without her getting in my face.

[–]hhhnnnnnggggggg 5ポイント6ポイント  (2子コメント)

Maybe it's the gelatin!

[–]gimmemyfuckingcoffee 6ポイント7ポイント  (1子コメント)

Could very well be. She also gets in my face for gummy candies.

[–]Grave_Girl 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Now I want to go see if my mom's cats will eat gummy bears. And it's 30 minutes before midnight, and we've already eaten all the gummy bears (and the gummy snakes).

[–]ieatcheese1 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Location not should meet my angry childhood cat. She ate everything. She'd attack you if you didn't share, until she passed everybody left a little bit of food on their plate for her at dinner. All something different of course.

[–]MrsKravitz 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

LocationBot, we miss you and your pithy kithy bites o' wisdom! Boo Kitty misses you even more.

[–]UsuallySunnyQuality Contributor 109ポイント110ポイント  (17子コメント)

Legally, they may owe you a refund for the euthanasia charge. Other than that, the cat is property that you have abandoned, in a legal sense.

Morally and ethically, the tech is saving the life of a cat who might have another 5-7 years ahead of him.

[–]prettyorganic[S] 42ポイント43ポイント  (2子コメント)

Morally and ethically, the tech is saving the life of a cat who might have another 5-7 years ahead of him.

Yeah, I can appreciate that. Like I said, I don't live at home and putting him to sleep wasn't my decision (in fact I was pretty angry about that).

[–]The-Noodle-Incident 13ポイント14ポイント  (1子コメント)

I'm glad you can appreciate the fact they wanted to save the cat. I hope at the end of the day, your parents can see that as the best outcome. But I wanted to weigh in here and say that yes, legally the vet did wrong to agree to euthanize then not do it. You can be fairly certain that the money your parents paid for the euthanasia was used to open a tab for routine labwork, medications and if any was left, for a first bag of prescription diet for their cat. Despite being very compassionate and trying to help, the vet handled this poorly (and illegally). Your parents are right to feel misled. If they cannot be reconciled to the idea that this is a good outcome, they could register a complaint with the state's veterinary licensing board which would likely result in a letter of reprimand. It's unfortunate that a vet would get a slap on the wrist for caring and going above and beyond. That said, no one should ever wonder if their animal is getting the care agreed upon. Honestly, I think you would have just as much impact by calling the doctor and explaining your disappointment and breach of trust that your parents weren't allowed to participate in the decision to treat and rehome the kitty.

Euthanasias are unfortunately an every day part of practicing veterinary medicine. It can be extremely demoralizing to the whole staff to euthanize an animal that could be treated and live happily instead. Often, owners feel the exact same, but the sad fact is not everyone has money, time or ability to deal with medical issues.

If euthanasia is requested but the vet thinks an animal could be helped and rehomed and the clinic is willing to make the effort, they can offer to use the donated euthanasia fee to start medical care and have the owner surrender the pet over to the hospital.

Most people are extremely accepting of this. They have mentally said goodbye to the animal and were going to spend money to put the animal down anyway, so it's win-win if the animal can be helped and rehomed instead. It can break down if the owner feels like they are being harshly judged and their care and commitment insulted. At the same time, vets cannot be required by law to euthanize an animal if it is against their medical judgement. But they do have to tell you they won't euthanize and not just take a pet.

[–]prettyorganic[S] 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Thank you for your reply. I know that morally, this was the best outcome, but we were curious about the legal perspective.

[–]TheCatGuardian 52ポイント53ポイント  (13子コメント)

It is probably an ethical issue for the vet, but really nothing you listed is a reason to put down the cat so I would just be extremely happy that someone was willing to actually give him a chance.

[–]ZanctmaoQuality Contributor 22ポイント23ポイント  (0子コメント)

username checks out.

[–]prettyorganic[S] 14ポイント15ポイント  (10子コメント)

I am happy - it wasn't my decision to put the cat down. My parents are not so happy though, particularly after the vet told them that putting the cat down was the best choice given his health conditions and our home situation, and then someone else at the hospital changed their mind without letting us know.

[–]TheCatGuardian 49ポイント50ポイント  (9子コメント)

The vet said that it was best considering your home situation which apparently did not include a willingness to care for the cat properly. I would have hoped that a vet would encourage you to surrender the cat but in the end the most you can really hope for is a refund, or possibly the value of the cat.

[–]newnumberorder 6ポイント7ポイント  (0子コメント)

Home situation notwithstanding, the vet suggested a specific procedure, OP's folks complied with and paid for the vet's recommendation, then did not follow through with it. I'd be over the moon that somebody was gonna give my cat another chance, but I'd absolutely want my money back.

[–]prettyorganic[S] 0ポイント1ポイント  (7子コメント)

Fair enough. I'll relay this information on to them. I don't think it was a lack of willingness, I think he just needed more attention than a household of full-time workers could give, and isolation from other animals so he wouldn't eat more than his helping of food. But like I said, I don't live at home.

[–]jaykwalker 15ポイント16ポイント  (1子コメント)

Were they ever encouraged to just surrender the cat?

Honestly, it sounds like they have too many pets, anyway.

[–]prettyorganic[S] 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

If they had been given that choice/encouragement, that's something I think they would have considered but I don't know.

[–]MrsKravitz 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

Have you considered that now he is gettting precisely the kind of attention you always believed he should have, but couldn't provide for whatever reason? I would thank the universe for sending my sweet kitty just the right help at just the right time.

Your description of a cat so obese that he could not walk or use the litterbox gives me the chills.

You seem willing to think reasonably, maybe try to influence your parents too.

[–]NotLookingThere 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Keep in mind it was the tech, not the vet that took it. The vet might not even know.

[–]Fastpitcher 11ポイント12ポイント  (3子コメント)

Your parents are being very petty, I think. Almost like they are disappointed the cat didn't die (they didn't get what they paid for). I think you should encourage them to let it go. Consider it a small price to pay for the cat getting a second chance at life. Your parents sort of did get what they wanted. They have no further responsibility to the cat. For that they should be grateful. To complain because the cat isn't actually dead is kind of awful.

[–]fooliam 5ポイント6ポイント  (1子コメント)

Legally, the vet agreed to and accepted payment for a service, then did not deliver that service. That's a problem. The outcome may be good, but the method through which that outcome was achieved is dubious and unethical at best.

[–]Fastpitcher -1ポイント0ポイント  (0子コメント)

Maybe. But I still maintain that the parents being upset because their cat wasn't actually killed is a BIGGER problem. It's petty. They should be grateful someone was willing to step up and take care of the cat they pretty much refused to care for.

[–]ieatcheese1 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

While I agree it's sad to say "OMG my cat isn't dead!" it's difficult to accept the passing of a pet only to find out they've just gone to another home. They paid for the cat to be put down, either it should've been put down or they're owed their money-which can be up to $200.

[–]_silentheartsong 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Have your parents spoken to the clinic? Did they pay up front for the procedure?

[–]aliteralmarshmallow 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

Hi, I'm a veterinary student, not a lawyer. I'm also educated in Australia, not the US, so take this with a grain of salt.

What this veterinarian did is a huge breach of professional ethics. We're taught to never, ever do this without client consent as it is grounds for us to lose our licenses. At the very least, your parents should be entitled to their money back as the service (euthanasia) was never performed. You might even be well within your rights to go to your state Veterinary Surgeon's Board (or equivalent).

[–]dwarf_ewok 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

It would be legal if your parents signed papers to surrender the animal to the vet.

Otherwise, the vet a) charged you for a procedure it didn't perform and b) still has your cat.

[–]The-Noodle-Incident 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

So, you are 100% correct. Legally, this vet did not handle this correctly. Too bad they didn't just ask the owners if they would be willing to donate the euthanasia fee towards starting medical care and ask them to sign it over. It's understandable not to want to euthanize an animal that can be helped. But this was not the way to go about it and people shouldn't ever have to worry their pet may not be euthanized if that's what's been discussed.

[–]EmEffBee 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

That's how I got my cat! However, of course we asked the client first and did not charge for a euthanasia. Your parents should get a refund for the procedure and they should speak to the vet, because his staff should absolutely ask before doing something like that. Its awesome your parents cat got a second chance!

[–]mreilly93 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

If he was put to sleep, would you have claimed the body or ashes? Or was you family going to let the vet dispose of it? If your family did claim him for the ashes, I would think he would still be considered yours. I feel you should of been notified that an Employee of the animal hospital volunteered to take in the cat to see if he would be successful in her treatment plan.

I am beyond happy to see him get the treatment and time he needs. But there could of been a better way to find out about this then through word of mouth. Sorry, I'm not giving much legal advice. The animal hospital lacked in professionalism in this situation.

[–]missyanntx -5ポイント-4ポイント  (0子コメント)

If OP's parents do get a refund for the service not rendered they should give the refund to the vet tech to help with the cost of care.