Vet Lost my Cat and Called the Cops on ME

Some of you will remember my other thread. Trying a new account because reddit can be weird and I hope this works. I just don't understand why it's so hard to post even 'non political' things on reddit now, but it is.

This is Animal Clinic of Plainview (Texas) That's what's really new. That's who it was. I was hoping to get my cat back alive and now I have pretty much no hope left.

They lost my cat in their boarding facility and she is probably dead now. I am so angry and sad. So now, I start posting what happened. It's been 8 days since they admitted they lost her.

Yes, she is 'skittish' outside the home (but completely non aggressive, very sweet temperament on this little girl).

Skittish kitties exist, and are not lost by trustworthy boarding facilities, especially a reputable *vet* clinic.

One of their employees tried to blame her skittishness for the whole incident and for a time I got baited into defending my cat's honor, so to speak (because I love her, she is so sweet and gentle).

No. This is why boarding facilities have 'double containment' - where, if the animal gets out of the cage (which can happen), it's easy to just catch it and put it back. This facility has a cluttered loft immediately above the cat boarding area, and that's just for starters.

It's also why we all pay the kind of fees associated with companion animals. You can't charge $20 a day and then say 'meh, just a cat' if you lose one. The whole business model of small animal boarding more generally, relies on people who LOVE their pets enough that they pay the higher fees you all charge.

They refused to look for her the day I was supposed to pick her up (last Saturday, so... 5 October should be). I was supposed to be appeased by a single, small trap they set, and they were supposed to go home because God forbid they stay late and look for the cat they lost.

I started to push back, realizing with horror that they just don't care they lost her (not even from a business perspective, which floors me), and they trotted out 'we're the experts, you have to trust us'. I said something like 'well you aren't the experts today, you lost my cat, and we need to FIND her'. That enraged the owner. He stormed out and called the cops. I was by now absolutely furious too. Why wouldn't I be?

The cops showed up FAST. It is his property (though I would argue he has obligations here, and now my cat is likely dead because he refused to listen and care), and I will just say I hope the trespassing laws are enforced this strongly if weirdos come to my actual residence someday.

I didn't want to be arrested AND not get my cat, so I complied and the whole week has been a never-ending nightmare.

Monday morning we went to the police, so as to not take any chance of me getting arrested for going to the clinic. They did help. The clinic allowed an officer into the boarding area. They finally started searching the loft and some other areas. They set more traps and at least one game camera. No cat... But again, everyone was pretty sure she's in there. I don't think they've searched again.

At one point during the week, the police chief of Plainview went out there and talked to them. He was great. Honestly a huge improvement over any of the other officers I spoke with, who weren't terrible, but weirdly kept sort of accepting the vet's excuses beyond the mere unfortunate reality of 'we have no powers for this one'. They sort of tended to take his side, I guess maybe because he is still an 'authority figure' in their minds, despite his epic screw-ups, and I am... not. But Chief was pretty great.

Still, if chief of police visited me, you'd have my attention. Even this was not enough to light a fire under their butts, not really. This whole week they have not ONCE called me. I always called them. For about a day or two, they actually blocked my phone number. I verified that it was just my number that got a 'blah blah call cannot be completed' message. Wild.

It is now unblocked. I spoke with front desk yesterday before they closed for the rest of the weekend. That is just crazy interesting thought process there.

I honestly believe that at this point, if they have not surreptitiously disposed of her, there is a little dead kitty somewhere in their building. It's unbearable. What a horrible death. And she had a hard start in life like so many animals. Unnecessary.

I will never forgive myself. Part of why this was all possible was because, in 2020 so many vets started doing everything 'in the back'. I hate it, but like most people, I have accepted that it is a reality of day to day operations with a pet now. If I had seen their facility I might have questioned what could happen. Maybe. But I probably would have still trusted them. They are 4.7 on Google... And if they don't lose one of your animals, that's probably right.

I never did have a problem with this clinic before this. The doctor is not incompetent as a vet. He diagnosed my chubby tux (I believe correctly) with a chronic urinary tract inflammation, now managed with adequan shots. I don't know that I would have seen this coming, even with the somewhat dingy and cluttered boarding area, because I would have told myself 'of course if they lost her they'd find her, she'd still be contained in the building, even if it might be a bit challenging to find her'.