Should I take vets to court??

cakeordeath_2

I don't think it is greedy to ask for more money, if the cat hadn't been put to sleep you would, at this point, have a cat who had been spayed and had its vaccinations, so I think it would be reasonable to ask for the money to cover these necessary vets bills on top of the price for a new cat (at a reasonable breeders price) + the money you've paid them. I honestly think you would be on shaky ground with a court to try to get more by saying you might want to get a dog and they cost more.

I'm so sorry for you losing your poor little kitten, I hope with time you feel you can give another cat a home.

loobyloo2

Sorry to hear of this sad event. It seems there was not enough communication between the two vets involved, and very unfortunately, this meant the loss of your young cat.
I would accept the amount offered on the proviso that both parties speak about what happened, and make some kind of arrangement with each other, to make sure that this kind of thing would not be a problem for anyone using their services in the future. And maybe they could help in finding a lovely new cat for your family, and be willing to spay and innoculate it at a reduced price.
Hope you can come to an amicable agreement.

paddypaws101

Kirri wrote: »

I would have found the money in whatever way, to pay the vet to keep the cat alive, sorry, just my view but pet ownership incurs some quite high costs that an owner should be prepared to pay as part of ownership, especially as it was unnecessary for this animal to die.. and did so for the sake of £234, which over the course of a pet's life really isn't a lot of money.

I wouldn't be asking for compensation when it wasn't the vet's fault the cat died after all...

Sorry, don't want to upset you further, but this is just my view.

Yes, I am afraid I agree with the above. At the end of the day you made the decision not to pay what amounted to an extra £234 to save the cat.
The £100 compensation that the vet is offering is as an apology for charging for the corrective procedure...not for any medical negligence on their part.
Sometimes it is hard to express oneself fully in these posts and maybe that is what has happened in your case, so maybe some of these responses sound harsh...but your original posting does seem to be focussed on the money rather than the loss of the cat.

DrScotsman

paddypaws101 wrote: »

Yes, I am afraid I agree with the above. At the end of the day you made the decision not to pay what amounted to an extra £234 to save the cat.

What if the OP didn't have a choice? What if she literally had no money and no means of borrowing? What would you say then?

Fire_Fox

Poor kitten, sounds awful. I am confused, why do you think it is the vets fault that the kitten pulled out it's stitches and intestines?? That is the part that traumatised your daughter and seems to me to have been unavoidable.

If you didn't have money set aside for emergencies why didn't you have the kitten insured? I don't see how money can make up for you tragically losing the kitten, if you can't afford a puppy then adopt an adult rescue dog who will already be neutered, chipped and vaccinated.

paddypaws101

Scotsman, I am sorry to sound harsh....but I don't really believe that is what happened.
The OP has stated that she wants to get a puppy next so where is that money coming from? oh yes...the vet's compensation.

DrScotsman

paddypaws101 wrote: »

Scotsman, I am sorry to sound harsh....but I don't really believe that is what happened.
The OP has stated that she wants to get a puppy next so where is that money coming from? oh yes...the vet's compensation.

For a start, my post said "If X then what would you say?", not "X is true, now what do you say?" I wouldn't mind hearing an answer.

Second, I am finding hundreds of way to interpret your post here, so please clarify. Are you suggesting that the OP intentionally put the kitten down even though she could afford the operation? Tell me why she'd do that?

cakeordeath_2

DrScotsman wrote: »

What if the OP didn't have a choice? What if she literally had no money and no means of borrowing? What would you say then?

I agree with you DrScotsman

At the time it's not as though the OP's husband could have returned home so that they could discuss how to raise the money, he had to make a split second decision there and then for the kitten's sake, the emergency vet put him in that position and it was unnecessary.

It's also unecessary to even infer that the OP wasn't working in the kitten's best interest, she had it spayed and vaccinated, that sounds like a responsible cat owner to me.

Fire_Fox

DrScotsman wrote: »

What if the OP didn't have a choice? What if she literally had no money and no means of borrowing? What would you say then?

There is always a choice, but it might be a choice you don't want to have to make: don't get a pet OR get pet insurance OR use the services of the PDSA OR sign your animal over to a rescue who will pay for veterinary treatment OR agree to the treatment and then pay the vets bill off in installments.

If it were me, I may well have had the kitten PTS the same as the OP did - the kitten must have been in agony and was at very high risk of infection if it's intestines were exposed.

trudij

eveie189 wrote: »

Did you even read my post bungle4x4????
What makes you think it is greedy???

You did ask if we thought you were being greedy, with comments like you put you have to be prepared for some of us to say yes.... !!!

for what my tuppenceworth is worth - I think you are as well. If Im honest,this whole thread to me reads as a mickey take in quite a sick way, I dont think I believe this is real.

It could well be that you just havent come over very well in it (and god knows, I do that all the time!!) Im sure that the damage that your kitten did to itself was horiffic (it certainally sounds it!) but sometimes there are complications (like infection) after surgery that you really cant forsee. I really dont see that you can blame the vets - and that is what you are doing by getting compensation. They have been more than fair in their offer to you-but you want to drag this whole episode out by chasing for more??!!!! Sorry - no.