‘Vet didn’t realise my beloved cat was dying. I want compensation’

QI’m writing because I’m unhappy with my local branch of Vets for Pets, which is the veterinary service attached to Pets at Home. My four-year- old cat recently died and while the vast majority of the team were caring, competent and willing, one vet was condescending, smug and indecisive, and I am holding him responsible for the death of my animal.

An otherwise healthy feline, my cat developed a small cough, so we brought him in for a check-up, where he was seen by a nice vet. He was prescribed anti- inflammatories but he didn’t improve, so we brought him back for a second time a week later. He was examined by the vet in question, who did not attempt a diagnosis, Googled symptoms, ran out of ideas and suggested we film our cat before coming back to show them.

This is not the behaviour of a trained professional, in my view.

Around a week later we brought our cat in again for a morning appointment, and he was given some further medication and cleared to be allowed home. By 2.30pm that day he was dead. He coughed and stopped breathing while I was in the next room. We rushed him back as an emergency but they were unable to do anything.

I feel we’ve been rinsed of money and our young cat has died as a result of a sheer lack of concern and courtesy, so I complained, but got nowhere.

Vets for Pets’ records do not match up to the reality of what happened. For example, it claims my cat died the day after his last appointment, when it was actually the same day. I’m not going to sit by and allow this. I’m considering legal action to get justice for my cat. He was in exceptional health before we initially brought him in. Me and my partner have been left heartbroken.

– Anon of coughing for the preceding week, and a full physical exam was performed. Your cat was prescribed Metacam, an anti-inflammatory, and also offered antibiotics, which you declined. It was suggested that if your cat made no improvements, that chest X- rays to assess his airways should be considered.

The following week your cat’s condition had deteriorated, so you brought him back and he was assessed by a different vet, the one you are complaining about. Having performed a full physical examination, he said you discussed the potential causes for your pet’s intermittent cough and wheezing.

These included a type of infection called mycoplasma, heart failure, feline asthma and inflammatory airway disease, he said. Apparently it was discussed that your cat could be put under a general anaesthetic and given an X-ray and CT scan at a cost of £450 to £750. The vet says he recommended the investigations be scheduled “without excessive delay”, specifically, early the following week, given the nature of the symptoms. You apparently left with no further medication on the understanding that you would book your cat in for the investigations that were discussed, which you did not do. You say this is because although investigations were