Cat at VIP Pet groomer dies and staff cremates her BEFORE guardian can find out why

[Shandi]

Vanessa Rodriguez-McQuade said she was heartbroken over the loss of her beloved pet Sandy who was perfectly healthy when she dropped her off at VIP Pets in Sacramento.

This is awful and yet another reminder that groomers are potentially dangerous for cats and dogs but particularly cats.

View the latest post at
https://pictures-of-cats.org/cat-at-grooming-parlour-dies-and-staff-cremate-her-before-owner-can-find-out-why.html

[gypsey]

As someone who has my pet groomed regularly I found elements of this story when I read it quite confusing. A grooming appointment takes at most a couple of hours. How possibly could the cat be whisked away to the vet to be examined (which the vet denies anyway) and then picked up there by the pet crematory (assuming a vet would release a pet not brought in by its owner) and be cremated ALL in that space of time?
The implication that the cat may have been left in a drying box is indeed scary.
I hope that we are provided updates to this story.
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UPDATE:

After I posted my earlier comments, I revisited the link and indeed there is an update-an audio news feed. The information is conflicting re what Vanessa says she requested (necropsy) vs what the groomer says but Vanessa did get the cremains returned to her. As pointed out in the original post groomers can be dangerous for cats-the vet on the news feed says they find it very stressful and it would be a good idea to stay with a stressed pet while its being groomed. The other takeaway is that groomers are not regulated in California so choose carefully.

Vanessa Rodriguez-McQuade said she was heartbroken over the loss of her beloved pet Sandy who was perfectly healthy when she dropped her off at VIP Pets in Sacramento.

This is awful and yet another reminder that groomers are potentially dangerous for cats and dogs but particularly cats.

View the latest post at
https://pictures-of-cats.org/cat-at-grooming-parlour-dies-and-staff-cremate-her-before-owner-can-find-out-why.html

[beshiva]

i just have to wonder What and why in the world does a cat have to go to a groomer?
Cats groom themselves, all the time, if they are healthy....and if they are Not doing this
then something is wrong.
My cats would have such a fit trying to pull this human shenanigans on them...
just saying...its something to think about...what we put our animals through sometimes...
it's bad enough they accommodate us by letting us domesticate them, we don't need to humiliate them
too...afterall, grooming is for US not them..

Vanessa Rodriguez-McQuade said she was heartbroken...

[Shandi]

I used to take my cat to the groomer to have her nails clipped, since it's a difficult task for me, with arthritis in my hands. I've tried to get friends to help, but many hadn't trimmed nails, and weren't comfortable holding my cat. I never left her there; it was a 5 minutes procedure, while I waited....and watched.

I read something by a very knowledgeable cat person in her book, that regular nail clippers can be used. So, I thought I'd try it, after all I cut my own nails o.k. I tried it when she was relaxed in my lap, and just clipped the sharp tips off, so they don't dig in me when she kneads my arm while cuddling. She did pretty good, and even though I didn't finish, I just left the rest for another day. Who says they all have to be done at the same time? After all, she's a polydachtal with 7 nails on each toe on the front paws! I don't clip the back.

I also thought about having her fur trimmed because she was constipated from ingesting so much fur, even though I brush and comb her every day. It wasn't getting out the undercoat, so I bought a de-shedding tool, called the Shed Monster. It works great, and I don't see fur in her stools anymore. She never coughs up hairballs, like many other cats do, so when she cleans herself, she ingests her fur.

Having a long haired cat is a lot more work, and although people may be attracted to them as kittens, they may have no idea what it's going to mean down the road. If people work long hours, or have kids, they may not have time to brush the cat, or realize that they need it.

I saw a cat at the groomers that was being completely shaved of all the fur, simply because the guardian never brushed her fur to get the mats out. There have been times when my cat got mats in her fur, even though I was combing her every day. So, I just cut them out. It's been over two years, and I haven't seen anymore mats. So, it's still a mystery why she got them when I lived in another house.

Many people treat animals like property, or like children. Grooming can be a status thing, or the people just don't have the time to bathe their dogs. There is such a lack of knowledge about how to best care for animals.(and children)

I know a Thai family who has a cat, and they think she needs a weekly bath. Some people see animals as dirty, even if they're indoors only. Also some people feed cats dry food which makes them so fat, they're unable to clean their rear ends. It's really sad. I saw it when I volunteered in the shelter. They only eat dry food, and sit in a cage all day, without much exercise.

Grooming is mostly for those who don't have time to do it themselves, or don't want to be bothered, or really are unable to.

i just have to wonder What and why in the world does a cat have to go to a groomer? ...

[Shandi]

If you have a cat, can you share why you take the cat to the groomers?

As someone who has my pet groomed regularly I found elements of this story when I read it quite confusing. A grooming appointment takes at most a couple of hours. How possibly could the cat be whisked away to the vet to be examined (which the vet denies anyway) and then picked up there by the pet crematory (assuming a vet would release a pet not brought in by its owner) and be cremated ALL in that space of time?
The implication that the cat may have been left in a drying box is indeed scary.
I hope that we are provided updates to this story.

[gypsey]

Thanks Shandi, for this question!
There may be good reasons why people need to take their cat to the groomers. My former groomer of my standard poodle -was a mobile groomer. I valued this experience for Maxwell in his early years and while I could monitor his safety, it built his confidence around what for a big poodle is a long procedure. This wonderful groomer mentioned often grooming cats, and I gathered that many clients were quite elderly, or the cats themselves had health issues that prevented self-grooming. (I encountered this myself with an elderly cat.)
--Since that time Maxwell now goes to a regular groomer who was a student of my original mobile groomer. The open play space, spotless environment, loving care, frequent breaks for my dog and an open invite for me to be there at all times if I choose to---are just some of the criteria I feel guardians need to consider when choosing a groomer.
And that leads to my final thoughts: can we think about not just posting the alarming, worrisome stories about pet food or groomers or vets but use them as a forum to be proactive about how to choose safe experiences, nutrition and care for our pets? And to share, also the dedicated people in the field who truly care and provide great service" (In my case, Wizard of Paws and Hair of the Dog.)

Simply put the "alarms" stir people up, but they do not teach.
My 2 cents,
Gypsey

If you have a cat, can you share why you take the cat to the groomers?