Faulty Lab Nearly Killed Her: Protect Your Pets

Written by Amber Easley of Louisiana

Apparently my dad had been leaving our backyard storage door open for a stray cat that loved to sleep there for almost a year. I had not been told because, of course, I would want to make this baby an inside pet.

One day after going out walking around the neighborhood, Isabelle and I crossed paths in my driveway. My cousin told me to leave that wild cat alone but I wasn’t afraid of this sweet angel. I brought her food and water and from that moment, she was mine. She would sit on my porch and lean against my front door so that she wouldn’t miss any chance to interact with us. After about two weeks of this, I finally convinced my family that she was not content being an outside cat. This sounds like a generic rescue story, I know, but the struggles that we went through with the veterinarian were anything but common.

I already had one cat, June Bug, who I really did not want to expose to any dangerous parasites or diseases so we took Isabelle to our local vet before she came inside just to make sure she was ok. The vet assured my boyfriend that she appeared to be a healthy, happy one year old. The only test they had to wait for was the Feline Leukemia test. This was perfect, I thought, she can get cleaned up and come in. However, the veterinarian called me back that afternoon and told me that the Feline Leukemia “pop test” had shown that she was positive. I was so heartbroken and confused but before I could process the news the veterinarian immediately kept asking me to put Isabelle down because if I let her continue to be a stray and our neighborhood cats got sick, then it would be my fault. She basically narrowed it down to 1) put her down yourself or 2) take her to the Animal Shelter where they will immediately put her down. I told her that I was not going to kill a sweet cat that she, herself, thought was happy and healthy a few hours before.

It Was Not a Death Sentence

I called back to get more information after I had calmed down and talked to family members for a few hours. Thank God that the veterinary assistant was honest that the test could very well be a false positive. She also suggested that I turn to other vets to see if we had Feline Leukemia Positive homes in the area to place Isabelle in. There were tons of options that the veterinarian had not even offered to me. I decided to opt for a retest in six weeks. This meant that Isabelle had to be quarantined in my garage. Luckily, it was a time of the year where the temperature was nice and she could feel quite at home there. My dad and I spent tons of time visiting with Isabelle and bringing her toys and food. During that time I found a great veterinarian in our area, Dr. Coker, also known as the Cat Doctor. She was honest that even if my cat had Feline Leukemia, she was not likely to pass the disease to my other cat because she had been vaccinated and also that she was not a candidate to put down because she was not suffering from any immediate effects of the disease. We opted to do a PCR test which is a lot more accurate than the “pop tests” and thankfully it came back negative!

Today Isabelle is the best baby! She quickly learned how to enjoy the lavish lifestyle of an inside cat. She loves to be anywhere I am and to sit in my lap while I do homework. She has her special sleeping spots and her favorite toys, like her bird-sound ball jungle gym. She is also severely afraid of rain which tells me she had to have hated her time as an outside cat and would never want to go back. When I think about how much Isabelle has loved being a part of our family, I cannot believe that one veterinarian’s ignorance of the disease almost took her away from me. I thank God that he gave me the spirit to advocate for her rather than give up in the face of trouble. More photos of Isabelle the cat

The Value of a Second Opinion

Isabelle and I urge all pet owners to get second opinions with their animals if there is a difficult diagnosis. We wouldn’t just lie down and accept no treatment if we were told by one doctor that it was hopeless, so why do that with our precious animals?

Brought to you by The Great Animal Rescue Chase

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Carol B.

5:45PM PDT on Mar 17, 2012

lucky cat

send a green star

Suzanne L.

8:39AM PST on Feb 22, 2012

She looks like our cat Wendy. I'm so glad you were able to get a second opinion and test. I went through a horrible situation with a cat once due to a veterinarian's incompetence. I don't think she meant harm she just wasn't experienced. She was fired from the clinic because of what happened but still it cost the life of my cat.

Denise P.

11:09PM PST on Jan 26, 2012

Amen Lesley T! I have a terrible horror story about a vet who started out wonderful but it became all about the $$$, and not at all about the animals. If you aren't comfortable with your vet or their diagnosis, get a 2nd opinion! Call around and ask frankly what an initial office visit is and what it includes, ask if your vet takes phone calls or insists on office visits, ask if the office has a payment plan or insists on payment at time of treatment. Different vets do different things. I am SO thankful for this story, though, because a cat by the name of Folly is in a local shelter and has tested FeLV+, causing her adopters to back out. I am going to find out what kind of test they used, and see if we can't get the PCR test done on her. Please, everyone, if you are on Facebook please like the "Help find Folly the Cat a Furever Home" page.

Ann S.

9:21PM PST on Jan 18, 2012

It's so wonderful that Amber was much more caring and intelligent than the first vet. From this article, it seems she has a very good sense about cats and interpreting their reactions (loved the accurate phrase "lavish lifestyle of an indoor cat"), and now two good-hearted beings get to enjoy each other's company.

Karen B.

3:40AM PST on Jan 18, 2012

Lucky Isabelle

Past Member .

8:43PM PST on Jan 12, 2012

Thank you for being Isabelle's advocate. You are lucky to have each other.

Judith C.

10:43AM PST on Jan 11, 2012

I wonder how many animals have lost their lives this way? If you are unsure and your pet is not in pain/discomfort then always get a second opinion.It seems that the first vet realised that they would be unable to get a lifetime of vets charges from the owner and wanted to squeeze out the fee to put the cat to sleep.

Yvonne F.

9:45AM PST on Jan 11, 2012

Thank God for the second opinion! What a shame it would have been to ahve put her down now when she had found a loving home! I guess a couple of her nine lives went there! Thanks for sharing!

Ruby W.

7:50AM PST on Jan 10, 2012

Veterinarians are a mixed bag. Some are really nice, but use it to price-gouge and suggest unnecessary procedures. Some dislike people and are rude to you, but take excellent care of animals. Some give bargain prices but don't keep their rooms clean. Some will back you in a corner and lecture you about things that will never make any sense to you until you decide never to go back. Some will be prejudiced against you or your animal for reasons that you don't know. It sounds like that particular vet prioritizes the control and hopefully the elimination of FeLV to the point where it is a small personal crusade. I've gone to vets that told me I was crazy to keep FIV kitties, and other vets who took it personally that I let my cats go outside and fed them Purina (both of those things were back in college and I wouldn't do them now). I've been to vets who objected to me having a different last name from my husband and vets who objected to my cats' long names and demanded short nicknames I didn't have. Some don't answer their phones, some don't carry the products you need. Some will try to make you buy Science Diet because that company has a proprietary relationship with veterinary schools and they are bombarded with propaganda while they're in school about how it is good (instead of mediocre and actually worse than some kinds of Purina). You really have to shop around.

Carrie Anne B.

3:26AM PST on Jan 10, 2012

thanks for sharing :)