“Voxi” is Julie Corrigan, and Kitty was 7-8 months old when Julie brought her in because of a skin problem on her chin, which was acne.  Kitty had not been leukemia-tested, vaccinated, or spayed.  Julie said she grew up on a farm, had never had a cat spayed, in fact had never taken a cat to a veterinarian before.  The various forms acne can take, and the treatment, were explained to her.  Julie was not interested in testing or vaccinating Kitty and even less interested in spaying.  She said she wanted Kitty to have kittens, and became angry  when told her position was the cause of thousands of cats and kittens being euthanized in Sonoma County alone, and that euthanasia in shelters was the leading cause of death in cats and dogs in the U.S.  She said where she came from, the leading cause of death for cats was coyotes.  It did not seem to matter to her that she’s living in the city now.  She also showed no concern about the negative health consequences of not spaying her cat that were explained to her, and refused literature that the technician attempted to give her from the Humane Society and other sources about the pet overpopulation problem and the benefits of spaying/neutering. 

She did not even allow me to treat Kitty’s chin acne or dispense medication, and instead walked out in a huff.

Julie’s review is not factually accurate and she misunderstood and misquoted my remarks, which were hyperbole, deliberately exaggerated figures of speech, made in an attempt to warn her how unpopular her position is with people who really care about animals.   She also misstated the amount of her bill.

As for 'forcing' my opinion on her, my opinion is what most people pay me for.  Most people want to know what is best for their pet, and how best to keep their pet healthy. 

As for professionalism, Julie forgets that my profession is dedicated to protecting animal health and relieving animal suffering.  By being advocates for pets, we serve people, because the only reason people have pets is to enrich their own lives, and in order for a pet to fulfill that function, it must stay happy and healthy for as long as possible.

I urge Julie to get over her hurt pride and do what is best for Kitty by getting her spayed.  She will be rewarded with a healthier, happier Kitty and the world will have one less litter of kittens to have to dispose of.  If she wants the experience of raising kittens, the various shelters in the county and Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County welcome volunteers who are willing to foster kittens until they are old enough to be adopted out.