Posted on 03/09/2010 5:47:38 AM PST by Daffynition
A Good Samaritan who took a dead cat to the vet was left angry after being asked to pay a "disposal" fee. Deepdale trainee solicitor Sara-Jayne Pritt, of Isherwood Street, found the animal lying on the side of the pavement in nearby Skeffington Road on Thursday, February 25.
But instead of ignoring the cat's corpse, she picked it up and followed advice to take it to the nearest vet.
Because she was working, the 25-year-old asked her sister Gemma Pritt and dad David Pritt to take the cat to Vets4Pets in Moor Lane.
But she says that after the vet discovered the animal was not microchipped and the owner could not be located, he demanded a disposal fee of £12 from her family, which was later reduced to £5, with the vet insisting the pair take the dead animal home with them if it was not paid.
Mr Pritt paid the fee but his solicitor daughter wrote a letter to Vets4Pets complaining at the charge.
She wrote: "For my family to involve themselves in such an honourable deed to find themselves being asked for a £5 disposal fee when the cat did not belong to us is disgraceful – but to be told that if she didn't pay the fee she would have to take the dead cat away with her is absolutely disgusting.
"It is not surprising that people walk on by and leave suffering and deceased animals by the roadside if they think they are going to be accountable for the fee and the charge involved."
She told the Evening Post: "I was so angry. I was really shocked with what happened and find it disgusting. I should not be charged for being a Good Samaritan and taking the animal to the vet."
Miss Pritt, who owns six cats herself, was also shocked that no-one in Deepdale had reacted to the deceased cat sooner.
She said: "The cat was stiff – it had been there for a long time. People had walked by it and were walking in the road.
"When I was stood there with the cat, crying my eyes out – and it wasn't even my cat – people didn't even acknowledge me."
She was given advice to take the cat to the vet by a surgeon who operated on one of her own cats, who was also found lying in Skeffington Road after being hit by a car last year.
Miss Pritt called the surgeon, who used to work at the Vets4Pets surgery, about the dead cat and he advised her to take it to his former surgery so the animal could be identified, if it was microchipped, and disposed of safely.
A Preston Council spokesman said she could have called the authority to have the animal removed for free.
He said: "If the council receives a call about a dead animal on the highway the street cleansing team will deal with this as part of their work.
"So yes, if she had called us it would have been removed at no cost to her."
Despite repeated attempts to contact them, Vets4Pets were unavailable for comment.
You take a dead animal to a place of business, you expect them to preform a business service for free. They charge you $8.66 (American) to perform this service (at a loss) and you go running to the press?
Yep, classic liberal response from the press and person...
Sheesh, take it to Hunan Palace and make a buck.
Best one of the day - thanks for the laugh.
What, nobody had a shovel?
A lady took her precious ‘Snookums’ to the vet. She asked the vet whether Snookums was dead. The vet checked the cat and said “Yes, unfortunately Snookums has past away”.
The lady replied “But, are you sure? Isn’t there a chance Snookums may be alive yet breathing very shallow?”
The doctor left the room and returned with a Black Lab. The dog put his paws on the examination table, sniffed the cat from one end to the other, then looked at the doctor with baleful eyes.
The doctor took the Black lab away and brought in a cat. The cat jumped onto the examination table, sniffed the cat, checked it out from top to bottom, and shook it’s head.
The doctor took the cat away then returned saying “I’m sorry, but Snookums is dead. That will be $300 for my services”.
The lady was aghast. “$300 for telling me my cat is dead? That’s outrageous!”
The doctor replied, “Had you accepted my initial opinion I would have only charged $30. But for the lab report and catscan, the cost is $300.”
I would have just found a nice flower bed.
But instead of ignoring the cat's corpse, she picked it up and followed advice to take it to the nearest vet.
Because she was working, the 25-year-old asked her sister Gemma Pritt and dad David Pritt to take the cat to Vets4Pets in Moor Lane.
No good deed goes unpunished...
A few years ago a stray came to my daughters house and she asked me to get rid of it and I was going to take it to the woods, kill and bury it, but that offended her and she wanted me to take it to an animal shelter.
The shelter wanted $25, and were going to kill it anyway.
I said no thanks, so kitty and I went up the hill, and kitty stayed there.
This will draw flames from cat lovers, but remember, the cat would have been just as dead if I'd have paid the $25, only the method of death would have been different.
When I worked at a vet’s office years ago I was surprised at the number of people who would bring an injured animal in and expect the vet to treat it for free because it was not theirs, they found it injured. Also, surprising was the number of people who bring a pet in to be treated and then don’t return because they don’t want to pay. And it’s not like our prices were high. People are funny about what they are willing to spend money on, just like people who don’t want to pay for health care. It’s not a fun purchase, so it should be free I guess.
Taking a dead cat to a vet is "honourable"?
That’s not a bad fee for receiving a dead cat from a dingbat. Bring a dead cat to me, and I’ll probably charge more than that. ;-)
Thanks! My current one is getting pretty ‘ratty’...
So I pulled over, ran out in the road (it's a country road) and picked up the squirrel in a shirt. I actually had to shoo the buzzard away as he had just landed in the road.
I took the squirrel home. He had a broken arm and some internal injuries. I took him to my local vet. The vet couldn't help him, but did put him out of his misery. No charge.
I know, as Josey Wales once said, "Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms." But I was glad I saved that suffering squirrel from being eaten alive by a buzzard. And the vet was very kind. I just took my pet rabbit there yesterday.
Sometimes people don't realize they have an opportunity to build some good will by doing a good deed, and that it will come back to them in the long run. They nickel and dime you, and hence lose the opportunity to gain your trust, and lose potential business.
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