The cats are currently ACS's most expensive single species population, due to a combination of monthly flea & tick control (necessary even for indoor-only cats with how severe AL's flea problem is), hygiene and enrichment, speciality diets, and the number of seniors needing additional veterinary care and monitoring.
In the past month, two have needed vet visits: Fury for a mild URI (we treat aggressively at the first sign so it doesn't infect everyone), and Rhodey for loose stool. Because Rhodey is 13, we went ahead and had a senior exam and labs, just to see where she stands (which is why she looks like a bobblehead; they had to shave her neck). We're happy to see another of our seniors with excellent lab work, given how common kidney disease is in older cats. She is slightly thinner than we'd like due to the diarrhea, however, which is thankfully resolving with treatment. She is an unusually tiny adult cat, normally clocking in at 4.5lbs, but is currently only 4lbs. Clinics always think I'm bringing them a kitten and are shocked by her age.
We switched vet clinics recently for our dogs and cats. The animal hospital we once used relocated, and when they expanded the staff at the new location, the quality of care tanked. We had a very negative surgical experience with one of our fosters that needed to be corrected by another clinic, and one of our local adopters had the same kind of experience with them (bad enough to seek compensation for malpractice). We are sad to see an office that did very well by us and our rescue for so many years go downhill, but so far we are pleased with the clinic we swapped to.
If you ever have misgivings about how your animals are cared for at a vet clinic, and a sensible explanation can not be offered when you express your concerns, go with your gut. Not all clinics have the same quality staff and standard of care, and while mistakes happen, patterns of substandard care are a red flag.
