Join Others Who Donate Because They Value Direct Support of Animals in Need
Disputed statement: "Advised could be a rabies case."
- Photographs and medical content on this site may be disturbing to some viewers. -
Toxic was a two-year-old petite gray female. She had her first seizure at three months old. We didn't know that's what it was at that time. My father described her as having a cat fit. When I saw her she was in labored breathing and I thought she was going to die. We took her immediately to the veterinary where they took x-rays and prescribed typical medications for upper respiratory infection. I described her behavior to the vet but the vet seemed unconcerned. Toxic exhibited the same behavior about three months later, so I gave her the same treatments again. But then it happened again another three months later and I knew this had to be some kind of seizure, perhaps a form of epilepsy. We went off to the vet for an emergency visit. My regular vet was not available, so we took who we could get. Dr. Barbara Perkins was someone I had seen once before and found lacking. Her behavior at this visit was very strange. She asked if the cat had been there before and I said yes, but she looked at me askance and said they didn't find any record of the visit. A copy of that bill is included below. At one point she made a comment about a cat who had died during a routine neuter as though to imply it was my fault when it most certainly was theirs. And then made a comment about how it isn't against the law to have lots of cats. I never told her I had lots of cats. I only explained Toxic's history and treatments and my suspicion that she was having seizures. Perkins had obviously been looking through my records, though that's not going to tell you I have lots of cats. After a cursory exam, she declared the condition of the cat such that she would have to call animal control. She suggested the cat was blind, dehydrated and underweight. I told her she had no right to judge me and walked out. (Months later I learned Perkins was gossiping about my business with someone outside the clinic, so I suspect gossip and prejudice were why she behaved so inappropriately toward me.) I had to take the cat to a second veterinary—thereby delaying her treatment—where she received proper care from a lovely, competent young lady. This second vet specifically found the cat was not blind or dehydrated. That record is included below. Toxic is small, but I have many petite cats. She is not malnourished at all. Of course, by this time she is well past her seizure, so there is nothing for the veterinary to see in that regard. Since I was threatened with animal control, I took the video below to prove Toxic was not in poor condition. There is absolutely nothing about this cat to suggest she is mistreated or neglected, so what was Perkins' true motivation? Let's remember, the result was that veterinary help for the cat was delayed by over three hours and this had been an emergency visit. There should be a law making it illegal for veterinarians to report suspected cases of animal abuse to the authorities.
Toxic on 8/23/18, the day after that veterinary visit
Toxic on 9/17/18, outside just for her video shoot
This is Toxic's capture photo. This is the only photo of her taken by the state.
This is the triage from 11/5/19. This is the only cat they allegedly saw lives fleas on. This gray cat was lying on the floor next to the wood stove where wood coals that are little black specks were proabably caught in her coat. They could not have found flea dirt or fleas on any cat. Almost a year later, still living with 44 cats, I have yet to see a flea. Most importantly, you will see this appears to be the only time this cat was handled and given the descriptions of her behavior, it's highly unlikely they handled her this time either.
The next day, they do exams at the shelter. Notice it says "limited exam through feral net." She is also noted as aggressive. This is what happens when she is seizing. Today they have to exam her through a net, but the day before they were able to see a single flea on her. Unbelievable.
She isn't seen again until 11/20, 15 days later and she is misdiagnosed based on Fiske's advice that this could be a rabies case. Again, it is incomprehensible that she was behaving normally during these 15 days.
Below is the medical evaluation after her first seizure at three months old when we had no real idea what had happened. This is the record the prejudiced vet couldn't find, probably because they mistakenly noted her as male. She actually continued to have seizures through the normal 48 hour period it may take for medications to work. Meanwhile, I wondered if constipation might be causing a toxic reaction, so started giving her water by syringe to make sure she was drinking enough. Within 24 hours she made a really big poo and that marked the end of her seizing. I guess it was coincidence, but at the time I thought perhaps all that toxic waste being reabsorbed by her body had caused the problem. And that's how she got the name Toxic.
Below is the medical evaluation from the competent and pleasant veterinarian after Toxic's third seizure at one year old. Now we know for sure she is experiencing seizures of some kind, but it has now been over three hours since her seizure and the veterinarian can only treat her for what she can see. They think she has diarrhea on her tail, but that is because she pees when she's seizing, her tail got wet in this case and picked up the ashes she knocked out of the ash can by the stove where she customarily sleeps. She's never had diarrhea.
Documentation Posted August 17, 2020 by Elmvale Farm
Return to Page