# Cai's Story - Please read!



## WelshYorkieLover (Oct 16, 2011)

This is Cai -







He was an owned stray (if that makes sense). We didn't know it until he passed away but he did have an owner. Cai used to hang around my mums street and the four houses used to feed him. He had made friends with my mums neighbours cat George and they were always together. We did suspect that had somewhere to go because at night we would see him trodding along in the same direction but would be back in the morning. He would knock on one of the neighbours door for food lol. He was such a friendly boy.

He was around for at least two years and then suddenly he disappeared for a a bit. Then recently he showed up again and he was in a very bad state. He was hunched up and he'd lost a hell of a lot of fur. I wasn't happy about the state of him so I contacted the RSPCA. They told me to catch him and take him to the vet which I did. He'd peed in catbox bless him and my hubby and I stayed while he was being examined.

The vet said he was in good condition and that it looked like he'd recently been castrated which is why he'd been shaved. He was microchipped but the microchip wasn't registered and so the vet asked us to take him back to where we found him as he was completely fine. Although I wasn't happy with doing this I agreed but just as they were about to go get him for me they managed to get hold of their owners.

So hubby and I left the vets feeling very happy that everything was ok with him. A couple of hours later we got a phone call. It was his owner and she introduced herself as Sue and thanked us for helping Cai. I asked how he was and she burst out crying. 'He's dead' was her reply and I had to ask her to repeat what she said as I just couldn't believe that he could have died. And that's when I learned Cai's story.

Cai was a stray but he made a home at Sue's place. She has 5 stray cats that she keeps. She's bought them heated challets/summer houses and they have the conservatory and the run of the house when they feel like going indoors. As you can imagine being strays they're more outdoorsy and she didn't want them to have to change their ways and make them unhappy so she gives them all the freedom they need but they always have a home to go to, she feeds them every day and she gets them spayed, gives them flea and worm treatment, innoculations every year and of course any treatment that they may need.

Well 18 months ago Cai turned up and made himself at home. Although he would go in and have cuddles and had all the creature comforts he loved to be outside. He got sick and was taken to the vets and diagnosed with a thyroid problem. He was eating 12 pouches of catfood a day and a box of biscuits and then coming over to my mums street and getting two pouches of food from next door and chicken and fish from my mum!

Three weeks ago he had turned up at home, soaking wet and covered in an orange substance. He was taken to the vet and they said that the orange stuff was copper. Sue described it as looking like a suit of armour.

Someone had tried to drown him in a stream and the stream was full of copper. He was sent home and told to keep him in and keep an eye on him. A week later Sue took him back to the vets because he just wasnt right. He was weeing all over the place and she wasnt happy with the lack of treatment.

It was decided that she would get him castrated also as he was going to go under anaesthetic for xrays and to have his bladder checked out. She dropped him off the next morning and was told to call at around 11:30 as he should be out of surgery by then. The vet wanted to test him for FIV but Sue refused saying it doesn't matter if he has it she would look after him. 11:30 came and she called and was told that he hadn't been looked at yet and to call back at 2:30pm. At 2:30 she was told he still hadn't been seen and to call at 5:30pm. He still hadn't been seen when she called then! Just before 6pm the vet David Steel called her and this is how the conversation went -

David - "Who owns this cat?"
Sue - "I do!"
David - "Well as a vet I have a moral duty and you as his owner have a moral duty to check him for FIV"

When Sue refused, David said "Let me put it this way, unless that cat is tested for FIV he will not set foot on my operating table". Sue had no choice but to agree to it.

An hour or so later Sue was contacted by David Steel and told that the operation went well, that he'd shaved all of his mats off, bathed all of the copper off, checked his bladder and it was fine (even though he reported that he actually had a spinal injury from the attempted drowning), he'd been microchipped and that he'd tested positive for FIV and he'd also given him a long lasting Antibiotic injections and she could pick him up.

Well when Sue went to get him, Cai was still covered in copper, so he hadn't been bathed, only some of his mats had been shaved off and he'd actually taken his anger out on Cai during the shaving. He'd been scratched very badly by the razor even though Cai was the type of cat to have set there and let him do it! Especially as he would have been sleepy from the anaesthetic.

Sue took him home but he still just wasnt right and he was still weeing so she took him back the next day and the vet that saw him was shocked. He read through his file and said that David hadn't checked his bladder (just saw the xrays of his spine), he hadn't given him antibiotics and as far as he was concerned was showing no signs of FIV. He gave him some tablets of antibiotics and they took him home.

They kept him locked in one of the challets (he wasnt happy to be kept in the house) so he had time to heal and they got to keep an eye on him and Sue went in the next day to see him and he'd had 9 bouts of dioreah and unfortunately had bolted. That was the last time she saw him.

He'd come over to my mothers street and this is what I saw -









I just had to try and help him, he looked awful. So I got him into my catbox and took him to the vets. This is the last couple of photo's taken of him, in the catbox in the car on the way to the vets -





By the time Sue got to the vets he had taken a turn for the worst. His eyes had sunken and he didn't even look up when she walked into the room. The vet told her that he had ingested the copper and that he was dying. He had given up also and she made the decision to put him to sleep.

So that is Cai's story. This beautiful, loving, amazing boy and true free spirit was failed by human hands! I'm just glad that I got him reunited with Sue and she got to end his suffering and say goodbye.

Run free at the bridge Cai. You are a true inspiration and although your story wasnt a good one it will be told. You were strong and brave and wonderful.


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## Dianne58 (Feb 22, 2014)

Awww that is such a sad story  how could anybody treat him like that the poor lamb  R.I.P. peace now Cai go play with the angels :001_wub::001_wub: x x x


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## Charity (Apr 17, 2013)

This has really brought tears to my eyes, what a tragic series of events for this poor beautiful cat. Sometimes it makes me feel ashamed to be part if the human race when you see what we do to animals. At least he is now free of his suffering and he had some angels at the end of his life like you and his owner. RIP lovely boy.


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## WelshYorkieLover (Oct 16, 2011)

Charity said:


> This has really brought tears to my eyes, what a tragic series of events for this poor beautiful cat. Sometimes it makes me feel ashamed to be part if the human race when you see what we do to animals. At least he is now free of his suffering and he had some angels at the end of his life like you and his owner. RIP lovely boy.


Thank you so much. That means so much. His owner and I have really bonded over this experience and its all for the love of Cai. I know what you mean about being ashamed of being human. It is disgusting what we are capable of as a race but you just have to remember you are a good human! You are a normal, decent person and deserve to be called a human being. I cant believe that anyone who could do this has a human heart. Or if they do then there is something wrong with their brains!


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

Thank you so much for sharing Cai's story, heartbreaking though it was.

How cruel was the person that tried to drown him and caused his poisoning - but even worse, how could a vet, who should always have the best interests of each and every animal at heart, treat him so badly? That is so wrong.

I hope it comes back to haunt him.

Sue, your family and your neighbours all helped Cai along the tricky road that was his life. At least he was loved.

Cai - you will never be forgotten. Be happy. 

Run fast and free. No one can hurt you now.


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## branwen (Nov 27, 2013)

That is such a sad story about a very beautiful cat.I am sat here with tears in my eyes wondering why such an innocent cat had to go through so much in his little life.

Run Free at the Bridge sweet Cai..no more pain now.


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## lillysnightgarden (Mar 26, 2014)

What a truly awful story, the pictures have absolutely broken my heart. How could anyone harm such a beautiful boy? RIP Cai, I'm sure you're in a much better place now.


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## Happy Paws2 (Sep 13, 2008)

So very sad

Run free Cai x


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## PBR1 (Dec 16, 2013)

This is a really sad story with a very sad outcome.
I do hope that a complaint about the first vet's treatment ( or lack of it) will be made as I would hate to think he allowed other animals to suffer needlessly like this again.


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## WelshYorkieLover (Oct 16, 2011)

PBR1 said:


> This is a really sad story with a very sad outcome.
> I do hope that a complaint about the first vet's treatment ( or lack of it) will be made as I would hate to think he allowed other animals to suffer needlessly like this again.


A complaint has been made. However, I would love to tell you that this was the first time he has made an innocent creature suffer and the last! Unfortunately neither would be true. He as good as killed her cat hickory (I think that was his name) and as good as killed our dog Bonnie.

Hickory had bladder stones and Steels solution was to turn him into a girl by taking away his male parts and leaving him with a gap so that the the urine wouldn't get stuck and cause more stones. As far as I could make out Steel removed the stones during this operation and said he'd ger no more stones after the operation. Well The operation went well, however, the poor baby was in agony! Sue took him back and Steel said that the gap had started closing and he could 'stretch it'. Sue said no, that she'd see how he got on. But the poor baby was in agony. She took him back to the vet and a different vet saw him. He did X-Rays and said that the stones hadn't been removed but not only that they were the time of stones you couldn't do anything about! Sue asked if hickory was still under anaesthetic and the vet said yes so sue made vthe said decision to let him go.

Bonnie was having seizures and fairs the vets thought it was epilepsy. However, it turned out be her heart. Steel was going to scan her heart and we insisted we do not want her put under General anaesthetic as we didn't think she was strong enough! He said that was fine but Steel is Steel and he knows best! When we picked her up she had been put under anaesthetic and it was in her notes as proof. She never recovered from that and just went down hill. Within two weeks she was dead. Her little heart was failing and that just tipped her over the edge!

Unfortunately steel is a partner there and while everyone who works there knows he is a horrible person and an even worse vet there's nothing they can do to get rid of him. He has left that particular branch though thankfully because he wasn't on their tv show Vets 24/7.


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## jaycee05 (Sep 24, 2012)

A very sad story, poor cat, surely the vet could be reported the RSVSC, [think that is the right name, but the vet college, he has been guilty of gross neglect and should never practice again, what about the new vets he has gone to, it could and probably WILL happen again
So very sorry for Sue too, some people are so evil,


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## PBR1 (Dec 16, 2013)

That is awful
A complaint should be made to the vet governing body and he may get his licence revoked
Not only is he incomptetent but what he is doing is fraudulent charging for procedures that were not carried out
I would definitely take this further but am so sorry anyone had to bo through this


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

It's hard to take on a vet, but if enough people complain to the RCVS about him with specific examples of malpractice/negligence/fraud (charging for procedures not carried out), then surely he must be investigated.


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## Polly G (Apr 30, 2013)

Please don't let this evil man harm any more beautiful creatures.

RIP lovely Cai - play with my Jasper at the bridge x


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## WelshYorkieLover (Oct 16, 2011)

Polly G said:


> Please don't let this evil man harm any more beautiful creatures.
> 
> RIP lovely Cai - play with my Jasper at the bridge x


I am thinking of starting a petition to try to get this 'vet' out of the practice. I know that it is very difficult to get a vet struck off and I have no actual proof that he caused harm to my beautiful Bonnie. I'm thinking if I start a petition maybe I could send it to the complaints board and start action that way. What do you think?


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## GeriMolly (Apr 7, 2014)

Such a very sad story thank you for sharing and being so kind.

Geri x


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## welshjet (Mar 31, 2011)

Sorry to read Cai's sad story.

Its good to read that he was reunited with Sue, but utterly heartbreaking outcome xxx

Run free at tbe Bridge dear Cai xxxx


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