Georgetown — Georgetown resident Megan Ackerman was upset after she picked up her pet cat, Sugar, from the St. Frances Animal Center Tuesday morning.
She said she had the cat that she has had for about a year taken to the facility last Monday to have her spayed. But she said that when she visited the center the next morning she discovered the cat was missing most of her left ear.
Shelter workers say Sugar’s ear had a medical condition before she was taken to them, something Ackerman denies.
It is common practice for animal rescue shelters to place a notch in the ear of a cat to show they have been spayed but, Ackerman said, what happened to her pet was much more than a notch.
Ackerman said her boyfriend took her cat to the center at about 8:30 a.m. Monday for the procedure. She said he was told to return to pick up their cat at about 2:30 p.m.
Ackerman drove to the shelter at about 3 p.m. and was told the cat was not ready to be released. She said she was then told to return at about 4:45 p.m., which she did.
She also said she had been told when she made the appointment the cost for the procedure would be $55.
When she returned late Monday, Ackerman was told she was only being charged $10. She was also told it would not be good to take her cat home that evening.
“They said she was still drowsy and it wouldn’t be good to send her home like that,” Ackerman said.
Kim Owens, the St. Francis worker who performed the spaying procedure, said the operation was performed much later in the day than anticipated, which is why she said the cat should stay overnight.
When Ackerman returned Tuesday morning, she got her cat and didn’t notice the ear was missing until she was in her car.
She said she went back inside and asked what happened, which is when she was told about the notch placed in the ears of spayed cats.
“Her whole ear was gone. That was not supposed to happen,” Ackerman said.
St. Francis Executive Director Nancy Campos told the Times that Ackerman’s cat had a prior ear problem.
“This is not a normal ear,” Campos said while looking at a picture of the cat taken after Ackerman returned home with her pet.
Campos also said they performed the procedure on the cat under the “Trap, Neuter, Return” (TNR) program, because they were told the cat was a stray when the appointment was made.
Owens said the cat was suffering from hematoma of the ear before she was taken to the shelter. Hematoma is a collection of blood or a blood clot that thickens.
“The cat had a traumatized ear” before she came to us, Campos said, once again pointing to the picture.
Ackerman produced a picture of her cat taken before she was spayed and both ears appear to be healthy.
When asked if the removal of the cat’s ear could have been an accident, Owens said “there isn’t any mistake. There is no given rule how much of the ear is removed” (when the tipping takes place).
Campos said she understands Ackerman’s concerns.
“I didn’t realize she was upset when she left here,” Campos said.
By Scott Harper
sharper@gtowntimes.com
: 12/11/2009
I am sorry your not happy with your cat but I do think it was a simple misunderstanding. Instead of the regular low cost spay your cat was done mistakenly under the TNR program. Mistakes do happen....they are only human. Your cat is still gorgeous, she is spayed, healthy, and it cost you alot less..just let it go. The TNR program does much needed work..we have personally taken 15 strays in to be neutered/spayed to help cut down the population in our neighborhood, 5 of which are now asleep on my couch, the rest I couldn't tame but I do still feed. The ear notching makes it much easier for me to keep track of which have been done and not try and take one in if I re-trap one that has been done already. Which is the exact purpose of the procedure. The only thing I disagree with is that they are not given antibiotics before they are picked up to be re-released, we had one get infected but luckily he was little and I kept him to try and tame him and it was caught and he was given medicine, so it still worked out well.
Not the same cat? : 12/8/2009
I'm looking at the after-and-before pictures of Sugar, and I don't even think that's the same cat. In the before picture, the white part of Sugar's face comes up and touches her eye, and in the after picture it's not close to the eye. The black dot on the nose also looks different. I suppose that could be a trick of the flash, but it does make me wonder if maybe Sugar did have a hematoma and the picture used to refute that is erroneous. If the humane society was under the impression the cat was a stray, it may have thought taking care of a traumatized ear would prevent that cat having trouble with it in its supposed feral future. If the cat was presented for spaying under false pretenses, this is a logical conclusion for the humane society to make. Megan, if that's what you did, you did take advantage of a program that's supposed to be for strays, not pets. I'm sorry that Sugar got so severely clipped, and maybe the clinic should have been more open with you, but you got a $10 spay and Sugar is still a great pet, right. Unless you got her only as a decoration, isn't that the point? And besides, she's still a beauty.
: 12/4/2009
Megan first of all I am not your honey! I clearly state that they should inform people of there intention. My ? to you is why didn't you take your cat to a vet instead of taking advantage of the TNR Program ? They do preform a great service to our community! You see how many strays are in our streets! How many would there be without this program. I have no family or friends at SFAC! I am sorry that happen to your pet.I am active with Jack Russell Resuce and everybody that knows me knows what a love I have for animals.
: 12/4/2009
Don't see what's the big problem here. I had my ear notched right after my Vasectomy.
In response to spayed cats' ear: : 12/3/2009
Megan, I am so sorry for your cat. I agree with someone who posted that this sounds fishy since they only charged you $10 instead of the normal charge. I have had 3 cats spayed by them with no problems. However I made an appt for another of my cats to be spayed. I left her one morning and was told to call about 2:30 to see if she could be picked up that day. I received a call on my cell phone and home phone shortly after I left her. I told them I could be reached on my cell phone that day. I tried calling them back but NOBODY answered the phones since they did not open until 11:00 that day. I immediately went back to them to check on my cat. A lady came out into the waiting area and said my cat had been put to sleep because she had feline AIDS. Now this cat was healthy with no symptoms. She said they tested all the cats that came in for feline AIDS. I did not know this and it should have been explained to me before hand. I am very upset still about my cat being put to sleep. They should have waited to do this when I came back if it needed to be done. Now I have the picture in my head of her being put to sleep being held by somebody she didn't know. I feel very guilty about this to this day. I have never had any problems with the Humane Society before this incident. They need to change some of their policies. Again, Megan I am so sorry for your cat. They should have explained that they were going to do this before your boyfriend left the cat.
CatLady : 12/1/2009
After looking at the picture, your cat was beautiful before and looked to be healthy the ear appeared normal in the picture.Megan, is is still a beautiful baby.
CatLady : 12/1/2009
Megan, if you or a friend is interested in another kitten, I have a few that needs a good home.
CatLady : 12/1/2009
Did you let them know she was your indoor cat? Megan, I think you need to ask to speak with the Veterinarian that performed the operation and ask the condition of the ear and why they did not contact you first. I do feel your pain and frustrations
spayed cat's ear cut off : 12/1/2009
well this is my cat and she is a house pet so I dont see any reason at all to do what they done and for especially to Louis Rubin they did NOT inform me of what they were going to do and that is NOT the tip of the ear that is the whole ear unless u are blind my cat look silly and deformed and I am completly out raged!!! so pleas dont try to say that they help the community cause the whole thing they help with is making your cat look insane!! there was absolutely no reason at all why they did this the worse part it is they lied about the whole thing!! you probably work their or know someone that does cause hunny I am not the first person to have a problem with them!
Spayed cat"s Ear : 12/1/2009
I read your article and I am sorry for your cat. I have been working with cats for many years and there are times when I don't agree with the way of the (TNR) program works but I understand why it has to be a rule with the clipping of the ear. I started working with my cats about 23 years ago and I ask for the ear to be clipped because at that time most of my cats were black and it was hard to determine which ones had already been spayed or neutered. I once had 2 kittens that I placed in a home together and they were going to be in door kittens and the rule still stood. I didn't really care for them clipping the ears but that was a rule in the (TNR) program. I have 10 rescue cats at home and they all look the same way. I thank you for having your cat spayed.
: 12/1/2009
Our cat from the office came back the same way. I think they should explain this to people before they leave their pet.I don't have a problem with them doing that to the ear. All of us at the office understand why they need to do the clipping of the ear. They do a great service for our community and a great job!!!
They should have told her. : 11/30/2009
When she picked the cat up they should have told her about the ear problem, They only charged her $10.00 instead of the $ 50.00 they quoted. It sound kinda fishy to me. I do not have a pet but I would be mad if this had happened to a pet that I had taken in.