A family say they have been left heartbroken and appalled after taking their severely injured 10 month old kitten to a PDSA Petaid Hospital. On Thursday, March 30, Matt Marshall and his wife took their kitten to the Nottingham PDSA Pet Wellbeing Centre, in Radford Road, New Basford, after she was hit by a car.
He claims that they were told they should have made an appointment before coming in and told to pay a £20 charge before anyone would look at their kitten, who was named Cass. Matt said: "My ten month old kitten was ran over and she subsequently died.
"We put her in a blanket and I had her arms, she was still alive but she was losing a lot of blood out of her nose and mouth. We took her to PDSA, got to the front desk, [where there were] the two receptionists. The first thing they did was ask me my postcode, my address, my name - bearing in mind I still had my kitten in my arms dying, and then after all the details were given they took my kitten to the back."
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The 43 year old said that at this point he was told he should have made an appointment before coming in and was also asked to pay a £20 fee. He said: "They mentioned the £20 charge but by this time we were devastated, distressed and stressed and the last thing we needed was 'we need money'.
"Ten minutes later we were called into the back and told that our kitten had passed away, we were devastated. Yesterday (Monday, April 3) my partner got a phone call from the PDSA regarding the cremation and where she has been, and then proceeded to mention the £20 again.
"We don't mind paying it and never refused to pay it, but there is a time and place for everything. We paid the £20."
He said he had been disappointed with the way the situation had been handled.
Regarding the family's complaints and concerns, a PDSA spokesperson said: "Experiencing an emergency and subsequent loss of a pet is deeply distressing. We understand that this is an extremely difficult time for Cass’ family, and we have expressed our sincerest sympathies for their loss.
“Our dedicated team aim to provide a professional and caring service at all times, and the most important thing to us is the welfare of pets in our care. Our team is working with Mr Marshall and his family to understand his concerns.
"We treat complaints very seriously, and would always fully investigate any issues.”
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