Katonah Bedford Veterinary Center VCA Katonah-Bedford Animal Hospital Dr. Kerry Heuter and Assistant "Carla" Brutally Abused 16 Year Old Cat With Excessive Force Causing Heart Attack and Ultimate Death Bedford Hills New York

We took our most beloved, elderly 16 year old cat to this Hospital [whom we trusted in the past] to have a simple check up and blood test with Dr. Kerry Heuter [male Vet]. 

1.) We made it clear several times via phone when we made the appointment that we suspected Hyperthyroid, Kidney, and Heart/high blood pressure given her age and losing weight. We also made it clear that she is very shy and skittish and needs TLC and a gentle approach. 

2.) We again, in person with our cat, made all of the above clear when at the appointment on June 6th, 2023 with both the Vet Tech "Carla" and with the Vet himself. Both were told what our concerns were when we were in a private room. Both seemed distracted and uninterested in looking at her with us present in the room. Usually, a good Vet gently uses cat treats to get the cat to come out and will examine the cat with pet-parents there to comfort and encourage the family pet. 

3.) Our cat was eating, functioning, and gracefully aging but we were just wanting to be pro-active in her care as she was losing weight. She ate a good breakfast that morning and was enjoying her life otherwise. We made all of this clear. But she was "skittish" and needed a gentle touch. ALL MADE CLEAR, or so we thought. The Vet had a very uncomfortable and almost "robotic" demeanor which I had never seen before. 

4.) They refused to examine our cat in the room and told us it was their "policy" to take the cat in the carrier to the back emergency room [it is a 24 hour hospital and a specialist hospital]. 

5.) I felt uncomfortable, but my husband was there and seemed ok with it but I regret I did not stand up for my beloved Angel and say "No, not acceptable" given the strange and robotic behavior of the Vet that day. 

6.) The Vet stuck his hand into her cage in front of us as we were trying to describe her losing weight and why we were concerned with hyperthyroidism [explained ad nauseum with an uninterested response from this Vet]. This was so unprofessional and downright foolish. She nipped at him, and thought it was that she was just scared. He pulled his hand out and laughed and said it was "his fault" and he knows better than to stick his hand into the carrier of a scared cat. He made nothing of it and in a few minutes took our cat with him in her carrier and shut the door behind himself. He gave me a strange look as he walked out of the room and this should have been another clue that something was "off" and the process needed to STOP.

7.) I opened the door a few minutes later and I heard clanging in the back emergency room but thought because it was an emergency hospital maybe there was emergency they were attending to. Not so. It was our beloved 16 year old, who was struck with so much FEAR that she jumped off the exam table to run and hide under equipment. The ignorance and abuse of chasing down a FIVE POUND CAT who was 16 and so frightened is unacceptable abuse and horrifying, terrifying, and unprofessional. A GOOD, WELL TRAINED GROUP LETS THEM HIDE THEN USES TREATS/FOOD/KIND AND GENTLE VOICES TO COAX THEM OUT AND NOTIFY THE PET PARENTS SITTING IN THE WAITING ROOM!

8.) They chased her with a Towel and "wrangled" this delicate cat. She had a heart attack and went into shock, but this VET never bothered to notice! They continued on, robotically, with a blood test and an ultrasound without caring or giving one iota of concern for the state of shock our cat was in. 

9.) After a very long wait of about 45 minutes to an hour, they brought her back in her carrier with her eyes dialated, in shock, her tongue hanging out with heavy breathing via mouth and blood and drool coming from her mouth. She struggled to breathe in a crouched posture and I kept asking the Vet Tech what happened and this is not "normal."

10.) I was concerned she was in shock and that they had CREATED AN EMERGENCY IN AN EMERGENCY ROOM BUT DID NOT NOTICE OR STOP AND USE GENTLE 'COMPASSIONATE CARE' FOR AN ELDERLY ANIMAL? They GASLIGHTED my questions and downplayed her condition as "Just needs to calm down" but she seemed to be in OBVIOUS DISTRESS. They kept the narrative that she just was 'upset' without answering WHY they did not bother to tell us this was going on and STOP what they were doing if she was in distress and so frightened? Why did they continue? This big question was robotically ignored. 

11.) On the way home she laid her very warm, feverish head on my hand. It was a message, as I look back, that she was in pain, and had been injured. She never stopped breathing heavy with her tongue out of her mouth, her eyes remained dialated, and she never recovered. 

12.) The next morning I urgently called VCA Katonah-Bedford to talk to the Veterinarian responsible, Dr. Heuter, and again, he ignored my concerns and details of her condition that morning. He, once again, Gaslighted the whole situation that was clearly an emergency for my cat but just joked that he cannot "send a Chiropractic Adjustment" and just needs to calm down. 

13.) This confusing and horribly disrespectful behavior to educated customers who trusted their much loved cat to him was the cause of Delay for us rushing her to another emergency room, which we have about 10 minutes from our house and is NOT a VCA. He told me, instead, to let her relax and she just needed to calm down. When asked why she is not able to eat and looks like she cannot swallow even when given a syringe of water he just ignored any and all questions and spoke over me with a condescending, patronizing attitude. This again, was someone was trusted and this behavior confused me. Then we were told to drive to Katonah-Bedford [about 30 to 40 minutes away from Greenwich, where we live] to "pick up some sub-q fluid" and her blood test had "off the charts/sky high hyperthyroidis"  so he would have a prescription for some cream medication that would come in the mail. Again, the urgency of the state of our cat was ignored.

14.) A few hours later, our beloved Angel died in my arms. 

To add insult to all of this injury, after we called the VCA Katonah-Bedford Hospital to notify them of their errors in judgement and that our cat was, in fact, injured and most likely had a heart attack from the man-handling and rough and uncaring force used on her we were met only with more Gaslighting and refusal to take responsibility. 

We were then bombarded with "Offense" maneuvers by this VCA hospital. They called both the Greenwich Animal Control and the New York State Health Department to complain about our beloved, delicate, 5 pound, 16 year old, INDOOR cat.... they complained that she bit the Veterinarian [who admitted he was at fault in person on that day] and that they are suddenly concerned that she might have rabies!!!!!!!!! 

Unbelievable. If you felt this way, Dr. Heuer, and VCA Hospital corporation [owned by the Toxic/processed/slave-trade Mars candy corporation], then WHY ON EARTH DID YOU TAKE HER IN HER CARRIER TO THE BACK TO CONTINUE ON WITH ANY TESTING WHATSOEVER?

The answer is they know quite well that she had no such thing as rabies, but they needed to strike with an "Offense" measure to intimidate and harrass the very family who has just suffered a horrible injustice and loss of life of their beloved and cherished 16 year old cat named Angel. 

This is nothing short of Diabolical.