We had an extremely upsetting experience at Longs Peak Animal Hospital during what should have been a routine annual visit for our healthy, 1.5 year-old kitten. Our cat is exceptionally friendly, gentle, and affectionate. She loves people, eagerly greets visitors at our home, follows them around, enjoys being picked up, and has never had behavioral issues at previous veterinary visits. We have never seen her react the way she did during this appointment.
From the beginning, Dr. Kristin Hrenchir gave us a poor impression. She was very quick and seemed impatient, and when we asked ordinary questions about good cat care her responses came across as short and belittling. The most disturbing part of the visit was how our cat was handled. Dr. Hrenchir picked her up by the chest, with her front feet off the ground, and continued holding her in that position while talking to us. Initially our cat tolerated it, but after approximately 10 minutes she became increasingly uncomfortable and began trying to get away. Despite our cat becoming visibly distressed, the doctor continued holding her. There was no medical procedure being performed that required our cat to be restrained for such a prolonged period. Eventually, our cat began thrashing, vocalizing, and desperately trying to escape. She ultimately bit the doctor and broke free.
This was completely out of character for our cat. We have never experienced anything remotely like this with her. From our perspective, her reaction appeared to be the result of becoming frightened and overwhelmed by prolonged restraint. Afterward, we were told that our cat would need to be medically sedated for all future appointments because of this incident. We find that recommendation extremely concerning and disproportionate given her history as an affectionate, social cat with no previous behavioral problems. We cannot help but question whether this incident could have been avoided with more appropriate and patient handling.
The situation happened so quickly that we regret not stopping the appointment immediately. We were particularly uncomfortable when our cat was taken into another room to receive her vaccine without us. Given what had just happened in the examination room, we were naturally very anxious about what was happening out of our sight. Dr. Hrenchir did not return to the room afterward! Instead, an administrative staff member brought our cat back to us. We left shocked, upset, and deeply concerned that this frightening encounter could negatively affect our cat's willingness to visit a veterinarian in the future.
We went to Longs Peak Animal Hospital for a routine vaccine for a healthy, friendly cat. We left feeling that our cat had been unnecessarily frightened and that our concerns as owners were not treated with the seriousness they deserved. We strongly recommend that other pet owners carefully consider their options before bringing their animals here! We certainly will not be returning. Our experience has left us with serious concerns about how animals are handled at this hospital and about the judgment used in responding to what appeared to us to be a preventable incident.
