Sent 3 Cats for Lion Cut and They Came Back Like This. Normal?

[PatientStorm]

Hi, I'm a new member and I needed to get some opinions/advice because I'm pretty upset.

My family has been going to this neighborhood vet clinic for years now and we started using their grooming service last year. No problems whatsoever. They offered to give our cats (Persians above 8 years old) lion cuts because of matting and a skin infection issue one of the cats has. On those two separate occasions, the cut was just nice, not close to the skin, just a nice clean shave with still enough hair.

Yesterday I went to pick them up and while loading their carriers into the car noticed they were completely shaved down to the skin. Only when I got home and inspected them did I notice cuts and red abrasions, namely around the delicate skin area. (photos attached)

I realize that the cat community is split on lion cuts, and the risk of cutting a cat during the grooming process is high, but I'm baffled at why a vet clinic showed no good sense by shaving down more elastic areas, especially on older cats, not saying a word about it to us when we paid for the service, and were overall just inconsistent with the grooming process.

Can anyone tell me if this is expected/normal? I just need to know that I won't say something to the clinic unless I'm being reasonable. Some of the younger female workers at the clinic have been rude and disrespectful to me and my dad on different occasions but we let it slide, but is this low key messing with us via our cats or something? I can't stop apologizing to my cats and I'm livid. Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[GoldyCat]

That is absolutely not acceptable. I would take the pictures to the vet's office and make sure the vet sees them, not just the tech or techs who did the horrible grooming job. At the very least I would ask for a refund of the grooming fee.

Is there another vet close enough where you can take your kitties to make sure they ok and the open wounds are not getting infected?

I would also be thinking long and hard about whether I'd ever take my fur babies back to that vet's office.


for you and your furkids.

 

[PatientStorm]

That is absolutely not acceptable. I would take the pictures to the vet's office and make sure the vet sees them, not just the tech or techs who did the horrible grooming job. At the very least I would ask for a refund of the grooming fee.

Is there another vet close enough where you can take your kitties to make sure they ok and the open wounds are not getting infected?

I would also be thinking long and hard about whether I'd ever take my fur babies back to that vet's office.


for you and your furkids.

Thanks for the response.

They were actually given their annual booster shots after the whole grooming session, so the vet had to have seen the damage. I can't believe they didn't see a problem with it and think we're not going to notice or say anything.

Fortunately, a new vet just opened closer to where I live earlier this year, but it was just more convenient to send our cats to one where they have a record of everything, but there's no way I'm sending them back there now.

 

[bear]

How docile and co-operative do you feel your cats are when groomed?

I asked the experienced groomer if she uses a muzzle on my really good powerful boy who would get heavy matts.
She said "Bear, he is really a nice cat. Yet when things are not going his way, and he has communicated that, he is a "CAT"".

That said, none of my cats came back with that many irritations on their skin, even when given a very short buzz.
I would send the images to the Vet and express concern.

 

[GoldyCat]

Thanks for the response.

They were actually given their annual booster shots after the whole grooming session, so the vet had to have seen the damage. I can't believe they didn't see a problem with it and think we're not going to notice or say anything.

Fortunately, a new vet just opened closer to where I live earlier this year, but it was just more convenient to send our cats to one where they have a record of everything, but there's no way I'm sending them back there now.

I don't know about your vet, but it's usually the techs who give my kitties shots.

 

[PatientStorm]

How docile and co-operative do you feel your cats are when groomed?

I asked the experienced groomer if she uses a muzzle on my really good powerful boy who would get heavy matts.
She said "Bear, he is really a nice cat. Yet when things are not going his way, and he has communicated that, he is a "CAT"".

That said, none of my cats came back with that many irritations on their skin, even when given a very short buzz.
I would send the images to the Vet and express concern.

This is what's making me hesitate to say something. My cats aren't very cooperative, and squirm even if I'm simply using cat wipes on them. My family sends them for professional grooming for that reason. But over the years they've never come back from a grooming session looking like this.

This small vet clinic has about four-five techs who handle the grooming and I'm pretty sure it's not just one tech that handles one cat since they can get agitated.

 

[PatientStorm]

I don't know about your vet, but it's usually the techs who give my kitties shots.

Good point. I should probably ask them who mainly did the grooming and gave the shots.

 

[Norachan]

I take Forest, in my banner below, for an annual Lion Cut. He gets his blood work and dental check at the same time because the vet and groomers are in the same office. Our vet always lightly sedates Forest so that he doesn't squirm around too much and risk getting cut. One year he did come back with a small nick under his front leg, but the vet apologised for this and they didn't charge me for the grooming that time.

I think they've done a very bad job of it. If your cats were squirming around too much to trim them safely they should have either asked the vet to sedate them or stopped.

Yes, I would definitely have some questions if any of my cats came home looking like that.

 

[artiemom]

I would definitely send the pictures to your Vet and demand that they contact you, in person, if necessary, for an explanation. The Vet is probably not aware of what transpired.

This is not acceptable from anyone; especially from a Vet Grooming Practice...

I wonder if it was a new, inexperienced employee doing the lion cut? Or was careless and in a hurry. Either way, I would be furious! I hope your cats are not traumatized from the situation. Cats get traumatized so easily. The Vet should be aware of this.

 

[PatientStorm]

I take Forest, in my banner below, for an annual Lion Cut. He gets his blood work and dental check at the same time because the vet and groomers are in the same office. Our vet always lightly sedates Forest so that he doesn't squirm around too much and risk getting cut. One year he did come back with a small nick under his front leg, but the vet apologised for this and they didn't charge me for the grooming that time.

I think they've done a very bad job of it. If your cats were squirming around too much to trim them safely they should have either asked the vet to sedate them or stopped.

Yes, I would definitely have some questions if any of my cats came home looking like that.

I don't even know if they use sedatives during grooming sessions, and if maybe they'd used it on previous occasions and not this one, which would explain the horrible outcome. They usually communicate with my dad and ignore me when I'm around, but I'll be asking them about it, even if they smirk or roll their eyes at me.

They get good reviews generally and are the go-to vet clinic in the neighborhood, but maybe decided they didn't like us and couldn't care less about losing our business.

Btw, your cats are gorgeous : )

 

[Babypaws]

OMG….that’s horrible what they did to your poor cats…I would DEFINITELY complain about that! And I would never bring your cats there again…I don’t know what they charged but you need to get your money back. It doesn’t matter how your cats behavior was, there’s NO excuse for that to happen…

 

[PatientStorm]

I would definitely send the pictures to your Vet and demand that they contact you, in person, if necessary, for an explanation. The Vet is probably not aware of what transpired.

This is not acceptable from anyone; especially from a Vet Grooming Practice...

I'm glad to hear people saying it's not normal, because my anger isn't just an overreaction, but justified.

 

[posiepurrs]

Giving a cat a lion cut is not for the untrained person to do. No disrespect to the vet techs out there, but most do not have the training or experience to do it properly. I would speak to the vet about it and would try to find a certified cat groomer in your area for the future.

 

[Babypaws]

This is what's making me hesitate to say something. My cats aren't very cooperative, and squirm even if I'm simply using cat wipes on them. My family sends them for professional grooming for that reason. But over the years they've never come back from a grooming session looking like this.

This small vet clinic has about four-five techs who handle the grooming and I'm pretty sure it's not just one tech that handles one cat since they can get agitated.

You don’t need to hesitate to say something about the way they were trimmed! These are your cats, you paid for them to be trimmed, not hacked and their skin cut etc….don’t hesitate! id be doing everything possible to let other people know what happened to your little kitties….that’s pathetic…

 

[PatientStorm]

OMG….that’s horrible what they did to your poor cats…I would DEFINITELY complain about that! And I would never bring your cats there again…I don’t know what they charged but you need to get your money back. It doesn’t matter how your cats behavior was, there’s NO excuse for that to happen…

Thank you for saying this. I feel better knowing I'm not making a big deal out of it.

 

[PatientStorm]

I would definitely send the pictures to your Vet and demand that they contact you, in person, if necessary, for an explanation. The Vet is probably not aware of what transpired.

This is not acceptable from anyone; especially from a Vet Grooming Practice...

I wonder if it was a new, inexperienced employee doing the lion cut? Or was careless and in a hurry. Either way, I would be furious! I hope your cats are not traumatized from the situation. Cats get traumatized so easily. The Vet should be aware of this.

Their behaviors changed immediately once we got home. They sleep in my room every single day and rarely leave the room even during the daytime, but since the grooming session, they've been eating less and sleeping in odd areas of the house for most of the day. I'm sad because they're sad.

 

[PatientStorm]

You don’t need to hesitate to say something about the way they were trimmed! These are your cats, you paid for them to be trimmed, not hacked and their skin cut etc….don’t hesitate! id be doing everything possible to let other people know what happened to your little kitties….that’s pathetic…

True. It's the fact that they're a family-owned business and will most likely have each other's backs or try to blame the "difficult" cats. I don't know. Still, I did plan on publicly calling them out on it, along with the bad attitude of the staff members who're selectively professional.

Thanks for the support, though. My family members are mostly passive and choose to avoid confrontation. I can't do that.

 

[Babypaws]

Thank you for saying this. I feel better knowing I'm not making a big deal out of it.

You shouldn’t have felt intimidated about the condition of your cats or hesitated to question why and how they were in that condition. Fur grows back in time but to see the cuts and irritation on their skin is beyond belief. . I would have been so furious. Don’t let them get away with it…..

 

[PatientStorm]

Giving a cat a lion cut is not for the untrained person to do. No disrespect to the vet techs out there, but most do not have the training or experience to do it properly. I would speak to the vet about it and would try to find a certified cat groomer in your area for the future.

So true. I look at my cats and what was done to them and can't forgive myself for not protecting them more.

 

[PatientStorm]

You shouldn’t have felt intimidated about the condition of your cats or hesitated to question why and how they were in that condition. Fur grows back in time but to see the cuts and irritation on their skin is beyond belief. . I would have been so furious. Don’t let them get away with it…..

You're right.

I had been disgusted with the behavior of the staff before, but now they really gave me a reason to go after them. Fine if they don't like a customer, but don't mess with my cats.