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Margot Lane

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This job can be really funny. The vet has a pretty bad rep for abusing staff. No, I am not abused. But she is hard on the other employees. Sometimes I stick up for them, sometimes I don’t.

She, the vet, has this habit of telling me to talk to a cat owner about diet, and I do. I take them into a room and start the fat cat talk. The fat cat talk is where I gently and privately let them know their cat is morbidly obese and at risk for life threatening complications.

I have a talk I do where I just try to first get them to understand the risks, then to understand how bad the cat must feel, and then try to find out what the cat’s eating style is and how he is fed and what he is fed.

I go into a discussion on the way cats haven’t really evolved since they were domesticated, and I go into what wild cats do and how they eat and spend their time.

I don’t just talk at them, I try to engage them in the discussion and most find it interesting, I think. I also get to learn allot about their cat and their lifestyle to better incorporate a plan that will work for them.

It never fails. She asks me to talk to them, I get 2 minutes in and she comes in and starts talking. I have tried ignoring her and continuing to talk but she gets more involved. So now, I am going to try walking out politely of course. I tried it today and she said” go ahead, I’m just listening” then started talking over me again.

I’m at this hospital for a reason. Maybe it’s to learn patience.

Just desperately needed to vent.
Vent away. Can only imagine the stress of this job. Patience is a hard one. As a client of a vet, if I had 2 folks talking to me, simultaneously, or overlapping, I’d listen to the one that was calm and patient, and who had less ego in the mix, who truly cared about my cat. I think anybody who dearly loved their pet would be able to tell between the tones in the two voices and heed the advice. No pet owner wants a lecture—- they only want help. Maybe as a suggestion, just let her say her piece, then come in after with calm, soothing notes from the kind heart. And, THANK YOU very much for what you do. Don’t forget to soak your feet after a hard day.
 

neely

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Don’t forget to soak your feet after a hard day.
Or indulge in your favorite dessert with a piping hot cup of coffee like I do.

As a special education teacher there were varying opinions on our team but I always tried to think of the individual student first and what was best for them. Sometimes the other teachers listened and other times not. However, I always walked into school with a cup of coffee in each hand. :lol:
 
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silent meowlook

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I don't really know what it is. She agrees with what I say. But she feels the need to come in and say what I am saying or something like it while I am trying to connect with the client. Weird.

Decades ago, I realized that if I loved cats, I would have o also love their owners because without the owners the cats wouldn't survive. I really do like the clients. I don't get annoyed with them and enjoy talking to them and hearing their stories. I like to figure out the best way to connect so recommendations are followed for the good of the cat. It isn't easy sometimes, but usually I think I do well at it. Even the upset clients I volunteer to talk to because it is always a misunderstanding.

The last client I overheard the front office staff talking about, I decided to take the call. The complaint was that he was yelling at the receptionist because nobody had called him back on a Saturday. It was Monday. The vet was chewing out the receptionist for not letting us know Saturday that we had to call him. This discussion is all going on while the already client is on hold. Yes, you read that right.

I pick up the phone and he started yelling. So, I explained that I had not spoken to him before, and I wanted to help. Come to find out his cat is very ill, and he doesn't know what to do. He is working. He has his father drop off the cat and the cat is near death. We did wind up having to put the cat to sleep. When the owner came in to be with his kitty, I met him for the first time. He was a kid. maybe 19 years old. He loved his cat. He immediately apologized for his anger, and I told him I would have done the same if I was in that situation. Super nice kid too. Had saved the cat from a poor situation living with his dad. He lived with his dad and the dad had just thrown him out because of this situation. The dad sounds like a real piece of work. Didn't think the cat should have any care because it's just a cat. Piece of work. I don't know what happened to the kid after he left, and I hope he is okay.

This is just an example of the kind of things that happen when people focus too much on themselves than the client and of course the patient. It is frustrating to say the least.

Now I just started venting on here again. Sorry.
 

Margot Lane

Kitten at heart, not a Top Cat
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Really, OK to vent. Especially if you can’t at work. Reading this reminds me to keep myself in check if I ever get stressed w/ a vet (I try not to) and it’s helpful for me to get a glimpse of day to day life behind the scenes. It’s a domino effect—- I like to think that if we’re kind and nice and patient with the overworked, stressed vets, it with calm everybody down enough to get things done without chaos. (Doesn’t always work, but at least they remember you as being a nice client, which may help next time). An ER nurse told me once she rarely gets thanked and when she does, it really makes a difference in her life. The way I see it, all animals ever give us is love, and set an example for us all. So again, thank you, and, if it helps, vent!!
 
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silent meowlook

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The reason I quit this last job a month or so ago was that the vet wanted me to hold a critical senior cats head next to a running faucet to stop him from purring so she could hear his heart. I tried to give other options but she started yelling at me. I quit and walked out. I hope the cat was ok.
 
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