We adopted a cat in January. As first-time cat owners, we spent a great deal of time researching vet care before adopting him. Coastal Cat Clinic came highly recommended by the organization we adopted him from and several friends and community members. We appreciated the idea of taking him to a practice that specializes in feline care.
After several months without any issues, our cat began urinating outside the litter box. Knowing male cats are prone to UTIs, we wanted to rule out a medical cause as quickly as possible. He was scheduled for an appointment on Monday, July 27. During that call, I was advised if he stopped urinating before then, it would be a life-threatening emergency and we would need to take him to the emergency vet. Naturally, this was very concerning, and we monitored him closely throughout the weekend.
His appointment on Monday was scheduled as a drop-off appointment. We were instructed to bring him in at 8:00AM and told he would most likely be ready for pick-up by 3:00PM and the clinic would call when he was ready. I work approximately 40 minutes away and arranged for a coworker to cover for me so I could leave when I received the call.
However, we never received a call. I ultimately left work at 4:30PM to ensure I arrived before the clinic closed. When I got there, our cat was already ready to go. I do not know when he was actually examined. Since vet visits can be stressful for cats, we would have preferred he spend as little time there as necessary.
At pickup, we were told the urinalysis results would not be available until Tuesday or Wednesday and we would receive a call once they were in. Given the seriousness of the concerns discussed during the initial phone call, we expected timely follow-up.
We did not hear from the clinic on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. I called on Friday, July 31, to check on the results and was told they were unable to access them due to an issue with their system, but someone would call me back with an update. That callback never came, leaving us facing another weekend without answers.
I called again on Monday, August 3, to obtain results. I was told Dr. Ryan was not in the office and only she could discuss the results with me. I was informed she would call me the following day. When I expressed concern about how long this process had taken, I was told as long as our cat was still urinating, he was fine. While I understand urinary obstruction is the emergency concern, if he did have a urinary tract infection, he had been experiencing discomfort for well over a week without treatment or communication regarding his test results.
My concern is not simply the wait for the results, but the lack of communication and follow-up throughout the process. We chose this clinic because of its excellent reputation and feline specialization, but our experience has left us feeling our concerns and our cat's comfort were not treated with the urgency or compassion we expected.
Once again, we did not receive the promised call on Tuesday, August 4. I sent an email to the clinic that evening expressing my concerns. I then called on Wednesday, August 5, at 10:00AM, again requesting his results. I was told Dr. Ryan was not in and would "really make an effort" to call that afternoon with results.
Dr. Ryan called at 11:30AM that day and his results were clear. She apologized for not getting back to us sooner, as she was out sick with an emergency situation. She explained she does not allow the front desk to tell clients when results come back clear as there are usually follow-up questions. While I understand Dr. Ryan's situation, the lack of communication and follow-up from the clinic was unacceptable. Especially to make us wait for good results, that would have immediately alleviated our concerns.
I would not recommend Coastal Cat Clinic to anyone looking for a vet who will show care and compassion to their animal. We have transferred our cat over to the vet our dog is seen at.
