[LiteraryLark]

Evy was scheduled for a 7am groom and bath at PetSmart. The lead supervisor let me in at 6:45. I waited until 7:10 when they told me that they could not get ahold of the groomer. Waiting, debating, waiting, debating.

"Unfortunately, we may not get Evy in until 9am when the next groomer comes in, can you come back in at 9?," said the co-worker.

"It's not fair to Evy that I brought her all the way in when one, she hates car rides, and two, she is a fire victim and traumatized enough as it is, and it wouldn't be fair for her to drive her home, take her out of the cage, just to put her back in and drive her back when grooming and car rides are traumatizing for her in the best conditions."

Debating, debating.

"Well, what if we keep her in the back kennel where it's cool and quiet until the groomer arrives?" We look at the kennels, a dark room with roomy cat cages, but indeed cool and quiet that would keep her calm.

"Yes, that's perfect!"

"Alright, we just need a rabies certificate."

"A what?"

"She didn't let you know that you need to provide a rabies certificate in order to do any services for her?"

*internal combustion, cool outside*

"No, she said nothing of the sort! You can't even let her in the kennel without it? What are we supposed to do?"

Debating, debating.

So they had me call my vet to fax over the rabies's certificate and we got her into the kennel.

So Evy was stuck in her cat carrier for an hour and a half until she got into the roomy kennel at 8am...

"I will come back at 9am when the groomer arrives"

9am. Groomer arrives. No apologies from her. Everyone else was to blame. "Well, the scheduler should have known (you WERE the schdeuler that day!) that we no longer start at 7am because we're so short staffed. Trust me, it wasn't me (you stated your name as the staff repeatedly), but if it was me (IT WAS YOU) I would have known about this and called you to reschedule (But you didn't!)."

So the first thing she asks about my cat is if she was mean because "I don't do mean cats!" Then we went over the details and she told me it would take two hours for the shaving and grooming when it typically takes one hour, and she said she'd take care of her in a few minutes.

I checked on her multiple times, and every time I looked she was sitting doing nothing. After an hour of idling, I went in to see what was the issue. "I will get to your cat in a moment, I am busy booking appointments."

After all this I was in a rage. I looked for the lead and she saw the look on my face and asked what was wrong. After I explained what was going on, she went in to talk to the groomer. After the lead returned to the salesfloor, the groomer grabbed Evy and began to work on her, so I left the Petsmart.

I received a phone call 45 minutes later saying Evy has been taken care of and she is all done. I felt even angrier as I drove over, expecting that she only shaved her and didn't bother to groom her.

When I came in she was in the back but the dog groomer was there. I went up to her and asked what exactly the groomer did in details. The dog groomer said she was very impressed with the speed and quality of the groomer, she got the mats out but Evy wouldn't let her shave her butt, and the dog groomer said she tried to shave her butt before the bath and then again after the bath, but Evy wasn't having it. I looked down at Evy to inspect her and my first impression was how good she smelled, then I looked at her and saw the mats were gone. I asked the dog groomer if she clipped her nails. The cat groomer did. The dog groomer said that the cat groomer also brushed her and blow-dryed her and did the "whole package" and everything I asked for, with the exception that Evy wouldn't let her shave her butt.

When I drove home, I was almost afraid she escaped because she did not make a single sound during the whole 15 minute drive home. When I parked the car and looked at her, she looked up at me from her crate and whimpered, and when I let her out when I got in she ran.

The whole ordeal lasted four hours, and it was an absolute nightmare.

I am thinking I may see if I can push out the vet a little farther out, if there's time. I definitely want her to relax and calm down before taking her out again.

[possum220]

You cat has been through so much. Grrr to the female at Petsmart. When you do eventually make it to the vets would it be reasonable to ask about a sedative for Evy?

[splitimage]

Aww - how awful for poor Evy. I hope she recovers quickly.
splitimage

[88Butterfly88]

Hugs to Evy.

[Hobbit House]

Hugs to Evy, what a nightmare.

[lizardlady]

How is Evy doing now?