The Day of Surgery
Arrival Time: We take attendance promptly at 7:30am. It is imperative that you arrive on time, if not early. Late arrivals will be treated as a walk-in and you will lose your confirmed status. We will do our best to work you in, but there are no guarantees. The best advice is to plan to arrive a few minutes before 7:30 a.m. to allow for traffic. For the safety of your cat, please leave your cat in your car until you are checked-in and the technician is ready to take your cat onto the truck.
Pickup Time: Pickup time will be determined once there is a final count of how many cats are in for surgery that day. You will be given the pickup time prior to leaving your cat with us that morning. It is a set pickup time, not a window, and we do ask that you arrive just a few minutes early for pickup. We do charge a substantial late fee for clients arriving 15 minutes or later to pick up their pet and we prefer to avoid doing that.
Paperwork: All clients will need to complete paperwork that morning to provide us with important information about you and your cat. We require a Surgery Consent Form and a Patient Information Form. It is imperative that this paperwork be filled out neatly and completely-not rushed through. Please allow 60 to 90 minutes for client processing. If someone else is dropping the cat off for you, make sure that they are up to date on any and all pertinent details about your pet, as they will be responsible for filling out the appropriate paperwork and consent.
Accepting the cat: After you check in and your paperwork is processed it’s time to get your cat! Before taking your cat(s) out of the car, make sure that the cat carrier is completely secure and labeled with your name and the name of your cat. Each cat must have a seperate carrier. The door should be completely closed and all side closures on hard sided carriers (preferred) should be present. Soft sided carriers should have all zippers completely closed. We do have zip ties available for your use if you need them to better secure your carrier. If you do not have a carrier for your cat, we do have cardboard carriers available for purchase ($5). No cat will be taken onto the truck that is not in a secure carrier. Feral cats, and only feral cats, are accepted in traps. Should one of our technicians request that your cat carrier be better secured prior to accepting your cat, please know that it is only for your cat’s safety and well being that they do so. We do ask that you wait with your pet until the technician takes them onto the truck. Any cats left unattended run a greater risk of escaping their carrier and getting lost, or worse.
***Note about carriers – Due to space, dog crates are not an acceptable form of transportation for your cat. Also, for safety reasons, cats in wire crates will not be accepted. The owner of any cat in a carrier not deemed appropriate by our technicians will be required to purchase and transfer their cat to a cardboard carrier. Also, please remember that when your cat is transported home, it has just had surgery and therefore needs to be in a clean carrier environment. There are instances where a cat has soiled their own carrier and must be sent home in a cardboard carrier to help prevent infection post-op. If that is the case, there will be a $5 charge for the cardboard carrier upon pickup. Please put soft bedding such as a blanket or towel in your carrier for absorbency in case an accident should occur. Please
Examination: Once on the truck, your cat will receive an examination to confirm that it is healthy for surgery. At that time, we will review your cat’s medical history. There are some instances where it is in the best interest of the cat to cancel surgery that day. In these cases, we will decline to do the surgery until the cat is better fit to undergo the procedure. When picking up your cat that afternoon, you will receive a report of your cat’s condition including any abnormalities that were found.
Payment Policy All of our spays and neuters must be paid at the time your cat is presented for surgery. Any extra services must be authorized at morning drop-off. Treatments will only be given if necessary. CatSnip accepts cash and debit cards, MasterCard, Visa, and Discover Card. Anyone that leaves without payment will be subject to police apprehension and arrest.
Vaccine Records To expedite check-in for your appointment and reduce the possibility of over-vaccinating, please bring your pet’s vaccine records with you.
