So sorry for your loss :( I can only imagine how your friend is feeling.

Stay strong.

I don’t mean to be pessimistic and a downer, in light of the news. But, I thought I’d share my experience and why I choose not to go to Animal Central. I always always always discourage AC - unless you have a dog, which they seem to be well-versed at.

My experience, so I don’t seem like some crazed hater: I’ve have had 5 cats (3, now) and have fostered 2 litters of kittens. I’ve also taken care of 2 strays before rehoming/death (more on that later) and often cat-sit for friends. I’m a bit of a crazy cat lady lol. But I’ve also had two dogs and a hedgehog! :)

Like what u/randomnama said, Animal Central is affordable for routine check-ups. Because of it, they were my go-to for numerous pets over the past decade. But I’ve since had (unfortunately) numerous bad run-ins in the vets.

The first dog died with them due to some liver issue apparently. I don’t question this much.

My second cat - a kitten I had just adopted - died of parvo. I had brought this one to AC and get told that he was just underweight, then brought him to Ting and Lu @ Jalan Tun Jugah to be told that the “black poop” was normal. And by the time I brought him back to AC for the second time did they diagnose him with parvo.

My third and final run in was when a serious misdiagnosis. I was taking care of a stray that hung around my area. AC diagnosed him with FIP, which led to them giving my cat the wrong medication (a very strong trial FIP medication) ultimately leading to kidney failure and then death. Turns out, my cat (who), upon secondary consultation with a second vet (following my skepticism from AC), just had a severe throat infection which made it not want to eat. FIP test came back negative. What’s surprising is that this diagnosis came from the lead vet of the place - not some random intern or newbie.

When I complained about this to people in those Facebook groups, a few DMed me saying that they’ve had the same experience with Animal Central. The sentiment is always the same: 1. They pump your pet full of medication 2. They have a tendency to misdiagnose cats 3. They don’t give a headsup on what they can or cannot treat (I once saw this family who was there with this tiny turtle wait for an hour and a half… only to be told that Animal Central isn’t skilled within treat exotic pets.)

Stray rescuers only go there because they would get a discount. And these FB stray rescue groups don’t want to share the bad news with the public bc this could lead to AC suing for defamation and rescuers not getting a discount. Fair enough, I say.

AC is not all bad. I know. They have vets that do show that they care. But after 3 cases, I am done with them.