Hello, I am writing this with a very heavy heart and I really need your advice and opinions.
To give you some context, I had a twelve-and-a-half-year-old cat (who passed away this morning) who spent the first four years of his life in a flat. He was extremely stressed by being kept indoors, to the point that at age two, he developed stress-related hepatitis and had to be rushed to the emergency vet. Despite that, he recovered without any lasting issues. I should mention that he was a cat who couldn't stand being shut in, so he lived outdoors 80% of the time. This is something I pointed out and insisted upon with every vet we saw.
However, at the end of May 2026, my cat started to seem unwell. I called an out-of-hours vet to the house who concluded it was lumbago. He told me to follow up with my regular vet after giving him some anti-inflammatories.
I then made an appointment with a vet a few days later. An X-ray was taken: nothing unusual was found, other than some arthritis. He also had an osteopathy session. My cat regained a bit of energy, but then his condition deteriorated again.
I then saw a colleague of theirs because the vet he had seen previously was on holiday. I reported that he had been vomiting for 2 to 3 months, about 4 to 5 times a week, always in the morning after being fasted overnight. I mentioned, however, that the vomiting had become rarer since I changed his dry food. I also told them that about once or twice over a 2 to 3 month period, my cat tended to cough and choke, a bit like an asthma attack. He was therefore put on antibiotics.
Gradually, things got worse. My cat would meow while crouching to urinate, and his general condition was declining, even if he wasn't completely lethargic.
I went back to the first vet. He told us there were only two days of treatment left and that we had to finish the course. So we did.
Seeing no improvement, we went back again. I pointed out that his belly was a bit swollen. This same vet concluded it was a urinary tract infection. He was put back on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories after an ultrasound was performed.
With still no improvement, I consulted them again, specifically pointing out that his belly was still swollen and that this was unusual. The vet checked to see if there was any urinary retention, and then sent me home.
Still no improvement, so I went back to the vet for the umpteenth time. A urine sample was taken via cystocentesis. According to the vet, the urine looked quite good: it was very clear, no blood, with just a few small impurities hardly visible to the naked eye. It was sent to the lab for analysis.
A few days later, I went back and didn't really get a clear answer as to whether there were stones or not. The vet remained very vague.
Since his condition still wasn't improving, we consulted them yet again. I once more pointed out and insisted that his belly remained swollen and his general state wasn't getting better (I was worried about urinary retention since she had confirmed the urological theory). She felt his belly but still didn't feel a distended bladder. I asked her once more if the tests had revealed stones; she simply said yes. A second ultrasound was done, but this time only of the bladder.
A few days later, we finally went in as an emergency because his belly had swollen even more and he was in a bad way. Upon palpation, the vet felt a very small amount of urinary retention. She decided to catheterise him (the urine was fine and flowing normally) and he was put on anti-spasmodics.
It was at this point that they mentioned a urethrostomy to avoid a potential acute urinary blockage.
We had one last consultation a few days before the procedure. He received a steroid injection, supposed to last several days, to keep him going until the urethrostomy.
So, we went ahead with the urethrostomy.
I also asked for a blood test to be done to check that everything was alright, as no blood work had been offered or carried out previously. The blood test they did was a biochemistry panel without a full blood count (no analysis of white or red blood cells). That said, the biochemistry results showed globulins slightly above normal, as well as protein.
The surgery went well. However, his general condition didn't improve, and his belly remained swollen.
During a post-operative appointment, I pointed out once again that his belly was still swollen. The vet told me everything was fine and that I should "stop fixating on his belly". I started to doubt myself, thinking I was overreacting... Faced with the ultrasound and blood test results they told me were okay, I convinced myself that everything was fine.
I took him back again 2 or 3 weeks after his operation because he seemed even worse; according to the vet, he seemed to have a temperature.
Since then, his belly never went down.
Today, at the end of August 2026, my cat is completely collapsed and has a fever. I rushed him to a different vet.
After an initial full blood count and chemistry, the results were very worrying: high white blood cell count, very few red blood cells, severe dehydration... this was followed by a battery of tests. Effusions around the kidneys and bleeding in the stomach. But no stones in the kidneys. His prognosis was critical and he was hospitalised.
The diagnosis finally came through: it was advanced renal lymphoma that had spread to the stomach.
When I explained all this to the vet currently looking after him, he confirmed that there had been a misdiagnosis regarding my cat.
Today, I feel like I wasn't listened to despite my numerous warnings about his swollen belly and his general state. I also felt judged and wasn't taken seriously when I insisted on certain symptoms. Today, I have lost a family member and so much more.
I should mention that I have spent nearly £1,700 at this clinic since this whole story began.
The cheque for the urethrostomy, which was written about three months ago, has still not been cashed.
My question is this: what are my options in a situation like this?
I called the clinic as soon as they opened to ask them not to cash the cheque given the misdiagnosis and the death of my little boy, but I still haven't heard back. Is it possible to request the cancellation or the return of the cheque for the surgery, given that another vet now considers there was a misdiagnosis?
I want to clarify that I'm not looking for someone to blame, as the current diagnosis might not have necessarily saved his life. But it might have given us more time with him and, above all, spared him some of that suffering.
If any of you have faced a similar situation (misdiagnosis, dispute with a vet, recourse through the RCVS or the vet's insurance), I would be really interested in your feedback and advice.
Thank you in advance to those who take the time to read and reply.
