In the town where I live, there is only one veterinary office. We have no idea why, but we wish we had another clinic to go to after what just happened.
I’ve been going to the clinic to get my void’s booster shots. And sometimes to check for cancer (her biological mom had cancer).
But my void kitty Gabriela gave me a look when we got home after the first visit. She was just a little kitten then. It was the look that said she was mad, and probably her instincts were screaming.
Ever since her look of abject infuriation then, I’ve insisted I go in to see her while her visits to the vet happen. But the nurse always said this,
“Dr. Leon must not be disturbed by others. The presence of others would distract him.”
I should have noticed the red flag there. I was told that she just says it to be creepy, but my hairs kept standing on end.
A quick shot should take, like, 3 minutes, right? But these appointments took 10, up to 15 at best.
Another red flag.
After the second booster shot appointment was over, I brought her back home, and when I opened the kennel, she basically sprung out and ran off. Gabriela yowled loudly as she did.
Her third booster shot appointment (and first cancer check) was supposed to be tomorrow. I woke up this morning to find her staring into my soul.
“I know it’s tomorrow, Gabby, but we gotta–”
And she just darted into a corner of my bedroom like a scared animal, leaving scratch marks in the carpet.
And as I got up, she seemed to look at me all wide-eyed.
So this morning, I decided I needed to find out what was really going on in the vet’s office.
I gathered what I could: a flashlight, a notebook, and a camera (without the flash).
I didn’t want to leave Gabriela to fend for herself in a time of her own need, so I took her with me on this little excursion.
She’s an indoor/outdoor cat, and she remembers our living space by the scent.
I’d asked around town before the decision I made, but all I heard was that his methods were the best for pet care.
Another red flag. My hairs stood on end and I wondered what was going on with my cat.
This afternoon, I set up a place to stay before the overnight patients were brought into the clinic. I was looking around at the kennels while staying out of sight.
And all of the dogs and cats shared the exact same look of fear.
Another red flag.
I brought Gabriela and I closer, hoping to get a glimpse through a window.
It dawned on me that Dr. Leon’s windows were whitewashed once I tried looking through them long enough. I only saw shadows through the window. They were shadows of strange tools, an operating table, and what seemed like a man torturing a dog.
Another red flag.
It was going to be hard, but then I decided to go back (bringing Gabby with me) to get a drill bit. I knew there needed to be a way to put a hole through glass so that I could find out what was going on.
So I also got a periscopic device, small enough to spy through the window with. Then, when I got back, I successfully put a hole in the glass without breaking the rest of the window. It’s hard to break a tiny hole in glass without breaking the rest, but I took workshop classes in college.
Then I put the tiny periscope through the hole and looked through it… only to find my eyes even wider by the minute by what I was seeing.
The dog inside was trying to escape. Doctor Leon had gloves and a lot of hazmat equipment on him. The half-breed between border collie and corgi appeared tied down.
And Dr. Leon had all sorts of needles in the dog. He appeared to be beating the dog for making noise.
All the other animals I found within the cages had a look of terror on their faces. I could see some of the cats turning their eyes away in fear.
And with that, I took photographs with my camera through the periscope.
Dr. Leon noticed what seemed “off” by my doing and he immediately began walking to the door marked “back door.” By then, I knew I had to escape and get the photos I just took to the police.
Gabriela gave me a terrified meow.
“Please quiet down, hon. He’ll notice us!”
I hid in one of the nearby bushes. But I saw Dr. Leon rushing by.
“I know you’re the one with the photos, Elaine! Give me the camera!”
He knew it was me somehow?
“Elaine, owner of Gabriela, get out of that bush! You screwed up my eye operation procedure!”
…It did not look like an eye operation. It looked more like medical torture.
I began to make my move. Dr. Leon then took off his mask and brought out some sort of syringe.
“Now that you know my secret, I’ve got to kill you, Elaine… or should I say, Bryant.”
It’s not like I’m willing to respond to my deadname!
“Girl cats should be with girl owners, not men like you…”
In my head before I darted to another bush, I said, Dude, I AM a girl!
Gabriela wasn’t budging from this bush this time. Her tail appeared extremely bushy, paired with a wide-eyed look.
I used my flashlight before darting to another bush to get a good look at the syringe. It had… some sort of red liquid in it.
It dawned on me that it was euthanizer the moment he said, “You’re not deserving of your Gabriela if you’re not going to let her be under my medical care. Now die.”
I darted straight for my house and took Gabriela inside. I bolted all the doors and windows. Then Gabriela uncharacteristically darted into the pet kennel. And she figured out how to close it.
Loud knocks on the door.
“Die, you unworthy caretaker of a cat!”
Loud knocks on the windows, too.
I phoned the police. Gabriela meowed at me as I started dialing the number.
She looked at me with a worried look. I tried letter her out, but she was scratching at me. And she pointed to the phone I was holding.
Like she was trying to tell me that a phone call to the police was our only hope.
I told the dispatcher about who was trying to break into my house. I told him that I had proof of what was really going on in his veterinary clinic.
It wasn’t long before the local police nabbed Dr. Gerald Leon.
And I handed over the photographs as evidence.
And now we’re at home, awaiting the investigation results. I’m typing this with Gabriela at my side, and we’re still nervous tonight about what will happen if the doc somehow manages to get out of this as not guilty. We’re switching to another veterinary clinic, in one at the big city 45 miles away from town. And we’re going to get my void some proper medical care. Gabriela’s trauma might make her scared and angry at the vet clinic, but I’ll try and get her used to living like a normal void.
I hope Gabriela will forgive me for what happened. I’m hoping we can finally get her some better care, and for me to have a vet come to the home rather than just drop her off and pick her up.