Since vets in general come under plenty of criticism, anecdotes like mine can help clear the air. After a freak accident that left Hope (a young black female cat) unable to use her right front leg, the news from SAH was not good. A heavy lamp had fallen from a window sill and crashed down on her paw after she had played with the lamp's cord. They said that we could pray that the three bones would heal together properly but they may not due to the small size of the bones and the way the bones had broken. They put on a cast (splint) which ended up collecting moisture inside and causing an infection. Since this type of injury and fixing of the problem was unusual, I might expect a problem like this to happen. Casts were replaced and the cat ended up having to be confined to a portable kennel for a couple of months to ensure the best chance of healing. The vet was very concerned about whether the cat would be in pain which was nice to hear. Their prices were high, as expected, but all vets are like that. SAH did ease off on the excessive charges that are typical in cases like this, but only after some negotiation. Don't be afraid to ask the difficult questions or push for your point of view on your bill because you are the one paying for it and it's up to you to make sure you are getting your money's worth. The happy ending to Hope's story is that she is playing and getting into trouble, acting more like a dog than an indoor cat should ever act like. She's back to grunting when happy and chasing after her friend Nikki the other black cat in the house. :)