I was catsitting for a friend and the cat suddenly stopped eating and going to the bathroom and started hiding. I know this is a bad sign for any cat so I took her into Birchmount Vet. The vet did some feeling around and said that her bladder was very full which was very concerning. Plus he said he found a mass which also concerned him and she seem dehydrated. He then went on to recommend a battery of tests that would have ran around $1,200. He also said that at this point, I should consider 'quality of life' for the cat.
Since she wasn't my cat, I couldn't make the call on this so I talked with the owner by phone. We agreed that we would have the vet just rehydrate her and then the owner would pick up the cat and bring her to her own vet to check her out the next day.
The cat ended up getting better right after getting rehydrated. She then went to her own vet who did a checkup and said she was fine and probably just not feeling well for a day or so. The cat was completely fine after 2 days. We still don't know what exactly the issue was.
I would never say that diagnosing an illness is easy. However, it concerned me that Birchmount Vet would receommend a slew of tests right off the bat without much inspection. The full bladder? Solved after the cat went to the washroom after being rehydrated. The mass? A small scar from surgery years ago.
I was left with the impression that this place knows more about making money than diagnosing your pet. Just know this before you go here.