Animal A.M. Emergency Clinic of Pasadena

I found a nearly lifeless feral cat in my mom's driveway. I took it to this hospital hoping for help and to alleviate the suffering of this cat. The staff took the cat in quickly and asked me to sign a form without explaining the breakdown of possible costs. In a stressful/desperate situation it seems unfair to have someone sign a form without explanation of the costs of services. About a half hour later the cat had died and I was presented with a bill for $500. I was told it was for pain medication, a catheter and X-Rays ($245 for the X-Ray alone). I challenged these costs 1. Because they were unreasonable 2. I had not been updated about the procedures as they took place and the high costs involved 3. The cat died from serious injury which should have been considered before doing further tests. I voiced my concerns and was given a refund of $131 for the cremation and one of the non-medical fees. The hospital was not transparent about the type of tests and costs, nor did they keep me updated to how the cat was responding to ask if I agreed to further tests. The cat was very clearly in bad shape and stopped breathing within a half hour so why so many costly tests and expenses. It appears that they did more tests than necessary and charged excessive fees. I feel that the hospital is exploiting unknowing customers who are simply trying to help animals.