All Cats Veterinary Clinic

The level of caring and thought the staff at All Cats gives to their patients can be summed up by the giant sign on their door saying «If you leave a pet here without permission, it will be euthanized. We are not a shelter.»
Understandable for a business, but unbelievably cold towards those lives they are claiming to help.
Let me preface my review by saying that I am a veterinary professional — I have high standards for others in this field. I also know that low cost practices can provide cheap and convenient service while still being caring, compassionate, and taking basic safety and sterility measures. All Cats meets NONE of these standards.
I utilized this practice via a rescue organization that has an agreement with them. Our kitten almost died here, when a previously unknown condition presented during spay surgery. There is NO way that the doctor could have known about this condition prior to the surgery, and there is no way to say that it wouldn’t have happened at any other surgeon.
THAT BEING SAID — we received a phone call with the most blunt and unconcerned attitudes telling us that our kitten might die. We were legitimately told «everyone is leaving for lunch at 1, and she will either be alive when we get back or not.» There is something to be said for customer service and bedside manner, and for presenting sad news in the correct way.
When we met with the vet, she talked to us while performing surgery on another cat, and we were told «we tried one treatment and she is not responding, so *shrug* nothing else we can do.»
They put our kitten in a kennel and all of the staff were sitting around, watching her die. But by god, they had tried ONE thing! They also were upset that the kitten was squirming and crying, they kept repeating «Well, if you could only get the thing to HOLD STILL» — because a semi-​feral kitten, waking up from a painful surgical procedure without good pain control, should definitely know that she needed to lie quietly and exercise kitten self-​control.
There are ways to provide your pets with cheap and convenient spay and neuter procedures where the technicians at least monitor the surgery — so what, no fancy equipment or monitors, but an old-​fashioned stethoscope still works wonders! If there is an emergency, the staff were clearly unprepared to do ANYTHING for the surgical patients besides sit around and watch. The vet was performing surgery in flip flops and a sweater… very sterile procedure. It was the equivalent to performing surgery on a battlefield vs. a hospital.
There were 2 cats in a kennel together lying by the door, wrapped neck to tail in potty pads, passed out asleep… I could get into how that’s against AAHA regulations, but this place is SO FAR below their standards that it wouldn’t even help.
Lastly — there are NUMEROUS signs promoting spay/​neuter and population control in the clinic… but the vet is still, herself, breeding cats. It’s pretty clear that she only supports spaying and neutering the ones that you CAN’T sell for hundreds of dollars.
In closing — the least professional, least caring, lowest-​standard veterinary facility I have ever stepped foot in in my life. None of the staff were caring, compassionate, or even cordial. They were all content to sit around and watch our kitten die, and close down the clinic and leave her alone for 3 hours. The surgical standards leave a LOT to be desired, as do the facilities. If you value your pet’s comfort and safety, this is NOT a place you should visit — no matter how cheap it may be!!!

I would like to reply to Rebecca J: Dr. Rigoni has been taking care of my feline fur babies for over 15 years. Not only has she and her staff bent over backwards, but Dr. Rigoni has given the best care possible. Her bedside fur manner is the best.
As of gumbo-​I am so sorry. Losing a baby is the all time worst.
I will say that after doc and I battled with gingivitis with my baby-​she referred me to a vet dentist. So, I seriously doubt that she would misdiagnose a dental issue. She doesn’t miss much. I even took «My Gracie“in thinking that she had dental issues and was given a negative. She has done many dental checks with my babies-​in fact-​I remember «My Gracie» having the funniest reaction to her oral exam. «My Gracie» had a «kitty chuckle»!!! It gave everyone a chuckle after seeing my baby’s reaction. If those teeth were rotting-​you should have taken that cat in. So, shame on you. That is on you not on the vet. You can smell that rotting teeth smell a mile away.
You are blaming your issues on a 3^rd party company about getting fluids for your cat. You also took gumbo to another vet that couldn’t help you either.
If you find a better doc than Dr. Rigoni-​please contact me. THERE IS NO ONE BUT DR. RIGONI. She is the best of the best. Not to mention, her prices are ridiculously affordable and I feel like I owe her even more than what she charges. She is amazing.
Say what you want about her staff-​but her tech, Melinda is fabulous. Jean, at the front desk is awesome and will always fit you in. Terrace (and I am sure I butchered his name), is so super sweet and does an excellent job bathing and nurturing every baby he works with.
Again, I am sorry that you lost your baby. But, writing a negative review about a fabulous establishment is wrong. Especially, when you are admitting a lot of fault. Dr. Rigoni is really honest. I like that about her. I kind of feel like if you can’t handle the truth-​you probably shouldn’t have pets. She is really great about not pet shamming you. But, you have to be willing to help yourself and your fur family. I trust this lady to the moon and back. She is the only one I trust with my babies.
Thanks,
Amy
P. S.–Thank you again for «The Griffin». He has my heart and soul.

In my last review, I wrote that I received notifications from the City of Houston about two cats I took here. After doing some research and receiving service at other clinics in Houston, I’ve figured out that they were for pet licenses. By law, you are required to license your pet and pay the city a fee.
I’m assuming All Cats automatically sent the applications for pet licenses for me. I deduce so because I didn’t know about pet licensing fees until I looked into it and I’ve never sent the City of Houston any information about my cats.
I understand that it is necessary to comply with the law, but I am pretty sure I can send the information in myself. Another clinic I go to attaches a metal license to a sheet of paper that enlists details and requirements about Houston’s pet licensing, but they don’t send the information in for me. I have the responsibility to do so. Since this other clinic has left that choice to me, I wonder why All Cats sends the information to the City of Houston without my consent. On one hand, it is a considerate service for them to mail in the information for me. But on the other hand, it is MY information! As far as I know, I do not recall giving them consent to submit my information for me.
Also, I think it is a mistake for All Cats to automatically send in the information without my consent because not all the cats I neuter or spay are my pets. My family neuters and spays feral/​stray cats. In fact, the first cat I took here was a stray cat and I did receive pet licensing notifications for him. As far as I understand, the law for feral cats does not require licensing. It only requires that the left ear be clipped to show that is spayed or neutered.
After writing my first review, I actually continued to use All Cats’ services to my dislike. My mom chooses this clinic because it’s close to our house, so we have spayed/​neutered additional cats here.
I still have the same complaints from last time about the service. I don’t enjoy being spoken to in a condescending manner. This is one example of when I called for their rates.
Receptionist: It will be $ 75 for spaying a cat.
Me: Does it matter that she’s a kitten and a stray?
Receptionist: No, it’s a flat fee of $ 75.
Me: I think I’ll call other clinics for their rates before I set an appointment.
Receptionist: Honey, you can’t find anything lower than this!
The receptionist didn’t say the last line in a joking or saleslady like way. It was condescending like I didn’t know what I was talking about.
I, in fact, did call other clinics. The other clinic I frequent usually offers discounts when I mention that it is a stray I am spaying/​neutering. In the end, I spayed my stray kitten at the Houston Humane Society because they offer the best discounts on feral cats.
As for the actual services All Cats provides, I’ve only spayed and neutered cats here. Since my last review, none of the cats have experienced any problems, so that’s a plus.
On another negative note, I think it’s odd that they close the clinic from 1 – 3:30. It’s rather inconvenient.
I am hesitant to bring cats here in the future due to these experiences.

I have had contact with this clinic and vet for 20 years. The vet breeds Cornish Rex cats and shows them. That is why we have gone there in the past and maintained contact. I have had bad experiences when bringing our cats there in the past. The vet offered little help with our issues with a couple of cats. Her solution was to say that perhaps the cat should be euthanized. Fortunately I went to another vet and was able to get some help. The sign on the door should make you think twice about going there. It says «cats left here will be euthanized, we are not a kennel». While I understand their feelings, the message continues to convey their continued insensitivity to their customers. Dr. Rigoni is not compassionate and the place seems very unclean every time I have been there. I think the worst thing is the front desk staff. They are like the vet nazi’s. Most (only one receptionist has been genuinely friendly) of the from desk staff are extremely rude and unapologetic. They make you feel like you are a nuisance and don’t even try to work with you. I witnessed her speaking with a customer on the phone and being so rude I was in shock. One time I came in just before closing to see a cat that was for sale and she told me to leave because they were closed. Really, it was not closing time and I went out of my way. They just do what they want with no concern about the customers. I could go on and on about my experiences there. Needless to say, I will never take a cat there unless something drastically changes, and nothing has in the past 20 years. I honestly don’t know how they stay in business when there are so many good vets in Houston.

It took us a couple of years before we found a legit veterinarian in the Houston area, but it was worth the wait. Not only is Dr. Rigoni up to speed on the most recent research and studies on health issues with cats, she delivers good or bad news with sincerity. Her staff is also very knowledgeable and will help you in any way in their ability. We are so fortunate to have Dr. Rigoni as our vet, as she has been a great source of information and insight on keeping our feline babies healthy!

I really love All Cats. I started taking my cats here when we moved to the Medical Centre and they have always been nothing but nice. My cat, Misty, got very sick very quickly and they did everything to help save her. In the end, I just had to put her down. They were very kind and helped me a lot.
I have 2 other cats that I take here, even though we have moved. The drive to get here is about 30 minutes but we refuse to find another vet.
Dr. Rigoni kind of looks like a crazy person, but she is AMAZING. She breeds Cornish Rex’s so they are always running around the office. Even though they kind of worry me, they are really good cats. I’ve left the door open before (trying to bring 3 cats in at once is difficult!) and they have never attempted to run out. They usually leave my other cats alone, but sometimes they are just curious.
The staff here is super sweet and they answer any questions you have — even if they are a little irrelevant.

Dr Cindy is amazing. She has helped me with cats for years and will answer questions on Dogs too. A previous reveiw mentioned a dog with missing hair. I saw that dog and asked the receptionist why it looked like it did. It is a ‘Chinese Crested’ and is supposed to look that way. Google the breed and you will see what I mean.
Back to Dr Cindy, years ago she diagnosed my cat with out needless expensive testing and cured him of a skin problem that other Houston area vets ran several tests on and their only recommendation was give my cat a bath more often. Dr Cindy discovered that my cat had a infection that a brief series of anti-​biotics cured. Since then she is the only vet I will take my cats to.
A great clinic with a wonderful staff that ‘knows cats’.

Beware please, malpractice… PLEASE bear with me and read: I went to All Cats 2 months ago because my cat had a watery eye. Dr. Rigoni looked at it and very quickly said it was «allergies» and then proceeded to give my cat iv fluids and nausea medication for dehydration. She needed this because she has kidney failure, which I already knew and had been giving her medication for, so OK fine. But back to the eye part — it turns out, after such unsatisfactory service from this clinic (keep reading) I took Gumbo to another vet this week because her eye was getting worse and she had a puffy cheek. It turns out, my cat has mouth cancer! And sadly, there is nothing we can do for her. Now, if Dr. Rigoni had even bothered to take a quick look at Gumbo’s mouth, she would have seen some pretty awful tooth decay. And quite possibly, something could have been done sooner to help my poor cat! Now, this whole time I’m thinking oh, it’s just allergies, and I let my cat get to a point where her cheek was pretty swollen. Which, maybe that was partly my fault, but nevertheless, I let it go too far. Was it Rogoni’s fault that I let it go? I’m not sure. But I do know that she misdiagnosed my cat, and therefore my cat did not get the care she so urgently needed. Sad, so very sad.
The reason I took her somewhere else (besides the fact that my cat’s eye was clearly NOT allergies) was the complete ineptness of Dr. Rigoni’s staff. Now, her nurse was nice, and even gave me some fluids for free to take home to administer to Gumbo. BUT — she told me she did not know where I could find iv fluids to administer to my cat at home on a regular basis as a treatment for her kidney failure. Okay, so that’s strange enough but I thought okay I must just be able to find it at a medical supply store or online. Went to a few medical supply stores and no luck. Okayyyy, so I look online and yes — you can buy it at an online pet pharmacy — great. So I placed an order. The order said it needs a prescription from our vet. So I call All Cats — and was told «the doctor does not write prescriptions» — UH, WHAT? (red flag right there) And then the lady said that if we faxed in a form from the pharmacy they could sign off on it, no problem. Okay so I call the online pharmacy and have them fax it over. I wait for my fluids to come in the mail. I finally call the pharmacy asking where my order is, only to be told that All Cats had not signed off on the fax. WHAT?! Okay so i call All Cats, and get this — the receptionist tells me that «Dr. Rigoni does not sign off on online pharmacy purchases». Needless to say, I was INCENSED!!!
But wait, there’s more!
Finally, the phone call I made to this place to try to get Gumbo back in about her eye before the iv thing —
me: Hi I need to make an appointment for Gumbo tomorrow morning
lady: Would you like morning or afternoon?
me: In the morning, after 9am please.
lady: Does 8:15 work for you?
me: (kind of chuckling) Uh, NO. After 9am!
lady: (mumbles incoherently)
me: what?
lady: (rudely and slowly) the DOCTOR is in SURGERY between 9 and 12!
me: (laughing) WOW. yeah OK, thanks. (hung up and called another vet)
Thanks for reading this all the way through if you could! Needless to say, this place is fishy. I wish I had taken Gumbo somewhere sooner. I am going to miss my beloved kitty. Tomorrow is her last day, and I cannot tell you how sad this makes me, and added to that the fact that there might have been something done sooner. PLEASE avoid this place.

Finding new doctors when you move can be a daunting experience; especially if it’s for your pets. Luckily I had a recommendation for Dr. Cindy Rigoni at All Cats Veterinary Clinic and I’m so glad I did.
This clinic is all about cats; they don’t «do» dogs. Dr. Cindy has been breeding pedigreed felines (and beautiful ones at that!) since 1978 and was one of the first people in the country to open a cats only clinic. Her human staff are friendly and helpful as are her feline staff of Cornish Rex that great you when you walk in. This was practically the best part for me! Her Cornish Rex are not only pretty, but perfect little Rex clowns; friendly, mischievous and engaging. They helped me fill out my forms and kept me company in the waiting room.
Dr. Cindy is definitely my kind of vet! She is not only extremely knowledgeable and up to date with feline medicine, but takes a no nonsense approach to treatment and uses insight and situations to decide the best plan of approach for each patient. I really like this «not by the book» attitude because it leaves things open for new ideas, technologies, medications and plenty of input from the pet owner as well. And while Dr. Cindy is on the path to making pets well if they are sick, she prefers minimal invasiveness to the pet and is always thinking about what is best to not only make your cat well, but with the least amount of aggravation for you and your pet. Wonderful! She seems to know what tests are needed and how often and chooses the path that will be most cost and time effective for everyone.
I definitely plan to continue my relationship with her and her clinic and feel great about bringing all of my cats here. And by the way, they had a few dogs laying behind the counter too helping out when they could, but you’d never know it!
Written in my travelogue: Cat vet who understands felines and continues to be active in breeding and showing. Saturday hours too. LIKE!