Goldman Sachs abandons kittens (we’re not making this up)

[Nikki Stone1]

http://www.newdeal20.org/?p=5706

Goldman Sachs abandons kittens (we’re not making this up)

Saturday, 10/24/2009 - 7:10 pm by Lynn Parramore | 7 Comments

Just when you think that Goldman can’t lose any more of its shine, The Villager newspaper of Lower Manhattan reports that the firm has neglected to pay the vet bills for homeless kittens found in its nearly-completed Battery Park City headquarters. An editorial offers an apology to America on behalf of the corporate behemoth:

“Since Goldman Sachs has been a big part of the Lower Manhattan fabric for almost a century and a half, we’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to the rest of the country on behalf of our neighbor, a financial giant personifying much of what is wrong on Wall St.

Before we get to the multibillion-dollar stuff, we’d first like to apologize that the firm has not yet paid a few thousand dollars of vet bills for the five kittens born in its headquarters building nearing completion in Battery Park City. In August, after our sister publication Downtown Express reported the kittens’ discovery, Goldman offered to pay the bills and encourage its employees to adopt the ‘BlackBerries.’

It may be just a matter of Goldman waiting to get the vet invoices — we can’t imagine they’d stiff kittens while writing out bonus checks worth $23 billion — but the cats still need adoptive homes. (Incidentally, anyone interested in one of these adorable kittens should e-mail their rescuer, the Brotmans, at [e-mail].)”


See the whole editorial at http://thevillager.com/villager_338/editorial.html

[virgogal]

1. They haven't even been blled yet? Where's the story in this?

[Nikki Stone1]

3. :)

:)

[Mz Pip]

2. A few thousand dollars?

for 5 kittens?? What kind of vet services did these critters need?

Granted, Goldman should stiff the vet - but seriously this seems like a pretty high vet bill.

[grace0418]

4. Really? It seems like a $500+ vet bill for one cat is certainly not unheard of, especially

if the cat needs treatment for a couple of diseases and neutering (and maybe boarding for a few days). Multiply that by 5 cats and you've got a bill of a couple thousand bucks pretty easily.

[Nikki Stone1]

5. The last time a friend of mine brought a cat in, it was $300 for shots and a teeth cleaning

Sick cats must cost a lot more.

[kestrel91316]

9. Sick kittens can get quite pricey. It's why I am such a "cat Nazi" about

preventive health care in them.

Though if I had any business sense, I would let them get sick from neglect and then make a lot more money treating them.

[jgraz]

6. Yep, especially if you're taking them to a vet in Manhattan

One sick cat can easily run into four figures.

[kestrel91316]

7. Well, if they had been brought to ME:

1 kitten exam @ $47 = $47.00
4 kitten exams @ 43.00 = $172.00
5 initial FVRCP vaccination @ $12.00 = $60.00
5 initial internal and external parasite treatment @ $24.50 = $122.50

Ok, so we are already at about $400 without any additional care such as FeLV/FIV testing if they were old enough ($47.00 each), boarding to find home ($24 or so per kitten per night), or treatment for any actual illnesses. Or if they were old enough to get a FeLV vaccine ($19.00 each) or rabies ($17.50 each). Plus you have your NYC premium - vet care is expensive to deliver in such a high rent district.

I know, I know, it's just a cat. Which is why some of us are cat owners and cat vets, and you aren't.

5 kittens, $1000, that's ONLY $200 each. Not even half of what basic responsible care for a kitten in the first year will run you.

[kestrel91316]

8. And would you care to explain just WHY GS should stiff the vet???

[Mz Pip]

10. Mistyped

Meant shouldn't. Need to proofread better.

But still, I've done animal rescue for years and have never heard of bills in the several thousand dollar range for 5 kittens. I rescued 6 a few weeks ago and the bill for spaying, shots and flea meds came to about $60 per cat. There are vets that will work with rescues and not charge thousands of dollars.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

11. I'm surprised.

It would be more like them to tie them up in a sack and toss them in the Hudson River.

[rucky]

12. I guess they decided to go to the Plaza for lunch, instead.