Hospital Policies

Appointments

Appointments are required for all doctor examinations. We ask that you arrive on-time and call us asap if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment. We reserve approximately 30 minutes for you and your pet. If you arrive late, we may not be able to address all of your concerns. If you arrive more than 10 minutes late, we may ask that you reschedule your appointment. We strive to keep our schedule on-time. Occasional delays may occur-especially if a patient is seen that is significantly more ill than expected. We do see occasional daytime emergencies. Life threatening emergencies take priority over scheduled appointments and may create an unexpected delay. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause to you.

Cancellations

We require 24 hour notice for cancellation of routine appointments and 48 hour notice for major surgeries/dentals. We understand that emergencies can happen and unexpected things come up. We will accommodate you to reschedule your appointment on short notice one time. Further reschedules/cancellations with less than 24/48 hour notice (as applicable above) will be subject to a deposit in order to schedule your next visit. The deposit will act as credit towards your visit. If you then cancel/reschedule the deposited visit in less than the requested cancellation window, we will keep your deposit as payment for the short-notice cancellation.

Payment

Payment is expected at the time services are rendered. Hospitalized patients require a deposit at the time of admittance. For your convenience, we accept cash, check (established clients only), ATM, and most major credit cards. We do not accept Care Credit. We do not have any payment plan options available.

Hospitalization

We are a daytime outpatient veterinary practice. We do not have 24 hour staff on site overnight or on weekends. Patients that require intensive overnight care may be referred to a 24 hour care facility.

Prescription Refills

 We ask that you call 24 hours in advance for any refills. Every prescription requires an overview of your pet's recent medical history and a doctor's authorization.

Veterinary Client Patient Relationship

California state law requires a current active veterinary-client-patient relationship in order to prescribe any medications or make any medical recommendations for pets. The law states that we must have examined the pet within the past year in order to consider this relationship to exist. River City Cat Clinic will not provide prescription refills, prescription diets, or flea/heartworm products to any pets without an exam within the past year.

Privacy

River City Cat Clinic recognizes the importance of protecting the personal privacy of its clients, its patients and those individuals who simply visit our site. We do not collect information for any third party vendors or internet businesses.  No information is disclosed to outside parties from us or our web site hosting company at www.evetsites.com. Your privacy is also protected in our hospital.  With exception of data required by law for us to report to authorities, we will not share your personal information without prior authorization.

Please note we are required by law to report the following:

1. Rabies vaccinations administered to the City of Sacramento.  

The City of Sacramento uses rabies vaccination data to ensure compliance with the city's pet licensing requirements. Dogs AND cats within city limits are required to be licensed. At the time your pet is vaccinated, you will be provided with a rabies certificate for submission to the city for licensing. Our involvement in the licensing requirements is limited to providing proof of current rabies vaccination for pet owners, and providing a report of vaccines administered to the city shelter. Any questions about licensing would need to be directed to the City of Sacramento Animal Services. 

2. Controlled substances dispensed to the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

The DEA requires all pharmacies (human and veterinary) to report who was dispensed a controlled drug, what drug, how much, and the birthdate of the person receiving the drug. In veterinary medicine, this means we must report the owner's birthdate to the DEA. They use this information to regulate controlled drugs and monitor for abuse. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter. If you do not wish to provide us with your birthdate, we will not be able to dispense controlled medications to your pet from our facility. 

Rabies Vaccinations

Rabies is an important deadly disease for all creatures, including humans. It is NOT eradicated from the Greater Sacramento Region. Pets are at risk for acquiring this virus-and transmitting it to humans. Vaccination is an important part of ensuring public health. Indoor only cats CAN get rabies! Most often, indoor only cats acquire it from bats-who come inside homes. For the safety of our staff, we require proof of current rabies vaccinations in order to provide any outpatient non-medical services to your pet in our hospital (including, but not limited to-nail trims, shaving matts, lion clips, etc).