On November 18, the case was heard in You'anmen Court of Fengtai Court in Beijing. Mr. Gao complained that his lover, Ms. Liu, 48 years old, was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago. Because her breasts were removed and she was undergoin...
On November 18, the case was heard in You'anmen Court of Fengtai Court in Beijing.
Mr. Gao complained that his lover, Ms. Liu, 48 years old, was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago. Because her breasts were removed and she was undergoing chemotherapy, her body and mind were greatly harmed. In order to relieve her mother's anxiety, her daughter spent 20,000 yuan to buy a ragdoll cat as a companion.
"This cat is very naughty and very popular, so I named it Taotao." Mr. Gao said that after Taotao came to his home, his lover loved him even more. He bought imported canned cats and natural and non-irritating cat litter. He even changed the layout of the entire home and built a parkour tunnel for Taotao to use for exercise.
Watching Taotao grow up day by day, Ms. Liu’s past worries also dissipated.
On January 22, 2021, since the Chinese New Year is coming soon, Ms. Liu is going to give the cat a clean bath, comb its hair, and give her a new look. So my husband and I carefully selected several pet grooming shops, but we were still dissatisfied no matter what we chose. Finally, we settled on a national chain store two kilometers away from home.
Mr. Gao said that the self-introduction of a Beijing pet service company on the Internet showed that the company is a national chain, has professional technicians who receive regular training, and has a CKU certificate (pet beautician). "Although it is expensive, it is worth it to make my wife happy." He said that at 2:30 that afternoon, he and his wife took Taotao to the store and spent more than 600 yuan to choose the only senior beautician to give Taotao a bath.
Mr. Gao said that on the recommendation of a senior technician, they also purchased a SPA service for Taotao, where the cat was covered with seaweed mud for deep skin care.
He told reporters that before bathing the cat, he needed to unknot its fur for about an hour, and he watched from the window during the process.
"When they were untying the cat's knot, they kept blowing it with a hair dryer. The sound was very loud, and Taotao was so frightened that she struggled and howled, and then it became even worse when taking a bath." Mr. Gao recalled that time, saying that Taotao's screams could be described as heartbreaking, but because the senior technician did not stop, and this was the first time he took the cat outside to bathe, based on trust, he thought this might be a normal phenomenon and did not stop it.
Mr. Gao said that the service process lasted about two and a half hours. At 17:20, Taotao suddenly collapsed on the bed and could not move, with his tongue hanging out. At this time, the senior technician came out with the cat in his arms and asked if he needed medical attention.
"I drove the cat to the pet hospital for treatment. During the process, it coughed violently and coughed up a lot of water. When I arrived at the hospital, I received a cardiac injection and a series of rescue operations, but I still couldn't save it." Mr. Gao said that since then, his lover's mood has become increasingly depressed, to the point where he even needs sleeping pills to fall asleep.
According to the report issued by the pet hospital, Taotao died of cardiogenic pulmonary edema caused by stress reaction.
Mr. Gao said that after many negotiations with the store, the store refused to admit that it was their staff's fault, and the amount of compensation proposed was extremely low. "Their behavior, which has no corporate responsibility at all, is very unacceptable to us," said Mr. Gao. In anger, he acted as a litigation attorney and took this national chain pet grooming store to court in the name of his lover. The store is required to pay a total of 40,000 yuan in compensation for the purchase price of the cat, the expenses incurred in raising the cat, and mental damages.
The manager of the pet grooming shop argued that the cat’s so-called stress response is due to different external stimuli, which causes the cat’s heart rate to accelerate. When the external environment continues, it will intensify the adrenaline surge and cause organ vasoconstriction. In severe cases, shock and death may indeed occur.
The store manager said that first of all, as an operator, all technicians are trained on the job and must have corresponding knowledge and be able to judge the cat's status based on the cat's reaction. At the same time, it is necessary to open the knot before bathing the cat, otherwise the water will cause the cat to develop symptoms such as dermatitis. When Taotao arrived at the store, the hair on her abdomen was already in pieces, so cleaning took a long time, about an hour.
The store manager said that during the entire process, whether it is combing, water flow, or a hair dryer, it will indeed cause discomfort and fright to the cat, but it is normal. Due to different pet cat breeds, different ages, and different growth environments, the stress response points will be different. "The more purebred the cat, the more vulnerable it is. Generally, the owner is around and simple comfort can alleviate the problem," he said.
"And when we provide SPA services to cats, we first wash them, do care, steam them with hot steam, and then wash them again." The store manager said that during the process of care and steaming, the cat itself only needs to lie there to rest, so first of all, we rule out the situation where the technician is in a hurry and tosses the cat without stopping.
The store manager said, "We are also very sad about Taotao's death and understand Ms. Liu's mood. However, the death of the cat was indeed an accidental result and event caused by the superposition of multiple factors. We have served so many cats, and Taotao was indeed just an accident."
In court, the pet beauty shop's attorney stated that the company stated that out of corporate responsibility, it was willing to compensate Mr. Gao and Ms. Liu, but this was a service contract dispute, so the compensation did not cover mental losses. In addition, raising a cat is a consumable expense and cannot be caused by Taotao's accidental death. All expenses are required to be borne by the store. If possible, the store is willing to help Ms. Liu purchase a new cat.
However, the two parties did not reach an agreement on the amount of compensation and the amount of the cat purchased. Mr. Gao’s bottom line was that the store should compensate the store for the 20,000 yuan incurred in purchasing the cat. The store believed that Ms. Liu could not issue a receipt for the cat purchase. At the same time, according to the current market, it only costs 6,000 yuan to compensate a Ragdoll cat, so it could only be used as the highest benchmark.
In the end, the two parties failed to mediate, and the case was not pronounced in court.
