A resident of Alcúdia has publicly denounced the care received by his cat Tyga at a veterinary hospital in Palma, where the animal died on Sunday night after a weekend of hospitalization. The owner points to serious deficiencies in care, such as the lack of blood for an urgent transfusion and delays in starting treatment.
Guillermo Oliva, a resident of Alcúdia, has made his complaint public against a veterinary hospital in Palma following the death of his cat Tyga, which occurred last Sunday night. According to his account, the animal suffered alleged negligence during its hospitalization that led to a fatal outcome.
The events date back to Friday afternoon, when Tyga suffered a neurological episode at home. Oliva rushed him to the veterinary centre, where the animal suffered another attack during the consultation. After performing a blood test, the veterinarians detected a haematocrit of 15%, a figure well below normal and consistent with severe anaemia, so they decided to admit him.
According to the owner, the veterinarians informed him that if the haematocrit dropped to 12%, they would call him to authorise a blood transfusion, and that the hospital had reserves to perform it. However, he claims that call never came. "He spent the whole night on Friday and they didn't call me Saturday morning either. On the information sheet they give to owners, it states that they inform about the status of admitted animals from eleven o'clock, but I had to be the one to call on Saturday afternoon," Oliva recounts.
It was then that he received even more concerning news: the haematocrit had dropped to 10% and they asked if he authorised the transfusion. "I said yes immediately, but a few minutes later they called me back to say they didn't have blood and that I needed to bring another cat to use as a donor," he asserts.
Faced with the lack of blood, Oliva had to urgently seek a solution on his own. "I started calling veterinary hospitals all over Mallorca until I found a bag of blood in Manacor. I left from Alcúdia, went to pick it up, and personally brought it back so they could perform the transfusion," he explains.
The next day, Sunday, he contacted the hospital again to find out about Tyga's progress. They informed him that the haematocrit had risen from 10% to 13%, although he was still in critical condition. Worried, he consulted his usual veterinarian, who indicated that the immunosuppressive treatment should have started as soon as possible. "I called the hospital to ask why they hadn't started the treatment and I went straight to Palma," he recounts.
Once at the centre, the veterinarian who attended him informed him that they had "just started" the medication, although, according to Oliva, he was unaware of what drugs had been administered, in what doses, or who had prescribed them. While waiting for explanations, he tried to consult the hospitalisation sheet that was in folders hanging on the wall of the room. "At that moment the veterinarian left the room and, a few seconds later, an assistant removed all the folders. I asked what medication they had given my cat and he replied that it was confidential information, when I was the owner," he maintains. Minutes later, the veterinarian returned with the documentation already filled out. "The medication sheet was filled out at that moment. Nothing was noted before," he claims.
Tyga died during the night on Sunday. When he collected the body on Monday, Oliva received the clinical report. In the therapeutic plan section, it stated that they would consider starting the full treatment on Monday, a circumstance he considers particularly serious given that the animal had been hospitalized since Friday with a critical condition.
The medical documentation provided by the owner indicates that the animal presented with severe acute anaemia, thrombocytopenia, and a possible Evans syndrome, in addition to a neurological condition likely secondary to the anaemia. Oliva has announced that he is considering taking legal action against the veterinary centre for what he considers negligence that cost his pet's life.
This case highlights the importance of transparency and promptness in emergency veterinary care, especially when the life of the animal depends on critical decisions such as a blood transfusion. Pet owners in Mallorca should know that, in a similar situation, it is advisable to be aware of the centre's protocols in advance and, in case of doubt, seek a second opinion or even transfer to another veterinary hospital.
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