Umm Al Quwain: An expensive shave has left a woman with a bald Siamese cat and a Dh250 bill. A ministry of economy investigation is on against a veterinary clinic in Umm Al Quwain which offered the expensive service.
An Emirati woman, A.D., has complained about the owner of a veterinary clinic for demanding Dh250 to give a "haircut" to her cat, Ebrahim Rashid Mosabah, Economic inspector at Ministry of Economy in Umm Al Quwain, said.
Mosabah said the Ministry of Economy in Umm Al Quwain will investigate the veterinarian. He said the Emirati woman brought the bill to the Ministry of Economy's office to file a complaint against the doctor.
"It's more expensive to cut a cat's hair than it is to get treatment at a beauty salon," the Emirati woman said.
She took the cat to the clinic after noticing that its long fur was making movement difficult, she said. The haircut also left cat looking ugly. The veterinarian shaved the cat's fur completely and asked for Dh250.
The MoE office has received a number of complaints against the clinic for demanding high prices for its services, Mosabah added.
The veterinarian, when contacted by the ministry, denied charging an exorbitant rate but insisted that it was fair and competitive. The ministry's investigators found the price for such services to be significantly lower in neighbouring emirates, ranging between Dh75 and Dh100. The veterinarian insisted her high prices reflected what she called the rising cost of living in the UAE.
A penalty will be imposed on the clinic if the investigation finds her to be in violation of rules.
