Hi all,
I haven't been around for awhile, but I am needing some feedback from the feral cat caretakers. Feeling alone in this feral cat world tonight.
One of the feral cats in the colony of 50 that I manage, a white cat, got cancer on one of her ears that advanced quickly.
She was one who would come occasionally to feed. I hadn't seen her in awhile and the ear looked just horrible. Like cottage cheese with great globs of dried blood. Just awful, and it seemed to be spreading onto her jaw.
It took me over a month to get her and I finally did today and then rushed her to the vet
My regular vet retired a few months ago, so I have been establishing myself with a new vet. She and I discussed this cat. She explained the options, which weren't good for a prognosis (she hadn't seen the cat, but based on my description, she said the surgery would be in the thousands of dollars with no way of knowing if there would be a cure. We decided the best route was to catch her and put her down.
That vet was not in today, so I got a different man I had seen a couple of times before but don't really know.
He began the appointment with an interrogation of my reasons for wanting to put the cat down. For information, I am a one woman operation. I have taken care of this colony of 50 feral cats for over 16 years without any help, financial or otherwise! Putting a cat down from the colony is something I have had to do over the years. It is never an easy decision. A piece of my heart always goes with each one.
Anyway, this vet's interrogation included the comment that he wanted to make sure I wasn't putting the cat down as a matter of CONVENIENCE!!!!! (for all of you feral cat managers out there, can you imagine anyone suggesting that to anyone of us????)
I gulped down my reaction while attempting to explain how hard it was to come to the decision, but I knew this cat was in pain (OBVIOUSLY) and wanted to spare her having to continue living with such pain, with know way to stop it.
He finally agreed (after saying he also didn't want to have a hard time going to sleep at night after putting down a cat for the wrong reasons). (I wanted to say, do you have any idea how many sleepless nights I have spent worrying about this cat?)
Then, as he was about to give the final injection, I said it was so hard to have to do the euthanasia, and he said "it's okay, I trust you."
Now, my feeling is, I am supposed to trust him. I have never had a vet say anything other than 'you are doing the right thing, and I know how difficult this is."
It seemed to me he was saying 'I don't agree with what you are doing, but I trust you know what you are doing.!
I know if I had been with the female vet and she had seen the ear, she would have said, this cat must be put down.
Maybe I am just too sensitive, but I am feeling hurt and I just can't stop thinking about what he said, while I am grieving for the sweet cat that left the earth today.
I guess I just don't understand, particularly in the vet world, why there is so little understanding still about what TNR is, how much work it entails, and how little general support we get from our Communities and those who don't know what TNR is.
Feedback, greatly appreciated. I am a little fragile about hearing negative comments since I feel like I got such negative energy from the vet. So, please be gentle. Thanks so much!!
I haven't been around for awhile, but I am needing some feedback from the feral cat caretakers. Feeling alone in this feral cat world tonight.
One of the feral cats in the colony of 50 that I manage, a white cat, got cancer on one of her ears that advanced quickly.
She was one who would come occasionally to feed. I hadn't seen her in awhile and the ear looked just horrible. Like cottage cheese with great globs of dried blood. Just awful, and it seemed to be spreading onto her jaw.
It took me over a month to get her and I finally did today and then rushed her to the vet
My regular vet retired a few months ago, so I have been establishing myself with a new vet. She and I discussed this cat. She explained the options, which weren't good for a prognosis (she hadn't seen the cat, but based on my description, she said the surgery would be in the thousands of dollars with no way of knowing if there would be a cure. We decided the best route was to catch her and put her down.
That vet was not in today, so I got a different man I had seen a couple of times before but don't really know.
He began the appointment with an interrogation of my reasons for wanting to put the cat down. For information, I am a one woman operation. I have taken care of this colony of 50 feral cats for over 16 years without any help, financial or otherwise! Putting a cat down from the colony is something I have had to do over the years. It is never an easy decision. A piece of my heart always goes with each one.
Anyway, this vet's interrogation included the comment that he wanted to make sure I wasn't putting the cat down as a matter of CONVENIENCE!!!!! (for all of you feral cat managers out there, can you imagine anyone suggesting that to anyone of us????)
I gulped down my reaction while attempting to explain how hard it was to come to the decision, but I knew this cat was in pain (OBVIOUSLY) and wanted to spare her having to continue living with such pain, with know way to stop it.
He finally agreed (after saying he also didn't want to have a hard time going to sleep at night after putting down a cat for the wrong reasons). (I wanted to say, do you have any idea how many sleepless nights I have spent worrying about this cat?)
Then, as he was about to give the final injection, I said it was so hard to have to do the euthanasia, and he said "it's okay, I trust you."
Now, my feeling is, I am supposed to trust him. I have never had a vet say anything other than 'you are doing the right thing, and I know how difficult this is."
It seemed to me he was saying 'I don't agree with what you are doing, but I trust you know what you are doing.!
I know if I had been with the female vet and she had seen the ear, she would have said, this cat must be put down.
Maybe I am just too sensitive, but I am feeling hurt and I just can't stop thinking about what he said, while I am grieving for the sweet cat that left the earth today.
I guess I just don't understand, particularly in the vet world, why there is so little understanding still about what TNR is, how much work it entails, and how little general support we get from our Communities and those who don't know what TNR is.
Feedback, greatly appreciated. I am a little fragile about hearing negative comments since I feel like I got such negative energy from the vet. So, please be gentle. Thanks so much!!