Antwort von MSPCA-Angell

Unfortunately, the information given about Dryden by his owner is incomplete. Dryden was brought to the MSPCA-Angell by a good Samaritan who believed the cat was homeless. He was in extremely poor condition upon his arrival.

Upon exam by a veterinarian Dryden was found to be emaciated and dehydrated. We conducted laboratory tests and found that he was suffering from advanced kidney failure, in addition to hyperthyroidism that was not being controlled. Moreover, Dryden was also urinating substantial amounts of blood. He had no identification tags or collar, nor was he microchipped—making it impossible for us to know if he had a home.

We held him for 48 hours and provided supportive care during that time to keep him comfortable, but his health continued to decline and our veterinarians felt that it was inhumane to continue to hold him because of his incredibly poor condition. Cats being treated for hyperthyroidism need medication every 12 hours to control this condition. We held Dryden for 48 hours in the hope that if someone was providing him with the care he needed that they would notice his absence within 12 hours and report him missing or come looking for him. During this time we reviewed all of our lost animal files and found no reports of missing cats matching Dryden’s description.

Dryden’s overall condition, combined with the results of laboratory tests performed by veterinarians, led us to conclude that euthanasia was the most humane option. The decision to euthanize an animal is always difficult, never made lightly and only ever made after all other options have been exhausted. We encourage all pet owners to have identification (tags, collar and microchip) on their pets at all times and to call their local animal shelter immediately to report a lost pet.