A VET took home a cat she should have put down and tried to nurse her instead – while her grieving owners believed she was dead.
Dr Janine Parody said she “couldn’t face another euthanasia” after having already performed the procedure on three other animals that day.
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Dr Parody has since been found guilty of disgraceful behaviour
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Janine Parody stole a cat she was supposed to put down and left the owners thinking their pet was deadCredit: Facebook / fromusvets
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Before stealing the cat, Dr. Parody sedated, sterilized and removed its microchip before installing a new one Credit: Facebook / janine.rawlinson.3
The vet claimed she believed the “lucky” cat, named Shadow, could be nursed back to health and decided to take her home with her.
Before stealing the cat, Dr Parody sedated, neutered and removed its microchip before installing a new one, MailOnline reports.
She told the disciplinary hearing that the owners “would be none the wiser” and did not want to keep the pet anyway.
Dr Parody has since been found guilty of disgraceful behaviour.
The devastated owner said she was “grieving for his little soul” after she recently welcomed him into her family.
The elation at discovering her pet was still alive was short-lived after the woman was asked to fork out almost £500 for the procedures carried out by Dr Parody.
The original owner, named only as SM, paid a £480 treatment fee to bring the cat back to health.
The tribunal heard a woman who was a regular cat rescuer took ownership of the cat but soon decided it would be best to euthanize it.
The cat was “very ill” with MRSA, emaciated and had facial injuries when SM received her in December 2021.
An appointment was then made for Dr Parody at Castle Veterinary Group in Framlingham, Suffolk, to put Shadow down.
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Dr Parody, a single mother with two dogs and two cats at home, added Shadow to the family during Christmas that same year.
Upon returning to work after the holiday period, the receptionist questioned Shadow’s records as there was no official record.
Dr. Parody admitted that the cat was alive and that she kept it in her house.
I had already performed back-to-back euthanasias that morning as mentioned and after seeing the happy young cat I just couldn’t bear another euthanasia
Dr. Janine Parodyvet
The vets then told SM that her cat was still alive and was being taken back to the office to be picked up.
The shocked woman returned for her cat on December 31.
Dr Parody resigned and an investigation was launched.
The tribunal heard that by the end of February the cat had undergone further operations but remained seriously ill.
SM made the difficult decision to shut Shadow down again a few days later.
She told the court she suffered needlessly along with the cat because of Dr Parody’s actions to keep the cat alive.
The cat’s owner said she felt the vet was working under “extremely stressful circumstances” due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
When Dr. Parody spoke to the panel, she revealed that she was “ready to euthanize” Shadow right up until the moment she walked into the office.
She said the “sweet young cat looked healthy except for the condition of his skin” which led her to decide to take him home.
The vet added: “I had already performed back-to-back euthanasias that morning as mentioned and after seeing the happy young cat, I just couldn’t bear another euthanasia.
“I think it’s important to say here that even though I had been a vet for over 10 years at that point, euthanasia is never easy and you always ‘take it home’ with you.”
The commission said the ordeal was partly caused by a miscommunication because Dr. Parody originally believed the cat had no owner.
Dr. Parody admitted that she knew what she did was wrong and that there was no excuse for her actions.
But she claimed she acted “with the welfare of the cat at the center of my decisions”.
The panel agreed with Dr Parody but said she had “made a series of very poor decisions” and went against normal procedure.
Dr Parody was reprimanded and now works in Herefordshire.
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Framlingham Palace Veterinary Group where the cat was to be put down Credit: Google Maps
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