ALLERGIC TO YOUR OLD CAT -
Is euthanasia the sole option?
She held the 12-year-old cat close to her for a long time as
silent tears slipped down.
"I have thought about euthanasia of my old cat for a very long time. Euthanasia is the
sole option," Aisiah told me. "If he is rehomed, he may be
ill-treated."
Every time the old companion contacted her for a hug, she developed an itchy
throat. She had to scratch her throat for a long time unless she
swallowed a pill given by her doctor.
Her doctor had diagnosed
"allergy to cats." She had another younger cat but she did suffer
any itch in her throat.
"Have you tried to contact NANAS (Noah's Ark Natural Animal
Sanctuary) to rehome this cat?" I asked.
NANAS is an animal shelter that will enable the cat to live to an
old age. This old cat had been her
closest friend for over 12 years. Was there another option other
than lethal injections?
"Yes," she said. "NANAS said there was no vacancy in their cattery
when I phoned some time ago. I would not mind driving to NANAS now if
there was a place."
"Let me phone Mr Raymund Wee," I said. Mr Wee asked me to refer to Ms
Lynda Goh who is in charge of rehoming for NANAS. However, it was
the 2008 Chinese
New Year holiday period. There was no immediate reply.
"On second thoughts, how are you going to visit this cat if he
goes to NANAS as there are many dogs running around the grounds?"
I asked.
"I have no problems with that," Aisiah said. Her religion had some
prohibitions against contact with dogs but the NANAS dogs could be
kept away while she walked to the NANAS cattery.
So, with 700 free ranging
dogs in NANAS, she might be touched by jumping dogs trying to
greet visitors and get a pat. A few dogs in NANAS appreciated pats
and contact with visitors by jumping onto them. Their
attention might be difficult for Aisiah to
visit her cat at NANAS cattery.
"I have thought about putting her to sleep for a very long time,"
Aisiah pursed her lips. Ms Lynda Goh had not responded to my
phone calls for 15 minutes.
"I have decided. Please start by giving my cat a
tranquiliser first. My other cat must be euthanised too as I don't
know whether he would miss this companion. If he is re-homed, he
may suffer ill treatment in another home. I
can't predict the future."
Rehomed cats and cats given free of charge to second owners take their chances. Not
all end up happily ever after.
I was surprised that the other younger cat needed to be put down.
This was a sensitive situation. Her husband was present to support
her.
The lady in her thirties hugged the old cat for a long time as she
sat on the chair in the waiting room. I had no other clients.
We
had never met before. She held onto her old friend while her
husband sat quietly beside her. Her throat started to tingle some 60
minutes later. She handed the cat over for euthanasia. She knew
she had to take her anti-allergic medication.
In retrospect, there was another option other than
euthanasia. Her doctor might or might not have
advised. De-sensitise herself to allergy to the old cat by the
specialist doctors. Euthanasia of an old pet that is healthy
and well loved is such a rare
event in my practice that I did not think of this option.
Each
owner has his or her decision to make when allergy to the pets
occur. De-sensitisation may be another option but what about the
medical costs?
But how many general practitioners in Singapore are aware of this
option? I doubt there are many. I may be mistaken.
In many of my encounters with clients with pet allergy diagnosed,
the general practitioner advises the owner to get rid of the pet
to solve the problem.
This case of itchy throat is a different manifestation of allergy to
pets in that cuddling the cat causes an itchiness in the throat. Usually, the owner sneezes or has runny noses and eyes.
Avoidance of close contact with the pet usually resolves the
problem for such owners.
Later Lynda phoned me one hour
later. There was a vacancy now but
it was too late for the 12-year-old cat. There were financial
obligations to maintain the cat.
However, Aisiah's decision was irrevocable. Death by lethal
injection had made it irrevocable actually. De-sensitisation of
Aisiah might have had been the alternative to euthanasia, I
reflected sadly.
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