A cat who had become aggressive at home and bitten its owner's elderly father. They wanted it euthanized but because it was a bite situation and was not up to date on its rabies vaccine we had to hold it in quarantine for a time. Sadly, the cat seemed perfectly nice the entire time she was boarded with us. I had avoided interacting with her as much as possible, knowing it would break my heart if I got to know her. When I pulled her out to be euthanized she was purring the entire time, right up until she passed. I don't know how people who work in shelters cope emotionally.
posted by whatikilledtoday at 6:25 AM
5 Comments:
If I had to make up a story to make myself feel better about that, I would say that she was unhappy at home and being euthanized by your gentle hand was all part of her plan. She was purring because she was pleased that everything was working out just as she wanted.
as a shelter worker we do a lot of work surrounding compassion fatigue. because it can be emotionally challenging and draining. after 7 years i feel a lot of apathy towards my work.
but i like Elana's comment. go with that
Sometimes, animals like people can only function in a protected envirionment, such as a shelter or for humans, prison.
Because it's not their territory they are on the best behavior possible.
It's still hard when the life slips away, and I'm not blaming the animal.. Just saying there is a reason that the two week adoption honeymoon is so well known.
Can the vet opt to not euthanize and rehome the animal instead? Seems like a waste to put down a nice social cat....
I worked in a shelter for quite some time and I can tell you that sometimes we never fully cope...I have been out of that line of work for nearly 3 years now and I still think about many of the companions that I loved and lost
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