Cat is sent to the vet for a flea bath... and is euthanised by bungling staff instead

PUBLISHED: 08:27 EST, 23 September 2012 | UPDATED: 22:46 EST, 23 September 2012

A bumbling vet wrongly euthanised a woman's healthy pet cat in Massachusetts last week.

Colleen Conlon made an appointment for her eight-year-old kitty, Lady, to have a flea bath at the Broadway Animal Hospital in Gardner on Monday.

Her son, Jesse, took Lady for what should have been a routine visit, signing authorisation papers given to him by Dr Muhammad Malik.

Blunder: Jesse Conlon took Lady, pictured, for a flea bath but she got put down instead after a mix up with paperwork

What he was actually signing was Lady's death warrant, handed to him accidentally by Dr Malik.

'I made the mistake of signing those papers but I didn't know what I was signing, nothing was explained to me,' Conlon told telegram.com.

Leaving Lady with the vet, Conlon went to collect his mother's other cat, Little Bit, intending to check it in for the same treatment.

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But upon return to the surgery he was greeted with the bad news: Lady was dead.

'He asked me if I wanted to keep the bodies,' says Conlon.

'It was like a blank stare back at each other for the first 10 seconds, then he immediately grabbed the papers I thought were registration forms and told me I had signed the papers.'

Broadway Animal Hospital in Gardner, Massachusetts, where Lady met her unfortunate end

Devastated, Conlon went to break the mix up to his mother, all the more heartbreaking because Lady had belonged to his sister who died in a car accident in 2010.

'She was healthy, she was beautiful, she didn't have a bit of sickness about her,' said Colleen Conlon.

'She was the one who would know when I was sad and would climb in my lap.'

Mrs Conlon has since filed a complaint with the attorney general's office.

'I don't think there was any malicious intent, but I do think it was negligent,' she said. 'I'm sure there are standards of practice they have to follow.'

Dr Malik refused to comment.

Woman says cat taken to Gardner vet for flea bath euthanized

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How horrid. Absolutely horrid.

- Marie , Tampa, United States, 23/9/2012 20:03

Click to rate Rating 179

Terribly tragic, but the owner did sign a request to have the cat euthanized according to the article. It is a reminder to read and understand anything before signing.

- Rondec , Newport Oregon, 23/9/2012 19:56

Click to rate Rating 99

Read before you sign anything, the owners have just as much blame in this situation.

- A. , Dallas, tx, 23/9/2012 19:51

Click to rate Rating 67

This is SO WRONG, I can't believe the level of incompetence of this "clinic," and only calling them incompetent is being very generous. Did no one notice the poor cat was healthy and double check? Our vets won't euthanize perfectly healthy cats, they'll keep them and adopt them out, so people can't "get rid of" pets they just don't want anymore. Sorry, I'd sue this vet out of business. The poor cat. :(

- SpencerLV , Orange County CA, United States, 23/9/2012 19:44

Click to rate Rating 128

Such a cute kitty and what a terrible mix up. But who gives their pets flea baths anymore? Use the medication that prevent fleas in the first place & you don't have to dip your cat in chemicals.

- kitty kat , guadalahabra, 23/9/2012 19:15

Click to rate Rating 61

Don't get me wrong. I am an avid animal lover and own a small dog myself, but my God! Why didn't he read what he was signing??? I also blame the clinic too for not verifying and asking at least twice if he was sure of what he was signing. My the sweet feline rest in peace, and may the owner find comfort in the loss of a best friend.

- bobjlv , Ocala Florida USA, United States, 23/9/2012 19:04

Click to rate Rating 108

that is heartbreaking.

- brooke , DC, 23/9/2012 18:51

Click to rate Rating 69

Jesse didn't bother to read the papers before signing and the vet. is willing to kill a perfectly healthy cat. Both are incompetent and should have whatever 'book' there is thrown at them.

- Christine , Cannondale, 23/9/2012 18:50

Click to rate Rating 88

- Jim , United States of America, 23/9/2012 18:43

Click to rate Rating 30

What vet still gives flea baths ?. Not FLEE as the DM reported . Even flea ridden strays that we have found get a prescription flea 'drop' on the back of the neck and a flea combing . This was a terrible mistake but people should know that they can put a once monthly drop on the back of the neck , most cats and dogs respond very well to it.

- Geva , LA, 23/9/2012 18:09

Click to rate Rating 68

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