Never off duty

And lo it came to pass, it was Bank Holiday Monday – the extra Bank Holiday for Easter, creating the dreaded four-day holiday weekend.

Dreaded? Yes, for veterinary staff. For those nine to five office workers it’s a joyful break from their poop-free work places, but not so for us. We toil – whatever the holiday, whatever the occasion, we toil.

Aha – but not for me. I was free, free as a bird. Four days off and what could go wrong?

I had been good. I hadn’t said the “Q” word or tweeted it, or wandered into a vets waiting room and loudly asked: “Where is everyone, you’re awfully qu…?” – so surely the gods of all things animal would be kind?

I was a vet nurse on a day off.

Antisocial media

It started with Facebook (doesn’t it always?). Up popped a post that read: “There’s a dead cat outside my house – what do I do?”

Advice had been forthcoming about contacting a vets and taking the cat there, but the poster wasn’t keen.

There was the usual cry of “call the RSPCA”, followed by people getting frustrated that, as the cat had passed, the RSPCA would rather focus on the living and prevent suffering (the clue’s in the name, people).

I suggested taking the cat to any nearby veterinary practice that was open, yet two hours after the initial post the cat was still lying outside.

I’ve seen these situations explode on Facebook, with people giving advice and then criticising vets, then getting in an argument, all while the cat is still outside. Yes, the cat was already deceased, but it’s nicer to have it taken somewhere for a dignified send-off, and a chance of finding a chip and an owner.

So, my inner nurse woke up. Asking questions about the situation wasn’t getting us anywhere…

Rubbish advice?

The poster said she didn’t want to touch the cat, but claimed she was told by a vet practice to just put it in the bin.

At this point I felt I had to step in. I didn’t believe any veterinary practice would say that, but can imagine on a Bank Holiday emergency shift they might have said they didn’t have any staff available to go and pick the cat up – which, to the public, sometimes means the same thing.

And lo, the vet nurse in me reared up and posted I would take the cat to the vets myself. Location of cat confirmed, off I went. It wasn’t far away and soon I was pulling an old seat cover from the boot of my car and wrapping it around the poor cat.

I didn’t need to look hard to see facial injuries that looked very much like an RTA.

Service with a smile

I had called the vets before setting off to ensure it was alright to take the cat there – they were very friendly and confirmed I could bring it in.

As you can imagine it was busy at the vets, so I sat patiently in the corner and waited to be seen. I had expected just to hand the cat over, but the staff ushered me into the consult room and were so nice. As they scanned for a chip they confirmed they had received several phone calls from people about this cat, but no one could bring it in – they were glad someone had been able to.

Bum deal

As they scanned for a chip and checked the cat to see how long it might have been there I found my inner nurse heading towards its bum. As I lifted the mildly rigor mortised tail to check if the cat was male or female, I realised this might seem odd…

RVNs we look at bums and assess them all day, it’s a key part of our job. Yet, to the staff at the vet practice, I was a random member of the public getting excited by looking at a dead cat’s bum. I explained I was also a vet nurse, not just a genitalia obsessed weirdo. They took it quite well and believed me – which was a relief.

Sadly there was no chip, but despite being busy they had the description and details on their Facebook page within 20 minutes of me arriving – amazing service. I’m not their client, they don’t know me, they were busy, but their care for myself and the cat was amazing. Thank you Vets4Pets Friern Barnet – you really made my Bank Holiday Monday a lot better.

Now to get my inner nurse back in her box.

What can you do?

For future reference, the public can report ANY deceased animal on the road at www.gov.uk/report-dead-animal

It might also help to have a handy checklist on your practice website or social media platforms that people can access, or you can provide a link to.

What to do if you find a dead cat and want to help:

• Get some bin bags and place them over the cat as you pick it up – you don’t need to touch it.
• Note where and when you found the cat.
• Take it to a vets that is open.
• There should be no charge for leaving a deceased cat so it can be checked for a chip, have a practice try to locate an owner and arrange a dignified send-off.
• If you want to donate something towards the cremation costs, I’m sure most vets would be pleased to accept.