Pet cat put down by vet three hours after it was let out of house

Cat lover Beverley Hume has lodged a complaint after her 25-year-old pet Ginger was put down without permission. The veteran puss was let out into the family’s garden, but disappeared. After a day of frantic searching and phone calls to animal shelters, Beverley discovered Ginger had been destroyed. She has since been told that her beloved pet was put to sleep just three hours after he was let out of the house in Kent Court, Kingston Park, Newcastle. A member of the public spotted Ginger in the street yards from his home and took him to the Benton North Farm Dog and Cat Shelter.

Ginger, who was being treated with antibiotics for a mouth abscess, was transferred to Blythman and Partners vets’ practice in Gosforth where the decision was taken to put him down. Ginger was inherited by Beverley from her parents Gwen and George Clay in 2001 after they died within weeks of each other. Beverley said she was “incensed” when told of Ginger’s death. The family has now launched a Justice for Ginger campaign, including a petition and an official complaint to the Royal College Of Veterinary Surgeons. Beverley, 56, said: “Ginger was put down without consent, without giving us a chance to find him.



“We should have been given at least 24 hours to find him. We believe our rights have been taken away by the vets. We’re all mortified. Ginger was a member of our family. When the vets told me I thought ‘how dare you?’. Some do-gooder lifts him from near his home and takes him to a shelter and three hours later he’s dead. It’s disgusting. He never strayed far from the house and he’d lost his right eye. His own vet treating him in Ponteland said he was a remarkable cat. He’d had a new lease of life recently and was taking his walks and enjoying himself. We’re absolutely mortified.”

Heather Morton, senior partner at Blythman and Partners, said in a statement Ginger was put to sleep because he appeared to be in pain. She said: “She were presented with a very thin, elderly cat crying in pain and having difficulty standing. The cat was presented by Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter where he had been handed in by a concerned member of the public. He had no collar or microchip so was unidentifiable. He was examined by two veterinary surgeons and was screaming in pain due to a tooth root abscess penetrating his jaw and tracking into the eye socket. The decision was made to euthanize on welfare grounds and was necessary to alleviate suffering. The cat’s owner came forward the following day and we discussed our professional reasons for euthanasia and sympathised with their loss. The owner felt the cat was not in pain and disagreed with our decision.”