By KATRINA BRANDON
HORROR has set upon a Morwell family, after their beloved pet was euthanised, following a failure to scan for a microchip.
The beloved cat, seven-year-old Billy, was a well-fed, well-kept domestic cat who had lived with Morwell resident Jamie Sjamsudin for many years. Originally being his late wife’s pet, Mr Sjamsudin was quite upset about the loss.
On Thursday, November 27, Billy was trapped and taken to the pound the following morning.
By Friday afternoon (November 28), Mr Sjamsudin received a call that Billy had been taken in. He received that call close to after hours, meaning Mr Sjamsudin had to wait until the following Monday to collect Billy.
However, by the time Mr Sjamsudin went to collect Billy, it was too late.
Distressed, Mr Sjamsudin looked for answers.
Initially, he was told Billy could be scanned and sedated to scan his microchip. Upon arrival at the vet clinic, this procedural step was missed, and Billy was subsequently euthanised.
Having been trapped overnight, Billy was reportedly hungry and “difficult to handle”.
“Despite being collected on Friday morning and being identifiable to the extent that my father was contacted Friday afternoon, Billy was euthanised on the same day,” Mr Sjamsudin’s family told the Express.
“Billy was not only my father’s companion – he was deeply connected to my mother, who passed away in 2021, and this loss has caused profound emotional harm to my father. Given the gravity of the outcome, this was entirely preventable.”
According to the Domestic Animals Act 1994, Billy was held under the statutory holding period time requirement before euthanasia was permitted to be used.
Latrobe City Council Chief Executive Steve Piasente acknowledged there was an error in procedure.
“Council is deeply saddened by a recent incident in which a cat was mistakenly euthanised after being taken to a local veterinary clinic to be checked for a microchip,” Mr Piasente said.
“This should not have occurred, and council acknowledges the distress and grief caused.
“As soon as the error was identified, the veterinary clinic notified council, and staff made immediate attempts to contact the owner. Council extends its sincere condolences to the cat’s owner during this very difficult time.
“Council has liaised with the clinic, and they have committed to additional staff training to prevent such an incident from happening again. Both clinic staff and council officers are extremely distressed by what occurred, and the clinic is providing support to its staff.
“Council remains committed to ensuring the highest standards of animal care and will continue working with all involved to strengthen processes and safeguards.”
