Saturday. And someone brought in the foulest smelling [live] cat on the planet. He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named is one of the most annoying, poorly-paying clients we’ve ever had. This is a difficult distinction to have earned where I work, I must assure you.

And now, this Someone wants us to provide life-saving care for this poor, dying creature (said creature having apparently run afoul of the maggot population of Miami, hence his wound infestation) at our cost (as this is a stray and, of course, he has no money).

If I had found this cat on the road that morning, there is no doubt in my mind that it would have been euthanized by now. I have no stomach for this kind of suffering. This Someone, however, wants us to pull out all the stops,

Someone: Save its life for God’s sake!… I have no money, mind you, but it’s your job to fix it, dammit! Why did you go to vet school if not to save lives!

Me: I’m sorry, sir but, as I see it, my job in this case is to alleviate suffering. Let’s start with what we can do to make him feel better…Pain relievers? Euthanasia?

I know that if this had been another client, willing and able to pay for services, bringing in his beloved Fluffy, everything would have been different. I would have been treating this cat immediately should that have been the owner’s informed choice.

As it was, with a non-paying client, I could not force myself to pay for a choice I would never have made. And so I went only as far as the law required of me in cases such as these: Alleviate pain and suffering. Provide only the most basic care.

Beyond this I have only my conscience to guide me.