Paws for Concern

In the sweltering January heat, two discarded kittens lie parched in a cardboard box, their tiny bodies yearning for relief.

At three weeks old and abandoned by their mother, Pirate and Captain are on the brink of death, suffering from ringworms, cat flu, and ulcers in their mouths and eyes.

All hope seems lost until a ranger discovers the two distressed kittens and rushes them to an emergency vet nearby.

Unsure if they will survive, nurses give the brothers critical care for the first few days, teaching them to eat and drink again.

The kittens eventually regain some strength and are partnered with a foster carer.

The carer spends a challenging six months administering medication, attending veterinary appointments, and giving them countless baths to help them get back on their paws.

Despite both kittens suffering from slight vision impairments, Pirate and Captain make a full recovery and are put up for adoption.

Perth charity 9 Lives Cat Rescue covers the entire rehabilitation process, saving the kittens' lives.

With cost of living pressures driving up costs for vets and pet-owners alike, rescue organisations and vets are struggling to save abandoned kittens like Pirate and Captain.

Increased expenses and economic pressures are resulting in fewer donations and putting rescues in the devastating position of turning away animals they may otherwise have been able to save.

9 Lives Cat Rescue is a not-for-profit organisation that has been helping to rescue abandoned, abused, and stray cats in Perth since 2009.

Pirate and Captain are just two examples of the 330 cats that 9 Lives Cat Rescue paid to rehabilitate in the past year.

Another example is Aurelio.

He had his $5,500 vet bill covered to help him address complications from numerous bladder stones.

Sassy had her $3,000 vet bill paid to conduct diagnostics that would help address her tremors.

And Elrose had her broken tail amputated, which cost the rescue programme $2000.

In response to these increased cost pressures, 9 Lives Cat Rescue has hosted a variety of unique events to try to keep their business afloat, such as cat yoga events,

Hilton Vet Hospital owner Heinrich Van Niekerk, known to his clients as Dr Heinrich, said more clients than ever were expecting high levels of pet care despite being unable to finance adequate treatments due to cost pressures.

Dr Heinrich said this had increased mental strain on young vets, in particular, who felt personally responsible for the wellbeing of their patients.

“How much we can do is all depending on how much clients are willing to spend,” Dr Heinrich said.

“Young vets can be very susceptible to that, as they often think, ‘I’m the vet, so I need to take full responsibility for the outcome of the pet’.

“But in fact, the owner is also responsible for a lot.”

Dr Heinrich said abuse towards vets often occurred due to misunderstandings of vet bill costs and pet value. 

“If someone gets an animal like a rabbit, and they bought it for $10 and then go to the vet and get a bill for $1500 for surgery, that’s a shock to them,” Dr Heinrich said.

“I think people don’t realise that veterinary work is not related to the value of the pet, but rather the time, equipment, facilities and medicine involved.

“Whether a pet costs someone $1 or $50,000, they're going to get the same vet bill.”

Murdoch University researcher Dr Melinda Bell said clients had become increasingly more abusive towards vets in recent years.

“When I first graduated 30 years ago, clients were far more respectful and far better behaved,” Dr Bell said. 

“Nowadays, it is very common for clients to be abusive, and they will often vilify vets on social media.

“The favourite accusation is, 'If you really cared about animals, you do this for free'.

“But you don't say that to a mechanic, 'If you really cared about cars, you’d do this for free'.”

In response to these challenges, Dr Bell helped co-create the Veterinary Professional Life unit at Murdoch University, which aimed to prepare young vets to deal with these situations in the industry. 

“What we're doing is giving [students] tools in their toolkit to look back on once they've graduated, so that they can go ‘this is where I look for support',” Dr Bell said.

Dr Bell said the programme had helped reduce stigma amongst young vets surrounding mental health and reaching out for support. 

But while steps were being taken to improve the industry, Dr Bell emphasised that cost challenges are still causing immense pressure on vets, pet-owners and charities alike.

Dr Bell said respect and understanding was crucial during these difficult times.

“Poor behaviour towards any veterinary professional is never okay.”