A former Suffolk vet has been found guilty of serious professional misconduct for taking home a cat she had been expected to euthanise.

Dr Janine Parody was working at Castle Veterinary Group in Framlingham in December 2021 when she failed to inform the owner of a cat named Shadow that she had not ended the cat's life, as expected.

Instead, a disciplinary committee hearing of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) heard that she sedated and castrated the pet, while its microchip was also removed, before she took Shadow home to care for it.

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At the committee hearing in September, she faced charges of failing to inform the cat's owner that Shadow had not been euthanised and that she had treated the cat instead, which had been suffering from Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureas (MRSA), a bacterial infection.

She was also said to have been involved in the removal of the microchip, without clinical justification, to mislead others as to the cat's identity, took Shadow home without consent and failed to make adequate records about Shadow.

She was charged with dishonesty in relation to all of these actions.

Although Dr Parody admitted dishonesty in relation to many of the charges, she denied that the microchip had been removed to mislead others and dishonesty for failing to make adequate records.

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The committee also heard the incident occurred when the practice was under pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic and that Dr Parody had acted in a way she thought best for Shadow's welfare, which clouded her judgement.

In addition, the incident was said to be isolated and taken without the opportunity for full reflection.

But the committee still found the vet guilty of serious professional misconduct and reprimanded her.

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The committee's chair Paul Morris said: “However well-intentioned, Dr Parody made some serious errors of judgment with regard to her approach to Shadow and embarked upon a course of dishonest conduct, which started with her failure to inform the owner about her decision not to euthanise Shadow, was followed by her treatment of Shadow, including his castration and microchip removal, all without the consent of the owner and ended with her taking Shadow home over Christmas, again without the owner’s consent.

"In addition, she failed to make adequate clinical records with regards to Shadow."

Dr Parody is now working as a vet in Herefordshire.

Castle Veterinary Group has been approached for comment.

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