A cat that helped a Phoenix man overcome his heroin addiction was euthanized just hours after he brought it to an Arizona Humane Society for treatment of a laceration.
Humane Society officials confirmed Tuesday that the 9-month-old cat, named Scruffy, was put down not because of its wounds, but because its owner could not immediately pay for its care.
Scruffy’s owner, Daniel Dockery, who had been searching for the cat since taking it to the Humane Society’s Campus for Compassion on West Dobbins Road three weeks ago, said he was devastated.
“Now I’ve got to think about how I failed that beautiful animal,” Dockery, 49, said. “I failed her. … That’s so wrong. There was no reason for her not to be treated.”
Dockery said he surrendered ownership of Scruffy after clinic officials declined to take a credit card from his mother over the phone or wait 24 hours for cash. He said staff told him Scruffy would be treated only if he signed over ownership.
A story about Dockery’s search for Scruffy on Saturday in The Arizona Republic led to an outpouring of support. In more than 150 e-mails and phone calls, residents offered Dockery financial help, new kittens and free veterinarian services.
“The treatment of Mr. Dockery and his cat, Scruffy, was extremely sad and made me very angry at the lack of compassion he received,” Andrea Peterssen wrote in an e-mail. “This type of situation tarnishes the reputation of all the good people who work and volunteer (at the Humane Society).”
Residents also expressed outrage on the Humane Society’s Facebook page, which was flooded with messages from donors threatening to pull donations and demanding that Dockery be reunited with Scruffy.
A Humane Society spokeswoman said Tuesday that a lack of resources led to Scruffy’s fate. She said staff members did not want to publicly discuss the issue before now because they had no way to reach Dockery.