Pet King

At the pet clinic, two of the waiting customers were with a dog, and one customer was with a cat. They were all playing with their phones out of sheer boredom, and Zhang Zian did not attract much of their attention when he walked in.

Long Xian raised her head from behind the nurse’s station and saw Zhang Zian. Her eyes fell on the cat bag in his hand. “Shop Manager Zhang, isn’t today the opening for your aquarium?” she asked in surprise. “You have time to come down personally? Can’t you just let Wang Qian or Li Kun run the errand for you?”

“I can’t leave this matter in their hands.” Zhang Zian raised the cat bag higher and said to her sternly, “This cat might have contracted rabies, and it is already ill. Do you all have any relevant treatment experience? ”

Long Xian was stunned for a moment and stopped what she was doing. “Rabies? Um… at least I don’t. I’ve only learned some theoretical knowledge in school.”

“Okay, is Sun Xiaomeng inside?” Zhang Zian pointed to the direction of the treatment room.

“Yeah.” She nodded.

“Okay, I’ll wait then. I’m with the girl who just left. There should be two people in front of me, right?” Zhang Zian confirmed.

Long Xian looked past him and shook her head. “Nobody.”

“What?” Zhang Zian turned around to look. When the three people in the waiting area heard that the cat he brought had rabies, they all immediately left with their pets… He said in a low voice, “Don’t tell Sun Xiaomeng that I scared her customers away…”

Speak of the devil…

The door of the treatment room was pushed open, and a visiting customer walked out of the treatment room with his pet and thanked the person inside. Sun Xiaomeng sent the customer to the door and shouted, “The next one is sterilization, right?”

“No,” Zhang Zian corrected. “I’m not going for a sterilization.”

Sun Xiaomeng stuck her head out of the treatment room in surprise and asked, “Why are you here?”

“I’m here to deliver a cat.” Zhang Zian took the cat bag and walked over. “Today, a customer stopped by my store on her way to visit you… It’s about this cat that’s ill. Now guess what happened?”

“Stop making me guess.” She frowned at the cat bag then glanced at Fina, who had followed along.

“Take a look at this cat first.” Zhang Zian entered the treatment room with her and placed the cat bag on the operating table.

Sun Xiaomeng reached for the zipper of the cat bag, and Zhang Zian quickly pulled the cat bag back.

“What are you doing?” She said furiously, thinking that Zian’s deliberately messing with her.

“Are you always so careless?” Zhang Zian had thought that all doctors were cautious and careful. He explained, “Don’t say that I didn’t remind you. This cat seems to have contracted rabies and is at the last stage.”

Sun Xiaomeng stared at his face and realized that he was not joking. She already had a pair of rubber gloves on her hands, but she took out a pair of thicker ones from the stainless steel cabinet. She put them over the other rubber gloves, then slowly pulled the zipper of the cat bag.

Zhang Zian was afraid that the ill Siamese cat would pounce out without warning. Fina was kind of a selfless, impulsive character, so he moved over two steps and stood in front of Fina.

“Ao…” Although its gray eyes were lifeless, the strong light from the operating table still stimulated the Siamese cat. It let out a cry of sorrow, and its body violently convulsed. Because of the virus attacking its nerves, it had lost control of its lower jaw muscles, leaving its mouth open and unable to close. Its sharp canines were exposed, and it had a glistening thread of viscous saliva stretching out from the tip of its tooth. If one was scratched by its tooth, thousands of dollars would be lost…

When the cat stuck its head out from the cat bag, its neck was held down by Sun Xiaomeng––who was prepared––rendering it unable to move.

“Is it rabies?” Zhang Zian asked. Whether or not the cat was ill wasn’t based on what he said; it needed to be diagnosed by a practicing veterinarian.

Sun Xiaomeng silently nodded. She then noticed that there was a collar around the Siamese cat’s neck. “Is this a domestic cat? How did it get infected?”

“The owner thinks that it was scratched by a stray cat.” Zhang Zian recounted Liu Wenying’s words and sighed. “This cat was bought from my shop––it was the second pet ever sold in my shop. I would have never thought that it would end like this…”

Because there were no customers at the moment, and Long Xian was bored outside, she followed them into the treatment room to gain some knowledge.

“I have a question, Shop Manager Zhang. Don’t blame me if I ask the wrong question, but why didn’t you give the pet a vaccination before selling it?” Long Xian questioned. “Is it because of the cost?”

“No.” Sun Xiaomeng and Zhang Zian answered her question almost at the same time, but the question was directed to Zhang Zian.

He replied, “For dogs, the earliest they can get their rabies vaccination is at least three months after they are born, and sometimes, they are bought before they even reach three months old. But this is not the main reason. The main reason is that many cities require a rabies vaccination certificate to be provided at the same time that someone applies for a dog raising license. There are even certain pet clinics or pet hospitals that are designated as vaccination points. Even if the dog has been vaccinated in the past, you’d still have to get another vaccination for the dog raising license, which would cause a waste of resources. As for the cats… no one would give cats a rabies vaccination in advance; that’s even more wasteful.”

“Oh, I understand now.” Long Xian laughed and stopped with her questions.

Sun Xiaomeng held down the Siamese cat. She did not have an extra hand, so she instructed Long Xian, “Prepare the anesthetics and potassium chloride.”

Long Xian was stunned for a moment before she ran to the medicine cabinet to prepare the related drugs. She knew that Sun Xiaomeng was going to euthanize the ill Siamese cat.

“Who’s the cat owner?” Sun Xiaomeng asked Zhang Zian. “Can you make all decisions?”

Even if the cat had rabies, it was also a cat with an owner. Since it was the property of others, Zhang Zian really couldn’t make the decision by himself.

He asked Sun Xiaomeng to wait for a moment and sent a message to Zhao Qi. Done with the vaccination? Help me convey to Big Sister Wenying that her cat has been diagnosed with rabies. The problem now is that it’s the walking dead, and it’s suffering… There’s also the danger of it injuring someone. Can it be euthanized? We need to get the consent of Big Sister Wenying.

Zhao Qi replied quickly. We’re done with the vaccination. I’m sending her home now, so I won’t be heading back to the pet shop. Let Shi Shi take care of my things. Big Sister Wenying’s mental state is very poor at the moment… Her face is filled with worry, and Yue Yue has been crying the whole time. About the euthanasia, can’t you just decide it yourself? Do you have to ask her? Yue Yue’s still beside her.

Zhang Zian replied, We have to ask her since this is her cat. As for how, you can only think of a way to avoid involving Yue Yue.

There had been many euthanasia operations done in the pet clinic. Generally, they were for the pets who had become too ill and could no longer be treated.

Long Xian had prepared the related supplies. She put on a pair of thick gloves and stood beside the operating table with Sun Xiaomeng, waiting for his news.

After a while, Zhao Qi sent a message. I’ve asked her. Big Sister Wenying has agreed to go for the euthanasia. She said to let it go painlessly, and that this isn’t its fault.