This Is Your Pet On Meth
By: Erin Christy, KJRH
Updated: April 27, 2012
A cat rescued from an Oklahoma meth lab that later tested positive for the drug is on the road to recovery.
"Hopefully he'll be all right, we don't know for sure," says veterinarian Dr. Bob Shoup of the Catoosa Small Animal Clinic.
The cat was taken last week from a home in Catoosa where deputies say they seized 30 one-pot meth labs and drugs.
Terry Young, 49, and Kristi Le Maner, 45, were arrested on drug and animal cruelty complaints.
Of the several cats inside, only one allowed deputies to get close enough to take him in for proper care.
Shoup has been caring for the cat and now dedicated to getting him healthy.
"This cat was real weak, depressed and lethargic and not moving around, " said Shoup.
For now, the cat is simply called "meth cat."
After a bath and check-up, Shoup was asked by the Wagoner County Sheriff's Office to do something he has never done as veterinarian: conduct a drug test.
The drug test was not done at the Catoosa clinic, but Shoup did collect urine and blood samples and sent them to Texas A&M University, the closest lab to conduct feline drug tests.
Shoup says the tests came back positive, but says the exposure was secondary.
That means the cat wasn't given the drug.
Shoup says a cat would not survive that type of exposure.
The cat's biggest health concern is his teeth and mouth.
Not from the meth exposure, but from severe animal neglect and a poor diet that caused horrific infections.
"We grade cats teeth here one through five. His teeth are absolutely horrible. I'd grade them almost a 10," Shoup said.
The veterinarians are building up his nutrition and giving him much-needed TLC.
After dental surgeries and more monitoring, Shoup will determine whether he will make a suitable pet.
The clinic has already received several calls from families wanting to give the cat something he's never had: a healthy home.
"Hopefully he'll be all right, we don't know for sure," says veterinarian Dr. Bob Shoup of the Catoosa Small Animal Clinic.
The cat was taken last week from a home in Catoosa where deputies say they seized 30 one-pot meth labs and drugs.
Terry Young, 49, and Kristi Le Maner, 45, were arrested on drug and animal cruelty complaints.
Of the several cats inside, only one allowed deputies to get close enough to take him in for proper care.
Shoup has been caring for the cat and now dedicated to getting him healthy.
"This cat was real weak, depressed and lethargic and not moving around, " said Shoup.
For now, the cat is simply called "meth cat."
After a bath and check-up, Shoup was asked by the Wagoner County Sheriff's Office to do something he has never done as veterinarian: conduct a drug test.
The drug test was not done at the Catoosa clinic, but Shoup did collect urine and blood samples and sent them to Texas A&M University, the closest lab to conduct feline drug tests.
Shoup says the tests came back positive, but says the exposure was secondary.
That means the cat wasn't given the drug.
Shoup says a cat would not survive that type of exposure.
The cat's biggest health concern is his teeth and mouth.
Not from the meth exposure, but from severe animal neglect and a poor diet that caused horrific infections.
"We grade cats teeth here one through five. His teeth are absolutely horrible. I'd grade them almost a 10," Shoup said.
The veterinarians are building up his nutrition and giving him much-needed TLC.
After dental surgeries and more monitoring, Shoup will determine whether he will make a suitable pet.
The clinic has already received several calls from families wanting to give the cat something he's never had: a healthy home.
