A Little Girl Was Worried About Her "Pet" Cat & This Vet Clinic Stepped Up

Some kids are more attached to their stuffed animals than parents realize. I mean, I had a stuffed killer whale that might have been casually hanging out on my bed in my room until I was 15 and my mom made me give it to my cousin. That was fine, I was totally chill about it. But sometimes, when a girl is slightly younger than 15, she might need a little help making sure her stuffed pets are feeling their best. And this is where amazing, empathetic doctors come in. This vet clinic helped a little girl with her "pet" cat, because heroes don't always wear capes. (Only when they fly.)

Pioneer Veterinary Clinic in Moses Lake, Washington had something of an interesting day on Friday. It seems that among the dogs and cats and even bald eagles they've been caring for in recent weeks, there was a very different sort of furry creature brought in by a little girl who had specific concerns of her own. Young Jazmine was worried that her cat Donnie wasn't feeling quite up to her usual vigor, and she asked her mom to call the vet to see if there was anything they could do. They made an appointment for Donnie to come in, which was an easy enough request, because Donnie is a stuffed cat and therefore quite portable.

As Pioneer Veterinary Clinic shared in a post on their Facebook page:

We had a wonderful little girl come visit us yesterday. Six year old Jazmine, who has special needs, was extremely concerned about her stuffed cat "Donnie." Her mother called us and scheduled an appointment for her to be seen by Dr Maier.

Dr. Maier apparently had a look at Donnie, a "female, seal point, domestic shorthair cat," and diagnosed her with a "small laceration on the right foot."

The team decided a bandage would help Donnie, and proceeded to administer the advised treatment.

Final diagnosis?

💓At Home Care: Give her extra love and cuddles until she is all better

After a thorough examination and a quick bandage, "Donnie" is expected to make a full recovery!

As Jazmine's mom Susie Efigenio explained to Romper, her little girl, who is on the Autism spectrum, had been worried about Donnie for several days. When she popped into Pioneer Veterinary Clinic to see if they would mind having a look, they agreed "without hesitation." Efigenio told Romper that her daughter was "filled with joy" when the doctor took time to see Donnie (who had apparently been scratched by her doll Brooklyn). She also said the experience was a positive one for a little girl who is always "exceeding my expectations:"

This experience has brought her so much joy and helped her feel better about Donnie’s paw. She has been taking care of Donnie and Donnie is feeling extremely better since the visit.

Teaching our kids to take care of their pets is important. It helps them to understand empathy, kindness, the concept that other people and things in the world matter beyond themselves.

I have a feeling young Jazmine won't need a whole lot of help in this area if she cares this much about her stuffed animals.

Get well soon, Donnie.