Family Learns Elderly Cat Was Not Euthanized After They Paid To Have Her Put Down

Senoia, Georgia – A Georgia family who paid a veterinary hospital to put down their ailing, elderly cat in February 2025 learned the cat was still alive 18 months later. According to sources, Annie was 19 years old when she was taken to the Senoia Animal Hospital to be euthanized.

The Jagt family, who had owned Annie since 2006, believed her quality of life had deteriorated to the point that euthanasia was the kindest option. According to her owner, Brian Jagt, Annie was struggling with arthritis, had a poor appetite, was having difficulty getting around and had become increasingly disoriented.

Jagt signed the euthanasia authorization, paid approximately $300 for the procedure and communal cremation, and left the hospital believing he had said goodbye to his beloved cat. Clinic records listed Annie as deceased that day.

But Annie wasn’t dead.

Instead, she remained alive and, according to records and police reports, continued living with a Senoia Animal Hospital employee for the next year and a half. During that time, Annie was reportedly brought back to the same veterinary hospital for ongoing care, including blood work, kidney monitoring, injections and other treatments.

Meanwhile, her original family had no idea.

That changed in July 2026, when their friend, veterinary technician Courtney Bassin, began working at the hospital. Bassin knew the Jagt family and had known Annie before her supposed death. Brian’s son, Tyler Jagt, was eventually told the shocking news by Bassin.

When Tyler Jagt mentioned that his family had already lost Annie, Bassin said the reaction from her coworkers seemed strange. She eventually learned the unimaginable truth, that Annie was still alive. Bassin told Tyler, “I don’t know how to tell you this, but Annie’s alive.”

The shocking news prompted Annie’s original family to contact the police.

According to the Senoia Police Department report, a detective went to the hospital on August 12 and spoke with employees, who acknowledged that Annie was alive and living with a staff member. The hospital maintained that a veterinarian had determined euthanasia was not warranted and that employees were attempting to help Annie rather than deceive her.

But the family had not asked the hospital to save Annie, they had asked the hospital to euthanize her because they believed that her quality of life was poor.

The hospital later acknowledged that it had “fell short in honoring the trust the family placed in us” and said its policies had been reinforced to ensure clients’ decisions regarding their pets are respected. The family was also refunded the money they had paid for Annie’s euthanasia and cremation.

The family ultimately asked for Annie to be euthanized as originally requested and for her body to be returned to them. On August 13, approximately 18 months after they believed they had said goodbye, Tyler saw Annie again. He said the elderly cat was smaller, confused and did not appear to recognize him.

Annie was euthanized that morning.

Tyler later told The Citizen that the part he cannot stop thinking about is that Annie may have believed her family abandoned her when they left her at the veterinary hospital in February 2025. “She thought we just left her one day,” he said. And that may be the most heartbreaking part of this story.

The family thought they had given Annie a peaceful goodbye. Instead, more than a year later, they were forced to say goodbye again.