CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI, Canada – A chipper chap named Casper haunts the halls at the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) on the University of Prince Edward Island campus. No ghost, he’s a snow-white cat who practises a little medicine too.

With a flair for the dramatic, Casper recently appeared just as I finished an interview with Tim Ogilvie, the college dean. “I’d like to photograph you with an animal,” I’d told Tim.

Then I heard Tim’s assistant on a phone: “Casper’s wanted in the dean’s office.”

Moments later, a young woman in medical garb and with a stethoscope around her neck arrived holding Casper in her arms. Suddenly, the cat leaped to the floor and ran ahead toward the dean’s office. Evidently, he’s fearless of academic authority.

In fact, Casper and the college dean are buddies. Once I’d been introduced, I learned that Casper lives at the AVC and that he regularly donates blood for use to save sick cats.

“Casper’s a sweetheart,” said Nancy Hogan, an X-ray technician at the college. “Everyone loves him. The students like to play with him and take him for walks. He kind of rules the roost.”

“Together with Magic, another blood-donor cat, Casper gets let out of his cage and often sleeps on top of shelves. The blood-donor cats have been responsible for saving quite a few lives.

“Casper’s a big cat, very robust. After hours when it’s really quiet, he runs down the corridors for his exercise. He gets lots of attention too.”

Since 1986, the AVC has trained hundreds of veterinarians now working around the world. But when it comes to saving lives, Casper takes a backseat to none of them.

Living at the Veterinary College gives Casper an ideal medical plan too. With luck, he’ll help many more cats to recuperate.

Coming Soon:
Watch Cairns Media Magazine for more stories about veterinary medicine and the Atlantic Veterinary College.


Casper's home: the Atlantic Veterinary
College in Eastern Canada.

ARCHIVES