Italian doctor faces probe after giving his injured cat a CAT scan

A doctor in Italy is reportedly under investigation after taking his injured cat to the hospital where he worked to carry out a CAT scan and life-saving operation on the pet.

Gianluca Fanelli took his cat, Athena, to the Umberto Parini hospital in the northern region of Aosta after she fell from a six-storey roof last month, according to Italian media.

The two-year-old cat was “between life and death”, Fanelli — who is a radiologist — wrote in a letter to the hospital. “I knew I could only save her with a timely intervention.”

Fanelli gave Athena a quick CAT scan before performing pneumothorax surgery to drain liquid from the animal’s lungs and allow her to breathe, he wrote in the letter.

“If I hadn’t done everything I could … and my cat had died, I would never have been able to forgive myself, particularly as my children adore her,” Fanelli said.

The director of the hospital said the matter was being investigated internally and that the case had been referred to prosecutors in Aosta.

“The story is so incredible, I thought it was a joke initially,” Massimo Uberti said in comments reported by the Italian news agency ANSA. “Unfortunately it wasn’t, and now we are investigating all possible violations.”

Prosecutors have reportedly said that Fanelli could face charges of wasting public money and depriving patients of essential services.

In his letter, Fanelli said he had used the CAT scanner in the evening when the machine was free and no tests were booked.

“I’m sorry if all of this led to a violation of the rules,” he wrote, offering to reimburse the hospital if needed.

Fanelli’s wife Nicoletta Spelgatti, a senator for Italy’s far-right League party, defended her husband in comments reported by Italian media outlets.

“In life you do the right thing and you don’t worry about the consequences,” she said. “My husband saved a life. That’s it.”