The body of a cat that was mistaken for a stray and euthanized without the owner's consent has been sent by the SPCA to the Department of Agriculture in Truro, N.S., for a necropsy.

Animal activist Sarah Fraser picked up the cat in the Herring Cove area, thinking it was a stray, and had it euthanized at the Lady Hammond Animal Hospital in Halifax on Saturday.

Kara Jenkins said the cat, known as Fuzz, was the family pet for 15 years. She was shocked when she found out her cat had been taken and euthanized without her knowledge or approval.

The SPCA's chief provincial inspector, Joanne Landsburg, said the necropsy will look for any underlying health problems that may have contributed to the cat's condition.

The results are expected within three weeks.

What is legal?

The Lady Hammond Animal Hospital, in a statement detailing its involvement, says hospital veterinarians Dr. Umer Khan and Dr. Yasser Hammid expressed condolences to the owners of the cat.

The statement said Fuzz was malnourished, emaciated, had matted fur and was bleeding from the mouth.

The statement reads, "We scanned the cat for a microchip or any identification, none was found. The cat really looked like a stray. Upon discussion with the client, they decided, as they had limited funds to care for the cat, to humanely euthanize the cat as it was suffering and in pain, and its condition was only getting worse."

Veterinarians with the Lady Hammond Animal Hospital said Fuzz was bleeding from the mouth (Lady Hammond Animal Hospital )

In an email to CBC, Khan and Hammid defended the hospital.

"Being a doctor, if any animal is presented to me it is my duty to diagnose and treat the patient regardless of whether it is stray, feral, or owned," they wrote.

The hospital pointed to Nova Scotia's Animal Protection Act, which allows for an animal deemed to be in critical condition by either a veterinarian or a peace officer, to be euthanized with or without the owner's consent.

According to provincial law, if the suffering of an animal is not unduly prolonged, reasonable efforts should be made to find the owner and gain its consent. But even if the owner does not consent, and if the SPCA deems that prolonging the animal's life would cause it undue suffering, it can be legally euthanized.