Op-Ed: Who returns their pandemic pets? For years, my shelter pet has been rescuing me

Illustration of a women and her cat looking out the window

By Fumiko Chino and Nathan Gray

July 5, 2021 3:05 AM PT

Fumiko Chino and Nathan Gray were colleagues at Duke University Medical Center when they began collaborating on their first graphic op-ed. This one is inspired by the sadness of seeing people return shelter pets as the pandemic lockdowns end — and features Franklin, a devoted rescue cat who has been an anchor for Chino through both triumph and trauma.

Illustration of a man and a woman walking into a pet rescue

Illustration of a car in a cityscape

Illustrations of a new cat at home

Illustration of a woman and her cat looking out a window

Illustration of a cat asleep on a computer keyboard

Illustrations of a cat looking sick and being taken to the vet

Illustration of a cat walking inside a home

Illustration of a woman and her cat on a computer screen viewing other animals

A woman and her cat look at a computer screen against a night sky

Fumiko Chino is a radiation oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. @fumikochino

Nathan Gray is an assistant professor of medicine and palliative care at Duke University School of Medicine and an artist who draws comics on medical topics. @NathanAGray

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