Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: Sam (Fussy_Furball) on October 11, 2007, 19:01:01 PM
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Just seen this thread on CatChat. The poor owners are distraught and would be grateful for any advice etc on what to do next: Their cat was injured in an RTA ... ended up at the RSPCA and has subsequently been rehomed :( They have only just found this out and the RSPCA are being as helpful as ever! >:(
http://www.catchat.org/discus/messages/17/64594.html?1192125283
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I am afraid this is an identical tail of another cat who was rehomed very quickly and it hit the press because the new owners wouldnt give the cat back and the RSPCA just didnt want to know.
I think its sad cos also its so dumb but then we know what that organization are like. >:(
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no details on timeframes or efforts on their part to report the cat missing in the first place. I think the RSPCA is within its rights to place a cat that has been in its care, unclaimed for a period of time. Just not sure what that period is. If the cat was in an RTA, and subject to vet treatment it has presumably been missing some time. I would want a lot more facts before I formed a view on this one... Though that does not excuse an unhelpful attitude on the part of the RSPCA.
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I assume the cat wasn't microchipped? These kind of situations could be avoided if only people microchipped their pets :(
They need to collect together everything they have to prove the cat is theirs - photographs, vet records etc but tbh I don't hold out much chance of them getting their cat back. If the cat has only been rehomed in the past week or so, they may have a chance of getting him back, but if it's much longer it will be harder as the new family will have bonded with the cat and won't want to give him up.
It would be a good idea for them to get legal advice if possible to find out how to pursue it legally, but they will need to move quick. The longer it drags on the less the chance of them getting their cat back. And it will become increasingly unfair to the cat to be uprooted again if settled with a new family.
Do you know how long the cat was with the rspca before rehoming? In the similar case that Gill mentions the rspca rehomed very quickly and were very wrong to do so, imo, but if they've had a cat for longer and no owner had come forward then it's hard to criticise them for finding him a new home.
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The other cat had not been in an RTA and had only been there about 48hrs and the owners had done all the things that you did with Smidgeon but RSPCA just rehomed the cat.
As youn say not enough info on this one.
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I think the other cat had been in some sort of accident - wasn't part of the shocking nature of the case the fact that they'd rehomed him so soon after an operation?
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You maybe right but cant remember......iyt was on Purrs wasnt it?
If you think it was I will try a search
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Thanks for your comments folks I have informed the original poster that this thread is running so hopefully they will come over and read all your comments.
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Can't remember my CC log in so will post on here and hope the OP looks in.... EDIT: Have just got in so have posted on CC too
Although I feel really sorry for the original poster I think the RSPCA were proabably within their rights to rehome him. Dogs have far much more protection in law and when a stray dog is found they get held at council kennels for just 7 days before being eleigible for rehoming, if a person finds a dog and keeps them at home rather than turning them over to the dog warden then by law the dog is theirs after 28 days. Going on that the RSPCA are proabably within their rights to have rehomed him as I doubt their is a law covering cats like there is dogs.
What I would do is find out the name of the centre manager and ask to deal with them directly, be polite and firm and explain how much he means to the whole family and how you're willing to cover all costs etc
If that didn't work I'd then write a letter to the cat's new 'owners' explaining how loved and missed he is and ask the manager to pass it on as they won't be able to give the new owners address out. Enclose lots of photos so they can see how happy he was and hopefully they will feel guilty enough to willingly hand him back. In the letter I'd also explain that you are willing to pay all his medical bills and any costs the new family have incurred. Really pull at the heart strings in the letter, if there are kids then a pic of him with the kids and explaining how devastated the whole family is.
Really hope she can get him back, I'd be devastated if that were one of my boys :(
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I thilnk they have tried to contact the RSPCA but they won't even give them the address of the adoption centre yet along the address of the people with Boris.
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I thilnk they have tried to contact the RSPCA but they won't even give them the address of the adoption centre yet along the address of the people with Boris.
According to the CC website rehoming is done from the Hillingdon Clinic as it specifies what times the surgeries are and what time the rehoming sessions are...
Clinic & Rehoming Centre : Hillingdon Clinic, 123 Uxbridge Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB10 0LQ
Offering low cost veterinary treatment for pets of those on low incomes, and also undertakes rehoming of animals.
Rehoming times: Mondays 5pm - 7pm, and Wednesdays 4pm - 6pm
Clinic times: Mon - Fri 9am - 1pm & 2pm - 5pm (Please phone for an appointment first: 01895 270926)
Rehoming Tel: 01895 833417
Rehoming Fax: 01895 835 455
General Enquiries: 01895 231435
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Hello
I am the original poster and felt I should explain a few things after I was very kindly invited here by Sam. :)
I'll explain the story and why we are so upset but it's a little bit confusing.
Paddy (now called Boris apparently) went missing about a month ago and at first we believed he had gone roaming and weren't too worried as it was warm and it has happened before to some of our other cats. About a week after he went missing there was a family tragedy and although we were still worried about Paddy it kind of went to the back of our minds. After the funeral though we decided we had to concentrate on finding Paddy as it was very strange that he hadn't returned after 3 weeks and we were incredibly worried.
We went to the vets first and they were horrified to realise that the cat they had sent to the RSPCA was ours. They had said that they had tried calling us because they know we have cats and know us well but our phones were down at the time so no-one received any calls. We immediately got calling to the RSPCA.
At first the RSPCA were great but could find absolutely no record of him anywhere, they couldn't even find a record of a cat being picked up from that particular vet. We literally spent all days waiting by the phone, waiting for people to call us back. Finally we got told that it was possible he hadn't been sent to Putney (which we had been originally told by the vet) but probably to Hillingdon. So we immediately rang there and they promised to call us back. They didn't. So after 3-4 hours of waiting by the phone we called again and was told they would try soon. Again no-one called us back, so hours later we called again only to be promised by a different lady that she would sort it out immediately.
About an hour later we got a call from a woman who was a complete b*tch. I apologise for the language but there is no other way to describe her. She was rude and told us he was "long gone" and had been gone for weeks. We later realised that this was rubbish as he was put on the catchat website only a week ago yesterday so couldn't possibly have gone for weeks.
We were shocked to say the least, we were only asking where our cat was and had never been impolite or even short once because we were so desperate for help.
We weren't angry they had rehomed him as it had been 30 days since the accident but today we drove miles to the Hillingdon clinic in search for some help. Before we left we rang the rehoming part of the clinic and they promised to ring us back. We are still waiting.
We got to the centre and the woman just said there was nothing we could do and refused to give us the address of the rehoming centre. She told us to ring and we did again and asked from an appointment to come in and again they said they would ring us back....of course they never did.
We understand why he was rehoused but surely the RSPCA would rather have two cats in homes rather than leaving a family who looked after their cat perfectly well, without their beloved pet while the family (who cannot have had him for more than a week) could rehouse an animal that really is in need of a home. He has been with us since the day he was born and has never known another family apart from us.
We don't want the new owners information just to request that they inform the new owners of the situation, the new owners might understand our situation and help us out. They whole family is just devastated, we love him so much and it isn't the same without him.
It is entirely our fault he ended up being rehomed due to very unfortunate family tragedy (we have no complaints towards the RSPCA in that respect) but we love him to bits and never mistreated him. We just wish they would call us back, and not with abuse like last time. We have no intention of causing trouble so we also don't understand why no-one will talk to us or give us the rehoming centres address so we can talk to people face to face. It's like a nightmare.
We are happy to, and have offered to pay any medical bills the RSPCA incurred as a result of his injury.
We will do anything to get him back, anything.
Edit - we went to the Clinic and rehoming centre and they claimed it was a different department and refused to tell us where it was and that we had to call them. We have done several times and they will not call us back.
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Hi Gypsy, so sorry to hear your full tale. It can be incredibly frustrating dealing with people who do not appear to care at all. I suggest you write your full story to RSPCA headquarters seeking their support in locating your boy. Dealing with the local branch could mean you are dealing with volunteers who may not have had the training to know what constitutes an appropriate response. You could also consider contacting citizens advice who may be able to assist your enquiries. Enquiries through official channels often elicit a more effective and prompt response.
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There was a similar thing back in March >:(
http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php?topic=2389.0
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Hi Rosanna and :welcome: to Purrs
I am sorry that you have found us under such sad circumstances and I sincerely hope that you can locate Paddy. Dont give up and do go to Citizens Advice to see what our rights are.
Please keep us informed of the situation.
:luck:
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Hi Gypsy :welcome: to Purrs. I'm sorry it's under these circumstances.
I think it's very important that you move quickly with this as the longer your boy is with another family, the less the chance that you will get him back. Have you considered contacting the citizens advice bureau for advice re the legalities? It's a shame the rspca are being rude and obstructive. I would definitely go straight to head office and ask for details. failing that you could go to your local paper and see if they will pick up the story.
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thanks mark you saved me the time of searching ;D
i think this is so sad when people will not communicate, and then it makes me feel they are hiding something >:(
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I think the local paper is a good idea as the other family probably have no idea and the RSPCA won't tell them. I know it would be hard for them but they would hopefully understand what had happened.
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Although i dont agree with what the RSPCA are doing or saying, its incrediable hard for rescues holding cats for so long to see if someone comes forward.. and thereby using up pens due to no ID on them.. In our case we have four pens this year at the same time all waiting for someone to claim them, no one did ......If chipping was law then it would save these things happening and thereby free up pens for cats that are not "true strays" but just lost, but how are we to know...
I can cite a few examples for our branch... Saying that there are ways to deal with this situation and the RSPCA your way hasnt done so very well....
But its very hard to do the right thing... and how long to you wait for an owner to come forward.....!
A real nightmare i tell you......
That is just my pennies worth anyhow!
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Hi. :) You could phone up telling the Hillingdon branch you want to go to the rehoming site specifically to rehome another cat, and once you have the address (IF it is a different one!) you can talk to the staff there. It's only a white lie!
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I got one of my cats from this branch of RSPCA, the rehoming centre is in Broken Gate Lane, Denham at a private home. They did tell me that if they have a cat longer than 7 days they will rehome it
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This is the exact reason why I got Leo chipped.. it would save all tis heart ache..
BUT i hope you get him back.. you must miss him sooooo much.. I dont know what i would do if it happened to me.. Leo is my world now :-[
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:welcome:
Sorry its under such difficult circumstances.
We went to the vets first and they were horrified to realise that the cat they had sent to the RSPCA was ours. They had said that they had tried calling us because they know we have cats and know us well but our phones were down at the time so no-one received any calls.
So the vet gave away a cat they suspected belonged to a client and nobody followed up by calling at your address and leaving a note.
Did the vets tell the rspca they thought it may belong to some one?
If they wont pass on a letter to the new owners then i would try to get a feature in the local paper and hope they see it and respond.
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Hi Rosanna,
In case you read here before CC I'd say it would be worth not only getting together phots/vet records etc but seeing if you vet will write something for you to help substantiate that Paddy was your cat. When you make contact with the RSPCA branch again, you'd need to make sure you are talking to someone in authority like a branch manager before giving the whole story, if you only get to speak to a volunteer they wouldn't have the authority to help.
If he wasn't microchipped though, we're not sure how much luck you will have, but do try. As Helen suggested, you could also write a letter to the new owners appealing to their compassionate side - the sooner the better, as they will get more fond of him as time goes on. You'll have to pass this through via the RSPCA branch though as they won't give out the new people's address.
I do hope this can be resolved for you to get Paddy back and the new owners to rescue another cat in need, but it may not work out that way, in which case - when you are ready - there will be plenty of cats in rescue who would love a happy home like yours.
Probably no need to say this, but whether you get Paddy back, or if you rescue another cat, do make sure they are microchipped.
Good luck!
Love & Purrs from
Gemini Cat
xx
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Sorry about ya wee cat & hope something is dione about it& you get him back.
Can i ask about this SHG...as if its contacted tothe RSPCA Animadversion site what i understand from talking to the couple that run it that the legal adviice comes from the 'countryside alliance' that are into hunting etc & asking a couple of questions to them the answers werent forthcoming/refusing to answer,
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Hello
I just wanted to say that we have had the fantastic news that Paddy will be coming home tomorrow!!!!!
The RSPCA Chief Inspector has just come round and told us Hillingdon didn't follow proper procedure and they were legally entitled to return the cat to us. (They were meant to put up posters, register him and several other things and did none of those things).
He was a lovely man and we couldn't be happier right now.
I haven't had computer access for ages but had to just send a message and a thank you to you all for your advice. And a special thank you to Sam whose e-mail address I can't find but am very grateful that he took such an interest. We took your advice and sought legal advice and now he is coming home. ;D
I would also like to thank the family who had re-homed him and tell them how sorry we are that he has been taken away from you as we know he is so lovely and we hope you can give a home to a cat that really needs a home. Thank you for looking after him while he was away from us.
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If someone did that to my Barry I would literally rip them a new A-Hole! :censored:
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Fantastic news ;D
Edit to add, please get him chipped if they didnt do it ;)
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Woo Hoo what wonderful news I am so happy for you ... it must feel like Xmas has come early.
BTW I'm a "her" ... Sam is short for Samantha :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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thats great news and made me feel haapy and warm..................anf if they did chip him make sure you get all the details changed to yours :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
i am sorry for the family that took him on cos they were the innocent party in this and hope they will take on another cxat that really needs a home.
we want to see some pictures when he is home ;D
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Great news, please get Paddy chipped if he has not alreaddy been done, he's a lucky boy to be going home to his meomy and I bet his temp owners are sad to be loosing him. hopefully they will get another babe that is looking for a forever home :hug:
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:cheer: Am so pleased for you :wow: I honestly though you were fighting a losing battle and held out little hope that you'd ever get him back. Well done for persevering, Paddy is a very lucky little boy to have a Mum that didn't give up on him :)
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That is wonderful news, I really didn't expect this ending.
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That is such fantastic news and I am so pleased for you and your family, I love happy endings.
A little thought for the family who have been looking after him.