NEUTERING VOUCHERS

[Ela]

Even if I know they can pay, if it's a case that the cat will get done by issueing a voucher, then I oblige

I would agree that this is the right course of action.

When people ask for a voucher I always ask if they are any more unnuetered/unpsayed cats in the home or if they know someone who has. by doing this I often can pick up to another 5 or 6 that need to be 'done'

[Dawn (DiddyDawn)]

 Even if I know they can pay, if it's a case that the cat will get done by issueing a voucher, then I oblige.  I don't give them earache as they have actually asked for help or sometimes I have cohersed them into getting them done    If someone is in the vets, I always ask if their cat has been done, if they haven't, I offer to cover the cost with a voucher and up to now it's worked.  I've dealt with a lot of rudeness when it comes to dealing with the public, but if it gets the cats done, it's something I'm prepared to put up with, to a point anyway 

[Ela]

But i don't take kindly to people being rude to me and i know full well that some people are taking us for a ride...

Very recently someone told me to F off and then carried on as normal, I wanted to retaliate, (not to swear as it is something I don't do anyway) and I don't know how I kept calm but for the sake of the cat I did. I cant remember exactly why they said it but it was something to do with the vouchers.

Unfortunately our budget for neutering last year went way over budget and it came out of funds in the end..

Ours too, in spite of applying for extra and getting it for feral situations.  This year we were asked as indeed were all branches how much we would like for our neutering allowance. Foolishly I added only a bit more so now we have £15000. this year.

[Canterbury_cats (Sharon)]

I do agree Ela.. But i do dispair and have probably been abit offish with people in the past with no common sense.. But i dont take kindly to people being rude to me and i know full well that some people are taking us for a ride... ! I have had people ringing me up after the cat was done asking for a voucher and that is taking the mick i would say...

Unfortunately our budget for neutering last year went way over budget and it came out of funds in the end..We cover the EK area and as there are no CPs in Dover we try our best to help out there as well. BUT... there are other org in some of our areas. RSPCA, PDSA and a few indepedant org that we work with. They also do voucher schemes, but they have to go to their own specific vet (which is fair enough) Some people have rang me up for vouchers knowing this and have told me outright that they cannot be bothered to go to that particular vet , so they come to us becuase we not specific in the vets they can use... So its not a matter of costs more "there convenience!". When i have someone rantind down the phone at me i switch off....! We will always give a voucher out if the need is there and the cat would not of been done otherwise.. But when i have a lady (probably student) that 3 times has failed to get her female cat to the vets i loose abit of faith and in the end ring her up to give her abit of grief... Unfortunately, we dont have the resources to go and pick cat up for her and do this all for her, to make sure it gets done. We are not a big branch and the vets we use are over a large distance.. We make it as easy as possible for some people but they just dont do anything to help themselves.. I always ask it the cat has had kittens and if we have room suggest we take them on and try to rehome them rather then they get offered to friends..

So yes i can be abit sharp with people... but i hope i havnt turned into a "Hitler" at least...

But it does me kind of mad...

Yesterday we took in a very poorly unneutered kitten.. no idea of actual age.. It was maybe part feral.. Puss went straight to the vets.. Unfortunately it was too far gone to save.. Poor mite.. vets suspect advanced cat flu and a few other issues. It didnt stand a chance...

[Ela]

One of my biggest gripes about the vouchers is that some  people who issue vouchers act like little Hitlers when asked for vouchers. I know because I get call from all over the country, almost Lands End to John O'Groats, that is not much of an exaggeration but I am not going to post the actual towns as that would not be fair. They will give them a lecture and make them feel small, some are I understand quite aggressive with their comments if the cat is pregnant or has just had kittens, I feel like that also but often it just puts peoples back up, all I do is send them an authority and also my advice sheet as to why kittens should be gone at 5 -6 months (ish). If a cat has had kittens I also send an advice sheet to be given out with each kitten.  Some people insist in seeing proof of benefits and want a SAE. I don't as all I am interested in  getting the little ones 'done' ASAP. In fact nowadays even CP HQ have asked that we give vouchers to anyone if we feel the owner will not pay.

[Ela]

We are offering neuters and spays for £5 this month,  I have issued quite a few authorities so far and today within 5 mins I had calls for 7 authorities.

[Dawn (DiddyDawn)]

I noticed in my other vets the other day, the CP are doing free spaying and neutering for all cats    Not sure how many have taken advantage of it but it's got to be a good thing 

[Ela]

Luckily most are pretty local to me so I then just give the vouchers to the vets when I next go in.

Although many of the vouchers are for my own vet, I actually deal with over 50 different practices so that would be almost impossible.

[Ela]

Just wondered if the vets ever got funny about the no-shows?

Most of the no shows will not even have bothered to make an appointment

[Angiew]

doesn't apply to us as we can't afford to offer neutering vouchers (well that one less thing to be worried about)

Just wondered if the vets ever got funny about the no-shows?

The CP had arranged 4 castrations for the woman with the prgnant cat we took in but when we checked they were not taken in (suprised not!) but it can take up to 2 weeks to get a cat booked in for neutering at that particular vets. If this is a big problem then the vets are either loosing money or having to do some overbooking for damage limitation (which I wouldn't like to think about if I had one of mine in that day! - how would they cope if they all turned up?).

[Dawn (DiddyDawn)]

I don't often send vouchers out, I ask them to book them into the vets and the vets phone me when they have done so.  Luckily most are pretty local to me so I then just give the vouchers to the vets when I next go in.

[Ela]

I don't actually send the vouchers out to local people (I do when I send to different parts of the country). I just send out an authority for neuters and spays and then the vets ring me once a month for the actual vouchers. I always say please make you appointment today (unless the call is a Saturday or Sunday then I say please ring on Monday) I also say  a lot is getting lost in the post so  if you haven't received the authority by the time you need to take the cat, please ring me the night before and I will contact the vet and authorise it.

[Canterbury_cats (Sharon)]

Hi all
I am afraid i am rather firm when issueing vouchers. I first make sure they have booked an appointment at the vets before we send out a voucher and then we chase them up if not done,but sometimes even with address and tel numbers we dont get to here from then again.. We however, make a point that it costs us money to issue vouchers (stamps, env, time) and if they dont use them they are in essence costing us money. We always put a 2 week date on them for issueing so that people dont leave it too long to do and also ALWAYS send to the vets not the person.. However, we still get people not using them, but what can you do!

[wharfevalley catsprotection]

Oh it's so frustrating when that happens isn't it! I remember we rung woman to check to see whether she'd booked her little one in for spaying and told her we'd have to cancel it if she didn't have it done soon. She went off on one saying "who are you to tell me when I need to do it etc etc" - urmmm wasn't it her that asked for the voucher in the first place??!!!! silly people!

[Ela]

Last month I had only 70 calls for vouchers, unfortunately 33 people who asked for neuter/spay vouchers have not used them, so now I need to write to them all offer free neuters and spays and transport if necessary. I just cannot understand why people bother to ring then don't take up the initial offer.