Had a woman on the phone begging us to rehome her cat or give her catfood.

[Janeyk]

I just hope the cat is being taken care of 

me too 

[Mark]

I just hope the cat is being taken care of 

[Christine (Blip)]

I think she was hoping we would just give her more food.

From what you've all said, I think that's it.

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

I think she was hoping we would just give her more food. But we really did feel enough was enough as it was such a short time since the last time. Maybe the friend stepped in when they both realised we weren't going to shell out food again? Who knows?  Certainly during conversations she led us to believe there were all kinds of issues going on, not just financial. We hope the offer from the friend is genuine. 

[Bazsmum]

  I really hope she has found a friend and this is not just cos she cant face it! 

[JackSpratt]

The cat is not coming into care, the lady found a friend to take him on while she sorts herself out.. Thtats what we were told so.. lets hope it does.

Hmmm....where was this "friend" earlier on in the situation? Sounds a bit suspicious, but there's nothing you can do so I hope it's genuine.

[Canterbury_cats (Sharon)]

There has been an update on this late lastnight. The cat is not coming into care, the lady found a friend to take him on while she sorts herself out.. Thtats what we were told so.. ,lets hope it doesl.

[Janeyk]

Hope everything goes ok today for all concerned 

[Bazsmum]

Hope all goes well for Pudding tomorrow! 

Glad she has come to her senses although she does sound in a terrible state, hope she has someone to support her! 

[JackSpratt]

Oh, a little black boy....

Poor woman, I don't envy the task either.

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Pudding has just arranged to collect pud tomorrow afternoon. I am out of town so can't help.... Pudding tells me the lady sounds even worse than when I spoke with her. I don't envy Pudding the task.  We've tried to assure her that life will pick up for her and at some point in the future when she's strong and secure enough she can help another cat. 

I am sure we can get pics of this pud, JS. We'll need them at some point for rehoming anyway. He's a little black puss aged around 6 years she tells us. Will post when we have them. 

[JackSpratt]

Poor lady - I hope she gets the help she so clearly needs; a lot of people with mental health issues don't. I have a friend who I've known for around 14 years and he's always been...ummm, unpredictable. He was finally diagnosed with schizophrenia around five years ago.

Julie, can we have piccies of this little one? I'd love to see this puss.

[Christine (Blip)]

we will be bringing this puss into our care tomorrow.

A very sad situation but we all feel her life will be more manageable when the responsibility of her cat isn't weighing her down. 

I think the best outcome for both of them, in all the circumstances.

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

This same lady has been on the phone again today and has run out of money and cat food again. She's extremely tearful, very emotional and she just cannot cope with life right now. On further talks with her it seems to go way beyond just financial matters and mental health and other problems seems to be an issue as well. After a discussion with welfare people and the lady herself, we will be bringing this puss into our care tomorrow.

A very sad situation but we all feel her life will be more manageable when the responsibility of her cat isn't weighing her down. 

[tab]

It is a difficuly situation I know. If Im being honest it would really depend on the person themselves. I know how hard it is but I also know I cope and give food to rescues when I can so for a repeat offender I would be very tempted to say no sort yourself out but then I also know I have family behind me and if I didnt then unexpected bills would be a huge problem.
I agree it isnt really a CP policy but if the alternative is that you get the cat full time then maybe occasional feeding isnt too bad.
Dilemma time 

Im waiting for a last claim before I cancel the policy and as it will include the pts bill maybe they will cancel anyway
love
Tab

[Mark]

Im another on IB and as I have an income of £105 a week and pay £24.99 for Mogs incurance and £10 for Amber every month, plus cat food, litter, vacs and various other vet bills I can confirm it is very hard work. My parents have to keep my car on the road for me. I have aroudn £25 a week for shopping (food and everything else) and havent bought new clothes for eyars in fact my Mum buys clothes for me from the hospice charity shop. Now Mogs has died I will of course be stopping her insurance payments but I dont know if they need me to pay the balance or not. Im not up to phoning yet. I wont be getting another cat to keep Amber company because I cant afford. I have to be sensible but I also have to point out that when I got my cats I was in full time employment and had no idea I would get ill and be ill for 10+ years.

I think we all need to be sensible of our own situations but I also think we need to be less judgemental at times. Yes I can qualify for PDSA treament for my cats but as its the other side of manchester its not very practical.

love
Tab

I can see your point Tab, but the point was, is it fair for us to give out food that has been donated for homeless cats to people who own cats? - I think the whole thread went off topic (as they do  ) it does put us on the spot as we would never let a cat go hungry but at the same time, do we repeatedly give this woman food? - I'm sure if we asked HO, they would say it isn't CP policy.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

If youi pay monthly ther will cancel the insurance but you need to do it asap 

[Dawn F]

when Aglie was killed by a car I'd only paid a few months of his premiums and didn't have to pay the rest

[tab]

Im another on IB and as I have an income of £105 a week and pay £24.99 for Mogs incurance and £10 for Amber every month, plus cat food, litter, vacs and various other vet bills I can confirm it is very hard work. My parents have to keep my car on the road for me. I have aroudn £25 a week for shopping (food and everything else) and havent bought new clothes for eyars in fact my Mum buys clothes for me from the hospice charity shop. Now Mogs has died I will of course be stopping her insurance payments but I dont know if they need me to pay the balance or not. Im not up to phoning yet. I wont be getting another cat to keep Amber company because I cant afford. I have to be sensible but I also have to point out that when I got my cats I was in full time employment and had no idea I would get ill and be ill for 10+ years.

I think we all need to be sensible of our own situations but I also think we need to be less judgemental at times. Yes I can qualify for PDSA treament for my cats but as its the other side of manchester its not very practical.

love
Tab

[Fire Fox]

I have existed on incapacity benefit and then JSA for a period, and it looks very much like I will be doing the same again very soon. I agree there is no possible way a person living alone can pay their basic bills on state benefits, the cost of living has just gone up too fast. I am lucky that I have savings and family that would never see me or Noah starve, but I have to say if I needed charitable help I would most certainly be willing to walk a lot further than twenty minutes to ensure Noah was properly fed or given veterinary care.

[JackSpratt]

I agree entirely it shouldn't be viewed as a permanent solution, Julie. But none of us know the state of this ladys mind, or what else she's dealing with while for whatever reason she can't afford her cat food.

I think the whole thing is terribly sad, moreso for the cat but for the lady too. Anyway, hope she figures things out so she doesn't bother the CP for food again.

Anyway, I think people are enjoying the cabbage throwing. Merry Christmas all!

[Mark]

The thing is - the next time this woman phones, she will get food as we can't take the risk that her cat may be going hungry - and she knows it. There must be thousands of people in a similar situation in the borough but nobody else asks for food AFAIK.

We will see how long before the benefits office mess up again. 

I checked my email from the last time and then she said she had started work and was between her last dole money and being paid from her job but the the benefits office were holding her money up. Obviously there are some "discrepancies" 

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Right you are, Bazmum... put 'em up!   

The point I was making, Rob, and have made throughout the thread is that (like the Welfare State) animal charities such as CP and the PDSA exist as a safety net and will always support people and animals through hard times and extraordinary circumstances. My particular beef comes with people who view charity as an entitlement and a way of life rather than understanding what charity actually means. Many people do actively go out and acquire pets in the full knowledge they cannot care for their needs but will happily accept charity as a perminant solution. It's identical to one half of society paying the road tax and petrol bill for the other half to run cars... 

Anyway, you are right Bazmum.... season of good will and all that.  Fingers crossed for a much more prosperous 2010 for everyone! 

[Bazsmum]

 



[attachment deleted by admin]

[hOrZa]

.

[Bazsmum]

Right!!! Its xmas so Im allowed (it sez so in my rule book!) 

This topic has changed into something Im sure was not intended, this was about a woman begging CP to rehome her cat or give her food!

Yes this woman is obviously a lovely woman etc, but at the end of the day this is not the first time this has happened!

Now lets either throw cabbages at me or give yerselves a big   

[hOrZa]

and if you fall on hard times its just tough is it? give your pets to someone else?

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

That's right... vet care is expensive! But a little fairy doesn't come down and wipe the bill just because the pet is logged as a PDSA case. Someone has to pay! In the case of someone on benefits claiming from the PDSA it's the poor  fundraisers who pay with blood, sweat and tears. If they are typical of our fundraisers most of them are in the worse state physically than those who are claiming help from them! 

More people need to factor vet bills into the equation when they decide whether they can afford to have pets. 

[hOrZa]

you can only receive housing or council tax benefit if you are in receipt of at least 50p of income support/JSA/IB etc.

[Mark]

It says PDSA helps people in receopt of housing benefit and/or council tax benefit. Sure;y that means people on low income can use them?

[hOrZa]

nope never said that, but vet care isn't cheap and taking a minimum wage job is not going to help

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

So it's okay to leave the responsibility of providing vet care for your pets to little old ladies knitting tea cosies with arthritic fingers, is it?

[hOrZa]

at the very least getting a job will lose you your PDSA help

[JackSpratt]

I haven't commented on here but feel I have to. I get depression flare ups among other health issues and years ago went through a really bad patch. My cats were my reason for functioning; and stopped me from doing something pretty drastic on one occasion. Managing on a low income with animals is a struggle, but they all get love, care and everything they need daily for a happy, healthy life. I'd go without myself before they did.

And vets bills can be daunting, but if you're lucky you can build up a good relationship with your vets and organise payment plans or something along those lines.

Gill has a valid point - the irony is that if a lot of people take a minimum wage job they lose so many credits that they're worse off and are even less likely to be able to afford their cat food!

I hope things look up for this lady next year and she and her cat enjoy Christmas as much as they can.

[bunglycat]

yes and most of those will have it as a second income into the house or are kids earning some holiday money and this lady could end up worse off be cause she would lose all benefits and be paying tax and ni etc.

i think some living in the real world for those on very low incomes needs to be thought of here.

unless you have ever lived like this then one should not overly criticise i think,

to many people this woman's cat may be a luxury she can't afford, but as someone alone today and every other day, I suspect her cat is a total necessity and if she were a neighbour of mine I would be first in the queue to keep cat and owner together

I have to totally agree with this - i am on a low income due to health issues and live alone , so i feel for her and what mine waste per day -if she lived near me i would gladly help her out -i feel very sorry for her and hope she does not have to give her cat up .
As Gill said -these jobs are poorly paid and you would be worse off !

[Mark]

I do feel for her but the main point is, we can't repeatedly bail her out with food that has been donated by people for homeless cats (IMO anyway - the trustees may have a different view).

It might sound heartless but it is just being realistic.

[Kay and Penny]

when I was unemployed I got exactly the same amount of money each week as a young lad living a couple of doors away with his parents, who didn't have to pay out any living expenses whatsoever

to many people this woman's cat may be a luxury she can't afford, but as someone alone today and every other day, I suspect her cat is a total necessity and if she were a neighbour of mine I would be first in the queue to keep cat and owner together

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

yes and most of those will have it as a second income into the house or are kids earning some holiday money and this lady could end up worse off be cause she would lose all benefits and be paying tax and ni etc.

i think some living in the real world for those on very low incomes needs to be thought of here.

unless you have ever lived like this then one should not overly criticise i think,

[Mark]

I DO feel sorry for her but she will have to accept responsibility. There are plenty of big shops where she lives such as Morrisons who are always employing staff so there are ways out - not the best paid jobs but plenty of other people take them.

[Janeyk]

What a sad situation... Its not a solution to her problem, but i would like to think that of all the people she may of contacted we were able to help at this time of year.. I hope the ladies life gets better next yr, i just worry what she will do if the cat needs veterinary care...

yes that is a worry and when people adopt cats.. and often more cats and don't think about posible vet care, that is irresponsible.

Well we at CP do realise that sometimes life catches you out. Especially in this financial climate and we helped with rehoming cats and other emergency situations many, many times this past year. That's also why we issue neutering vouchers etc. Unfortunately there is also a culture out there of believing charities are there for exploitation by all comers and no thought is cast for the knock on effects or what efforts our fundraisers have gone to to raise the money needed. Of course we would never see a cat go hungry, or homeless or in need of vet care if it were in our power to do something about it.  But it's not a long term solution to a long term inability to provide an adequate level of care, is it?  Cat ownership is NOT a legal or moral right, it's a privelege people in a position to provide proper care can indulge in if they wish to. Charities like ours exist as a safety net when things go unexpectantly wrong in a cat's life... so how can a person who has been on state benefits for YEARS without organising their affairs to cater for the basics of cat care (food) in the event of a crisis be allowed to continue to tap us for help again and again and again without the question being raised of whether they should keep their cat?  I should quickly add that many people on benefits provide excellent care for their cats and never need to ask for charity... just not this one lady in question it seems. 

Anyway, it's nearly Christmas. Peace love and joy to all... 

Yep, actually a good friend of mine once suggested that she was considering going to go to the PDSA with her 2 cats despite having 2 cars, 2 kids with everthing, frequent holidays and smoked and drank, I was both shocked and annoyed to say the least (when I myself donate) and erm, tactfully let her know  I like to think she had second thoughts about that one!