CAT WITH COLLAR ROUND BODY

[Ela]

Then they sound more like a commercial cattery than a rescue.

It does but sadly it is a real rescue or should be. Now if there was a goat or any animal where they think the paper would be interested they would go running to help it and the next week there would be a pic in the paper of their rescue.

[Angiew]

I am not saying which rescue but often the rescue I am talking about is no where near full to capacity in fact sometimes they have over 90% free pens.  That is when they have any cats in pens because about twice a year at the same time always just before Christmas and in the summer they close for about a month saying they have cat flu in. So many people tell me they go looking for a cat and all but 3 pens are empty.

Then they sound more like a commercial cattery than a rescue.

[Mark]

Do you mean another word for but how you say it rather than spell it?

Yes 

[Ela]

I am not saying which rescue but often the rescue I am talking about is no where near full to capacity in fact sometimes they have over 90% free pens.  That is when they have any cats in pens because about twice a year at the same time always just before Christmas and in the summer they close for about a month saying they have cat flu in. So many people tell me they go looking for a cat and all but 3 pens are empty.

Also, in a phone conversation do you know that these pens are ready to be used?

Absolutely. If they have infection in believe me they say.

Also receptionists don't always know the full picture.

The person who answers the phone knows all.

But what would you think if they didn't hand your number out and you were in a position to be able to help?

I don’t mind them giving out my number when they are not in a position to help.

On more than one occasion if they have a ‘they who must be obeyed’ type of cat they have phoned and asked if we will take it in and I have been left in no doubt what will happen if I don’t.

[Canterbury_cats (Sharon)]

This is completely not the original post point. But we had agreed to take in a cat a  other day (left behind for several weeks owner moved) it was LH, matted and elderly.. We got the people who were taking care of it (if thats the word) to ring us up and arrange to take it to our vet. But they couldnt wait and handed it over to another rescue..The owners then refused to hand it over to us..

Now that all seems fine and nothing much to be done.. except we had a home for this puss. Already HC and already willing and waiting to nurse this one back to healt,  but becuase the puss was signed over to another rescue it all fell through. We have no idea what happend to the cat....

I dont have a problem with rescues handing out our number, but i do object when there are 5 welfare groups in Thanet area (which is more then we have in our area) some these big rescues, who pick and choose what cats to pick up and what cats they dont. Our local vets has a puss in their care that was originally from the Thanet area but rehomed to Canterbury about 1yr ago.. It was rehomed via a welfare group. Puss has shown to be (just on the scale) FIV and now will not take puss back. hence poor puss is at the vet awaiting someone to make up their minds if this one is too much bother to rehome or not...! We are on standby to assist if we can..!

[Angiew]

Ela, if we are talking RSPCA here then they cover a huge area and will need to have some pens in reserve for the cruelty stuff.

Also, in a phone conversation do you know that these pens are ready to be used? there may be some infection control going on or they may be waiting to be filled up by a transfer from somewhere.
Also receptionists don't always know the full picture and I'm sure will be under instructions not to keep fetching the cattery manager for every call they have.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for venting and I know our chairwoman says exactly the same thing as you at every meeting we have. But what would you think if they didn't hand your number out and you were in a position to be able to help?

I think its partly a perception thing, if people run their rescues behind closed doors then they will subject themselves to this sort of reaction.

[Ela]

f you can't help then the best thing you can do is give out other numbers in the hope that one of them will be in a postion to. Whats wrong with that

To me it is very wrong when they have empty pens and no cats on their list of cats waiting to come in.

[Angiew]

Our policy regarding taking cats in for other rescues is they have to "sign them " over to us. I don't think you can do otherwise - it was certainly not right of that rescue to expect you to return the kittens!

The only exception to this was when we had a pen free for 2 weeks and offered temporary accomodation to CP.

[LesleyW]

I don't have a problem with rescues handing out my number.  I do have a problem with some of their steadfast guidelines which only become aware to the general public when they are trying to re-home a cat, and that they then pass my number over, not because they are full but their guidelines say you cannot just walk in with an animal to re-home.

Our local shelter, run under the banner of the RSPCA but apparently not anything do to with them , apart from the fact the inspectors work from that site, will not accept animals just handed in to them.  I had a very nice lady phone me, after being given my number by them.  She had taken a mother and five kittens to them because they had taken refuge in her garage and she had her own cat, who would not accept this stranger.  She lives approximately half a mile from the shelter and took the cats there, only to be told "you can't just turn up with them, go away".  She was given my number and I went and collected them straight away.

The Shelter basically told her to put them back out in the garden and mum would move them.

The PDSA, on the other hand, in the past two months has taken both lots of kittens in that I have now and then "asked" if I would be willing to take them.  with regard to Tiggy they have offered to carry out the removal of his eye free of charge for me because I have taken him in.

There is also another rescue in the area that I used to help, as you say Angie, we should all help each other in the interests of the cats.  However, I took two lots of kittens from them, seven kittens in all, approximately 3 weeks old and handreared them because they had no one who could do it.  After four weeks they then expected just to be handed the kittens back, with no contribution towards their upkeep and they were going to re-home them and take any donation received.  they were also prepared to re-home them from 7 weeks old with no vaccinations, etc.

Hubby told her exactly where to go on the phone and the kittens were re-homed from here.  In the four weeks we had them, the rescue did not once phone up to see how things were going or if they had even made it.  Since this episode she refuses to let me help with any kittens, even though they have no one with real experience of handrearing; so much for in the best interests of the kittens.

I also have a very nice vet who gives out my number but every month they phone to get an up-date of how many I have looking for homes etc, so they can up-date their board and also to check what sort of room I have available if anyone goes in looking for help.

I just feel that some of the bigger shelters and rescues in this area find it far easier to give out someone else's number than actually help themselves, but if they want money, they are the first ones in the press stating how strapped they are and how bad the kitten season is, etc. 

[Angiew]

I'm sorry this attitude really pisses me off!

of course other rescues hand out other phone numbers - I do all the time though we are usually the ones that have been referred by the RSPCA or CP so are bottom of the chain.

If you can't help then the best thing you can do is give out other numbers in the hope that one of them will be in a postion to. Whats wrong with that? How else can we all try and communicate and work together and help the general cat population out to he best of our strengths?

As and for how long another organisations waiting list is, whats that to do with your rescue? None of us can really comment on each others rescues as we all work differently and have diffrerent pressures, capacities and responsibilities.

For example I was told that our RSPCA shelter has certain priorities when it comes to taking in cats , and I think the animal collection officers were next to last with public hand in being last, I think the top two were Cruelty and RSPCA inspectors though can't remember now. They told me that anyone needing to hand a cat in would likely be on the waiting list for at least 6 weeks, though I do know if they have just rehomed a few cats and start to ring round, they get so many unanswered calls that you can be lucky enough to get a place.

[Canterbury_cats (Sharon)]

Until recently it was happening to us. Until i lost it and rang them up! telling them to pull their socks up and do something. We have had abit of a reprieve for the last few months since then.. but all the vets know we will help anyhows. but they know we dont take or rehome in that area but they still get people to ring us..
there is no rescue covering the Dover area (there used to be but it closed down a few years ago) so we do get calls from that area. The other Cp branch that is closer then us also gets calls but unfortunately we just dont have the money to take in half of kent cats...

Only yesterday we took in Tiger Lilly a lovely silver tabby, owner having had asmtha treatment (ended up in hosp) so this wasnt a lie.. She was outside our area but as the lady was so ill we felt we had to help puss. The lady was a dedicated animal lover and was in tears when she signed puss over.

Anyone looking for a bombproof (kids and dogs) adorablel 2yr silver tabby female pls get in touch.

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

When we went to CPs National Cat Centre a couple of weeks back, we spoke to the people responsible for issuing and collating CP neutering vouchers nationally. Guess what they had to say about the  people? That's right... it happens all over the country and seems to be  inhouse policy to refer people to CP, or other cat rescues, when they get asked for help. 

[Ela]

Do you mean another word for but how you say it rather than spell it?

[Mark]

And the 1st syllable is 

  I'm sure 

[Ela]

I feel you should name and shame

Unfortunatly I cannot do that but I am sure a person with only one brain cell could guess.

[LesleyW]

Hadn't thought of that JS.

[JackSpratt]

I agree they should be named and shamed, but I guess legally that would put Tan in a bit of a tricky situation. It is terribly unfair to pass numbers on - if they're overcrowded (which in this case, they aren't apparantly) they should take the persons number, call other rescues themselves and THEN if they get a positive outcome call back with the good news. Would save a lot of hassle all round.

[LesleyW]

If they are being such a pain Ela, I feel you should name and shame, maybe they would stop doing it then and actually help some cats instead.  I've had people say that they got my name from the RSPCA.  If they are full what makes them think that me, a one man band, is going to have space, they've got far more room than I have, but I probably find it much harder to say no. 

[Ela]

I am sick and tired of another rescue who shall remain nameless putting callers on to us if they need help. Just now a lady phoned them about a cat with a collar wrapped tightly round its body. What did they do about it, simple just say ring CP.  Of course we are doing something although we have no free pens but that is another story, it can't be left until we do have a pen. During the week in one day I had calls to take in two cats and the owners told me that particular rescue had told them to ring me. I was not too pleased as we have a huge list of cats waiting to come in so I phoned them and the young girl who answered the phone could not give me a reason why the callers were asked to ring me and she also said that there is not a single cat on a list waiting to come in.