lucky little kittis

[sheilarose]

Back street breeders, I understand use the free listing sites to paddle their immoral wares. 

Is there a facility for placing "ads" on sites such as bumtree, prelagged and craigslust to remind consumers of the need for neutering and the repercussions of failing to do so?

Even if only a few people read our posts it might make a difference to one cat?

I don't use these sites so not sure how it works.  Anyone?

[Dawn F]

you do a brilliant job ron    I've been to your place and seen how tough it is for you

I'm sure a lot of cats who end up in bad homes come from back yard breeders not rescues

[ronandcats]

when we re home a cat or kittens we always ask them to send us a picture of the when they have settled in, most people are on line nowadays, and its really nice to SE them, if they don't we will ring to find out how things are going, and ask if we can pop in to see them when we are in the area, I know we cant all work the same way as its a time factor, but we all do our best.

[DottyyBB]

All registered chariity animal rescue centres including the biggest, RSPCA, do all that, micro chipping, injections, neutering certificate and neutered before the kitten is rehomed if of age. But do all of them follow up on the welfare of the adoptions? I know sometimes they don't, possibly because of resources but this could go a long way to help slow down the sorry cases which are reported here sometimes on a daily basis.

When reading postings from Ronsandcats, my heart sinks, along with many others they must be at breaking point at times due to the influx of abandoned little souls who only want to be looked after and loved. My heart bleeds and wish I could do more.....But my admiration goes out to Ronsandcats and others for all the hard, heart renching work they put in and without the likes of them, the situation for the poor unfortunate souls out there would be far worse........

[Rosella moggy]

Do any of our rescues offer "follow up" kitten checks?

Coventry Cat Group do    I had a call from a Covcats volunteer when the girls had just been spayed. 

She said she was calling from Covcats and I excitedly exclaimed  "Really?!!! We are just playing in the garden with Dinah and her kittens  "  The response made it clear that the volunteer was obviously not aware that our 2 kittens (Millie and Ruby) came to us from Covcats with their mum Dinah and she thought we had allowed Dinah to have babies. 

I'm not sure how you can scowl over the phone  but I felt a big fat scowl aimed in my direction accompanied by a "What did you just say?!!!" until I clarified situation   

[sheilarose]

That's a smart system Ron, thanks for the info.  I wonder if my neighbour's rescue cat was similarly monitored. I'm quite persistent and won't let this lie until I have some solutions to make at least a tiny difference. I think I have some help. 

[ronandcats]

Not at all, keep the thread going, like you say if it helps one little cat, we always have our cats and kittens jabs neutered all done, we home them and if it has not been neutered we book it into our vets and they will email me to let us know, its all in the £70 donation, and I also chip every cat that comes into  our Rescue.

[sheilarose]

That's a very good point Dolly, no-one came to my neighbours either when they'd adopted kittens with neutering conditions. Do any of our rescues offer "follow up" kitten checks? Where do we stand legally, anyone?

I also wondered if there were enough volunteers being underused by rescues. Several good hearted folks have reported on Purrs that they have tried and failed to become registered with rescue organisations as home checkers or fosterers, could these forgotten heroes be used as kitten checkers?

Must say, there are some Top ideas coming out here, after only one day so if this thread serves to save just one kitten it will be well worthwhile.

Hope you don't mind that we've hi-jacked your thread Ron, but we may come up with something really valuable as a result.

Keep those suggestions coming, whatever your viewpoint there's always something to be learned, and maybe we'll hit on something fabulous.  We've got the Balls if you've got the brains.

[DottyyBB]

Home vetting needs to be tighter for one. A voluntary scheme where people like ourselves who have feline welfare at heart can join and follow up on the owners at regular intervals until the kitten has been neutered to check that everything is has it should be. Work injunction with the local rescue centres so we have a plan in place just in case the kitten/cat has to be removed. Both of my babies are rescues which I have from kittens but no one came to check that they had been neutered.  They are now 4 years and 14 months old How many kittens could they have sired and delivered if I had not kept my promise and the condition of my adoption????

[sheilarose]

Dotty, I think you have some ideas that would work, where would you start?

No cause is a lost cause, we don't have to lie down and accept the no cats can be saved and inaction will be as useful as action.

[DottyyBB]

The education starts before you bring a kitten/cat into the home because howelse are you to look after them properly if you do not know anything about them. I strongly believe that any genuine person who has a cats welfare at heart educates themselves before they bring one home. But unfortunately this is an individual thing and  not everyone is responsible like all of us on this forum. When the poor little soul's novelty has worn off, we only have to read Ronsandcats postings to see what happens. It makes me very sad, upset and angry because everyone knows about the birds and the bees even the children these days at very early age

[sheilarose]

People who leave cats un-neutered on purpose, unless they are breeders, do not care about them.

So how will education solve that?

Educating their kids might help. I know when my brothers kids started school and came home horrified that their parents still smoked, it shamed them into cutting down and eventually stopping. No all uneducated people are past saving, and we owe it to the cats to at least try.

Dawn I agree it's worth the effort.

If Tescos can sell soap to these people, we can sell ethics. It may just be a matter of how it's packaged?

[Dawn F]

I don't think they all don't care, some think cats should have 1 litter, some think that brother and sister can't mate, some don't know a cat can become sexualty active as young as they do, some think it is cruel, some think its too expensive and don't know help is available - there are loads of reasons, you will never stop people not caring but we can help educate people who just don't know

[DottyyBB]

People who leave cats un-neutered on purpose, unless they are breeders, do not care about them.

So how will education solve that?

[Dawn F]

I don't think its pointless, once drink driving was acceptable now it isn't - having unneutered pets needs to be seen the same, as irresponsible - lots of people let cats breed just down to laziness, it was an accident etc, that should be embarrassing for a person to admit to

I believe the statistic to see the cat population controlled is neutering at a rate of 97% anything we can do to help get to this goal has to be worth it

[DottyyBB]

The grown ups who have the cats do not have a brain cell to begin with, so it is pointless trying to educate these morons. They would probably prefer to buy a packet of cigarettes or go down the pub. They do not care one bit about the welfare of these poor souls who have litter after litter and are probably left to fend for themselves anyway. It makes me sooooooo angry.........

[sheilarose]

I want to help the animal not terrify them 

[Dawn F]

do it naked Sheila it might go viral 

[sheilarose]

A local group exists on Yahoo Groups that allows posts on pretty much any topic, so long as its local to my town.

I bet there's one for most towns in the UK. I'm going draft a submission based on Celia Hammond's "Why neuter your pet leaflet" as her's is one of my local rescues so it should count (if I can find it, it's here somewhere!) and post it there.

It's all about education. There must be something we can do with schools? Libraries? Any teachers out there? If we can teach the kids, then maybe just maybe the message will start getting though to the "grown ups"?

[ronandcats]

I have tried getting our local paper they give me a one off storey, come up and take pictures, and ask lots of questions, and then they only print what they want to print, they always seem to leave out about neutering and micro chipping and that's two of the main thing we are all trying to get through to the publice, must be about three times that's happened to me 

[Dawn F]

I'm sure you are right!

[Kay and Penny]

perhaps face to face is the only way - a few years back I called in at my local paper's office and offered a story on a famous trial at Carmarthen assizes - I got to speak to the editor, who was keen to publish it, and a few months later I was commissioned to write a series on other trials, and got paid quite handsomely for it

who knows if I had written or e-mailed I might never have heard back from them

[Dawn F]

unfortunately lots of local papers just aren't interested I used to send out press releases for a CP branch and don't think in two years ever had a story taken up

[Kay and Penny]

I think if I were running a rescue, or was closely involved with one, I would try to persuade the local paper to allow me a regular column - with photos - a judicious mixture of sad and uplifting stories would, I imagine, be popular with a lot of readers, and could be used to ram home, in an acceptable way, the current situation

and of course there would be an increased chance, surely, of attracting potential rehomers

[Dawn F]

people are - thats why they leave it to the day before moving to a no pets house to rehome they think there is someone on the end of the phone just waiting to pick homeless cats up, very sad, sheila you are right there must be something but I just can't think what 

[Mymblesdaughter]

I was thinking that yesterday Sheila, I saw a facebook page trying to find homes for two dogs that are going to be put down today. People were saying give them to the Dogs Trust or Battersea will take them. A few people including me said these places are full and dogs like this are being put down everyday. Someone even said don't believe this it's scaremongering they won't be put down. How can people be so unaware it's depressing? 

 

[sheilarose]

Ron this is so typical of what's happening now. So many young owners just don't "get" that it you don't spay your cat you'll end up with kittens.

What can we do? There must be more that organisations like us on Purrs can do to raise awareness of the unecessary deaths of kittens just like these who are less fortunate, and do end up PTS, or worse 

What can we do? C'mon people let's try and think up something???

[Tigerlily (Allison)]

Just look at their little faces 

Bless you for taking them on Ron 

[Gail Bengal Slave]

OH God Bless you Ron  These gorgeous little babes are now safe thanks to the Pet shop owner and your god self .

[ronandcats]

8-30 this morning the phone goes, the owner of a pet shop, he tells me a chap walked in with these 5 little babes in a carrier bag and asked him if he wanted to buy them, when he told him he did not sale kittens, he turned round and said well I don't want them and will take them to the RSPCA, with that the kind shop owners Quick thinking thought he will only walk around the corner and just dump them took them on and called me, when I got there the lad who brought them in had gone, anyway you know me I had to take them on but what a quick thinking shop keeper, he had  heard that if they had gone to the RSPCA they would have been P,T.S just hope I don't get anymore calls till we have homed some, we are holding about 70 cats and kittens at the moment .