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Post by Pawsforthought on Jul 21, 2013 16:51:38 GMT
I'm going to paste some things in a friend of mine wrote to a group on Facebook. "Hi Everyone. A quick appeal on the behalf of a lovely cat. My very good friend came across a cat this morning that had been knocked over! Doing the right thing she stopped and scooped her up and took her to a vets. They informed her she was around 2 years old, and was not chipped! She then was shocked by the vets next line......They would be putting the little girl to sleep within a week if an owner could not be located as she was Black and White! I can't believe this?! Putting an innocent life to sleep just because colour! The upshot of it is we are desperately trying to find this little girl a home before her time runs out If you know anyone looking to home a cat or can home a cat on a temporary basis please do let me know and maybe we can save this little ones life." And then she commented: "Hi Everyone. I have been in contact with my friend this evening and the RSPCA took the decision to release her back to where she came from. She had no broken bones just bad bruising. I am not sure if I am happy about this decision as if she does make it home the owner won't know what had happened and she could be in pain! But I just hope she has made it home and is safe. Thank you so much to all of you. xx" Is this really what is considered the best course of action with a cat that is not micro-chipped? It seems incredibly rash, considering they didn't keep this cat in very long and so wouldn't be able to identify if the cat had any mental trauma that may prevent it being able to get home. Also, it strikes me that it is more than likely if the cat was not chipped, it was probably a house cat. What do you think?
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Post by heartpawprints on Jul 21, 2013 18:04:32 GMT
I can't really comment on what the RSPCA's policies may be. I've been told to release a cat I've been concerned about back into the area I found it. I don't think your logic re: not chipped so house cat is quite right as this would apply to strays and not everyone whose cat has access to the outside would see the value of investing in a chip sadly. I think the sad fact is that a lot of people who have cats prefer the pretty colours. I'm not talking about people who love cats just because they are cats who don't give a .... what colour the cat is. The uncomfortable question is do we let cats out as strays or do we pts if no owner located? A stray may get run over / savaged and have no access to care and die in pain so how kind is it really to prevent it being pts if no place with a charity can be secured? I don't like the logic of the above as I'd prefer to see all cats properly looked after but these are the times we live in.
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Post by Pawsforthought on Jul 21, 2013 19:21:04 GMT
But they had this cat for two days? They didn't seem to give it the slightest chance.
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Post by heartpawprints on Jul 21, 2013 19:31:23 GMT
Yes that is very sad. Have you tried the local animal refuges? I would like to see the cat taken in and looked after too.
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Post by tonib on Jul 21, 2013 20:27:47 GMT
This is a difficult one.
I don't agree with the RSPCA policy (not sure if it a local one or national) of putting cats (or other animals) to sleep just because they will have difficulty rehoming them for whatever reason but on the other hand I can understand there are limited places. How do you decide which should be taken in to rehome & which shouldn't. There's is just one way of deciding. It is true that black or black & white cats are not as popular as the other colours when it comes to people choosing another cat.
A lot of people don't microchip their cat for all sorts of reasons, including not knowing about the benefits etc, so no indication that the cat is owned (indoor or out) or a stray.
As to the release back to where it was found, its again a debatable point. It sounds as though the cat was in reasonable health other than the results of the knock down, which implies it was either a local cat with an owner who may be looking for the cat or a stray that can look after itself.
Cats are quite good at looking after themselves (hence the number of feral colonies) &/or finding their way home (even house cats). Like heartpawprints I would have liked it to be placed in a local rescue until it could be rehomed or the owner finds it but they are often running at overload already, with waiting lists. Is it better to give a chance of survival & returning home or waiting a week & then having to put it to sleep?
I don't know the answer, it's quite a dilemma.
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Post by ridley on Jul 21, 2013 20:52:40 GMT
this is right, yes...
I foster for cats Protection and if the cats is not claimed, and there is no room in rescues, the the cat is PTS.
Very sad, but true. My current foster cat, Ben, I picked up on the day he was dure to be PTS. He got a lucky escape!
Edited to add: CP doesnt have a policy that includes different coloured cats getting different priorities. And if the cat was turned over to CP, then it would be neutered and found a home. I know that the RSPCA have a "catch and release" programme, but the cat should always be neutered first and micro-chipped by the RSPCA.
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Post by Pawsforthought on Jul 22, 2013 9:47:52 GMT
It just seems SO cold and heartless, but I'm used to the dog world where if this sort of thing happened it'd be campaigned against and receive thousands of people supporting it on Facebook. Why aren't there more charities and shelters to help with this sort of thing? I had no idea it was a done thing, it seems like some horrible mass murder that's been swept under the carpet.
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Post by tonib on Jul 22, 2013 10:01:45 GMT
It just seems SO cold and heartless, but I'm used to the dog world where if this sort of thing happened it'd be campaigned against and receive thousands of people supporting it on Facebook. Why aren't there more charities and shelters to help with this sort of thing? I had no idea it was a done thing, it seems like some horrible mass murder that's been swept under the carpet. There are lots of shelters & charities but the problem is they take money to run & premises which can't keep expanding. I wouldn't say its the done thing but it is a fact of life. Sad to say its not just cats but stray dogs also can get pts because an owner can't be found & no place is available in a rescue (check dog warden policies). The problem is worse with cats as are there are plenty of feral colonies & also some people are not sensible about neutering cats & then there are plenty of unwanted litters or even "let's make a bit of money" ideas & its deliberate litters but the kittens can't be found homes! A lot of work is done with feral colonies by various rescues & charities to neuter the cats & then return them to the colony, gradually reducing the numbers over time. The rescue I got my cats from has a policy of not putting a cat to sleep unless it is medically necessary. #they then have a problem of how many they can save. They have a waiting list of people who need to rehome their cats due to a variety of reasons (death of owner, financial circumstances change, allergies, moving ....)
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Post by Pawsforthought on Jul 22, 2013 10:36:14 GMT
Well yes I know wardens put healthy dogs down at times, I guess it's just more of a shocking number with cats.
You never see cat rescue ads on TV, but there are a few dog ones. Do they tend to have less money or be less popular? I HAVE seen cats advertised on tv but not recently :/
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Post by tonib on Jul 22, 2013 10:58:19 GMT
I think it could well be less money or maybe the same money but it has to be spread further. A lot of charities/rescues are multi-animal as well so you see adverts for Battersea but its historiclly known for dogs, its forgotten that they also have cats. Wood Green is also mixed as is the one we use.
Dogs Trust & Cats Protection are single animal.
Also there is a legal difference in ownership. Owners are responsibile for their dogs in law but its not the same for cats. Also if a dog is involved in a car accident then the driver has to report it but that's not the case for cats. There are various e-petitions trying to get that changed.
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Post by judypops on Jul 22, 2013 11:45:20 GMT
I only really skim read this but I think that only keeping the cat for 2 days wasn't right. In regard to the colour, all of my cats are black and white, Charlie being completely black and having what would be seen as a not pretty face I hope he wouldn't be PTS on the basis of that. I don't like the policy of the 1 week then PTS but that being said no-kill shelters aren't the best either, you hear a lot about them being beyond capacity.
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Post by Pawsforthought on Jul 22, 2013 14:13:13 GMT
I REALLY don't understand the general public's dislike of black cats. Maybe it's because I grew up with one, but black is my favourite colour for a moggy!
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Post by judypops on Jul 22, 2013 14:23:32 GMT
An old superstition, it's bad luck to have black cat around but it's good look to just see one !? I think it makes Charlie look more like a hunter!
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Post by tonib on Jul 22, 2013 15:25:26 GMT
I REALLY don't understand the general public's dislike of black cats. Maybe it's because I grew up with one, but black is my favourite colour for a moggy! I don't think its an active dislike but when there are so many what stands out - the one that isn't black. Like judypops says there are superstitions associated with black cats - witches familiars being one. Strangely the luck/unluckiness of a black cat changes from country to country & also even in different areas of the UK. I've always considered a black cat lucky, brides were often given a decorative one as a gift for luck, just like the horsehoe. But on the old YC forum there was a thread about this & it seemed to change across the UK.
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