Chris,
I know exactly what you mean! When I was trying to place Simms, or several others for that matter, I've had people who refuse to tell me how many animals they had....who wanted to meet elsewhere....Then the one woman I placed him with for a bit (I'll call her L) was recommended by THREE rescue groups: Rude Ranch, Greyhound Rescue, (I forget the third one..) all had used and were STILL using her even though I don't believe any had actually been out to her home. She had SO many animals, that neither she nor her husband knew how many they had! She was wonderful and loving but the place, although she had the best intentions, was a horrid mess - the filth, the stink! They truly seemed to LOVE the ones they had....but they just were not physcally capable of doing all the work. If I HAD to guess, and they refused to let me see the rest of the farm, so I'm assuming from the noises and smells, I'd say they had nearly 200
animals (I'm not counting farm animals, but foster dogs, & cats). Apparently after speaking with L, Rude Ranch, who charges $200 per cat turned over and $50 or $60 a month there after for lifetime care, often sends many cats her way, without monetary compensation, she was stunned to learn the fees they charged. I believe (though I have no proof) that if the person who surrenders a FeLV cat fails to continue to pay the monthly cost, the animal was transfered to her. (I had arranged with Rude Ranch to take Simms, at first they didn't have any openings, once I agreed to the surrender fee and monthly maitenance...one week later they had an opening. I found out from L. that she had just taken another cat from Rude Ranch the same week that that opening became available. Plus, I was told by the RR owner, after I asked, that if I planned to visit, please give him at the least one week notice, pref. two before coming by.....(????)
Makes you wonder...would Simms have eventually been transfered to the foster home, and retrieved before I came to visit, even if I continued to pay????? Needless to say, I found Simms a better home.
It just goes to show that the Easiest way ....is usually NOT the best.
I agree about dumping the dead cats, she really should have TRIED to get rid of them some way....(Defenders of Animal Rights owner, was fined back in the late 80's for breaking into the Balto. Co. pound's dumpster and dumping the animal carcuses from his organiztion there....but hey, at least he tried to get rid of them..)
Oh, and Chris...yes, in any rescuing organization, with the intention of adopting out their charges, a FeLV + cat, even if outwardly healthy, SHOULD be considered sick (just because 1- no one really knows how easily transfered the illness is, & 2- chances are good the rescue cannot afford to give vacinations to each of its charges). Defenders of Animal Rights, routinely told adopters that all its cats had been tested for FeLV and feline aids and vaccinated against it before being placed in the communial cat adoption rooms where they roamed free. Well, MOST of the cats,esp. if the owners did not leave the fulll $200 surrender & maintance for life or until adopted fee, were put down before the people made it back to their cars. While all that did make it to the cat room were given the routine rabies & distemper vacs., NONE that I ever saw in 2years were tested for Felv or feline aids. Several complaints came back from
people who had adopted from us, and their previously healthy cat was now infected as was the cat that they just adopted. Several times, both the cat and kitten rooms were wiped clean of felines and the whole mess started over again...and again......
As much as you want to trust people and organizations, you can never fully trust them to keep their words...test results can be doctored, or just lied about. ALWAYS have an animal tested before releasing among your current ones. NEVER assume an organization, no matter how good it sounds, or looks, or how touching the newsletters are, is completely on the up and up. Stories for newsletters are easily doctored...sapped up...created to bring the tear-jerk response that brings in the cash. Yes, many are true....but just as many are fiction.
Donor, adopter beware...and the best way to help the animals...is to do it yourself. Sorry if that sounds cynical, but honestly, I'm only speaking from experience.
T
Chris <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Of course, the article doesn’t really describe the condition of the living cats except that they were in one room. Certainly it is at the very least odd that someone would just dump the carcasses but then how much would it have cost to have each cremated…. And if she couldn’t afford the cremation, I doubt she could afford the vet bills. I’ve never understood why the vet schools don’t set up free or low-cost clinics for their students to help with this situation. It sounds like perhaps this is someone who got in way over their head… As for mixing ‘sick’ & healthy cats, does FELV diagnosis automatically constitute ‘sick’…
Believe me, I’m not trying to make excuses for her but when as I look for a home for my Big Boy, I’ve talked to any number of people who are clearly in over their head. One person, highly recommended by several local rescue groups for taking their FELV cats, refused to tell me where he lived & wanted to meet me in a parking lot to get Big Boy. Rescue groups apparently meet him at Petco & give him their FELV kittens. While he said the reason for not telling me where he was was because people would dump animals made some sense, I was flabergasted that no legitimate rescue group had ever seen his home. He might be great but who would ever know!
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