No Kill Shelter Euthanizes 130!!

catsknowme

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http://www.centralohio.com/apps/pbcs...609230304/1002
What a tragedy for all involved
the shelter workers must be traumatized at having to kill all their cats. Can you imagine the heartbreak of the people who turned their cats in there, thinking that the cats would never face PTS.
So, Godspeed over Rainbow Bridge, wonderful kitties, both young and old. May the Good Lord send plenty of kitty angels to greet you on the other side.
And may my darling Tasha and the other TCS doggies who also have crossed guard you dearly, not cuz you need to be guarded in Heaven, but because that is what makes our wonderful pups feel so special
 

tnr1

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Originally Posted by catsknowme

http://www.centralohio.com/apps/pbcs...609230304/1002
What a tragedy for all involved
the shelter workers must be traumatized at having to kill all their cats. Can you imagine the heartbreak of the people who turned their cats in there, thinking that the cats would never face PTS.
So, Godspeed over Rainbow Bridge, wonderful kitties, both young and old. May the Good Lord send plenty of kitty angels to greet you on the other side.
And may my darling Tasha and the other TCS doggies who also have crossed guard you dearly, not cuz you need to be guarded in Heaven, but because that is what makes our wonderful pups feel so special
I feel for the shelter and I completely understand why they had to euthanize the cats....panleukopenia is a TERRIBLE disease and unless you catch it early enough...it can quickly infect other cats. What if they had accidentally adopted out a cat and it infected someone else's pet?? I agree with what the shelter did to avoid a greater catastophie.

Katie
 

halfpint

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Oh how terrible, As much as I love the animals I simply could not work anywhere like that, I love the thought of helping but I couldn't stand the pain, I would be emotionally sick all the time. RIP Sweet Babies
 
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catsknowme

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Originally Posted by halfpint

Oh how terrible, As much as I love the animals I simply could not work anywhere like that, I love the thought of helping but I couldn't stand the pain, I would be emotionally sick all the time. RIP Sweet Babies
I understand how you feel- I am so upset at reading about this today, that I am running late to go out to dinner with a friend. How can I think of eating when I can't stop feeling so bad to those shelter workers - they probably signed on with a no-kill believing that they would never have to do such a thing. But as horrible as it was for them, they loved the cats more, to be willing to do anything to save them from a terrible death
So, so sad...
 

furryferals

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This is just so heartbreaking
,for everybody and all those cats,The poor babies,what a senseless waste.

That horrible disease....

R.I.P all you babies
,Play happily at the bridge sweeties knowing you were truly saved.
 

starryeyedtiger

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That is soo tragic. My heart goes out to those rainbow bridge kitties and all of the shelter staff who had to make such a heart renching decision....
 

jen

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That is a really hard decision. When I worked at the shelter here, very strictly no kill except for a few occations with a horrible ex-employee, but we had to hold a mass euthanasia one day after an outbreak of Panleuk. How horrible and sad it is. But in a shelter environment it is one of the most humane things to do. Even no kill shelters will euthanize when the animal is in pain, suffering or has a very hard to treat easily spread illness.
 

booktigger

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This is so incredibly sad, but pts is a kinder way to go than panleuk. Poor babies though - all because of people not neutering their cats. RIP little ones.
Halfpint - working in cat rescue can be emotionally draining, but if people weren't willing to give up their time for it, then a lot more cats would face a worse future.
 

beckiboo

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I don't fully understand why they put all the kitties down. I understand the unvaccinated kitties, or those who just got vaccinations. I understand putting down the kittens. But any adult cats who had been vaccinated would not have died from distemper (IMO).

Of course, that would shut the shelter down from accepting new cats/kittens. And most people would be afraid to adopt the adults from them. Maybe they decided that not accepting new kittens for a longer period of time would cost more lives than simply euthanizing everyone.

My heart does go out to the rescue workers. I am certain that some of them will be broken by this experience. Having lost a few fosters, I know it is very painful. But to lose 130 cats would crush most people.
 

callista

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Originally Posted by Beckiboo

I don't fully understand why they put all the kitties down. I understand the unvaccinated kitties, or those who just got vaccinations. I understand putting down the kittens. But any adult cats who had been vaccinated would not have died from distemper (IMO).
This is my question exactly--if the cats over 4 weeks were vaccinated as soon as they entered the shelter, why were these euthanized? Doesn't a vaccine mean that they probably can't get parvo--or does the one in a hundred chance that the vaccine didn't take make it reasonable to put them all to sleep?

Any shelter people here who can shed some light?
 

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Poor poor kitties
And poor staff and volunteers as well!!! That must be so incredibly heartbreaking.

Maybe there was so many put down because they can carry the disease, but it doesn't affect them if they're vaccinated? Maybe the risk of them passing it onto other animals even if they're fine was too high for the shelter? PETA said it was the best move, and heaven knows they would go off their rocker if they thought it was even slightly inhumane.
 

furryferals

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Originally Posted by gizmocat

I, too, would like to know why vaccinated adults had to die along with the young kittens.
Yes So would I


Originally Posted by Beckiboo

I don't fully understand why they put all the kitties down. I understand the unvaccinated kitties, or those who just got vaccinations. I understand putting down the kittens. But any adult cats who had been vaccinated would not have died from distemper (IMO).
Of course, that would shut the shelter down from accepting new cats/kittens. And most people would be afraid to adopt the adults from them. Maybe they decided that not accepting new kittens for a longer period of time would cost more lives than simply euthanizing everyone.
You are right Beckiboo
It would shut the shelter down in so far as accepting unvaccinated Cats and Kittens,
You are right is would not/should not stop them from carrying on their work.


Originally Posted by Callista

This is my question exactly--if the cats over 4 weeks were vaccinated as soon as they entered the shelter, why were these euthanized? Doesn't a vaccine mean that they probably can't get parvo--or does the one in a hundred chance that the vaccine didn't take make it reasonable to put them all to sleep?

Any shelter people here who can shed some light?
I would like to answer your questions Callista if I may,Parvovirus is transmitted by contact and can live in the environment for up to twelve months as you all probably know.
The virus is not easily killed but it can be by disinfectants.

I asked myself the same questions you all did,because this is absolutely shocking to me and completely senseless.

Callista-
I volunteer my time for cat welfare in the uk.Our rescues consist of re-homing centres/shelters ,where cats go to after they have been assessed for their personality and free from any viruses or diseases.
Before the cats go to the re-homing centres/shelters they are taken in by a network of volunteers who have what we call pens,they are a like a shed with a run-in for the cats,and are looked after completely by volunteers in their own back yard/garden

This is a side view



This is a front view



All new cats or kittens are kept in quarantine in cages for a max of two weeks before they are put in the pens.

When the incubation periods of viruses have lapsed they are then put in the pens and they will either go to the re-homing shelter (if there are any places) or they will be re-homed straight from the pens after being viewed by potential owners.

The practices used in that 'shelter' you are asking about Callista would not even be considered anywhere in the uk.

We had an outbreak of parvo virus in our pens, after the kittens had been in quarantine but before the kittens had their jabs,the kittens had been transferred to the pens while waiting inocculations.
Unfortunately the virus must have been transmitted by a visitor who,although told not to touch the kittens went ahead and put their fingers through the bars.
Five of our kittens died from feline parvo virus and another nine were in the vets for treatment for two days ( all nine lived and went to their forever homes)eventually!!

The remaing kittens that hadn't been affected by the virus were kept in the pens as were the other adult cats and not once was it considered to put them all to sleep.

Our pens(that were affected by parvo) now at the moment are only being used to house vaccinated cats.
Because they are made of wood, disinfection would not be 100% to kill the virus.


I find it shocking and unbelieveable that a shelter could kill vaccinated cats like they did.

Maybe things are different in the usa,but I personally don't think so......I think the administrators of the shelter decided that it would be cheaper to euthanise them all and disinfect the whole shelter than deal with the vets bills that could occur......

I personally think the administrators of the shelter over-reacted big time.....but lets not forget the people who worked at the shelter,they would have known it was an over reaction....but could do absolutely nothing.My heart aches for those workers/volunteers.
 

gizmocat

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Furryferals' explanation is the best I've heard.

Prospective adoptive families could be told that the cats could not be housed with other pets. That's not asking too much and it would save a good many lives.
If this happened once, it will almost certainly happen again if people are not better educated on how to deal with sick kittens.

Highly unprofessional behaviour, and in this case, it cost many lives.
 

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This is so sad.


I've reread that article a half a dozen times and I'm sorry to say there are some comments I find a bit disturbing. Perhaps it's a poorly written article or people were quoted incorrectly, but based solely on what I've read, I don't feel comfortable that good procedures were in place or being practiced.

And yes, I really feel for those volunteers. It would kill me to do something like that.
 
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