Dear Animal Shelter

Dear Animal Shelter,

I know you do a great deal to help cats. You find forever homes for thousands of them. But I'm curious...is there a magic formula to determine who gets your help?

Remember when I asked for help placing an FIV+. He's sweet, health is good. I have so many other cats and it's so hard to work around. "Sorry, we can't do that..." Boy, was I surprised to see an FIV+ kitty featured for adoption on the cover of your newsletter. Ya'll just love him. Huh...

The last litter got dumped here in late Summer. I started calling the next day. "Sorry, call back in a week". About 20 calls and $500 in vet bills later, they're still living in my bathroom. They're mostly black, which according to the shelter rep is not easy to place. And they're not really kittens anymore, which now makes them harder to place. When I mentioned not wanting to take them to the kill shelter, my vet agreed ... said they wouldn't make it out of there. DH says he wants his bathroom back.

I think I've probably contacted you maybe 5 times over the past 3 years with a zero response. I've always been willing get them vet care, foster them if needed. You won't put me on a list, that's not how you do it. Did I mention I now have 13 cats and just can't care for anymore? And before you even think it, my pets are all altered and live inside. I'm not the problem here, at least not yet.

I've donated as much cash as I can and truckloads of donations to your thrift store. You don't know me by name, cause I don't ask for receipts, but you would know my face. When my friends have items to take to Goodwill, etc, I ask them to give them to me instead so I can bring them in to you. Afterall, it's for the animals.

I'm not good at placing animals. I've exhausted all my possibilities and truthfully think it's best I don't even know where they go. I never hesitate to help an injured cat or one that is in a potentially life threatening situation. I figure you just have to do what needs to be done and it will all work out. Except it's not working out anymore. My life and finances are being pretty much ruled by these little good deeds I've been piling up. I've even wondered lately if someday I may have to euthanize my way out of the problem.

I get so digusted when I see animal neglect stories on the news, but I'm also starting to wonder if those people also tried to get help and there was none to be had. During my last call to the shelter in December I was told that since they just took in a bunch of cats from a hoarder it wasn't likely they'd have any room in the near future. DH says that someday that's going to be me.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. I do thank you for all you do to help animals. I'm sure you're just as frustrated as I am. Maybe it's gotten to the point where only emergencies make it to the top of the list. I guess I should hope I never make it there.

Your buddy,
Cinder

Thought I'd feel better after writing that. I don't.

Thanks for the

I truthfully couldn't imagine working hands on with the animals daily at a shelter. I've done some fund raising, committee work, etc, but I don't even deal well with sick and injured animals being euthanized.

It seems like what should be the real purpose of shelters is being defeated. Any decent pet owner who finds an animal and tries to right thing might as well forget it. There's no room at the inn. People must think I like not having been anywhere overnight in 15 years, because they are always calling wanting to know if I want a stray they found. What's one more? Well, besides hundreds of dollars a year for the vet, food, litter, a few hours of my time morning & night.... not much. Why don't you just keep it? Oh.... you already have one!

I feel a bad case of cranky setting in.

I can't fathom people abandoning their pets in this manner, but then you look at what others do to their children and it's no better. Having no money is one thing, no heart or conscience is another.

NO WAY! You're not serious! Jeez...they'd still be picking me out of that woman's face.

whitecatlover... surprisingly, of all the shelters I contacted with this last bunch, I only found one place that would take them... and that was if they were FELV+. The woman is an angel. Fortunately, they were all negative. I'll be having them spayed within the next month and then they'll go to the cat barn. No one ever leaves there, but I guess it's a better life than some have.

That's curious. Are people over 60 supposed to be physically unable to care for a pet, or are they going to die before it does?

A few times when I called the shelter I never made it past the recording, which says they're full, period. Several times I left messages and they did call me back with phone numbers to other groups. I feel bad calling places that I know are overwhelmed and asking them to take a problem off of my hands.

I stopped the other day to check a big kitty on the road. I was pretty certain he was dead, but he didn't have a mark on him, and was wearing a collar. I actually drove a ways past him until my conscience started to gnaw at me and then went back. He was gone, so I layed him off to the side where he would be seen by anyone searching for him and went to the door of the only house closeby. (no one home, scary place ) Anyway... the whole time I'm thinking, what if he isn't dead? If he's badly hurt it won't bankrupt me to have him euthanized. But what if he's not hurt that badly? If I came home with another cat, DH would kill me. If I can't get help with 3 healthy, friendly kittens, who is going to help me with this?

I hate having to worry about stuff like that.

That's all good advice, Enuja, even though I don't actively seek to rescue anything. If I see a kitten in the road I can't just keep driving. I don't know why I always find myself in the situations I do, but I think it's because I just can't look the other way.

I don't take cats from people who call me, but this is kind of the same problem. I give them names and phone numbers of organizations to contact, and none of them can help... I'm convinced that even if we gave away spay/neuter, the people who still wouldn't use it will be the same ones clogging up the system with unwanted animals.

I hear ya, KittKatt, when it comes to neighbors. I live in the country so they're few and far between, but I also have one of my neighbor's cats. Unfortunately, once their cat disappeared they got a dog, which sits out in the snow and barks, and barks...

I guess I shouldn't really say anything critical of shelters that have no room because it's idiots like my neighbor who are the real problem.