I'm finally going to do it!

i've been thinking about volunteering Cat shelter it for a long time now,and now i'm at uni and not working fulltime anymore, i have time to do it!
i have an interview with the manager on wednesday, so i'm pretty excited
i've always wanted to help out there, i know how hard it is for the cats there, and i think if i can help rehome some of the cats to good homes and educate people about responsible pet ownership it will be all worth while.

the shelter is called The Cat Haven and it is one of the only 3 animal shelters in Western Australia, and as the name suggests it is only for cats.

unfortunately it is not a 'no kill' shelter, and i think they cats there only have about a month for someone to take them before they get euthanized.

i think thats what the manager has to talk to me about, when he said they have to explain how the shelter works, because he mentioned that alot of people get shocked, or can not handle the sad truth about the shelter.

Anyways, i'm really excited about voluntering there, and i know that its not always going to be happy happy, but i'm willing to do my part to help! i'll let you all know what happens

It sounds like a great opportunity for you to make a difference. I hope you can handle the euthanization part of it. It would be very hard for me.

Good luck!!

Good luck!!! Isn't there some way this shelter can expand and become a no-kill shelter???

I have posted the picture of the cat of the week here...



According to the shelter's website, he has been there since April 30th. He is such a beautiful cat, and it would be such a shame if he has to be put to sleep soon just because he didn't get a new home right away.

I hope you will be able to really help some of these kitties!!!!!

OMG - you are so brave - I could not work at a shelter that will euthanize after 30 days - I'd be a nervouse wreck! You are an angel.

good luck!

yeah i know, i'm a bit worried about developing a bond with some of the cats and then having to watch them get euthanized if they don;t find a home
but i guess thats what i'm just going to have to deal with thing is i know i can't have any more cats as i am renting and i really can't afford it as well! (plus my bf will kill me!)
but if i can rehome some of them and promote them to people, then that would be good...

Mate, I was thinking of volunteering at The Cat Haven too! Incredible! LOL I could do it now that kitten season is over and then go back to caring for the kittens next season. What suburb are you in? Maybe we could go together LOL.

Kudos to you for deciding to do this. It's not easy but it'll be so good for the cats and rewarding for you too.

Lorie, that cat of the week is very tempting.... especially knowing what will happen to him if he isn't rehomed.

Kumbulu : yeah you should! i think they are always needing volunteers, or even just dontations! if your interested, do what i did, call cat haven and ask for Gary Conyard (the manager) and ask for an interview to volunteer!

BTW i didn't realise there was any west australians here!! i'm in the Balcatta area, where are U?

Good Luck! .. I would find it really hard but it's nice for you to help You are such a sweet heart[BTW I'm pretty close to you , I'm in Wellington ]

Anna, I'm in Willetton, just down the road.

good luck

Best of Luck to you - I know you'll be a wonderful addition to their team!

Kumbulu: wow! what a small world we live in huh?

WEllingtoncats: i'm from new zealand too, i'm from dunedin, but i lived in auckland too

thank you everyone for your support!

WOW, How cool is that Dunedin is my fave city in the whole wide world, Auckland's a bit busy for me again Good Luck!

Hi Iceangel! I haven't been around for a little while because of what appears to be carpal tunnel syndrome, and I'm trying to catch up on a lot of the posts I missed. Did you go in for the interview? How'd it go?

I'm so sorry it's not a no-kill shelter, I'm sure that will be very difficult to handle. I think it's really admirable what you're doing (or thinking about doing) anyway. It's tough no matter what happens. ESPECIALLY when you're a cat lover!!!!

Let us know what happens, and know we're here for support if you need it.

Best of Luck!

hi everyone!
i've been to the interview and i start next saturday!
he basically wanted to tell me how the cat haven works, and he said i i am going to get emotional at least once...*grin*
he was telling me that in summer they get about 500 cats a week comeing in and they only have 20 cages so they have a point system to assess all the cats that come in, the ones that they think would be good pets, and don't have any illness are kept (they can only keep 20, or as many as there are space for them) and the rest will get euthanized!

he said that every day cats will be getting euthanized and that he doesn't expect the volunteers to hang around after 3pm (when they start the assessing the cats) because its so heartbreaking.
he also recommended me to get a tetnus shot, and that when i go home to change my clothes and take a shower before i touch my cats because i may give them something eg. fleas or worms etc..

its going to be sad working there, but i really want to do my part to help!

I wish you the very best of everything in your new adventure. It will be both the best and worst thing you have ever done. You will gain a much greater appreciation for every animal you are able to help save, and you will cry for many that you can't, but you'll realize your efforts matter.

Volunteers make a huge difference in every shelter. We have 140 volunteers that regularly work in our shelter, and total about 600 hours of volunteer time each month. All of those hours matter, whether it's distributing educational material or working directly with the animals.

Focus on helping all those you can, and always try to remember the ones you are able to save. You make the most difference to them.

Just remember the story of the man walking along the beach. He comes up to another man that is picking up the starfish that have washed on shore and throwing them back into the ocean. He points out that there are thousands of starfish and the man can not possibly make a difference. The second man looks at the starfish in his hand and says, "It makes a difference to this one."

George

Congrats IceAngel on the job.

I used to live in Thornlie for a while but I've moved up to Port Hedland for a stint.