I am so sick of....(major rant)

addiebee

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the holier-than-thou attitude of some rescues and rescuers. Man - I am really, really, really ready to give this up forever .... I give five years of my time, money and energy to Metro... and I have a disagreement with the director about timeliness of treatment... and now I am being frozen out.

I fear that I will be stuck with these cats. I cannot let that happen. I have to put my condo on the market. I am drowning financially. No good deed goes unpunished.

I have tried four or five times to contact a rescue that has the petsmart center around the corner from me - over the course of a month ... voice mail and email... no response... Now I am getting a face full of attitude from that group... how busy they are (no kidding), how many cats are in line ahead of the ones I have (so?).. and they have "hand picked and selected" volunteers and maybe I wouldn't fit in. I am not asking them to take these cats or for money. Just help showing them and screening applicants. They can even have the stupid fee.

... All I was asking for was an answer - yes or no - we can or cannot help you. She can take her snobbery and shove it.
 

rang_27

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I have always felt that the people that start & are in charge of shelters are often a little "off". Meaning they do not play by the same rules as most of us expect from our proffesional relationships. I personally have been up until after 11 PM dealing with the drama created by a local shelter director. All I can say is that I am sorry this has happended to you.
 

nes

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I completely hear you! The Toronto Humane Society likes to walk around like their kitty litter doesn't smell, until they got busted for dirty cages & sick animals by the OSCPA. Huh!

I love our local shelter because it is small and they are far more interested in getting the animals out into good homes then their philosophies. They frequent adopt out barn cats and don't have ridiculous restrictions about what you can do with your cat once you adopt them. When they ran out of room because they had to many cats, they reduced their adoption fee by 75%! Smart, smart people running LAWS around here!!

I'm so sorry for all the troubles you've had, I can't say it surprises me though :|.
 

kai bengals

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If this is the same director and the same people I dealt with trying to find out about my cat Hau Kea, I certainly feel your pain and anger.

They were astoundingly rude and hostile.
 
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addiebee

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Originally Posted by Kai Bengals

If this is the same director and the same people I dealt with trying to find out about my cat Hau Kea, I certainly feel your pain and anger.

They were astoundingly rude and hostile.
Actually, it isn't. That was the Genesee County shelter. And there is plenty of rude and stuck up behavior to go around. Yes, to the others, people who rescue are a little bit different. I know I am. But one of the things that I feel sets me apart from many I have encountered in this line of work, is that I ALSO have people skills.

Frankly - think it's rude that I called this other rescue (not the one I volunteer with) four times in four weeks, doing what their voice mail message said.. and emailed at least twice in addition, and got no response. How would you feel? Calls and emails should be answered within 48 hrs IMHO. Assign someone to do it. Tell the writer or caller that you have received their message and that you will be back in touch. Sheesh. How hard is that?
 

katiemae1277

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Adrien, I am so sorry you are going thru this, don't these people realize that the only ones who are getting hurt is the cats?
Shoot Eileen, eilcon, a PM, she had adopted out a great many kitties on her own and perhaps she can give you some pointers?
 

ldg

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I'm just sending hugs and vibes your way.
...and vibes for the kitties.


I hate all the rescues around here. That's why we rescue on our own. We even ended up getting in a fight with the no-kill shelter we started! We've worked directly with the vets for years now. The vet techs help us foster, and almost all of our cats get adopted directly from the vets' practices. So much easier with the screening when it's someone the vet knows.
 

sammyp

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I must say I've encountered some odd things with shelter people too. Like the fact that I usually have to chase people up about which days they need me to come help out at my local, because no-one can be bothered to reply to a text message
 

gloriajh

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I hear what you're saying.

Last year - I was (and probably still am) a novice in the ways of stray or feral cats.

We have three "inside" cats, and we love them to pieces.
So, when I saw a stray walking -limping- on my patio - my heart just broke.

I began to care for him - looked for his family if he had one, and started trying to find my options concerning him.

Being a member on this Forum, I knew I needed to get him trapped and altered. But, didn't know how that worked.

Began to TRY and get some answers in my local area on just how to do this.

My regular vet didn't offer much - just showed me the name of the Shelter.

I TRIED contacting one no-kill shelter, met with just an answering machine, and no response.
I emailed another no-kill shelter - the rep. there was kind, but, couldn't really help me - they had no resources, and was filled to capacity with cats and kittens - and, they couldn't take ferals as one worker was badly injured by one. He did console me by encouraging me to contact him if there were other questions, and directed me to Animal Samaritans where they do alter strays for a small fee, or, free for ferals.

Even at Animal Samaritans I was met with a recording, but I stumbled onto an email address and was able to get into the "back door" and get some help, finally talking to one helpful person.

I called the Animal Control about traps - sure, $25.00 +/- for 3 days.

Because I was a novice, and because it seemed as tho' people's eyes glazed over when I asked about help - my un-neutered stray became a daddy to two kittens - well, now I was in deeper do-do - because I was basically on my own with one male stray, one mommy, and two kittens to get trapped and altered.

I finally poked around and found help, a little here, a little there. The internet and this web site - WOW! very helpful, but needed some info more specific to the area in which we live.

I think once people work at these clinics for a while they have to grow a protection around their hearts just to survive all the insanity.

The one man I email with told me, "... that getting animals spayed or neutered is like a war on drugs, it will never be won. All we can do is the best we can now." And, I add, pace ourselves.

Like I said before, I HEAR you, just like everyone else responding to you here - it seems like a little thing that we can only comfort you from afar.

I encourage you to pace yourself, take a LOT of deep breaths, and know that you are doing the best you can now with the cats that your life touches now.

If you go ballistic the cats will receive less help than you're able to give them now.


You can't control the people around you, so I hope you can find some peace within yourself, and a resolve that you are doing the best you can.

I hope your "rant" helped let off enough steam that you are able to discover a way to get around the roadblocks you face.
 
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