This was unbelievable...

I went back to the animal shelter to give the paper work for Phoebe's rabies shots the other day, and this one worker tried to guilt trip me about getting another cat. The day that I went to the shelter to pick out a cat I also looked at this one boy who was about a year old, jet black with green eyes (he was gorgeous), but in the end I felt he wouldn't be right for my home. There wasn't anything wrong with him, but I didn't think he would've gotten along with Sasha. Plus he came in with his brother I and I didn't want to seperate them as I could only get one cat. Long story short I saw Phoebe and knew she was the one.

Anywho, I go back to give them the paper work for her rabies shot, and this one worker, who also worked with me when I adopted Phoebe, started by saying, "We have this one black kitty that came in a few days ago who also needs a home...," I knew they were talking about the one I had looked at (his name was Neyo). Then she goes, "We might have to put him down tonight...." What??!? You don't say that to get people to adopt them. I politely told her that I had enough cat for me right now.

Then I was talking to her and the other girl at the front desk and I mentioned that I'm working with Phoebe to stop jumping up into my loft bed at night. The same worker said, "Maybe its time for you to uhh..." and made this motion on her fingers that indicated to declaw her. I ignored that.

I'm one of those people who get really sensitive about the thought of animals getting put down at shelters and when she said that about Neyo I just couldn't believe it. Maybe she didn't really think before she spoke but she just said it right in front of the other girl and the other girl didn't even flinch. In the end I'm glad I got Phoebe out of there.

Sad thing about working in rescue is you do have to detach yourself from the fact that you have to euthanise some, even in a no kill there are some we cant save. I have held a sweet cat with a grade 6 heart murmur in my arms and cried about the fact that we couldnt save him, or the sweet torti with FIP. But there are hundreds of others out there that need help and if we all burn out who will be there for them.

Unforutnately here with the adoption rates as low as they are, we do adopt to people who will declaw, and we do euthanized. It sucks to high heaven & I come home bawling often.

Yep, even in a no kill shelter we will adopt to people who are declawing (with warnings about all the behaviour that can come with it and an info sheet about the truth about declawing) because with the number of strays in our city, we couldnt be no kill without adopting them to people who will declaw.

We will not adopt heavier / older cats out to be declawed however as we tell them (and our local vets agree) that they cant be done at that age / size. But the low cost speuter place offers declawing at a great rate if done at the same time as the neuter and I have a feeling many get done at that time