Sad news I read on facebook about shelters

I read on facebook about a lady that saved two brother cats from a shelter that had an outbreak of feline herpes virus. She said they were gonna put all the cats that had it to death.....I don't understand that at all...."64" has the herpes virus and one kidney and she is living a great and happy life.She is also the sweetest little cat, so loveable and so very good....I just can't believe
a shelter would put the cats to sleep cause of a virus that is o common...I think this is so sad.

Probably because adopting out cats who have issues is very difficult, and herpes is oftentimes a lifelong problem.  It is very sad, I wish it weren't the case but it is.

I saw this on facebook too. made me sad and wish I could adopt all cats in need like this around the world.

I agree that this is absolutely heartbreaking. But,  it is the unfortunate reality for many cats in shelters. Even though it is an easily fixed problem the shelter is likely having to look at the big picture. Each cat that has become infected will be a lifelong carrier and will likely have flares in the future. With shelters being at capacity every day they have to make difficult decisions about who to put down and who to try and adopt out. And, any little health issue- even those that are treatable- often moves otherwise healthy cats to the blacklist. 

So the question becomes, what can we do about it? Of course I too would love to save each and every one of them but it's just not feasible. Personally, I think the answer lies in education. Until the pet overpopulation problem is under control there will be millions of perfectly healthy, adoptable cats euthanized every year. I wish that wasn't the case but, with the numbers at what they are now there is no other solution. So, take every opportunity you can to educate your friends, family, and community about the importance of spay and neuter. If you want to take it a step further, volunteer your time with local organizations that offer free spay and neuter services so that they can get even more of them done. Or, open up your home and foster a cat (or three) from a local shelter so that it frees up space and more lives can be saved (if you want a really unique and life changing experience, take in a pregnant Queen or a litter of kittens. In doing so you will make sure they are properly socialized and have the best chance at finding a forever home, while ensuring through the shelter that they will all be fixed and will never reproduce. Keep this idea in mind if you ever hear of someone wanting their family cat to have a litter so they can "have the experience" or because they want to "play with a bunch of cute kittens"). Whenever there are extra pennies in the bank, donate to the same organizations so they can hire more vets to do the procedures, and expand in their own education efforts. Finally, download your local shelter's "wish list" and see what you can gather for it. You would be surprised what they will accept (many collect things like old printer cartridges- they recycle them and can get free reams of paper or other discounts for their administrative needs). Keep an eye out for huge sales at local pet stores and stock up when you can. Especially after Christmas all holiday themed toys that are unsold will go for rock bottom prices (last January I bought "stockings" that held 16 cat toys each for $1.00 apiece. $10 from me meant a whole year of fun for them- the cats don't know that they are playing with a candy cane in July, they just know they are being enriched! ). And, keep an eye for things around the house. Items that may seem worthless to you (like old towels) make perfect beds and are invaluable to shelters! The bottom line is each of us can do something- it's just about finding what works best for you. That may be through donating your time or by donating goods. It can also just be as simple as taking 30 seconds to post a spay and neuter reminder on your Facebook wall every few months. Remember, in seven years, one female cat and her offspring can spawn over 400,000 more. Think of the difference you can make if you can prevent even one litter from being born?!?!?

Let's not allow these animals deaths to go unnoticed. Let it be the thing that inspires you to spread the word and help however you can. If enough of us do we can be on our way to becoming a no-kill nation!*

*meaning, that we wouldn't euthanize adoptable cats. There is a time and a place where putting them down is the kindest gift we can give, and that shouldn't be taken off the table. But, euthanizing because of something as small and simple as the herpes virus (my girl has it too) is something we need to move away from. And, that will only happen when the number of available homes exceeds the number of cats looking for them! 

We don't have to wish for it to be different. We can actually help change it! 

karkel59,  I agree that is very sad.   I don' t know the details ;  if the cats were extremely ill and needed expensive anti-viral medications ,  some shelters could have been just overwhelmed and unable to afford it.   Fortunately most cats don't usually need that.   It would have been good if they had appealed to volunteers and rescue groups if they needed help in caring for cats who were symptomatic .  but I don't know even who the shelter was,  and don't know what they did or didn't try.

There are also protocols for hygiene that should be followed to prevent transmission from one cat to another.   Vaccinating upon intake can at least lessen symptoms,  and some small steps to at least slightly decrease stress can make a difference in cats getting sick.

  If they were killing cats who showed even the slightest mild symptom ,  that would have been, IMO ridiculous,   and ridiculous to kill a cat just because she would be likely to remain a carrier of the feline herpesvirus (FHV-1) .  The majority of cats  carry that virus, and most of them do fine,  like your 64.  What a sweet picture , and so awful to think if she had been in that situation she could have been killed just for a very common virus that is usually NOT even close to a major health problem.  

Here is an article with an interview with a vet in which he says  that it is thought that over 90% of cats harbor the FHV-1 virus.

http://www.care.com/pet-care-interv...rpes-eye-infections-in-cats-p1017-q14257.html

But I guess it could be worse  -- like if  they just killed ALL the cats in the shelter because they MIGHT have been exposed,  which is what some shelters have done with other disease outbreaks.  

EB24 that is a great post with suggestions of ways to help local shelters.   Another thing I would add is helping market the animals for adoption,  share on social media , blogs etc.; volunteer to take photos or video to post on their website,  or update Petfinder entries.   Unfortunately some shelters with very high kill rates don't even post the cats online anywhere.   So a volunteer who had knowledge and time could

***** but I do wish well-meaning, cat-loving, cat-helping people  would stop repeating the debunked claim about 420,000 cats in 7 years.    If cats were reproducing at that rate we would have many many TRILLIONS of homeless cats in this country.  Major animal organizations now say they don't think it is accurate.   HSUS  (who used to have it on their website and were often credited by other groups as being the source)  now says they no longer believe it and they don't even know where that number originally came from.  ASPCA also has said it is not correct.

   I don't want to derail this thread,  so I decided to write about the 420,000 cat thing in a separate thread and just link to it.   I wasn't sure where to put it,   so I'm just putting it in IMO.   Here is a link http://www.thecatsite.com/t/269821/the-myth-of-420-000-cats-in-7-years

I agree, EB24, that was a wonderful post about how to help shelters. :nod: But a few comments I'd like to add to the discussion.

EB24 said:

I agree that this is absolutely heartbreaking. But,  it is the unfortunate reality for many cats in shelters. Even though it is an easily fixed problem the shelter is likely having to look at the big picture. Each cat that has become infected will be a lifelong carrier and will likely have flares in the future. With shelters being at capacity every day they have to make difficult decisions about who to put down and who to try and adopt out.

Click to expand...

Actually, changing shelter management practices can end the killing, period.

EB24 said:

So the question becomes, what can we do about it? Of course I too would love to save each and every one of them but it's just not feasible. Personally, I think the answer lies in education. Until the pet overpopulation problem is under control there will be millions of perfectly healthy, adoptable cats euthanized every year. I wish that wasn't the case but, with the numbers at what they are now there is no other solution.

Click to expand...

I just wanted to take a moment to bust another myth: the myth of pet "overpopulation."

The Lie at the Heart of the Killing, and Good Homes Need Not Apply, by Nathan Winograd

For anyone interested in learning more about the REALITY of a possible NO KILL NATION, this was already discussed in IMO, here: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/262746/aspca-and-euthanasia

Well if I ever adopt or rescue a kitten I'd be more than happy to take care of another kitty with herpes....

LDG said:

Actually, changing shelter management practices can end the killing, period.
 

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I agree doing so could end euthanasia practices at that shelter, but I do not yet believe we are at a point that the US can survive and thrive without some sort of operating kill shelter (but, I have not yet read the materials you linked so I reserve the right to change my mind with further education). I do think challenging shelter practices is important in having as many no kill shelters as possible, and in ensuring that the animals in kill shelters have had the best chance at finding a home as possible before doing so. All shelters need to be held accountable for their pracices, and sometimes no kill shelters do more harm than good if they are not keeping a firm cap on their numbers or fail to practice impeccable hygiene to prevent the spread of illnesses. We need to be monitoring all shelters to ensure they are doing the very best for the animals that live there! 

Believe me, I am not a fan of kill sheters, and I volunteer for a no-kill because I can't handle it. But, that doesn't mean I don't see the necessity to have them at this point in time.

maewkaew said:

 
***** but I do wish well-meaning, cat-loving, cat-helping people  would stop repeating the debunked claim about 420,000 cats in 7 years.    If cats were reproducing at that rate we would have many many TRILLIONS of homeless cats in this country.  Major animal organizations now say they don't think it is accurate.   HSUS  (who used to have it on their website and were often credited by other groups as being the source)  now says they no longer believe it and they don't even know where that number originally came from.  ASPCA also has said it is not correct.

   I don't want to derail this thread,  so I decided to write about the 420,000 cat thing in a separate thread and just link to it.   I wasn't sure where to put it,   so I'm just putting it in IMO.   Here is a link http://www.thecatsite.com/t/269821/the-myth-of-420-000-cats-in-7-years

Click to expand...

I concede here and you are very right to call me out- this is an outdated figure.  My understanding was this number started circulating if you assume the size of an average litter, that half would likely be female, and the age the majority will begin procreating. It does not, however, account for the fact that many will not like to adulthood (especially when thinking that a good number of these litters are born to feral mothers), that some will be adopted and altered, and others will not procreate for other reasons. I saw another report that tried to account for these factors and put the number at 40,000-50,000 over a period of 10 years which seems more probable (though of course now I can't find it). 

When I was posting I was tired and focused on the bigger point. Posting the figure just sort of rattled out of my brain and I didn't think much of it. So, thank you for correcting me!