Monday 3 May 2010

Cost cuts mean RSPCA shelters will turn away stray or unwanted pet

The RSPCA have announced new rules as to their criteria for taking in animals. See the Times Online article.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7102322.ece

24 comments:

  1. It's a real shame that they're having to do this, but what choice do they have? If they're losing money they have to make cuts somewhere or they will simply cease to exist and then none of the animals will be helped. At least they do work to bring to justice those who mistreat their animals, and that's still something worth doing.

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  2. If the RSPCA handed over all the stray/unwanted pedigree breeds to their relevant breed rescues, they would have more room and money available for the mongrels and moggies that need their help. Unfortunately they refuse to do this, and so space and finance has now become a serious problem. It's time they decided to work WITH breeders and breed rescues, instead of AGAINST them.

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  3. The RSPCA was and probably still is one of the richest chariies in the UK so one wonders whether this step is really justified especially in light of the prtential for suffering caused to the poor animals that will simply be dumped. Alison Carter is absolutely right the problem could be reduced if RSPCA centres were prepared to work with breeders and pedigree rescues. Unfortunately this is too often down to the judgement of the local co-ordinators and too few are prepared to liaise with breeders and breed rescues. Breeders too need to take responsibility for the kittens they breed which is sadly not always the case. The GCCF should also take a more proactive role in monitoring breeders who are registering and importing large numbers of cats. We all have a role to play.

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  4. I agree with "Anonymous" - The RSPCA was and probably still is one of the richest charities in the UK.
    As this charity is funded by the public in order to help stray and injured animals then I would be interested to see the "mega" salaries that I understand are paid to some of the idividuals employed by this charity. My understanding is that they are paid "huge" and I mean "huge" salaries. I don't mean the nurses, helpers, inspectors and ancillary staff - I am talking the guys at the top.
    Donations are not made by the public in order to give these employees a rich life style.
    Take a pay cut and help the animals you are supposed to be helping.

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    1. The richest two richest animal related charities in the UK are guide dogs for the blind and the PDSA.
      The RSPCA unfortunately focus on world wide affairs and not just UK animal related problems. On a personal opinion, many animal centres I have worked or volunteered at ( rspca and non- RSPCA ) all cry they have a lack of staff and pet food. Yet they over feed and take more than the legal minimum of entitled breaks.

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  5. So true Fay, according to a TV programme on them the fat cats (and their wives) at the top also have chauffeur driven cars. I know from first hand experience they regularly pts perfectly healthy animals - is the action of a chairty formed to help them?

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  6. Most people dont contact the breeder when they get difficulties in looking after their pet... In my sales contract its written that no matter how old etc the cat is if something happens and they can no longer care for him/her the cat comes back to me and not to a rescue.. maybe people are afraid of contacting the breeder again or have lost the numbers... I would hate for any of my kittens to ever end up in rescue

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  7. Susanne

    I too have such a condition in my sales contract and do my best to keep in touch with everyone who buys a kitten (my Christmas card list is very long). However I was devastated a couple of years ago to discover that another breeder - someone I considered to be a very close friend - knew one of my cats was being re-homed and not only refused to tell me at the time but still refuses to give me details of the cat or where it is. I wrote to everyone who had bought a kitten in the previous 15 years (literally) and rang every rescue I could get details for (from south Wales to London and from the southwest to the Midlands) but never found the cat - needless to say the 'friendship' is at an end. However hard some breeders try to keep tabs on their kittens, it is always possible for a cat to end up in rescue and rescue centres should give responsible breeders the opportunity to deal with cats they have bred.

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  8. I have been fostering for a local charity for over 10 years now. Unfortunately the RSPCA has such a poor record on rehoming older and wildies that many people come to us begging us to take on their strays, abandoned and unwanted cats as they realise there is a real chance that the RSPCA will simply put the cats to sleep after 7 days, (even the local vets always ask us to take on any healthy unwanted cats rather than pass them on to the RSPCA and an unknown future). We always do our best to rehome any cat regardless of its age, colour and character. We would always contact a breed rescue centre when presented with a pegigree or cross as many of our pedigree cats often come in because an owner has not realised what they are taking on. Breed rescue groups are much better positioned to find a suitable home for their breed with experienced owners and know of the health issues that may be presented. This does take some of the pressure from us thankfully.

    The RSPCA need to use their common sense a little bit more, it would help future owners, themselves and of course the poor unwanted cats.

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  9. Yes, as usual all the charities are just big money making businesses, hiding behind a sham of caring for whatever it may be they would like us to beleive they care about. It's quite sad really they exploit animals and children with their horror pics.
    The way that breeders can help is to microchip your kittens with your phone number....if they end up in a shelter they will call you. You can explain to the new owners it's for cats protection.!!

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  10. I Microchip all my kittens and they are duel registered. Avid Pettrac ar ehte only organisation that will duel register.

    Cats Protection always contact me to tell me when there are British Shorthairs coming in to their care. I rehome them and any monies I give to the Cats protection or get the new owners to send it direct.

    I find the cats protection are a charity worth backing. They are not rich, they rely on public donations and their small budget given by their head office.

    Maybe Rspca should close down and make room for genuine smaller charities that would protect and care for animals as they shold be cared for.

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    1. I've fostered for Cats Protection and have had some older kittens in and ex-ferals that may not have lasted the course at other so-called charities. I refuse to give money to the RSPCA as they have such a bad reputation. I know the CP are probably a big corporate monster too but I also know some of the cats have been in their re-homing centres a long time and not simply pts after a short time.

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  11. Maybe you would all like to read these statements for the so call RSPCA!!
    These are on the German Shepherd Rescue website
    10 german shepherds slaughter with a captive bolt gun in the street.

    http://www.germanshepherdrescue.co.uk/gsd-shot-by-rspca2.html

    http://www.germanshepherdrescue.co.uk/rspca-failing-in-their-duties2.html

    http://rspcainjustice.blogspot.com/

    http://the-shg.org/

    http://the-shg.org/campaign.htm

    and how many animals did they put to sleep last year!

    Why donate to these - they are not what they seem anymore.

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  12. The Blue Cross are just as bad as the RSPCA. One of our kittens was sold to what we thought was a good home and we took him in whilst the owners went to Australia for a few weeks. We never heard any more from them until we accidently found out through a mutual friend that the cat had been given to the Blue Cross. I contacted their local branch and they were very unhelpful. They told me that they shredded any paperwork that came with the cat.They did recognise that they had a pedigree cat and were going to do a newspaper 'promotion' using his photo. However he had since been rehomed and refused to give us any details. We then emailed 27 vets in the local area, including details and a pic. One vet replied that they had a cat that fitted and would give the owner our details.Meanwhile we discovered that the cat was still registered with the GCCF in our name. The new owner was over the moon to find the breeder and we regularly get updates and pix, including a 'mother's day' card from the cat. Luckily things have turned out well but if the Blue Cross had made proper investigations, they would have saved both money and time by getting in touch immediately they received him as we would have driven there (120 miles away), and picked him up, so we could then have rehomed him ourselves.

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    1. At animal centres i have worked at they want to keep the animals regardless of breed or what is best for the animal as at the end of the day they get the adoption fee and get to say they helped the cat. If all charities worked together they could help so many more animals.

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  13. It astounds me that the RSPCA are still managing to rake in so much money in view of the huge amount of bad publicity there is out there about them.

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  14. MOLLY LOOPY AND ANONSaturday, December 11, 2010

    THE RSPCA DO THEIR BEST DONT FORGET MANY BREEDDERS DONT CHECK THE HOMES THEIR CATS ARE GOING TO BUT THE RSPCA DO. I HAVE HAD CATS ALL MY LIVE AND USE A VET ON A REGULAR BASIS YET THEY STILL HOME CHECKED ME. I CAN GET A KITTEN FOR FREE, NO VACCS, NO HEALTH CHECK. YOU SEE ADS FREE TO GOOD HOME, WHAT IS A GOOD HOME. WE NEED RESPECT FOR CATS. THE CPL DONT REALLY HELP EITHER. I SHOW MY WONDERFUL CAT FROM THE RSPCA, HE IS LOVED AND RESPECTED, ITS ALL ABOUT EDUCATION, DOGS DONT RULE CATS DO.

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    1. The "CPL" as you mistakenly call them do home checks!! And they dont pts animals as much as the RSPCA.

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  15. Julie wrote:

    "I find the cats protection are a charity worth backing. They are not rich, they rely on public donations and their small budget given by their head office."
    I totally disagree with your comment. CPL in Belfast detest all cat breeders and drive around in large company cars. FACT. I have had personal experience with them.

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    1. If they hate cat breeders so much why is there a Tonkinese breeder who fosters CP cats?

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  16. The RSPCA have become too political and have much more cash than is made public.
    They have forgotten their beginnings and why they were supposedly set up in the first place.
    High handed grabbing of animals from owners and breeders without good reason. Bully boy tactics used on innocent owners. Forget the politics and the money and remember the animals I say!
    see the stories on this web site and know your rights!
    http://the-shg.org/Basic%20legal%20advice%20for%20pet%20owners.htm

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  17. RSPCA, BLUE CROSS, were contacted and asked for help when a poor cat was dumped n the roof of my cat pens It couldn't have got up there on its own it was to ill. I contacted above organizations they said they were full and couldn't offer any help at all.Another time a stray cat was found and taken to my vets and when they phone RSPCA
    they were told the best thing they could do was to take him back where he was found !!!!!!!!!!!

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  18. I have contacted the RSPCA on a number of occasions asking for support and/or help with rescue work. They are just not interested. Along with CPL they are one of the largest and wealthiest charities in the animal world. Like many the donations are used to pay massive wages to admin staff.When they have pedigree rescues in their shelters they will not hand them over to the breed rescues even when we offer to pay the donation asked. Not all animal charities are like this. The Birman cat Club Welfare and Rescue are a pedigree cat rescue that do all their own fund raising and 100% of the money raised is used for the care of rescues. ALL our team are volunteers who give their services for free.Its sad that some people tar us all with the same brush. We do it because we care not for a monetary gain. Payment to us is seeing an unwanted cat living in a home that want him/her that has been carefully checked by us!

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  19. I agree with everything negative point raised regarding the RSPCA. They are very unhelpful and are the richest animal charity in the UK. But they have forgotten their main objective to help and avoid distress to ALL animals.
    As a Breeder, I also have a policy of taking back any unwanted cat or kitten but also make the point of stating their are also breed charities who in my view make a great effort to re home unwanted pedigrees. Also I support the CPL and have left a donation in my will as I feel actions speak louder than words.
    The RSPCA lets be frank about it and not squeamish, kill animals because they just cannot be bothered to put the effort into re homing.
    Where is all the money going ?

    Annonymous

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