What's wrong with the registration of all animal shelters?

Is there anything wrong with the idea that all animal shelters of any kind should be registered with the authorities? I note that the state of Colorado has obligatory licensing for animal shelters but how widespread is this across the US? The intention would be to ensure that standards were kept high enough in the interests of the welfare of the animals at the shelter. 

Michelline Toulouse. Video screenshot. She ran her own 'rescue' while volunteering at another but was herself a cat hoarder who was later charged. Licensing would have prevented her behavior.

Registration would entail inspection which in turn would be taking preventative steps against those cases in which the animal sanctuary owner loses control resulting in neglected animals some of whom end up starving to death or becoming very ill.

Surely, it is wiser to take preventative steps rather than reactive ones? On an almost daily basis we read about well-intentioned cat owners looking after more than one cat which then becomes an informal cat shelter of sorts. This then develops into an out-of-control situation in which the shelter founder and owner fails to have sufficient funds to run the establishment. 

I am concerned about individuals who have good intentions but end up hurting the cats while running informal "sanctuaries" or "shelters". I put these words in quotes because they're neither shelters nor sanctuaries. They become hellholes for cats. Sometimes you can't really blame the person but it would be far better to take proactive steps and it might be cheaper for the authorities.

And there aren't enough volunteers to help or foster carers. The complexities and difficulties of running an animal shelter can bring them down unless the person is well-prepared.

Of course, you would have to keep a register and have somebody to inspect the property. I don't foresee that as being very expensive for the authorities because there aren't that many animal shelters. I read many cat-news stories and I'm forever being reminded of the failure of informal, private cat shelters.

A recent story (Sept 2021) concerns a cat hoarder who was 'rescuing cats' from other cat hoarders. A bizarre state of affairs as she was also working as a volunteer at another rescue facility.

Michigan State University say that as at 2014, in America, traditionally, there's been a lack of regulation and supervision in monitoring rescue and foster care organisations. Licensing, they argue, would subject rescues to inspections and hold them accountable for the animals that they take in.

Of course, rescues are governed by the general laws of animal welfare in any particular state and therefore they are indirectly monitored through the potential of being punished should they break those laws. But as mentioned this is reactive and in the meantime, cats are hurt or killed. It is not as good as registration provided registration is carried out properly and combined with inspections.

1. Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act or also referred to as PACFA - info on Colorado obligatory licensing.

23 cats killed in a fire at a Florida pet adoption facility

A blaze at the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando facility killed 23 cats but all the dogs were saved by firefighters. The rescued animals have been taken to the organisation's facility in Sanford. Video footage from firefighters showed them quickly removing dogs from the facility. More than 30 animals were saved. The rescue was hampered when a roof collapsed inside the building which made access to all the shelter animals difficult. This may account for the fact that 23 cats died but no dogs. The dogs and cats were kept in separate places. The dogs were in a place where the fire had not quite reached. The cause of the fire is unknown at the moment.

23 cats killed in a fire at a Florida pet adoption facility. Photo: Facebook.

Pasco County Animal Services in Florida takes rescue animals from the path of Hurricane Ida

The video shows how Bay Area, Florida animal rescue groups have helped by taking animals impacted by Hurricane Ida which cut a path from Louisiana to New York. Both were devasated. The director of Pasco Animal Services, Mike Shumate, got a call from Charleston Animal Society who worked with the Humane Society of South Mississippi. He says that the majority of dogs received are ready to be adopted which obviously makes it much easier for them. 

The video shows the co-director of Southern States Bully Rescue explaining how they had to work really fast to get the animals out of there. It's about quid pro quo or paying it forward. Mike makes the point very well by saying that if he helps animal shelters in Louisiana then one day they will need their help when a storm or hurricane passes through Florida. 

I think it's a very impressive network of shelters who work so effectively together under these dramatic circumstances. I also think it is only in America where you get this kind of teamwork and that may be because they appear to have more devastating storms compared to other countries together with the fact that they have many animal shelters. They had to find a way to deal with these emergencies and they certainly did.

Note: This is a video from another website. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.

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Taliban presence may close Kabul animal shelter Nowzad. Animals may be euthanised

This is an example of why we must include animals in the conversation about the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan. Pen Farthing is an ex-marine who has had two tours of duty in the Middle East. He is the founder of Nowzad, an animal rescue which reunites military personnel with the animals that they rescued on the frontline. 

Pen Farthing at Nowzad the animal charity and rescue he founded and runs in Kabul. Photo: Nowzad.

As I understand it, Nowzad ships these animals out to the USA normally where they can be reunited with their human companion after their tour of duty. It's a very expensive operation as you can imagine and Mr Farthing had an amazing ability to raise money to rescue cats and dogs and get them out of Afghanistan into nice homes. It's an invaluable service to the animals and indeed to his 24 employees which include women.

Dr Hamida one of 24 personnel at the shelter. Photo: Nowzad.

You can imagine how Nowzad workers are feeling as just this morning the Taliban took control of Kabul and the rest of the country. They've promised that they won't harm people and that girls can go to school et cetera but who believes them? They constantly carry weapons. They have an incredibly poor track record in terms of human rights. They have demonstrated violent misogynistic behaviour. The women of Kabul are terrified and as mentioned there are several employed by Nowzad. And if their human rights record is crap, how do you think they treat animals?

Mr Farthing is terrified for his staff and the animals. I don't think he can function normally under the Taliban. It would seem likely that he has to close his excellent animal rescue organisation but I sincerely hope that he does not feel that he has to put to sleep all 216 animals comprising 140 dogs, 60 cats, 12 donkeys, two horses, one goat and one bull currently in his care.

Mr Farthing said:

"Were desperately worried and concerned and I think probably now a very real sinking realisation that we may well have to just put all our animals to sleep because that'll be the kindest thing to do.”

He also said:

"We know from prior experience the Taliban don't have much thought for human life, let alone animal welfare."

He has also said:

"The Taliban banned dog ownership when in power last time. And it's just too much of a risk. Never, ever did I want to put dogs to sleep."

One of the female employees appears to be a veterinarian as shown in a photograph is on this page with a puppy. Mr Farthing is shocked at the developments. And he said that he feels ashamed at the turn of events following the decision to pull out US troops. A move followed by allies including British troops. The world is shocked at the speed at which the Taliban have taken control of the country.

What has happened leads us to believe that the past 20 years and $1 trillion of investment into the country has been a complete waste of time. The US and allies have poured money and people into the country to try and change it but all they've achieved is to prop up a weak and ineffective government who have run away as soon as the Allies decided to go home. 

They propped up a shell government and they left behind hundreds of millions of dollars-worth of military equipment which I presume has been seized by the Taliban. The highly trained Afghan military dissolved and disappeared in the face of Taliban with Kalashnikov rifles. It's pathetic, sad and embarrassing.

And now, animal advocates are facing the prospect of 216 animals being put down. It's horrible. And depressing. And what about all the other companion animals in Kabul, for instance? Many people are leaving the city. Are they leaving behind the pets? And the stray and feral animals? What about them? We must remember them and their suffering.

Update: there are calls for the staff to be evacuated to the UK. Mr Farthing will not leave his team of 24 Afghan nationals. There is a campaign to get them to the UK and it is backed by comedian Ricky Gervais's and actors Dame Judi Dench and Peter Egan. They are calling for the entire staff at the shelter to be given British visas. In addition, Nowzad is fundraising to hire a cargo plane to fly out as many of the dogs and cats as possible. It is called Operation Ark. 

Update: The flight was initially blocked by the British government as they did not want animals flying out before humans even though the flight is privately funded. Today, 25th Aug, Wallace the Defense Secretary has relented and will allow the flight to take place and the staff and animals to enter the UK (Sky News). The problem now is that the Taliban has refused Afghanis to leave the country.

The shelter has not only saved the lives of many animals but also educated many people on animal welfare. The staff have worked tirelessly to protect and treat animals in their care. They cannot be left to the Taliban and their murderous ways.

Ricky Gervais's is a patron of Nowzad and he has put his weight behind the campaign and said:

"Pen Farthing and his team Nowzad have done amazing work for over a decade in Kabul, they have saved thousands of dogs and provided work for the local community and instigated educational programmes which have benefited their community. Their lives are now in danger. They need our help now."

Update one day later: In a news conference, the Taliban made all the right noises to try and convince the world that they want a peaceful Islamic state. Let's see if they are genuine.

This video is shocking. WARNING. It shows Afghani nationals falling from a plane that they had clung to. Totally impossible and a certain death. CLICK HERE TO SEE IT ON YOUTUBE. I can't show it here as it may upset Google Adsense.

Update: this is October 10, 2021. You may have heard the news that Mr Farthing managed to get back to England with the animals in a specially chartered plane. There was great difficulty and a lot of stress. But he achieved it. The animals were taken to shelters for quarantine in England. He had to leave the staff behind. Today, the news is that his staff went overland to Pakistan and from Islamabad in Pakistan they have now all managed to fly into the UK during September. 

So he has got his animals and his staff out of Afghanistan which is an enormous achievement. His staff are in the UK to stay and they will forge the new careers in this country. I believe that one or two of them are veterinarians and they will be checked and if necessary retrained to make sure that they comply with UK standards. Then they can work in this country as vets because there is a need for more veterinary surgeons in this country.

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Animal shelter cleared out after all the pets are fostered and adopted

Animal shelter cleared out after all the pets are fostered and adopted. Celebrations. Screenshot.

This shows a Palm Beach animal shelter kennel totally empty and the staff celebrating. The number of staff there seems to be quite large so it must be a large shelter. It shows one of their three kennels. The video was posted to Facebook but it seems to have been removed because it was used by the news media who I guess wanted exclusive rights to it. The kennel that we see I believe serves as the shelter's stray housing and adoption overflow unit. They have animals for adoption at their main kennel.

It is always brilliant to see these images and videos because it means that a lot of animals have been rescued and rehomed. It represents success in a way although behind that, the back story, there is failure because in a perfect world, in a truly successful world with respect to humankind's relationship with animals, there would be no animal shelters! That is an ideal. It is unattainable but arguably animal shelters are a symptom of failure.

I believe the success is down to Covid-19! An increase in adoptions over the lockdowns. Amazing that there is at least one brilliant silver lining to the pandemic. There have been some downsides though such as a surge in puppy mills to feed new adopters.

The video on this page may well stop working in the future. This is because it is held on another website and the administrators of that website might delete the video in due course. In which case, it will disappear on this page as well.

California earmarks another $45,000,000 to reduce killing in animal shelters

This comes on the heels of a prior commitment of $10,000,000. Unfortunately, its allocation is a missed opportunity to maximize lifesaving according to Nathan Winograd who gave me the heads up in an email.

What no-kill means. Image: MikeB

In a Facebook post, Nathan Winograd reports on the signing by the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, of legislation that provides $45 million to help animal shelters reduce killing. You can read legislation if you wish by clicking the following link: https://bit.ly/3zMqJ8v

You got to be a bit of a nerd to read it but it is educational. Having read Winograd's Facebook post I was interested to read that initiatives like this one to save the lives of animals at shelters and to drive them to a no-kill status benefit the economy of the state, city or county concerned. 

They are 'revenue positive' as he calls it. He refers to a University of Denver study as an example which found that one city's no-kill initiative yielded over $157 million in a positive economic impact to the community over the first six years, which represented a more than 400% return on investment by the city.

He says that other studies have come to similar conclusions. There are direct cost savings apparently in not killing animals at shelters. In California a provision of the Animal Shelter Law 1998 saved 85,000 animals annually which corresponded with cost savings of over $3 million. These costs relate to the killing process and the destruction of the remains of the animals. Saving such as this have been backed up in the states of Florida, Michigan, Oklahoma and Minnesota.

Attaining statewide no-kill status in all shelters would appear to benefit the economy of that state as well as save countless thousands of lives of unwanted animals who become wanted and loved. That seems to be a win-win situation to me.

People are adopting animals in person from rescue centres in New York City at last

NEWS AND COMMENT - NEW YORK CITY: New Yorkers are pleased that they can, at last, visit an animal shelter in person, look at the animals, relate to the animals on a one-to-one basis and adopt when they fall in love with an individual. This, in a way, marks the beginning of the end of the coronavirus pandemic, we hope. It's a sign of getting back to normal. And they lined up for the pleasure. It is said that they turned up in droves on Saturday at Animal Care Centers of New York City. It was their first in-person adoption event for more than a year.

Cut cat in shelter waiting for an adopter. Photo in public domain.

In all 55 cats were adopted. It seems that the general consensus is that adopting online remotely is not anywhere near as good as being there in person. One customer, Vaneza Almodovar, 43, had tried to adopt online several times during the pandemic. She adopted a cat from the Animal Care Centers' East Harlem branch. She surprised her daughter when she brought the cat home. Her daughter said that she had never had a cat of her own while her mother said that "It's been worth waiting".

You had to get to the rescue centre early and lineup. Denise Cunningham and her granddaughter Ariah Williams got there 90 minutes early and were ninth in the queue of dozens that apparently extended down the block. They adopted a brown tabby called Raspberry. They chose him because he was shy. I like that because it is normally the confident cats who come forward and make themselves known and to get adopted. To go for a shy cat is a nice thing to do.

The shelter said that people were not surrendering their companion animals during the pandemic lockdown and neither were they adopting stray cats because they were not leaving their house. Pet adoptions had continued during the pandemic but some found the online application process a bit tricky. Almodovar said that they had put in an application and then told that their selected cat had "just got adopted out. We were so frustrated."

It's nice to read that things are getting back to normal in the world of cat adoptions and shelters.

Shelter received frantic phone call about a cat seen for several weeks with plastic contraption around its leg and neck

Shelter received a frantic phone call about a cat that had been seen for several weeks with a plastic contraption around its leg and neck. Photo: Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter.

The cat was saved. She may fully recover. They thought that she might lose on of her lelgs. What happened I wonder for this cat to become entangled with piece of circular plastic? Accidental or deliberate abuse? We'll never know.

The FB post below may stop working in due course because they are sometimes removed from Facebook. The post is 'embedded' into this website with code.

On Wednesday evening , we received a frantic phone call about a cat that had been seen for several weeks with a plastic...

Posted by Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter on Friday, July 9, 2021

Domestic abuse survivors demand answers over lack of Government funding and ask: 'Why are there more dog and cat homes than refuges for victims?'

The survivors of domestic abuse in the UK are complaining that there is more money being put into cat and dog shelters than into refuges for women who are the victims of domestic violence. Why is this?

The title to this article is a headline on The Yorkshire Post online newspaper. I will assume that it is true that there are more cat and dog shelters than there are women's refuges. Women's refuges are those establishments where they can go when abused by their partner; to seek sanctuary from an abusive home while they sort things out. Cat and dog shelters are those places where unwanted cats and dogs live, hopefully temporarily, before they are adopted into a new home.

Cat shelter. Photo: Pixabay.

If there are more cat and dog shelters compared to women's refuges these might be some of the reasons:

Society ranks unwanted cats and dogs who need new homes as more important in terms of support then women who temporarily want a sanctuary because of domestic abuse. That's a simplistic answer because what about funding?

A lot of cat and dog shelters are funded by the RSPCA in the UK, which is a very big and wealthy charity. Another big cat charity is Cats Protection. People give to the charity because they want to give towards the welfare of animals as they are animal lovers. These people probably prefer animals to people anyway. So, there's one reason behind the scenes why there might be more animal shelters than refuges for women.

But I guess too that women's refuges are also sometimes government funded as the title to the article implies but they might also be dependent partly on charitable donations. If the government is not pulling its weight and helping to fund these refuges it is because they have decided that there are other priorities firstly, and secondly because money is incredibly short at the moment as a result of the huge amounts of borrowed money that's been streaming into the country during the entirety of the pandemic.

So, government money is short but donations from individual citizens to charitable organisations is not quite so short. My impression is that there is quite a lot of money sloshing around the country because the government has been generous in supporting the unemployed due to the lockdowns. I'm referring to the furlough money which is costing about £35 billion per month and which will go on until September of this year. 

There is a lot of money out there because I'm seeing a lot of new cars and house prices have gone up rapidly. The government has probably been too generous which is going to cause possible inflation and the impossibility for employers to find employees because they are too comfortable receiving furlough money. Another reason is Brexit, as a lot of Eastern Europeans have gone home or have change jobs. I'm referring to the hospitality sector.

But of course, the pandemic only relates to the last 14 months. Before it started the situation regarding a lack of refuges was the same. The pandemic will cut funding though. It must come down to a lack of commitment by government but there are so many causes of equal merit. Funding is finite.

I am referring to the fact that the government must strictly prioritise funding at the moment as money is short. I've got to try and come to conclusion on this and answer the question in the title. It is probably because cat and dog shelters are reliant on private donations and people are generous in their donations towards animal welfare while refuges for women are more reliant or perhaps entirely relied upon government funding and the government has decided to be quite mean-spirited and do not prioritise the support of women abused by their partner very highly.

The better solution to protect the victims of domestic violence is to take proactive measures. Catch it early. Beef up social services. Incidentally a lot of women's refuges don't take pets which stops women moving out because they can't leave their cat or dog behind. 

Note: Sometimes women beat up men. It works both ways but the classic female victim is far more common.

Wrong? Disagree? Please comment.

280 Cats Rescued from Cat Rescue Organisation

This might be a record for the number of cats to be rescued from, yes, a cat rescue organization. As it happens the organization concerned, Fur'N Feather Farm, rescues cats and birds judging by the title. It is located in Plant City, Florida, USA.

Lori Letzring, manager for pet resources and community services.

The 280 cats were seized because of health concerns. Florida Fish and Wildlife are helping out with respect to the birds. They were unsure how many cats there were inside the house as people were unable to enter it. I believe they have now entered it wearing protective gear.

Six cats have been euthanized. They were too sick. They had multiple health problems such as parasites, dehydration and respiratory infections. There are no reports at the time whether the owner of the organization is going to be charged with a criminal offense.

The organization's Facebook page has been taken down, which is a shame because it would have been useful with respect to photographs and more information.

Fox13 say that 247 cats have been rescued. However, they also say the number could be higher as the place is searched. A woman runs the shelter. I should say ran the shelter. We don't have her name. That is all I have for the time being.

Comment: it is not that uncommon for cats to be rescued from so-called rescue organizations or cat shelters. This is because the owner and manager and often the only worker becomes out of her depth and can't cope. They can't admit that it's gone wrong. They may even be hoarders in which case there would be borderline personality disorders causing the problem.

A Week in the Life of Wanderers' Rest Animal Shelter, Canastota NY

It has been one of those weeks at the Wanderers' Rest animal shelter. It probably isn't all that different from normal though.

Firstly, a lady saw someone throw a garbage bag from the window of a moving car. You can guess what was inside the back, can't you? Yes, you're right, the bag contained 12 kittens and cats, of which 2 had died.  The lady who watched this despicable act recovered the bag and found homes for 5 of the cats. She gave the remaining 5 to the shelter. We read quite a few stories about kittens and cats being thrown out of the window of moving cars. It is totally beyond my comprehension how anybody can do it. The people must be totally desensitised to any form of decent behaviour.

On the same day a woman who appears to be a serial cat hoarder received a visit from animal control who remove 15 cats from her home. The year before 20 cats were removed from her home.  Eight cats remained. No doubt something similar will transpire in another 12 months. The humane educator at the shelter says something that we probably already know, namely that cat hoarding is a mental illness so there is not much point being very critical of the cat hoarding lady. She needs treatment rather than punishment.

In the same week on July 18 a dog control officer discovered a cage in bushes outside his home. Inside the cage were 12 cats. Somebody appears to have abandoned the 12 cats in a rather peculiar way but in an equally abusive and callous way.

The week appears to have been a bit unusual due to the nature of the abandonments but I suspect not that unusual because the shelter housed almost 1000 cats over the past year and about 600 dogs. They are stretched to capacity and make the usual plea, “We need foster homes desperately".

Source story.

Lubbock Animal Shelter Kills The Wrong Cat

The City of Lubbock Animal Shelter, TX made a series of mistakes, in my opinion, which led to the accidental euthanising of a domestic cat who had a caretaker...who had a family and was loved by that family including a 4-year-old boy, Adyn.

We shouldn't be unnecessarily harsh when someone makes a mistake but when it's a mistake which can lead to the death of a companion animal then there should be procedures in place which prevent such mistakes and the procedures should be rigorously adhered to.

The cat's name was Rahzz. She was a large tabby cat. She was microchipped and an indoor/outdoor cat. The classic scenario happened. One day she didn't come home and his owner learned through talking to neighbours that animal services had picked him up so Mr Hughes, the cat's owner together with his fiance, Sarah, telephoned the animal shelter.

The first mistake as far as I'm concerned is that the animal shelter did not check the microchip and telephone Mr Hughes. They could have simply handed the cat back to Mr Hughes once he had identified himself with documentary evidence.  That would have resolved the matter there and then.

After Mr Hughes telephoned the shelter he was told that they could not release information after 6 PM so he attended the shelter the next day. He discovered his cat was in the shelter and everything was all right. However, he couldn't take her home because he didn't have proof that Rahzz was up-to-date on vaccinations. It seems that the shelter has an obligation to ensure that cats in their charge are vaccinated which added a complexity to this matter because if they had simply returned the cat there and then the cat wouldn't have been killed. In returning the cat, they would simply be placing the cat in the same position that she was in before being picked up and I don't think that would have been such a bad thing.

But they appear to have insisted upon vaccinations so Mr Hughes agreed to pay for a rabies vaccination to be carried out by the shelter staff.

The catalogue of problems/obstacles continued in that the person who did the vaccinations wasn't there and so Mr Hughes had to go away and return. When he returned he gradually learnt that his cat had been euthanised accidentally. The longer a cat stays at a cat shelter that euthanises lots of cats the greater the danger the cat.

Apparently, a shelter worker had swapped over some cages and then got the names of the cats mixed up by the sound of it. That may be wrong but in any case Rahzz must been placed into a queue of cats due to be euthanised. I say a queue because this animal shelter (which judging by the photograph is very large) euthanises an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 animals annually. This must be one of those classic shelters who euthanise unwanted cats and dogs which they can no longer justify keeping at the shelter. The animals are not therefore euthanised but killed because euthanasia refers to humanely killing animals that are terminal ill.

A mistake had been made at the shelter which kills a lot of animals annually and when there's that sort of killing going on in a building - up to an average 30 animals every day - there must be a queue or an area where animals are placed which are due to be euthanised that day and the animals in that place should be checked and re-checked to make sure they have got it right.

I always think that when there's lots of killing going on in a place employees tend to devalue the animal and when you devalue the animal you are more liable to be careless with the animal and that is when you start crossing the line and start disrespecting them which can lead to mistakes which are tragic sometimes.

Mr Hughes didn't want to tell his son that his cat buddy had been killed so he told him she had become ill and had gone to heaven.

This is not the first mix up in a cat shelter I'm sure and it won't be the last either. 

Check For Threatened Species Before Building A Cat Sanctuary

This is a bit of a warning message to anyone who would like to setup a cat or animal sanctuary where they are living, if they have sufficient land, or anywhere else if they purchase the land.

The lesson is that if a threatened species lives on the land you may well require permission from the authorities before developing the site.

One such example is of a retired person's plans to open an animal sanctuary in upstate New York, USA.

Nancy Gibson didn't realise that there was a den of timber rattlesnake's living on her 80 acre property. She had already made some preparations in terms of construction for the sanctuary and has now been informed that she has to put development on hold while she awaits a decision from the state as to whether she can continue with her plans. 

It is tough because 80 acres is a large area and it was probably impossible to know the rattlesnakes occupied a part of it. Perhaps someone might correct me.

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) lays down the law on New York's endangered species.

The regulations employ a rather peculiar use of the word “take" or “taking".  This word means, in the context of these regulations, "to remove" or "to interfere with" as far as I can tell.

The regulations impose a burden on developers and landowners.  The existing law in New York state -- ECL § 11-0535, and previous regulations (Part 182) --  specifies that a person requires a permit for activities that may result in the “take" of endangered or threatened species.

Animal and cat sanctuaries are best when there's lots of space including outside space for the cats. The story comes from the Wall Street Journal.

The Advantages Of Adopting A Shelter Or Rescue Cat

By Elisa Black-Taylor (USA)

It is the American Humane Association ADOPT-A-CAT MONTH® so I thought I'd write about something about which I have lots of experience. They say if you're thinking about adopting from a shelter, adopt two! Great idea. But get yourself ready.

The advantages of adopting a shelter or rescue cat are threefold. By this I mean there are at least three primary reasons it's in a cat lovers best interest to adopt here rather than answer a freebie add or adopt from a breeder.

Florida and her kittens were euthanized - Photo by Andrea Sams

First of all there's the reality of what you're doing. You're saving a cat who likely would have been euthanized because of the ratio between cats available and people wanting to give them homes. The shelters are full, especially this time of year with it now being kitten season. I watch the death lists every week and see hundreds of mother kittens and their little ones killed because no one offered them a home.

These cats are grateful when you bring them home and love on them. I don't know whether or not cats can be proven "psychic," but I'm convinced shelter and rescue cats know you saved them from euthanasia. They prove their love to you daily by laying in your lap, sleeping on your bed, and basically turning you into a human servant for their needs and comfort.

The second advantage of adopting a shelter or rescue cat is the pre-adoption care given a cat before it's placed up for adoption. The majority of cats are spay/neutered and all are tested for FeLV, FIV and heartworms. They've been given their first vaccines or whatever vaccines the shelter or rescue knows the cat should have to stay healthy. Many are even micro-chipped in case they become lost. Your cost will usually run under $100 regardless of which adoption method you decide on between the two. This is what you'd pay for spay/neuter alone should you decide to go the freebie route.

The third advantage is the one most people don't even think about. When you adopt from a shelter or a rescue, you're creating a spot for another cat. This is important because often euthanasia schedules are determined by how many cages a shelter has available.

This is important even in areas where the local Humane Society or adoption center is a no-kill facility. Many pick from death row, but if the cats available for adoption in a separate facility just sit in a cage waiting and hoping for a home, it often means a cat on death row is euthanised because time ran out before a cage opening became available.

The same holds true when adopting from a rescue. Rescues typically pull cats from death row. When you adopt one of their cats, this gives the rescue an opening to save another cat.

This is the time of year for the best selection of cats available. Purebreds are being turned into the shelter along with their litters because their family didn't have the mother spayed. You may not have the paperwork to prove it, but it's very easy to find everything from Maine Coons to Siamese available along with mixed breed cats.

Many shelters as well as rescues can be found at weekend adoption events at Petco or Petsmart. If not, contact your local shelter and ask them what time is good to come in an meet their available cats.

I hope a few of the readers here will share their shelter or rescue adoption stories. These cats were thrown away by their owners for one reason or another. It does not mean they're not deserving of a good home and someone to love them.

Take it from someone who's pulled more than 50 cats off of death row in the past year and a half. Shelter cats are the best!



NOTE: The above photo shows a Maine Coon named Florida. She was euthanized along with her kittens because no one chose her at the shelter before her time ran out. Please support your local shelters and rescues.

Animal Care Depends On Money

It nearly always comes down money in the end. This is being dramatically highlighted in Great Britain. Apparently, the country is not so great in respect of animal care when things get a tougher, financially.

The RSPCA say they are at breaking point. I suppose this means in terms of funding and facility space (shelters) to house abused and abandoned animals.

There was a step rise last year (2011) in the number of prosecutions as a result of animal cruelty cases dealt with through the courts by the RSPCA - almost 25% - up a quarter.

The spokesman says that it is due to the financial recession which encourages people to abandon animals, particularly those that are expensive to keep, such as horses.

I don't believe that it is the recession that is causing increased animal cruelty and abandonments. It is a bl**dy poor attitude by some people who decided to adopt an animal but who failed to commit to the process and make proper provision for it, through thick and thin. It is part of the fickle, feckless, short term modern way of life. Britain is changing for the worse.  There are also a lot failed homes and families in Britain these days. It is part of what David Cameron, the prime minister, called, our "broken society". There are some genuine cases of hardship but there are too many people using the "recession" as a smokescreen to abandon their animals. Fortunately, most people really care about their companion animals. And when you care it is impossible to abuse or abandon them.

The RSPCA is appealing for funding.  It is going broke unless it makes changes and that entails 130 redundancies. Prosecutions cost the RSPCA £4.7m last year and they recovered less than half of that in court costs. Does that imply that some of the prosecutions failed? If so, perhaps the legal department needs to reflect on what they are doing.

This is depressing because animal welfare legislation has been tightened up. You have to be able to enforce legislation to make it stick and that costs money, which is running out.

Associated: How to tell cat abuse.

Animal Shelter Conspiracy USA

In the USA I allege that there is a conspiracy to supply cat and dog carcasses to pet food manufacturers which is the reason why the kill rate is so high at no kill animal shelters.

You don't have to look far to find high kill rates, particularly of cats at shelters. They still call then no kill shelters bizarrely. Yesterday I wrote an article about a lack of proper assessment of cat and dog temperament at shelters, referring to the Jackson County Animal Control Shelter where 80% of cats are "euthanised". I know that this is not untypical.

The obvious reason why such a high percentage of cats are killed at shelters in the USA is because there are not enough people willing to adopt unwanted cats.

But that seems simplistic to me and there are enough people. When there is no proper feline temperament profiling and a lack of networking and coordination. I make the argument in this post that there is no need to kill any cats on the grounds of temperament because if the cat's temperament is unsuitable for living with people it must be suitable for living as a feral cat - without people! In which case the cat could be neutered and placed with a feral colony. That is probably not politically correct but it is technically correct.

Some shelters are genuinely no kill - no cats are killed. If they can do why not the rest? There would seem to be only a small number who achieve this perfect score - 100% cats saved.

A shelter has to find an outlet for a cat. If there is no outlet for a living cat, there is an outlet for a dead one: pet food or some other manufacturing process.

It makes financial sense. This possibility is never talked about except by me and it is a highly unpleasant argument. I recall a visitor to my site saying that he had seen lorries taking dead cats for processing so even if there is not a statewide or nationwide conspiracy to kill cats for profit, it does go on somewhere.

When the numbers of killed cats and dogs are as high as they are nationwide (4-10 million?) and when the situation never changes no matter how cogent the arguments are, I have to come to the conclusion that there is a hidden agenda, an underlying reason that is not in the equation that we can see. This hidden agenda is the conspiracy to sell cat carcasses for profit to the manufacturing industry and the first choice is the pet food manufacturers as we know that pet food is made from rendered down dead animals from any source.

Can someone from the animal shelter business come forward and make a comment to tell me that I am writing a load of rubbish?

Trap Neuter Return Works

The skeptics, the cat haters, the bird conservationists etc. decry trap neuter, return (TNR) as a failed method to manage the feral cat problem. Are they are problem? I am not sure.

Anyway, the fact is that TNR is the only humane and sensible way of managing and limiting the feral cat population and it is effective when carried sufficiently inclusively.

There is a nice story in an online newspaper that confirms this. It concerns the the Fairfax County Animal Shelter. Fairfax county is in the state of Virginia, USA (thanks for that Dorothy!).

Since they introduced TNR into the municipality in 2008, the Fairfax County Animal Shelter has seen "a significant decrease" in the number of cats dealt with by their foster care programme.

In 2011 they handled less than half the number of feral kittens than they did in 2010. And over the period 2008 to 2011 there has been a 41% drop in "bottle-fed kittens" entering the shelter.

1,800 feral cats have been TNRed since 2008 by a volunteer force of 300. It is wonderful that people of the county get involved and make this program work. I think it has to be a community event to make it work. Lone people working in isolation are fantastic and I admire then tremendously but it needs something more inclusive as I mentioned to make TNR work effectively.

By "inclusive" I mean to TNR all the cats in area not isolated pockets. That appears to prevent migration of cats from one area to another.

Please click for the original story. This is where it is:


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