A cat's natural curiosity can sometimes get them into trouble but in this case, I think it is the fish that might have experienced trouble if the cats had not been removed.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Cats are Curious
A cat's natural curiosity can sometimes get them into trouble but in this case, I think it is the fish that might have experienced trouble if the cats had not been removed.
Monday, August 12, 2013
People Can Be Cruel
I'm so happy that he was found alive. He deserves a good home with people who will love and care for him. He is neutered and front declawed.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Support for Spaying and Neutering
http://www.banfield.com/Veterinary-Professionals/Home/
Above is a link to a study by Banfield Pet Hospital. They have extensive statistics to support the health benefits of spaying and neutering. There are many pet owners who do not believe in the sterilization of their pets. For years animal shelters have supported spaying and neutering. Shelter workers are on the front line of the problems associated with pet over population. Now we have current ammunition to show that spaying and neutering has health benefits for your pet. My favorite benefit is longevity. You'll see when you read the study.
Above is a link to a study by Banfield Pet Hospital. They have extensive statistics to support the health benefits of spaying and neutering. There are many pet owners who do not believe in the sterilization of their pets. For years animal shelters have supported spaying and neutering. Shelter workers are on the front line of the problems associated with pet over population. Now we have current ammunition to show that spaying and neutering has health benefits for your pet. My favorite benefit is longevity. You'll see when you read the study.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Crazy Cat
Cats do manage to find strange places to sleep. We have had calls about cats stuck behind walls, up in trees, in muffler pipes, down in sewers and drain pipes. No wonder they get nine lives!
Monday, July 29, 2013
How Much Does a Free Kitten Cost?
The summertime is a difficult time for us at the SPCA because we are overwhelmingly busy with every aspect of sheltering and investigations. To make matters worse, we get the greatest number of cats and kittens in the summer but we don't adopt out a significantly larger number of cats or kittens. One reason is that people can easily get a 'free' kitten. Often, a free kitten can end end costing quite a lot of money.
Besides the usual things one would need (food, dishes, litter pan, litter) there are additional costs.
- Flea treatment.
- Worming. (Where there are fleas there are worms.)
- Vaccines.
- Leukemia/FIV testing.
- Spaying or neutering.
- Veterinary office visits.
Sometimes individuals don't do any of the above. This is when our Humane Society Police Officers become involved. But many responsible pet owners take excellent care of their pets.
If you are ever tempted by a 'free kitten' ad, consider an SPCA kitten. We provide flea treatment, worming, and initial vaccines. We can leukemia test the kitten or you can choose to have it done at your veterinarian. And, we pay to have them spayed or neutered. The best part is that all summer long, you can adopt two kittens for the price of one! What a deal.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Saying No to an Adoption
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, it just doesn't mean that other people have to agree with it. Here at the SPCA, we get frequent calls asking for financial assistance for pets from things as simple as routine shots all the way to major surgery. We also investigate situations where people are not providing necessary veterinary care and the animal's are suffering. So having this knowledge makes it difficult for me to say yes to an adoption when people can't afford to pay the adoption fee. I had a situation recently and this is the background.
A couple walked into my office and wanted a discount on an adoption because he was on a fixed income. I began a dialogue with this man wherein he stated that he can afford to take care of his animals. He has a relationship with an area veterinarian if any problems arose. He could indeed pay for the adoption but that would leave him without any funds until the following month.
In checking our past records he has brought in two of his animals. One was a found dog that he brought in because he couldn't afford a second dog. (OK I can understand that) The second animal he brought in was a four year old poodle that he had euthanized for health reasons. His explanation was that the dog had an undescended testicle, it could turn out he had cancer, and they couldn't afford a $1,500 bill. Why he didn't just turn it over to us rather than have it euthanized-I don't know.
The veterinarian's side of the story is that the dog never had routine vaccinations, had ear infections that the man wanted to buy medicine for without seeing the veterinarian, was recently brought in for urinary frequency. A urinalysis revealed no problems. So they recommended an x-ray for further diagnosis. This particular vet does not have x-ray equipment and so the owner had to go to another vet.
The owner's side of the story was very different. They heard $$$ because the diagnosis was unknown. Rather than start with a simple x-ray (Maybe $150) they chose euthanasia of a four year old dog.
In questioning them about how they could afford veterinary care if something happened, the owner insisted that they could afford it. But when the reality of their financial situation confronted them, the couple still insisted that they could afford another dog.
Then to top it off, they already have a cat and the previous cat they had was hit by a car and died. The more I heard, the less I liked hearing.
I said no. I'm not comfortable adopting to them. I actually recommended that instead of living pay check to pay check that they should save up their money for the adoption and put an extra $500 in the bank for emergencies. Somehow they didn't like my idea. The sad truth is that I'm sure they will get another dog somewhere. I just hope it lives longer than four years.
A couple walked into my office and wanted a discount on an adoption because he was on a fixed income. I began a dialogue with this man wherein he stated that he can afford to take care of his animals. He has a relationship with an area veterinarian if any problems arose. He could indeed pay for the adoption but that would leave him without any funds until the following month.
In checking our past records he has brought in two of his animals. One was a found dog that he brought in because he couldn't afford a second dog. (OK I can understand that) The second animal he brought in was a four year old poodle that he had euthanized for health reasons. His explanation was that the dog had an undescended testicle, it could turn out he had cancer, and they couldn't afford a $1,500 bill. Why he didn't just turn it over to us rather than have it euthanized-I don't know.
The veterinarian's side of the story is that the dog never had routine vaccinations, had ear infections that the man wanted to buy medicine for without seeing the veterinarian, was recently brought in for urinary frequency. A urinalysis revealed no problems. So they recommended an x-ray for further diagnosis. This particular vet does not have x-ray equipment and so the owner had to go to another vet.
The owner's side of the story was very different. They heard $$$ because the diagnosis was unknown. Rather than start with a simple x-ray (Maybe $150) they chose euthanasia of a four year old dog.
In questioning them about how they could afford veterinary care if something happened, the owner insisted that they could afford it. But when the reality of their financial situation confronted them, the couple still insisted that they could afford another dog.
Then to top it off, they already have a cat and the previous cat they had was hit by a car and died. The more I heard, the less I liked hearing.
I said no. I'm not comfortable adopting to them. I actually recommended that instead of living pay check to pay check that they should save up their money for the adoption and put an extra $500 in the bank for emergencies. Somehow they didn't like my idea. The sad truth is that I'm sure they will get another dog somewhere. I just hope it lives longer than four years.
Friday, July 26, 2013
When You Hate Your Job
It is very rare that I wake up and just don't want to go to work. It's not that I hate my job, but more that I hate some aspects of the job.
Our staff does a pretty good job of educating the public about what we do and why we do it, but sometimes people only hear what they want to hear.
Today a woman brought in a sickly kitten she found in the road. I admired the fact that she took the time to do that. When she asked about the kitten's fate, I did tell her that it would most likely be euthanized because it was so ill. This time of year we get so many cats that we can only keep the 'cream of the crop'. We don't have that much space to keep up with the demand of surrendered cats. That is the part of the job I hate.
Unfortunately the woman who left the cat decided she wanted it back two hours later. More unfortunate was the fact that the cat had been euthanized. She was appalled that we didn't wait. I'm not sure what we would have waited for since we didn't have an open kennel, AND I had already explained our situation. Then to make me feel even better, she tells me that she used to support our organization but would have to do something different in the future. Wait! Let me turn the other cheek.
Our staff does a pretty good job of educating the public about what we do and why we do it, but sometimes people only hear what they want to hear.
Today a woman brought in a sickly kitten she found in the road. I admired the fact that she took the time to do that. When she asked about the kitten's fate, I did tell her that it would most likely be euthanized because it was so ill. This time of year we get so many cats that we can only keep the 'cream of the crop'. We don't have that much space to keep up with the demand of surrendered cats. That is the part of the job I hate.
Unfortunately the woman who left the cat decided she wanted it back two hours later. More unfortunate was the fact that the cat had been euthanized. She was appalled that we didn't wait. I'm not sure what we would have waited for since we didn't have an open kennel, AND I had already explained our situation. Then to make me feel even better, she tells me that she used to support our organization but would have to do something different in the future. Wait! Let me turn the other cheek.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)