Topic: How can this person claim to be our supporter? (Read 13493 times)

tab · « **Reply #67 on:** December 13, 2009, 12:27:33 PM »

I too feel so sorry for this poor cat and I hope its all warm and cosy fro christmas.
I dont think I could work for a rescue when you hear all these sad sad stories and want to help them all and know its impossible. You all know my story with Margaret, Rainbow and Duffy. Thanks to this wonderful forum Rainbow and Duffy are going to be spending christmas in their lovely new home with people who care and cuddle them. I did feel though as I was in a no win situation. Whilst Margaret was alive I didnt feel I could take the cats and she didnt want to give them up as they were her 'babies'. The fact that they were in my opinion begining to turn feral (or maybe they just really didnt like me

) worried me. When Margaret died and there were no rescues with room I was in a total panic. Im just so grateful to Michelle, Michelle and Rick for the way everything turned out.
love
Tab

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #66 on:** December 13, 2009, 11:57:05 AM »

Such a sad story, and i have taken on a cat in a similar situation (another pure black oldie, although mine was a girl) - her owner had died and his daughter had been going round daily for months just feeding and doing the tray, turning an already hard to handle cat even worse - she spent most of her 7 weeks here living in a cardboard box - and that was after we retrieved her from under the pipework!) - he was of the generation that didn't do vets, and unfortunately had never been spayed, so she died of mammary cancer.

I can fully understand your frustrations behind the post Julie, i am glad that since changing rescue I don't have to deal with phone calls or e-mails, it is so incredibly hard, but fortunately we do have the forum with other rescue people who can understand and help us through some of the frustrations we have to deal with. Good luck with this little boy.

Kirst · « **Reply #65 on:** December 12, 2009, 18:21:31 PM »

I just think this is a really sad story all round - Poor puss , and poor lasy knowing she will never get to go home or probably see puss again. If she was paying a pet sitter for three years she must have cared , and it sounds like Violet was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I hope Puss finds a home to call his own for Christmas .

Pinkbear (Julie) · « **Reply #64 on:** December 11, 2009, 20:58:13 PM »

If they've done a runner owing money we will never find them.

Mark · « **Reply #63 on:** December 11, 2009, 20:26:29 PM »

Sorry - I meant the ones that were left locked in the flat. What if they had decided to let the flat in the new year? - I dread to think how horrible it could have been

I remember someone posting a couple of years ago about people moving away and leaving their cat shut in a rabbit hutch in the garden

Pinkbear (Julie) · « **Reply #62 on:** December 11, 2009, 20:20:18 PM »

I think it's being debated but we need to get the cat in before taking any action. It's an old cat who may not stand much of a chance in certain other rescues.

Mark · « **Reply #61 on:** December 11, 2009, 20:16:31 PM »

I hope it is being reported as a cruelty case - there is no way it was unintentional

Pinkbear (Julie) · « **Reply #60 on:** December 11, 2009, 20:13:24 PM »

I think she's number 2 to come in after a pair of cats found by an estate agent locked in an empty flat after a move. I took Midnight and Jackie to their new homes at the turkey farm today so fingers crossed Trill will be in before Christmas.

Just need one more rehoming to free up a pen!

Mark · « **Reply #59 on:** December 11, 2009, 20:05:54 PM »

Any news on this girl? - I know I will see you tomorrow but sure others are wondering as well

Just an idea, but I don't start classes until 11am next Thursday so would be able to take her to Bredhurst (if they have a space) if it is any help. I know Trill is a special case and going from solitary to a pen is far from ideal - anyway, the offer is there

Pinkbear (Julie) · « **Reply #58 on:** December 08, 2009, 23:00:55 PM »

Pudding · « **Reply #57 on:** December 08, 2009, 22:40:39 PM »

Hiya,

You can't keep biting your tonge and after a phone call you may well have to scream at some peoples beliefs, habits, traditions etc etc etc. We all have to fiield these calls (well I don't 'cos I refuse to do the phone. I'm not a complete fool.) So phoning a fellow rescuer or writing on a formumnum is a safe way of venting our frustrations. As far as I'm concerened Julie can phone me anytime to scream about someone who' kept cats in cupboards/houses/basements' as long as it helps her and any other to calm down and get on with helping the cats. As cubercat say, you can't undo whats done, just do your best from this day forward - so to speak.

Angela

My spelling is perfect, it's the keyboard!

bunglycat · « **Reply #56 on:** December 08, 2009, 22:34:16 PM »

I remember our first cat - my brothers mate stopped the farmer from drowning it and brought it to my mums on his motorbike inside pocket of his leather jacket ( i was pretty young about 4-5 ish . It was a little ginger kitten who lived to a grand old age - a full tom ,who did fight , had a bad eye at some point and had it removed , but it eventually opened again -i think he was around 14-15 ish when he died - he wasn''t run over but can''t remember what he died from .
I must have been around 14 then - Many , many , many ,years ago

We had many more cats over the years as my mum also took in all the strays too and fed them all - we had 4 dogs at some point as well as 5-6 cats, a couple of rabbits and a tortoise !
My mums last cat outlived her and died about 2-3 years ago ( my brother carried on looking after it ) it was 22+ that we can remember - another that started off as a stray.

bunglycat · « **Reply #55 on:** December 08, 2009, 22:29:43 PM »

Pm = personal message - just click on a name and you can send them a message without anyone else seeing it .
As i said -some people don''t deserve to breathe !!

to you for trying.

Pinkbear (Julie) · « **Reply #54 on:** December 08, 2009, 22:29:17 PM »

Hi CoolCyberCats, in all that goings on I forgot to welcome you!

PMs = Personal Messages. You'll see a short cut to your message system at the top of your screen next your profile details.

It's not always like this here. You caught us on a bad day I think!

Even I can see times they are a changing, Trigger, at the ripe age of 44.

I'd be left behind if I didn't have my finger on the pulse... I sad as much in one of my previous posts on this thread.

I recall my first ever rescue... a scrawny little tabby hissy-spit who was absolutely RANK with just about ever parasite you can think of.

There was no Frontline, no panacur... but he was so riddled with fleas they were drinking him to death.

I called the vet and the vet told me he'd PTS for free as a gesture as 'wild kittens are always riddled with diseases'

My only option was to bath him in dog flea shampoo... I can see the thick ring of dead fleas in the sink after I drained it now.

I took the ringing wet little mite and towel dried him, tucked him inside my big fluffy Bunny rabbit slipper and put him in the airing cupboard to dry.

I'd be strung up for doing that now.

But he grew up to be a massive strapping Tom and loved me to bits until he died peacefully aged 17.

So yes I accept an older person would not automatically think to take their cats to the vet for regular check ups and people have only started to do it in recent years.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #53 on:** December 08, 2009, 22:27:45 PM »

I will send you a pm LOL

CoolCyberCats · « **Reply #52 on:** December 08, 2009, 22:24:04 PM »

bunglycat,
Believe me, it was not easy to stay calm. But the damage had been done and there was not a lot I could do. It sounds horribe for me to say that, but before someone jumps all over me listen a second. The laws here would prevent me from taking the cat. If I did I wold be up against some serious fines. The cats are "property" and it is stealing. Believe me I sat and debated the whole issue by myself and with others and realized that it would do more harm than good to have me in court. I do a lot of help raise donation money here and time away from that is less money to help other cats and animals. ALso, this guy has a fenced yard and secutiry cameras, which I did check out to see the viability of getting around them and not be seen. Even had I been able to do that, I would have his dogs waiting for me on the other side. In the end a call to the sherif did nothing at all but make them laugh.

The frustration of that time still haunts me. Believe me.

Now, I must ask something off topic. I have seen posts talking about PM's. What are PMs? Something tells me it is not "post meridiem".

Quote from: bunglycat on December 08, 2009, 21:52:19 PM

CoolCyberCats - i don''t know how you didn''t thump him to be honest - believe it or not i am not in any way violent -but people like that man do not deserve to breathe ,let alone have animals -i hope someone takes that poor cat away from him - that is so awful and sad for the poor cat .
What a complete

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #51 on:** December 08, 2009, 22:10:44 PM »

as someone who is not in rescue, but has had an elderly mother with a cat, and who is at an age when I have to give half a thought to what would happen to mine should I cease to be able to care for them, this thread has been thought-provoking - despite the little disagreements along the way

I think there is no doubt a lot of older people take their cats more for granted than we do - and in my case I have to add the word 'now' to that statement

I left my first kitten alone in my house while I commuted to London from 6.30am to gone 7pm 5 days a week and thought nothing of it - and of course she was fine - now I would not be allowed to take on a kitten from a rescue living like that

and I fed her entirely on home-cooked meat and fish - no dry, no supplements, no additives - she died suddenly at 14 and a half, having never
been ill, cause unknown

how that younger self would be criticized now - so I can see that older people must be cut some slack over their attitude towards their pets - it isn't that they don't care, but that they don't know the latest thing in cat care

Michelle (furbabystar) · « **Reply #50 on:** December 08, 2009, 21:53:27 PM »

Maybe I over reacted abit but I felt it did read rudly.

and oh yes I bet the PM's were flying.......

bunglycat · « **Reply #49 on:** December 08, 2009, 21:52:19 PM »

CoolCyberCats - i don''t know how you didn''t thump him to be honest - believe it or not i am not in any way violent -but people like that man do not deserve to breathe ,let alone have animals -i hope someone takes that poor cat away from him - that is so awful and sad for the poor cat .
What a complete

Pinkbear (Julie) · « **Reply #48 on:** December 08, 2009, 21:45:38 PM »

If a reader choose to read on through the thread they would have seen that as I became calmer I retracted some of my words and altered my approach. I am forced to do that every single day in rescue as I am not allowed to get upset for too long.

Other rescuers often vent their frustrations about cruelty/neglect cases on this forum as we've become used to this forum as being the one place we could find people who understood and sympathised - why not me and why not today?

I apologise to anyone I caused offence to but I expect equal criticism to be metered out to other rescues in future.

I will go back to organising the rescue of this cat and leave the debate there I think.

A big thanks for those messages of support guys. It really does mean a lot to know someone understands.

Michelle (furbabystar) · « **Reply #47 on:** December 08, 2009, 21:14:31 PM »

I just feel that some of the things said in the first post were not nessassary !

I do understand that when you are faced with this sort of thing day in and day out that you because highly charged

Mark · « **Reply #46 on:** December 08, 2009, 20:58:12 PM »

I completely understand Julie's post. When you are dealing with calls like this all day, it can be really frustrating - especially when we can't really speak our minds to people. People try to blackmail us when we say we are full at the moment by saying things like "Oh well, if you can't help, I will have to get the cat put to sleep"
Another one I had recently was a woman complaining that a stray was bothering her and her cat. I told her we could put her name on the list - she wasn't happy and expected us to go straight there and remove her problem. She phoned again a week later (so I took the call again

) and behaved as if she had never spoken to us and asked if she could borrow a trap. Eventually, she admitted that she wanted to catch the cat and dump it elsewhere - she didn't get the loan

CoolCyberCats · « **Reply #45 on:** December 08, 2009, 20:45:50 PM »

Hi Mark,
I am so very glad that declawing is not legal in Europe. Sadly out here you can hardly swing a clawed cat in a room without hitting 5 declawed ones. *joking people, I would never swing a clawed cat*

And yes there are many levels between the 2 types of owners, but some I would not count as an “owner”.
1.   The parent who buys a pet for their child. No one now owns the pet and a child certainly does not have the wisdom or understanding to handle a “forced” ownership. Parents should NEVER buy pets “for the kids”.
2.   The person who gifts a pet to someone. AS well intentioned as that may be it is simply a bad idea and puts the recipient in a situation that had they wanted to be in WOULD be in on their own. Pets should not be gifted.
3.   A pet owner marries or moved in with a non owner. The second party may not be a willing owner or a responsible one. Too often I have seen that lead to the pet being the one to be forced out.

My sister married a Jewish guy and she converted. I have now been to a bat mitzvah, and 2 bar mitzvahs (last one was 3 weeks ago).I always have the greatest conversations with my brother-in-law.

CoolCyberCats · « **Reply #44 on:** December 08, 2009, 20:36:09 PM »

Hmm, being so new I hope I am not stepping on toes. I do not think Julie’s initial post was a bad one. The emotional aspect of what she dealt with came out. It was an honest initial reaction. I can fully understand her reaction as I can get like that as well. In fact I decided to locate a specific post I left on a cat related site on March 4th 2004. It was full of emotion and anger as well. Here it is:

---start clip---
Some people have no right to have animals. I am going to go as far as saying they have no right to live!

I went to our association meeting this evening (I am on the board) and the new president had the meeting at his home. I saw a small cat on his deck laying there sunning himself and I asked what the cat’s name was. He took me outside to meet the cat, who promptly got up, standing at a very sharp angle, and held his head at an odder angle. He then tried to run off as best he could (which was not in a straight line, more like a dunk trying to run). I noticed he only has about a ¼ of a tail and I asked what happened to him. In a nutshell…

Remember this January when I posted how cold it was and I was worried for Copycat? We had about 10 days of nighttime high temps at -40f (forty below zero)? Well, this damn a**ho** went away, leaving his 2 cats and dog OUTSIDE! This cat is about 1 year old (by what he told me) now, so it was 9 months old! He was left with his SISTER WHO DIED! This cat’s tail froze and had to be removed!!!!!!!! The dog managed though. They have a dog house for them… NOT HEATED! So this putz was gone for 2 weeks leaving these animals in 40 below nights and 20 below day highs with NO FOOD OR WATER!!!!!!!!

The cat walks like it does because his dog bit him on the head, blinding him in one eye and his teeth went through the skull!!! He laughed about it saying that the dog did not mean it, he was just laying.

Oh, and the animals were left outside because he does not let animals in the house at all. Too much hair and a mess to clean he says. THEN WHY THE HELL DOES HE HAVE THEM!?!? (oh, and his house was a huge pigsty inside anyway!) I am so upset and sad for the cat and angry at this jerk I will likely tender my resignation as a board member rather than have to ever see his face again!

---end clip---

In the end I tendered my resignation and avoided Scott till he finally moved. Would I likely have the same reaction if it just happened last night? Damn right I would. Was it emotional? Yes. In the end I (and Julie) used the board to vent and spew. It actually helps me ground and see things from a new perspective.

So I was not upset of offended in any way by her post. It shows passion and caring and a need to vent.

Quote from: furbabystar (Michelle) on December 08, 2009, 20:12:27 PM

Julie I think your first post it totally out of order !

Mark · « **Reply #43 on:** December 08, 2009, 20:31:43 PM »

Pinkbear (Julie) · « **Reply #42 on:** December 08, 2009, 20:18:15 PM »

Michelle (furbabystar) · « **Reply #41 on:** December 08, 2009, 20:12:27 PM »

Julie I think your first post it totally out of order !

Pinkbear (Julie) · « **Reply #40 on:** December 08, 2009, 19:56:14 PM »

I think I heard of one declawed cat since I started rescue - a puss imported from America.

It's a generation thing with this old lady coupled with an inability to keep up with progress and education. When she was my age even if you tried to be a responsible owner, most cats went to the vet twice in their lives - once to be neutered at six months and the final time around 12-13 for PTS at the first sign of age related problems. It was the norm. If they happened to get unlucky inbetween and got injured, mostly it was PTS unless a very simple injury. Vet science was in the middle ages compared to now and most vets couldn't treat things we take for granted now.... cats were NEVER routinely supported through CRF or heart problems for instance. Waste of money as the treatments were so primative and it probably only added a few months onto the inevitable.

I think she does want to do the right thing by Trill but doesn't have a clue about what responsible ownership means in 2009. To her she was being noble by paying out for months and months on end to 'provide' for Trill. It wasn't enough though, but she'll never see that.

Thankfully our welfare officer Caroline has shoved and squeezed and as soon as I've arrange to move on a couple of ferals to the turkey farm, Trill can come in probably next week. She'll be spending Christmas with Sharn at her cattery and will get lots of fusses and Christmas dinner surrounded by love!

It does mean that YET AGAIN our list gets longer and planned admissions delayed but nothing else could be done...

Mark · « **Reply #39 on:** December 08, 2009, 19:10:50 PM »

Quote from: CoolCyberCats on December 08, 2009, 19:01:52 PM

. Declawing is wrong, though I believe I heard it rarely happened there in the UK

Thankfully it is illegal in Europe without there being sound medical reasons for it (expensive furniture is not a good reason

). I have never seen or heard of a declawed cat in the UK.

I agree with your points. Some people see cats as property rather than family members. I suppose there are also a lot of people that fall between these two extremes as well. I hear so many stories (as a volunteer with cats protection) of people who are quite happy to rehome a cat they may have had for 10 years or more because they bought a puppy and the dog doesn't like the cat. I am amazed that people can spend so long with an animal and not develop some kind of emotion bond

I also agree with the comments about some older people. One of my family members thinks everyone from Eastern europe is a thieving gyspy although I have told her so many times that most are better educated and well adjusted than the average Brit.

(ps - this family member is 2nd generation German Jewish

)

CoolCyberCats · « **Reply #38 on:** December 08, 2009, 19:01:52 PM »

Though I am not out there and really do not know many of you, I thought I would drop in here and give you my 2 cents (or would it be 2 pence there?) worth of thought. My thoughts come cheap you see.

I have found there are 2 types main pet owners (at least here).
Type 1: People who consider the adoption of a pet a binding contract and will do everything in their power to fulfill their obligation to care for, board, love and befriend the pet.

Type 2: People who consider animals to be property.

Just because you are a type 2 does not mean you do not “love” your pet. It more means that they are property. These people see nothing wrong with:
1.   Moving to a no-pets-allowed apartment/flat or lease. They will just give up their pet.
2.   Placing their monetary needs first. If they own an expensive couch they will have the pets claws ripped out in a most inhumane manor. Declawing is wrong, though I believe I heard it rarely happened there in the UK?
3.   If they grow tired of the pet they see nothing wrong with swapping it out for a newer model.
4.   The pet is jewelry. An accessory to be carried around and flaunted as a status symbol.
5.   Putting a pet to sleep because they soil the floor or carpet almost daily. Considering this a medical or emotional problem needing to be addressed does not enter into their minds.

This lady sounds like a type 2 to me. In her defense, she may have believed she was caring and loving by having someone feed them while she was in the nursing home. She does not see the emotional side from the cat’s eyes in this. Sadly I see this attitude all the time in Montana, where people have no problem with placing their 3 dogs in the back of a pick-up truck and then driving From Helena to Townsend at 85mph. I have personally witnessed the possible sad aftermath of this.

But in this ladies world, she is a good person. Before we judge her too harshly keep several things in mind:
1.   She is old. With age comes being set in your ways and mental attitude changes. At her age you won’t change her. When my grandfather (god rest his soul) would talk down on the “modern” female and blacks, I had shrug and let it go. He was over 90 (died at 99) and what would be able to change his set in ways short of a frontal lobotomy?
2.   She may have been brought up with property pets and always had them and knows no other way or better.
3.   It is impossible to get the full picture in a short time.

Look at the bright side here.
1.   Fate made you aware of the situation for a reason. Now you have the ability to act upon this and help these cats by locating them a good home.
2.   This lady’s house must be a mess now and stink, unless she also has someone to go there and scoop litter boxes, clean them and more. She will soon get her comeuppance via a depreciated home value.

Anyway, my thoughts.

And I do feel for the cats and find her attitude wrong.

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #37 on:** December 08, 2009, 18:55:53 PM »

that's why I worry about the increasing trend of rescues using the internet, which many old ladies, unlike me (

) don't use

a few 'home wanted' notices in places like day centres could match up a few golden oldies

Mark · « **Reply #36 on:** December 08, 2009, 18:52:33 PM »

She was maybe told the cat was younger by Margaret?

It is so frustrating as there must be lots of people spending christmas all alone and a purring bundle of fluff on their lap on xmas day would make so much difference. I remember the lady last year (I think) who had lost her husband and then her cat. She said she was more upset when the cat died than the husband

- she also said that there was no meaning to her day. She said getting up to feed the cat and sort the tray out was a good reason to get up in the morning. She said she needed to feel needed. (she had a little cry about her cat

)

Pinkbear (Julie) · « **Reply #35 on:** December 08, 2009, 18:39:43 PM »

Yep, by the vet's records Trill is a pure black boy aged 13 and 7 months. I was taking Violet's word as more accurate than the old lady.... I don't think Violet knows much about cats.

JackSpratt · « **Reply #34 on:** December 08, 2009, 18:28:03 PM »

So Trill is a pure black boy?

Age is relative; Trill might not feel his age.

Mark · « **Reply #33 on:** December 08, 2009, 18:12:29 PM »

So not such a caring owner after all

CarolM (Wendolene) · « **Reply #32 on:** December 08, 2009, 17:08:35 PM »

Quote from: Pinkbear (Julie) on December 08, 2009, 16:34:44 PM

Does anyone want an oldie for Christmas? I'm having no joy finding a place yet.

Just as well I'm way up North - this story is a more extreme version of the one that led to me taking in Tiny on Christmas Eve 1999. He was said to be a 6 year old girl but the vet decided he was at least double that. It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement but we had 4 wonderful years together before he went to the bridge and it wasn't nearly long enough.

Poor Trill

- good luck with finding him a place

Pinkbear (Julie) · « **Reply #31 on:** December 08, 2009, 16:34:44 PM »

After an afternoon spent on the phone trying to glean further information I have found the registered vet.

Trill is in fact a BOY aged 13 year and 7 months. Hasn't been seen by the vet since 2003.

Does anyone want an oldie for Christmas? I'm having no joy finding a place yet.

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #30 on:** December 08, 2009, 16:31:05 PM »

when word went out on the jungle telegraph that I was looking to take on a rescue cat, a near neighbour asked me if I would be interested in her mother's cat

mother lived at other end of village, and was in hospital

but while I was introducing myself to the cat, and after daughter had gone home, neighbour came round and told me mother was hoping to come home soon, and would be devasted if cat no longer there - and meanwhile cat was living most of the time with her, and could have a home with her if necessary

seems daughter just wanted to stop bothering about the cat, and paying for her food

the moral of which, I suppose, is never believe just one side of a story, and the upshot for me is Tosker sleeping happily in front of the fire

Pinkbear (Julie) · « **Reply #29 on:** December 08, 2009, 15:13:33 PM »

Good point, Trigger.

But I do wish someone would have made her come to terms quicker than this.

It's funny that we always get a Christmas story in our branch and this seems to be this years.

All we need now is the placement.

I've emailed everyone and hopefully if we can't fit Trilll in, maybe Sharon's mafia network might work,

clarenmax · « **Reply #28 on:** December 08, 2009, 15:13:05 PM »

At least this is not as bad as we all originally thought, and I do think its awfully sad if this is the lady's situation, that she'd been wanting to go home, and has just finally realised its not going to happen

Author Topic: How can this person claim to be our supporter? (Read 13493 times)