struggling Rescue

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

No, I dont think you're over-reacting either.  This lady has probably been involved in rescue for many years and has done her bit to keep cats safe, but it sounds like now she is up against it and cannot cope.  Not really surprising given her age, to be honest, however well intentioned.  I think the RSPCA have a duty to step in, although I hesitate to say that, given if they get involved, most of the cats will likely be PTS.

[Lyn (Slugsta)]

I'm sorry, I don't think you are over-reacting  It sounds as if this lady means well but cannot say 'no' to a cat in need. The problem is that neglect through not being able to say no is just the same, eventually, as neglect because you don't care. The end result is that there are cats that are overcrowded, un-neutered and with untreated problems. I don't think this is acceptable, however well meaning the lady is.

If the lady will not ask for help herself then I see no option other than to report the situation to RSPCA again. I have my reservations about this organisation but no-one else has a statutory duty to take action.

[snarf]

could do with some advice...

I'm not a rescue but i fostered with a rescue for many years and this situation doesnt seem right to me but im not sure if there is anything that can be done or what could be done to help

My Mum is looking to adopt a cat so i offered to go with to view a cat that was advertised by the rescue as needing a home and long overlooked. majority of the cats are kept in a run at the end of the garden- a converted shed around 12ft by 8ft total (including shed and attached chicken wire run. It is very clearly over the capacity it was intended for- there are sections of built pens, about 1ft x1ftx3ft, in this were 3 mums  (1 pregnant) and 7 kittens and 5 adult cats. loose outside the pens in the run were an additional at least 12 cats. at least 2 of the boys we asked about were un neutered and one of the girls was unspayed as "she kept coming into heat"  in the house were multiple cats- and some kittens being handreared. We only walked through the house to get to the garden but we saw 4 different adult cats and were given the impression there were many more ( 17 when her husband died) one is FIV+. There were 2 other runs in the garden. one was full of discarded cat carriers, the other housed someones pet 2 cats that needed somewhere to stay while they moved. The part of the house we walked through was stacked high with boxes and piles of cat trees and toys and blankets and jumble

some of the cats in the pens were very friendly and we enquired after these and were told that they "were coming into the house when there is space for them" The cats that were loose in the run were all unsocialised and alarmed. while they were clearly fed (as were the flies) they were obviously not used to contact. Some cats were very unclean and patchy furred. The cat that my mother was interested in had apparently been in that pen for 3 years. He had a seepy eye that had not been checked by a vet  because he is "impossible to catch". he is now unavailable to adopt because they couldn't catch him to frontline him (this only happens upon adoption apparently) and so they have decided he would be happier coming into the house and staying with her. She doesn't homecheck and just goes for a "feel" of the person so this reason may be an excuse for not liking the feel of me or my mother but she seemed to speak her mind. she doesn't agree with vets after they sent a cat home with steroid cream for a recurring cut on the neck- if she needed to wear gloves while applying it, it wasn't safe for cats.

I expect that the overcrowding may be temporary to accommodate these other 2 cats to some extent. I also do believe that the unspayed cat is at least confined to a pen most of the time while it is awaiting spay

I wont name the rescue but it is independantly run by a lady in her 80s. they have had their charity status for almost 30 years and are well known locally and loved. This lady has been looking for someone to take over the rescue but is struggling to find someone. I cant believe that it has always been like this. she has 2 people that help her but not often. They have announced closure before but i dont think she can turn down a cat in need.

I left this rescue feeling very sad for the cats in there and worrying for her own cats as well as those in the rescue- what will happen to them as time goes on?  i dont believe the lady running it is willing to let many cats go now- only 2 were advertised for rehoming. and they all seemed to be "waiting to come inside". I feel that she may be struggling to deal with it all at her age and may be struggling to find a balance. She mentioned that she had had RSPCA visits before but i am fearful of the outcome of another of those for the cats. I dont think she will take being approached with my concerns very well and would quite rightly tell me she was doing this while i was in nappies. And at least she is trying to make a difference. Am i over reacting? Is this an acceptable compromise?

Would be very grateful of any thoughts or advice.