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RSPCA Stress - Adopting Kitten |
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#26 |
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Join Date: Jun 2010
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An update:
After being messed around no end with the 1st Kitten (see OP) and then run around the block with the 2nd Kitten I’ve told the RSPCA I want no more part of it. I get into work yesterday, and my colleague whom I was originally adopting the 1st Kitten from, has been told by this RSPCA lady that they can now keep it as it isn’t reserved, this is after she blindly kept on telling me it was reserved and we couldn’t have it. My work colleague is naturally a little embarrassed with the situation and also very angry. The agent turned up to check on the kittens and didn’t even know how many they had or what colour they were, she then proceeded to request a house inspection. She’s demanding an inspection when my colleague (and his VET mrs) have been fostering for months, and this individual group of kittens has been with them two months already. Out of the originally litter of three (2 male, 1 female) we were supposed to have one of the mail ginger ones and my friend the female kitten. The agent took the female kitten and told my friends it’s been reserved but they can keep a ginger one if they like………… Now this woman was adamant all these kittens were reserved and my friend was misinforming me, all in all I think she just hasn’t got a clue and is denying us things to save her own face. So after learning basically my past month of constant jumping through hoops, and the evasive nature of the agent, I’ve decided we’re not going to take the 2nd kitten (offered as an alternative) as we’re very hacked off with the RSPCA. So in short I’ve spent the better part of month getting nowhere due to this woman. Sorry if it’s a little hard to follow but in essence this woman has lead us on for weeks mistakenly telling us the kitten we originally agreed with the foster is going elsewhere; after constant emails explaining the situation to her she kept on coming out with contradictory statements and ignoring our questions, after being offered an alternative it now turns out ‘our’ kitten has been offered to the fosterers to keep and the one they wanted has been taken away to live in a shelter. Oh and after a month of trying to call he she still refuses to pick up her phone. This woman is awful yet the local RSPCA shelter were wonderful when we adopted our first, it really has felt she’s gone out of her to be as obstructive and ‘professionally’ antagonising as possible. I wrote an email yesterday pulling out of taking a different kitten from another fosterer and citied the blame lays squarely at her feet. In a month she's run rings round us and still is unable to take a phone call, a month long flu must be horrific, she just doesn't want to be asked questions as they're always right and we're supposed to do as we're told. |
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#27 |
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Suffolk
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I really feel your pain. I have heard many many stories of people not being allowed to adopt cats or dogs. My brother in law who works for the animal welfare trust was even refused !!!! Its madness.
I went to the RSPCA when i wanted a puppy. My husband works shifts and very occasionally the dog would have been alone for perhaps 3hrs. It would be perhaps once - twice a week at most. We were turned down before of this. Sod the fact that we have a massive dog friendly garden, live in the country with hardly any cars and tonnes of walks immediately outside the back gate, and the fact we had a lot of love to give. No, because the dog would be alone for a short period of time mean't that we couldn't apply. I bought a dog from a private seller in the end. |
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#28 |
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 21,375
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I used to work for Cats Protection and although I don't fully understand the problem (your posts aren't at all clear) I thought I'd point out a few things;
- Fosterer's (even if they were vets, well known etc) would always need to be checked out regularly by a member of the branch). Ultimately the branch is re-homing a cat in that charities name so the fosterer must keep the cat in accordance with the minimum veterinary standards. - Home visits are nearly always needed, even if the person has had a cat from us before. Circumstances change - even in a matter of months and the point of a home visit is to assess suitability in a number of areas. - RSPCA and CP branches are run solely by unpaid volunteers who usually also have full time jobs and all the usual commitments we all have. This may be why there have been problems with the lady getting back to you in good time. Although it does sound like they have been giving you the run around a bit - we always aimed to get back to people within 5 days, with an adoption turnaround time of 2-4 weeks. From my experience kittens were like hot-cakes, especially ginger ones though, so this could have some bearing on it. You basically want what everybody else wants. As soon as they came in we could have at least 3 people calling just that day wanting to reserve them. It's also not predictable when kittens are 'ready'. We used to leave it to the fosterer to decide and some new-born kittens were with us until nearly 12 weeks, others might be ready at say, 8 weeks old. Why not adopt a slightly older cat? Even cats older than 6 months have trouble finding homes as everybody seems to want tiny tiny kittens (even though they don't stay that way for long!) You should find it a lot easier to adopt an older cat as the poor things aren't wanted
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#29 |
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: North West
Posts: 4,881
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I had to go through a similar situation myself when we adopted our two moggies. We went to the RSPCA locally and the questions we were asked was somewhat invasive even just enquiring about the availability of the cats. I got the home inspection part but it was the rudeness which put me off. We went and looked around another sanctuary and fell in love with 2 cats one was around 2 and the other and older gentlemen around 10 yrs old. I was set on getting a young and older one, was reluctant to get kittens purely down to the spraying. The place we got them from didn't even do a home visit, not that it mattered. we have had them 18 months now and I wouldn't swap either of them. Both loving cats in their own way who we have fell lucky with. One of them was exceptionally timid and shy but shes since come out of her shell and become queen bee. I suggest looking at cats protection or independent shelters as they always have the cats welfare in mind. Cats Protection do their banking with the company I work for, regularly they almost tempt me with fostering.....its gets more difficult each time to say no.
There are other places that will offer much better support and guidance, give them your time and donation. They need it. We took out the pet insurance which donates money to the shelter each month so we feel like we are still giving albeit in a small way. |
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#30 |
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Join Date: Nov 2007
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My neighbour just moved house and left behind a colony of feral cats and one very tame, but not very pretty, adult cat. We have adopted him. No home checks, obviously but if we didn't - he'd be left to starve. He is black, so would be hard to rehome - apparently black dogs and cats are harder to rehome, according to charities. He is a sweetheart - so friendly and affectionate it is impossible to think why anyone wouldn't want him.
I have a charity coming out to deal with the ferals at some point but... my point is, why just want a kitten? Some older cats are brilliant and you don't have the hassle of house-training, etc. Kittens will always get snapped up but some older cats wait months or years to be rehomed, and yet would appreciate it far more, and make great pets. I never set out to 'rescue' a cat but it was that or see the RSPCA come out and put him down, and we don't regret taking him at all because he needs us. (He is still crying for his original family to come home). I have an older cat of my own who is 18 - so a cat that is say 5 may have years and years ahead of it. |
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#31 |
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: The Sunny Side Of The Street
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Quote:
My neighbour just moved house and left behind a colony of feral cats and one very tame, but not very pretty, adult cat. We have adopted him. No home checks, obviously but if we didn't - he'd be left to starve. He is black, so would be hard to rehome - apparently black dogs and cats are harder to rehome, according to charities. He is a sweetheart - so friendly and affectionate it is impossible to think why anyone wouldn't want him.
I have a charity coming out to deal with the ferals at some point but... my point is, why just want a kitten? Some older cats are brilliant and you don't have the hassle of house-training, etc. Kittens will always get snapped up but some older cats wait months or years to be rehomed, and yet would appreciate it far more, and make great pets. I never set out to 'rescue' a cat but it was that or see the RSPCA come out and put him down, and we don't regret taking him at all because he needs us. (He is still crying for his original family to come home). I have an older cat of my own who is 18 - so a cat that is say 5 may have years and years ahead of it. I fed her and she blossomed into a very pretty tabby. She was a good mouser which was good and bad as she often left corpses behind minus heads. I would have to look for the body parts as they could be in different rooms and sometimes in my bed! |
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#32 |
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Join Date: Jul 2010
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I bet you would have had a different reaction if you told them you were going to donate a couple of hundred quid to their branch!
I would go to cats protection and get a cat from there but I would ring RSPCA ask to speak to the manager at that site and tell them how disappointed you are and that as a result they have just lost £200 donation, just to make a point and make myself feel a bit better, even though it would be a bit of a pork pie |
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#33 |
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Join Date: May 2007
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Quote:
I bet you would have had a different reaction if you told them you were going to donate a couple of hundred quid to their branch!
I would go to cats protection and get a cat from there but I would ring RSPCA ask to speak to the manager at that site and tell them how disappointed you are and that as a result they have just lost £200 donation, just to make a point and make myself feel a bit better, even though it would be a bit of a pork pie ![]() Are you a sadist? |
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#34 |
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Join Date: Jul 2010
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No not at all but the RSPCA are one of the worst animal charities out there . People make donations to them thinking the money goes to local centres when it usually stays at head office.
the local rescue centre here is always asking for money, if a member of the staff acted like this, it needs to be brought to someone's attention, if they think the behaviour has lost them money, they may rethink the behaviour and prevent a member of staff doing this again. Sometimes money talks louder than words. |
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#35 |
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Join Date: May 2007
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Quote:
No not at all but the RSPCA are one of the worst animal charities out there . People make donations to them thinking the money goes to local centres when it usually stays at head office.
the local rescue centre here is always asking for money, if a member of the staff acted like this, it needs to be brought to someone's attention, if they think the behaviour has lost them money, they may rethink the behaviour and prevent a member of staff doing this again. Sometimes money talks louder than words. And the first part of your post is true, but only for those who clearly don't care a great deal about the cause. Anybody who actually gives a shit will usually donate specifically to their local branch. If they don't, it shows they probably weren't thinking about their donation that much. |
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#36 |
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Join Date: Jul 2010
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There would be no benefit to doing what you propose. For starters, all the RSPCA branches are individually run by unpaid volunteers, they aren't 'members of staff' in a conventional way. It's more likely to just cause upset.
And the first part of your post is true, but only for those who clearly don't care a great deal about the cause. Anybody who actually gives a shit will usually donate specifically to their local branch. If they don't, it shows they probably weren't thinking about their donation that much. Lots of people donate to charities who don't really know where their donation goes, it has nothing to do with them not thinking about their donation at all, it has a lot to do with marketing campaigns on TV ( usually during the day when retired people are at often home), the old " for only £2 per month "clap trap , leaflet and letter drops with " complimentary "pens in them. Often the people who respond to such advertising are retired people who may just have a little spare cash to donate, many of whom think by popping a cheque in the post or setting up a DD helps the RSPCA and will be or are under the impression that donations get shared out to centres. Those of us with computers and have the ability to research,of course know better, but there are plenty out there that are not aware and think they are doing the right thing. Why should they think otherwise? They have no reason the doubt the advertising campaign . |
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#37 |
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 21,375
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I won't apologise for not agreeing but I will say this even volunteers should act in a fair way.
Lots of people donate to charities who don't really know where their donation goes, it has nothing to do with them not thinking about their donation at all, it has a lot to do with marketing campaigns on TV ( usually during the day when retired people are at often home), the old " for only £2 per month "clap trap , leaflet and letter drops with " complimentary "pens in them. Often the people who respond to such advertising are retired people who may just have a little spare cash to donate, many of whom think by popping a cheque in the post or setting up a DD helps the RSPCA and will be or are under the impression that donations get shared out to centres. Those of us with computers and have the ability to research,of course know better, but there are plenty out there that are not aware and think they are doing the right thing. Why should they think otherwise? They have no reason the doubt the advertising campaign . But if the RSPCA is run anything like Cats Protection then local branches do benefit from central/head office donations anyway... In CP branches get general annual grants, neutering grants, IT equipment, uniform, stationery, website space, training, publicity/fundraising supplies etc. all provided from the head office budget. Therefore it's worth pointing out that without the donations received by head office, these national charities which operate in a 'local franchise' way wouldn't be able to run. Having said all that, obviously I agree with what others in this thread have said in that the RSPCA does seem to be a wasteful and poorly run organisation. But then again, there is always more than meets the eye.. People could have perceived our Cats Protection branch to be poorly run and slow to get back to people, but we were always genuinely stretched because every day there were so many emergencies. |
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#38 |
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 6,822
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Are you saying that people who donate to national campaigns have no common sense?
If so I think that is a little insulting. Here is an example A few years ago my mum mentioned they had made donations at Christmas, sending cheques to various places, amongst which was RSPCA ( we are talking about a couple of hundred pounds to RSPCA which in my opinion is quite donation from someone on state pension) yes she had done it in response to a national camapaign and had no idea that once HQ got it, it would not be used for support in rescue centres. She has common sense, isn't thick, she saw the campaign and sent a cheque which is what many people will do. People in later years of life maybe more often than not, don't even consider the politics of business, possibly because they haven't been in that sort of environment to know what goes on. She hasn't done it since I explained, she has also stopped her monthly donations and now donates direct to local charities. |
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#39 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 21,375
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Quote:
Are you saying that people who donate to national campaigns have no common sense?
If so I think that is a little insulting. Here is an example A few years ago my mum mentioned they had made donations at Christmas, sending cheques to various places, amongst which was RSPCA ( we are talking about a couple of hundred pounds to RSPCA which in my opinion is quite donation from someone on state pension) yes she had done it in response to a national camapaign and had no idea that once HQ got it, it would not be used for support in rescue centres. She has common sense, isn't thick, she saw the campaign and sent a cheque which is what many people will do. People in later years of life maybe more often than not, don't even consider the politics of business, possibly because they haven't been in that sort of environment to know what goes on. She hasn't done it since I explained, she has also stopped her monthly donations and now donates direct to local charities. As I clearly said: IF you donate as a result of a national TV/newspaper advert, and are clearly donating to a national campaign then common sense will tell you that obviously it's not going to a local branch. Anyway, as I also said, it's not like central donations are always 'wasted', they pay for the critical infrastructure and the adoption centres not funded by branches. Without people donating to the RSPCA and Cats Protection Head office's/HQ's then these charities wouldn't exist at all. |
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#40 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 13,434
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Quote:
My neighbour just moved house and left behind a colony of feral cats and one very tame, but not very pretty, adult cat. We have adopted him. No home checks, obviously but if we didn't - he'd be left to starve. He is black, so would be hard to rehome - apparently black dogs and cats are harder to rehome, according to charities. He is a sweetheart - so friendly and affectionate it is impossible to think why anyone wouldn't want him.
I have a charity coming out to deal with the ferals at some point but... my point is, why just want a kitten? Some older cats are brilliant and you don't have the hassle of house-training, etc. Kittens will always get snapped up but some older cats wait months or years to be rehomed, and yet would appreciate it far more, and make great pets. I never set out to 'rescue' a cat but it was that or see the RSPCA come out and put him down, and we don't regret taking him at all because he needs us. (He is still crying for his original family to come home). I have an older cat of my own who is 18 - so a cat that is say 5 may have years and years ahead of it. ![]() You're right about older cats. I have seen so many black ones in rescue homes.
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#41 |
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: That London
Posts: 1,585
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Just looking at this ad on Gumtree;
"There's a black cat, front white paws, who has been in the Doggett Road/Catford Bridge area and is covered in white paint. I'm concerned that this cat doesn't have an owner as no one has cleaned it up since Monday, where I found him in my garden drinking water and then he was in my kitchen eating my dog's food. If anyone has any information regarding this cat, please contact me asap, I'm concerned and the RSPCA will not help until the I have confirmed he has/hasn't got an owner." When did it become the responsibility of the person reporting a distressed animal in need of help to establish whether it has/hasn't got an owner before they'll act? If it's entering a house with a dog to find food the chances are it's lost surely. |
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#42 |
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 5,770
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Quote:
Thanks, I'm relieved I'm not the only one to have issues with them...your words do perk me up a little.
One half of me wants to tell them to take a hike, yet the other half of me refuses to be deliberately beaten by beauracy and flaky staff. I feel awful there's this kitten needing a home yet I'm so disenamoured with the handling of everything. I couldn't live with myself walking away when it's just a dissatisfaction with the staff and it's ultimately a 'customer service' issue, yet I can't help but feel utterly hacked off at them. I'm sure we'll get it sorted for the best Feel bad for the poor owners who may have had that kitten taken away from them, which is all too common with this dispicable charity and their bullying ways. I have known vulnerable people to have had animals taken away from them for silly reasons. One was a lady who had her kitten taken away from her when she was in hospital for a few days. Someone had maliciously reported that the kitten was home alone and the RSPCA took it without evening listening to anyone. In fact the kitten was not alone at all and had all the care that it needed.....but would they listen? No. That lady had all the trouble in the world trying to get her cat back, (which was not just any kitten either. It was a pedigree) , and ended up without it. Its out of order for this charity to knock on doors and act as though they have authority to question people on thier pet keeping. They do not. They are a charity and have the same 'authority' as oxfam but a lot of people do not know this. They believe the RSPCA to be an autoritive body in the same league as the police, social services, etc. Some of their practices too are cruel and unfeeling. I would never give them a penny. |
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#43 |
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 5,770
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[quote=Hypnodisc;66838443]No, that's not what I said at all, is it?
As I clearly said: IF you donate as a result of a national TV/newspaper advert, and are clearly donating to a national campaign then common sense will tell you that obviously it's not going to a local branch. Anyway, as I also said, it's not like central donations are always 'wasted', they pay for the critical infrastructure and the adoption centres not funded by branches. Without people donating to the RSPCA and Cats Protection Head office's/HQ's then these charities wouldn't exist at all.[/QUOTE] And that wouldnt be a bad thing at all. |
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#44 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Some Where Only I Know
Posts: 5,678
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The RSPCA are nothing but a uniformed lip service. I am surprised that anybody passes their criteria for taking an animal on, unless you are OAP, or claiming benefits to ensure you are there 24 hours a day for you pet.
Try Cats Protection a better service IMO! |
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#45 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: The Sunny Side Of The Street
Posts: 40,099
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Quote:
Just looking at this ad on Gumtree;
"There's a black cat, front white paws, who has been in the Doggett Road/Catford Bridge area and is covered in white paint. I'm concerned that this cat doesn't have an owner as no one has cleaned it up since Monday, where I found him in my garden drinking water and then he was in my kitchen eating my dog's food. If anyone has any information regarding this cat, please contact me asap, I'm concerned and the RSPCA will not help until the I have confirmed he has/hasn't got an owner." When did it become the responsibility of the person reporting a distressed animal in need of help to establish whether it has/hasn't got an owner before they'll act? If it's entering a house with a dog to find food the chances are it's lost surely. |
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#46 |
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: OP is a murderer!!
Posts: 27,197
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This is what the RSPCA put on Twitter today ...
RSPCA @RSPCA_official 58m Found injured wild animal/bird? We’re v busy so if safe & practical, would be much quicker to take along to a vet who will treat for free I did this after calling them about a baby pigeon with a broken wing. The look on the vets receptionists face when I told them who told me to go to them said everything. It was this .. ![]() They seem to be passing the buck on most animals in need. |
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#47 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: That London
Posts: 1,585
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Quote:
It may well live with a dog or dogs. Cats often have steal food from kitchens as they are opportunists.
Quote:
This is what the RSPCA put on Twitter today ...
RSPCA @RSPCA_official 58m Found injured wild animal/bird? We’re v busy so if safe & practical, would be much quicker to take along to a vet who will treat for free I did this after calling them about a baby pigeon with a broken wing. The look on the vets receptionists face when I told them who told me to go to them said everything. It was this .. ![]() They seem to be passing the buck on most animals in need. when I said no it was a pigeon. She refused to take it and said the RSPCA were wrong, private vets are not obliged to take wildlife in at all. When I pointed out that the nearest RSPCA was miles away and it was suffering she only agreed to take it if I agreed that the vet didn't have to treat it, just euthanize it. Even then she stomped about in a strop and clearly couldn't have cared less that it was suffering. No money in it.Sorry for taking your thread off topic OP, I'm not a fan of the RSPCA, or people who see animals as £'s in the bank in general. |
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#48 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 13,434
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I am not a fan of RSPCA either. RSPCA: Mark Watts, chief executive, received £105,500 in pay and perks in the year to April 2009. RSPCA is one of richest charities.
This makes interesting reading http://rspcanotwhattheyseem.blogspot...-cash-cow.html |
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#49 |
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Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,079
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We got our little boy from the cats protection league, all very straightforward. He was vaccinated fleed and wormed and all they wanted was a donation.
Hes 3 now and the love of our lives. |
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#50 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 13,434
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Got my little bundle of joy from Battersea. Didn't have any problems.
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