That is the predicament and I understand it must be difficult for the to get the balance right. However if they had a procedure where they make contact with the owner and the animal can only be taken if their are no legitimate circumstances for the animal to appear the way it does.

They shouldn't have the power to just pick up any animal they feel the need to.

I agree and I am not sure they do have the power it might be worth looking at whether it was a legal snatch.

Oh the irony. Indeed, you're no troll.

Glad to see you've got some sigs, Mary.

Rare old eye-opener about the RSPCA, this thread. I'll certainly avoid having anything to do with them if I can, nor will I give them a penny or suggest others do.

I suppose most organisations go this way when they get too big. Six-figure salaries at the top and nothing much else.

Sadly I think you may be right, the problems with the RSPCA are fairly well documented if you have a google around, the idea is fantastic I think they have taken on more than they can manage, I will praise their political arm they run campaigns extremely well, perhaps that is the way they should continue to move ? They really need to clean up their act though because they are causing harm and being rather cruel themselves. I think their officers have their hearts in the right place but are not being given the right orders. The people running their kennels also want to do their best but over whelmed and not again led properly they make mistakes.

Personally and I may be biased as I work for one but I only give to charities who have no paid workers at all. That way at least you know all your donations go to helping the animals and not making some one rich.

Well, much as I'm aware that the RSPCA has many shortcomings, I suspect you've got completely the wrong end of the stick here.

My own cat died as a result of renal failure.
It's a cumulative problem which takes years to manifest and is the result of older cats not bothering to go outside as often which, in turn, puts more and more stress on their kidneys until a failure occurs.
When it does happen, however, the decline is very sudden and a cat in that position will often exhibit unusual behaviour.

I suspect the truth of the matter is that your cat had already succumbed to renal failure when the RSPCA collected him and weren't in any way responsible for his death.

Your desire to blame somebody for his death is understandable but misplaced.

Unless we have qualifications in veterinary science I don't think we can really say what caused it, I would err on saying stress on an older cat would make any latent disease worse so at best they hastened the poor things end and the stress will have made it unhappy so I can see why the OP is angry.

It seems a little, erm, obtuse to suggest that nobody without suitable qualifications can decide what caused it and then go on to assert what might have aggravated it yourself.

I know, for sure, that there was nothing causing my Benny stress (except, in all likelihood, the condition itself).
He simply peed on the carpet one morning and then continued to act normally.
I put him outside while we cleaned up (to avoid "shaming" him) and he slunk off, crawled underneath a hedge and, seemingly, never planned to move again.

We found him a couple of hours later, took him to the vet who did some stuff to make him comfortable while we said our goodbyes and allowed us to take him home so he could slip away in his own bed.

Simple fact is that, in an elderly cat particularly, this can strike at any time, without warning, and the results are sudden and terminal, regardless of the level of stress.

Seems more likely that somebody from the RSPCA found this cat in a similar condition (possibly after somebody reported seeing him), rather than a passing RSPCA worker going into somebody's garden and grabbing an apparently healthy cat which then, coincidentally, provoked terminal renal failure.

C'mon, which is more likely?

Perhaps if you had read my petition you would understand that she was outside in the garden everyday still, so that doesn't make much sense here, but I value the science of it.

Also, she was infact very happy and plodding along as old cats do, she wasn't being sick, she was running around as usual, she was excited and still jumped around for attention like a man woman.

I may not have any veterinary qualifications but I have looked after animals my whole life and that specific cat for 20 year. I can confidently say that she was in no state for anyone to assume she wasn't anything but old. SO the uneducated neighbours strike again! Maybe I should just leave it and let the RSPCA continue to make these mistakes with other animals lives?

Yes the renal failure would have most probably took her soon, but I have a reason to blame the RSPCA for making her death traumatic. If it weren't for them she would have died at home in her bed.

Please do read my petition, because you will learn a lot of truths. Also the fact that she was female.

I was not making a clinical diagnosis just thinking stress likely makes any latent disease come on quicker. I believe stress in humans does the same thing so it's rather likely it didn't help.

I have had a cat that lived to 22 when she was going to be put down at birth as she was the runt of the litter and was born with the cord round her neck. In her last year every time she went to the vet she needed oxygen because she got that stressed out in the car. My cat was perfectly healthy no problems just old age and she was a little fighter (she had bionic legs after having both hips replaced). She died peacefully in my Mum's arms on the way to the vet for the final time.

Stress can do a lot of damage to an old frail cat(just like it does to humans) and I would think taking a cat from it's old familiar surroundings put in a cage in a van and taken to a vet that it doesn't know won't have helped the OP's cat one bit.

I've read your petition and signed it. Sorry for your loss xx

Thanks so much! xx

Re. the update:

Personally, I would prefer email contact. It's much harder to marshal your thoughts viva voce, and they'll catch you on the hop if they phone you, rather than you phoning them.

You might consider saying you'd rather at least initialise things via email first, before talking on the phone in more depth. But if you're clear in your head what needs to be said, stick with their offer.

Signed.

So in this case you taking the cat to the vets was the source of stress which brought on your cats sad demise.

By the OPs logic you should review your procedures so your cat can get justice.

BTW well done forgiving this animal a 2nd chance and a good life.

I do think many animals demise comes more quickly when stressed at the vet, but it's a bit silly and dangerous to say we should do anything about that other than try to make sure our animals are happy to visit the vet, I feel with dogs it's probably easier as I spend a lot of time first 6 months just popping in and out of the vet so they can visit the staff and that means they are not stressed when they are ill they actually like to see the vet and his staff. Much harder to do that with any other animal.

absolutely agree molliepops. I have no time for them and will never donate to them.

Thats really going to help a lot of animals escape cruelty well done eveybody. Now who should we get started on next carcer research, save the children, water aid?

The cat was 20 years old. It's not exactly a tragedy that it finally had to be put down at that (good) age. One night away from home doesn't undo the 20 years of care it had, and it was on borrowed time as it is.

Best to let it go and move on with your life.

For those who thought my letter was too emotive-

https://www.change.org/p/rspca-revie...-cat/u/9817686

You are squirming your way around every bodies comments to try and defend the RSPCA.

My logic does not say that elliecat should 'review her procedures', it says that if the RSPCA had saw that cat, they should consult the owner before assuming neglect and taking it to the vet themselves.

The RSPCA will never change if people continue to donate to them they won't think they have to change. When they are doing the work they vow to do and not ignoring genuine cases, I will donate to them.

Also lets remember, they make me sick but we still do not deny injured animals from them. My best interest is always for the animal. If we're so cruel and my cat was in such a state, why are they still bringing animals to us?

Much better I have signed. I wish you well with this and hope you get the answer you want, please let us know how you get on.

Also on a personal note don't let this consume you, you need to sit back and grieve yourself because if you use this to keep busy eventually the grief will come back and bite you badly. Look after yourself.

I am sure you know that is not practical and all these people having a silly vendetta against an animal charity are only ever going to hurt animals through their actions.

Signed, wish you luck.