Strange experience at animal shelter

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-16-2004
Strange experience at animal shelter
10
Sun, 12-05-2004 - 11:58pm
I haven't been on here in a while, been busy, but I had a strange experience this weekend and just wanted to see what everyone else thought.
We have been talking about getting another cat, so we went to our local shelter and were looking around. I really wanted to get a cat that REALLY needed a home, that had little chance of finding one before being euthanized. I went to the front desk at the shelter, and asked the woman if they euthanized. She looked embarrassed and said, "Yes." I asked her which cats were "last chance," in other words, only a few days before being killed. She said, "We can't give out that information, but are you considering adopting?" I said I was, so she went and got the "director" or whoever to come talk to me. I told the director at least three times I wanted a "last chance" cat. We brought our baby so I could see how it reacted to him, because of course I couldn't take one home that hated the baby. But she kept ignoring my question!! She took me to the fancy big rooms they had up front (as opposed to the tiny cages in the back.) I assumed since I had mentioned wanting one that was about to be euthanized, they must keep them here, so I asked her. She said, "No, these are the ones we consider most adoptable." She just kept side-stepping what I was asking. Then she gave me a lecture on how we need to make sure the baby and cat get along (duh.) She was trying to sell me on this BEAUTIFUL calico. I asked her again if it was about to be euthanized. She kept ignoring me. I finally side stepped her just by asking how long it had been in the shelter. She said three days. Obviously it has some time left. Anyway, it just bothered me that they wouldn't give me that information. Is there some guideline I'm not aware of? I would just think that they are in the business to help animals and obviously prevent as much euthanization as they can, why wouldn't she tell me anything? I am not stupid, I know that I would have to handle the cat and make sure it wasn't wild or anything, but I still kept getting that lecture from her. Later on, at home, I got on their website, and I found one that had been there for over a month. I remembered seeing that same cat at the shelter, away from the others in a corner cage down a hall by itself. Hardly anyone would have seen it. It makes me wonder why it was away from the others and if they were about to euthanize it. I may go tomorrow and see how it is. Any p.o.v. on what I experienced?
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-29-2003
Mon, 12-06-2004 - 12:19am

I went thru volunteer training at my city's animal shelter which does euthanisize. We were told that while they have factors that go into deciding which animals to put down, the two people who make the decision do not know which animals will be choosen until that day. So it's not like they make out a list for the week or anything. I think they have to do it this way because it is just so hard to do. I am not sure if this is the way all shelters work though. This shelter goes by the Humane Society's guidelines for stuff.

As for the cat that was seperated from the rest, there could be a number of reasons for that. He might have been sick. He might have been adopted. He might have been too stressed out being in the same room as the rest of the cats. I don't think any animal shelters would put a cat in a visible place if it was going to be euthanized.

And shelters main goal is to find homes for the better tempermented animals because those animals have the best sucess rates in terms of not being returned to the shelter, etc.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-06-2004
Mon, 12-06-2004 - 9:54am
A shelter that I have adopted from puts the cats pictures on-line in the order of who has been there the longest, they have kept the same cat for a year, they try not to pts any if possible. Maybe you can get more out of this shelter if you call or email about a cat on the site. I would think they would want to place the cats that have been there the longest. Maybe you can bring this area of discussion up with them with some ideas. Put it to them like this-the longer a cats been there and its in black and white for everyone to see, the greater the chance that fact alone will pull on someones heartstrings!!! And the cat will have a greater chance of being adopted. Its great you are going through a shelter to save a cats life. Donna
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-01-2003
Mon, 12-06-2004 - 10:45am
That is weird,let us know if you went back and got one,I hate thinking of animals that are put down!


^Dusty^,^Tiger^,^Ellie^ and Scooby’s Mom,
Rachael and Jordan‘s Mom
Visit Our Website!
Email Me!

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-26-2003
Mon, 12-06-2004 - 2:45pm
That makes me very sad that you had such a bad experience. It is likely that they weren't aware of which animals are going to be put down. Most animals that are deemed un-adoptable in kill shelters are PTS even before the public even sees them. This is very hard for me to understand - I've adopted some "unadoptable" cats and as soon as you get them out of that high stress enviroment most of them turn out being the most loveable cats (or dogs). Working at a "no-kill" shelter I've seen alot of nice cats sit around for years because they aren't the prettiest or most social - usually after a certain point one of the staff or volunteers feels bad and takes them home. I've heard it from just about everyone I work with and I've been through it a few times myself- the cats (once they get home) are completely different cats- the ones that are aggressive (like my Jimi

Danielle and her furbabies....                         &nb

Avatar for cl_lcni
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Mon, 12-06-2004 - 3:29pm

I'm sorry you had this experience with the shelter.


Photobucket

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
Mon, 12-06-2004 - 3:32pm

Several years ago, when I was looking for a dog, I went to the local Humane Society shelter. I remembered my mom telling me that years ago, one of the dogs she adopted from a shelter was "on death row" and scheduled to be put down that very day. Thinking of that story, I asked the woman at the front desk if there were any dogs scheduled to be put down. She avoided the question by simply saying "we don't like to do that here". I applied for a dog anyway, and later found out I was declined because I lived in an apartment.

I ended up getting a dog from a newspaper ad, and it turned out I saved his life anyway. He was a pit bull cross, and since the city had a ban on pit bulls, he would have been pts immediately if his owners had surrendered him to the shelter. He was the best dog I could have ever asked for.









Powered by CGISpy.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 12-07-2004 - 1:22pm

Hello,

You may have noticed my post from a couple of weeks ago about the strange actions of the humane society here. I wish I knew what was going on - with ALL humane shelters! I cannot imagine the director side-stepping your question; seems to me that he/she should have jumped at the chance of someone who wanted one of the kitties that most other people would NOT want! I also think and see evidence of these shelters being out for something other than the well-being of the animals. It seems like they don't do nearly as much as they could or SHOULD to get the animals adopted out! It is really maddening and I'm pondering what to do about it.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." ~Gandhi

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-06-2004
Tue, 12-07-2004 - 4:47pm
I hope you both can come up with some good solutions to the problems at these and other shelters. Maybe we can all learn something and turn around the thinking of some of these shelters. Donna
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-12-2004
Tue, 12-07-2004 - 9:01pm

That's really strange. At the shelter we got Binx from, he was actually in the "Last Chance" cell. A poor little 4 month old all black kitten with big green eyes and lots of purrs...last chance. So, we adopted him and now he's got a big Buddha belly and lots of love! :)

Like I said, though, he was in a the cell (one of the "wall o' cells) that had a red tag on it with "LAST CHANCE" on it. He had a cell-mate, but he was a tuxedo and more likely to find a home than an all-black kitten. So, we chose Binx.

As our shelter, the last chance pets are the ones who have been there too long, are least likely to be adopted, and will be the first to get put down if the shelter starts to fill up. By no means is that information "TOP SECRET." I don't know what the heck is wrong with your shelter...some strange things going on there. **Maybe they didn't want you to see how badly they ignore the "less adoptable" kitties.** Can you report a shelter for animal cruelty??? I would have just asked where they were and walked on back!! Outta my way!!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-07-2004
Tue, 12-07-2004 - 10:36pm

That is truely frustrating! Youmust have been so annoyed. I'm sure there is some beurocratic reason why they wouldn't give out the information but I don't think you'll have much chance getting answers from them. I've had some weird experiences at animal shelters as well. I thiknk the advice that you have been getting thus far: go for the ones who have been there the longest, and the ones farthest from kittenhood, is the best advice. However, cats are Euthanized for lack of room, as I understand it, and any kitty that you will adopt will free up one more cage and could potentially save a kitty. I may be wrong but it sounds pretty logical. Good luck with the adoption. Please let us know what happens.

(If you find the time, please check out my kitty's website, www.zowie.port11.net )