His picture doesn't do him justice - he has the cutest little face and a diesel purr that melted my heart! He's going to Alison and Jennifer's home, so I hope he's ready to be spoiled :)
I'm VERY excited to have received an adoption inquiry for Barebum Betty this morning!
I'm not 100% sure what happened with Betty, but I do know that she's very sweet. :) I sure hope it works out for her. I'm certain everybody will agree this little girl needs a new start and lots of love.
I woke up in the middle of the night last night thinking about the shelter and the fact that they are not permitted to open it to the public for adoptions. It's like Auschwitz over there (please forgive me if that comparison is offensive to some...it wasn't my intent) - the cats come in and have no way to get out. Although I've known about this for years, I sat up in bed and kept mulling it over and over.
I love saving the cats and there's no reason I can't continue to do so, but maybe it's time I stop being just another finger in this leaking dam.
21 comments:
Any kind of animal welfare work is a finger in the dam, but when you you remember all the little faces that your finger gave a new life to, it feels sooooooooooo good.
I've rescued 5 cats of the street in an area notorious for strays and feral cats.
I could take a tom cat off the street here every month and there'd be another to replace him. I rescued the dominant male tom to see him replaced by another dominant male tom...who I rescued...and was replaced by another one.
Just look at my cat Thomas in my blog to see whether my effort made a difference to Thomas
...and Salem and Pippin and Smudgie and Katie.........
It is the most insane thing that they don't do adoptions. Why on earth are they not permitted?? Even if they had a low adoption rate, it would be something. What's the point of a shelter that isn't even open to the public?
Not PERMITTED to open it for adoptions? Why on earth not?
Yaaay for Barebum Betty! And yay for Rugbee who is clearly a cutie-pie even in his shelter pic. Very excited to see where this thinking of yours leads, Beth! xo
Gosh I wish someone would come forward to help Betty out! My heart breaks for her!
We rescued a black cat that looked just like Barebum betty. He had pulled all of the fur off of his legs, tail and bum. Once he got home and started getting attention and settled down his hair grew back and he is so beautiful! Every now and than in the winter he starts to pull it out but the vet has said it was nothing medical, just a nervous habit I guess. However, he is the most amazing and loving cat we have ever had and with a little extra love he usually stops. Good luck Barebum betty
I'd love to hear your plan of attack. :)
I totally agree about the shelter not being able to be open to the public. When I adopted our Mo from there, I was so angry and upset that those poor cats don't have a chance. Think of how many more potential adoptions could be made if it was open and advertised more. *sigh*. I remember walking in there and seeing all the rows and rooms of poor, unwanted cats and kittens and I just wanted to take them all home. Sure makes me upset....
Beth....please dont give up. We must believe it's just a matter of time until relocation.
Rescuing one is better than none !
Soooooooo what can we do to help?
I am also very excited to find out where your "too much thinking" may
lead. I know all of those cats at the shelter would be happy to know that someone is giving them a voice. Thank You Beth for not giving up on them...
"Rescuing one is better than none"
... and rescuing ALL is better than one too. Time to get political on their a**. Now is the tie since Hamilton City Council will be deciding new animal bylaws by this summer and are asking for public input now. - Ken
I know that if anyone is going to help these kitties it will be you Beth!! And we're here to help anyway we can!! On behalf of Mia, Max, Jasper, Oscar, Ella, Oliver, Tiara, Jacob and their mommy, Poppie and Snowflake who all made it out of there because of YOU!! And those are just the kitties that came to our house!! You've given so many kitties a second chance and keep up the GREAT work!! I feel better knowing their guardian angel is looking out for them!!
I totally agree that more lives could be saved if the City had a way to adopt out to the public. Historically they did have a shelter but it cost too much to maintain. We are in times of high unemployment and homelessness. Tax dollars are going to fund those initiatives first. That is not to say you cannot put a plan together, including how it would be funded, and bring a delegation to City council. I am sure they would listen. The key is to not sound like they are not doing a good job but what it is you can offer to help. Their priority is to look after people first and fiscal restraint is a given right now. That would be a purrfect project for you to lead the charge on. I caution that it has to be well researched and well balanced, meaning the pros and cons effectively laid out. Good luck and I look forward to hearing how you make out.
At one time I was looking for another cat and went to the Hamilton shelter (the front of the building). They only had about 5 cats at the time and they were all black. I didn't really want any of these cats and wished they had more selection. Someone else looking for a cat told me about the other cats in the back of the building that we weren't allowed to see. That was the first time I learned about the area in the back. It's too bad that they are not open. I probably would have gone home with a cat that day.
Re: barebum betty, bach flower remedies work well for cats who chew their fur off from stress. I had a cat that chewed the fur off her legs in such a specific way it looked like they had been shaved with a square razor.
Rescue remedy is a good generic one. Mimulus is for known fears, and Aspen is for unknown fears.
Money is always the sticking point for city initiatives. We need a plan that the city can approve that will guarantee a no problem solution at little incremental cost.
We could investigate ways to make this happen.
We could set up an adoption service organized and staffed by volunteers who work with the shelter staff to find homes for the healthy, good natured cats. The volunteers would have to treat this as a job as we would need to 'be open for business' during our advertised adoption hours.
The shelter has paid staff who already assess the health and temperament of the cats so the additional cost would be office costs such as printing and copying, banking costs, etc.
The other area of exploration would be to look into working with the SPCA. They already have a program for adopting cats. If we supplemented their volunteer base, could we use their resources to bring cats over from the shelter for adoption?
There are many people who have found themselves with free time who might be able to 'work' the adoption table on a regular basis.
Beth - you have the experience, the contacts in Hamilton and the drive. What is our next step to move on this project?
I understood they did not adopt out because they would compete with the attached SPCA and that is ridiculus, just match their prices and voila no competition.
The Starfish Story
Original Story by: Loren Eisley
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.
Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”
The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”
“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?
You can’t make a difference!”
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…”I made a difference for that one.”
Just thought you could use a reminder... Hugs.
It is unbelievable that in the city of Hamilton there is a "disposal facility" for unwanted pets!! Makes me mad... and so sad.
My local Animal Services doesn't adopt out any animals either. But it's attached to the local Humane Society. All you have to do is go to the Humane Society and tell them you want to adopt an animal from Animal Services. So the animals are adoptable in Animal control but it's done through the Humane Society.
Lots of cities manage to have an SPCA, animal control and smaller rescue organisations without such agreements. I know its probably because they share the building but still... it should be about the animals not about statistics and politics.
The few occasions I have visited animal control there haunt me to this day and I know how hard the staff work to save the lives of the animals but such a little dent is made in their euthanisation numbers. Its so sad, but like the starfish story, it made a difference to the animals saved.
Unfortunately, I realised during the Bill 50 hearings that many politicians really think all rescue organisations work together for the good of animals, they dont see the shelter politics, the fundraising turf wars etc - maybe THS has brought some of this to the media's attention, probably the only good thing to have come out of that scandal :(
Post a Comment