Suggestions About Rescue Situation...Please

[Luvskats00]

3 1/2 weeks ago, I contacted a rescue group about adopting a cat (listed on a
Petfinders site). The founder of the group is well known, locally. She was
profiled in the major newspaper here. Two of the people assisting her,
however, were incompetent idiots. I had dealt with them, first, before
discovering their limitations and inability to do anything related to the
rescue at hand.

The story on the website stated that the current owners were going to throw
this (declawed) cat into the street or dump her at a kill shelter. I wanted
her. I made a couple of calls to Representative #1 who never called me back,
despite promising to do so. I called her each time. She finally said she had
personal problems and handed me off to Rep. #2. The story about the cat's
situation changed 4 times. The listing on the site stated that the cat all meds
were up to date. Since Rep #2 changed the story 4 times, I wanted the vet (who
treated the cat) to verify her medical history. I even spoke to the husband
(of the wife) who owned the cat. The ownership story changed a couple of times,
too. I was told this 4-year-old cat (was she 4 or not?) had some extractions.
This was a bit unusual, too. Despite my (9) nine requests to get the vet's
verification, I was ignored. I eventually was told that the rescue group
couldn't verify the meds. Question #1 - If they didn't know if the meds were
current, then why did they post that they were? Anyone (owner) could say
anything..without regard for truth, right? The rescue group has the burden to
confirm the info before adopting the rescue animal out.

In all, I placed over 15 calls...the last call was to the founder of the group.
She confirmed the incompetence of the assistants, but put me off by telling me
to call her back tomorrow. She said she couldn't call me back..she had no
time...Good grief, they were the rescue group..I was the one who would adopt
the cat. They made it almost impossible for me.

Eight days ago, I also sent a full-page email documenting each phone call I
made, the promises the rescue reps made that were broken, the stories and
subsequent changes in those stories (by the group AND the owner's rep), the
requests I made about medical health which the rescue group ignored, etc.).
That email was ignored. I am sadly letting go of this possible adoption. I
really wanted to help this girl, but can't overcome the barriers. Question #2.
Should I report this situation to any monitoring organization so this doesn't
happen to someone else? Question #3. Is there such an organization? Thanks.

[smithandwest]

"Luvskats00" > wrote in message
...
> 3 1/2 weeks ago, I contacted a rescue group about adopting a cat (listed
on a
> Petfinders site). The founder of the group is well known, locally. She was
> profiled in the major newspaper here. Two of the people assisting her,
> however, were incompetent idiots. I had dealt with them, first, before
> discovering their limitations and inability to do anything related to the
> rescue at hand.

Unfortunately, this happens a lot in rescues and shelters. There is high
turnover, and sometimes the "volunteers" are only there because they have to
be, sometimes they are teenagers who are immature, etc.

> The story on the website stated that the current owners were going to
throw
> this (declawed) cat into the street or dump her at a kill shelter. I
wanted
> her. I made a couple of calls to Representative #1 who never called me
back,
> despite promising to do so. I called her each time. She finally said she
had
> personal problems and handed me off to Rep. #2. The story about the cat's
> situation changed 4 times. The listing on the site stated that the cat all
meds
> were up to date. Since Rep #2 changed the story 4 times, I wanted the vet
(who
> treated the cat) to verify her medical history. I even spoke to the
husband
> (of the wife) who owned the cat. The ownership story changed a couple of
times,
> too. I was told this 4-year-old cat (was she 4 or not?) had some
extractions.
> This was a bit unusual, too. Despite my (9) nine requests to get the
vet's
> verification, I was ignored. I eventually was told that the rescue group
> couldn't verify the meds. Question #1 - If they didn't know if the meds
were
> current, then why did they post that they were? Anyone (owner) could say
> anything..without regard for truth, right? The rescue group has the burden
to
> confirm the info before adopting the rescue animal out.

If you saw a generic "this pet is up to date on shots" on PetFinder, that is
a checkbox that is checked when entering the animal into the system.
Sometimes the person entering assumes that all of their animals are UTD,
when maybe they aren't. I assume that a lot when I'm entering, because I
enter based on our group's main website. We do not let an animal out (to be
adopted) until it has had all of its shots (or current shots if a puppy) and
it must be spayed/neutered (age appropriate, so far we don't do early s/n).

> In all, I placed over 15 calls...the last call was to the founder of the
group.
> She confirmed the incompetence of the assistants, but put me off by
telling me
> to call her back tomorrow. She said she couldn't call me back..she had no
> time...Good grief, they were the rescue group..I was the one who would
adopt
> the cat. They made it almost impossible for me.

Usually the "head" of a rescue is very busy, overwhelmed, and it can be hard
for them to speak with everyone. However, if she is that busy she should be
the one to call you back, because she may be "busy" when you call again. If
she said it nicely, I wouldn't take it personally, but I would question the
stability of the rescue organization.

> Eight days ago, I also sent a full-page email documenting each phone call
I
> made, the promises the rescue reps made that were broken, the stories and
> subsequent changes in those stories (by the group AND the owner's rep),
the
> requests I made about medical health which the rescue group ignored,
etc.).
> That email was ignored. I am sadly letting go of this possible adoption.
I
> really wanted to help this girl, but can't overcome the barriers. Question
#2.
> Should I report this situation to any monitoring organization so this
doesn't
> happen to someone else? Question #3. Is there such an organization?
Thanks.

There probably are no monitoring organizations, although, depending on the
state you live in, sometimes the state department of Agriculture is the
controlling body for shelters and rescues (like in Georgia). I doubt they
could do anything about not getting a response from the group, but if the
care of the cat is in question, they may be able to do something. Also,
PetFinder seems to take complaints very seriously. If the cat was stated on
the site to be UTD and the story keeps changing, complain to them. I do
PetFinder for our group, and the PetFinder staff is great. They are
typically quick to respond when I have a problem with the site, and they
like to make sure that groups are truthful and that they keep their pet list
up to date and active. I wouldn't completely give up on this cat. It still
needs a home. Believe it or not, we have a hard time placing declawed cats,
because they usually have been dumped because of behavior problems (biting,
not using the litter box, etc) which can be corrected with the right home.
They also can't be let outside and a lot of people want a cat that they
don't have to worry if the cat were to slip out, or if they want a cat that
can go in and out. Good Luck!

--
~ Lori
and Jack, Sasha, Rufus, Joey, and Bug
{Clean the doghouse to reply}
~ http://www.smithandwest.net/
~ PETS, Inc - http://www.petsinc.org/
~ http://petsinc.petfinder.org/

[Mary]

>Question #2.
>Should I report this situation to any monitoring organization so this doesn't
>happen to someone else?

It sounds to me like that non-profit organization is overworked, underfunded
and understaffed, a common thing in rescue work. People dump tons of animals on
us all the time, sick ones, ones with major problems, orphaned. I can
understand her situation but it's not excusable. She should only take on the
amount of work she can do or else things like this happen.

Question #3. Is there such an organization?

I don't think it's a violation of any law to be a poorly run organization. If
they haven't broken health or safety laws, they haven't legally done anything
wrong. I would just choose to find a cat at another rescue organization.

On another thought, why not give the girl a chance? Don't blame her for the
poorly run organization. Sounds like she really needs rescuing. Getting up to
date vaccines is cheap. It is possible for a younger animal to have dental
problems if they had a mouth accident. I had a dog like that. I adopt animals
no questions asked, don't know their real age, have no medical records, expect
them to have medical and psychological problems which we overcome together.

[Luvskats00]

>If the cat was stated on
>the site to be UTD and the story >keeps changing, complain to >them. I do
PetFinder for our >group, and the PetFinder staff is >great. They are
typically quick to >respond when I have a problem >with the site....Believe it
or not, we >have a hard time placing >declawed cats, because they >usually have
been dumped >because of behavior problems.....

As a (former) feline rescue volunteer, I had always the utmost respect for the
founder of the now-incompetent rescue group. I don't feel it's out-of-line to
get a vet who was treating the cat for all her life to sign off on her health.
I don't feel ready to adopt a cat with problems. There are hundreds of special
need cats - Because I'm undergoing surgeries and have limited funds, I can't
take a cat that is not healthy at the moment. (Of course, the future health
and well-being of the cat is my sole responsibility). Anyway. why is the
organization avoiding asking the current owner to connect me (the future
guardian) to the vet? Sounds like it's done so on purpose! Btw, I've been a
vet assistant for 4 1/2 years, also. I've never seen a declawed cat with
behavior problems. I've also taken 3 post grad courses in feline/animal
behavior and do not believe declawing causes this.

[Luvskats00]

>why not give the girl a chance? >....Sounds like she really needs >rescuing.
Getting up to
>date vaccines is cheap. It is >possible for a younger animal to >have dental
problems if they had a >mouth accident.

I don't blame the poor kitty for the incompetence of the 2 volunteers...They
shouldn't volunteer. The founder of the group is overworked....However, there
are thousands of cats out there. I chose this one, yet, there are 50 of equal
need, same location...different rescue group...more med info provided, etc.
No...the obstacles (minor, at that) shouldn't have me turn away. I will make
another attempt. I will disagree with your statement that it's cheap to provide
the meds. No, it's not. To test and provide vaccinations can be more than $100.
That's not cheap.

[Mary]

>I will disagree with your statement that it's cheap to provide
>the meds. No, it's not. To test and provide vaccinations can be more than
>$100.
>That's not cheap.

I thought you were just talking vaccines i.e. meds. There are vaccine clinics
here who do it for $7 or you can buy vaccines yourself from
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/ They also sell some FLV, FIV test kits and other
things at reduced prices.

[smithandwest]

"Luvskats00" > wrote in message
...
> >If the cat was stated on
> >the site to be UTD and the story >keeps changing, complain to >them. I
do
> PetFinder for our >group, and the PetFinder staff is >great. They are
> typically quick to >respond when I have a problem >with the
site....Believe it
> or not, we >have a hard time placing >declawed cats, because they >usually
have
> been dumped >because of behavior problems.....
>
> As a (former) feline rescue volunteer, I had always the utmost respect for
the
> founder of the now-incompetent rescue group. I don't feel it's
out-of-line to
> get a vet who was treating the cat for all her life to sign off on her
health.

No, it's not out of line to ask for her health verification. But, the vet
may not be able to do that without the owner's consent. It sounds like the
owner may be at fault here, possibly asking the vet not to talk to anyone.
Although if the cat is healthy, I would think the vet wouldn't have a
problem saying so! It does sound like someone is hiding something.

> I don't feel ready to adopt a cat with problems. There are hundreds of
special
> need cats - Because I'm undergoing surgeries and have limited funds, I
can't
> take a cat that is not healthy at the moment. (Of course, the future
health
> and well-being of the cat is my sole responsibility).

Maybe right now is not the time to get a cat if you will be undergoing
surgery, unless there is someone else there to help care for them. I can't
imagine caring for all my dogs if I were seriously ill and without my
spouse. LOL - Of course with 4 large dogs (plus a couple of fosters) that's
a little different than a cat! And yes, with limited funds, I would think a
possibly unhealthy kitty would be a risk for you.

Anyway. why is the
> organization avoiding asking the current owner to connect me (the future
> guardian) to the vet? Sounds like it's done so on purpose!

It does sound a little fishy, but as Mary said, they are probably overworked
too. Also, sometimes to get a cat into rescue safely, or any animal, we
have to "play the game" and sometimes that means keeping the owner anonymous
or being nice to them when we really want to strangle them!

Btw, I've been a
> vet assistant for 4 1/2 years, also. I've never seen a declawed cat with
> behavior problems. I've also taken 3 post grad courses in feline/animal
> behavior and do not believe declawing causes this.

Everyone has their views. My view and our rescue's view is to never declaw
because it totally removes the cat's natural defenses and therefore they do
not feel safe. Declawed cats don't stand a chance if they slip outside and
encounter the neighborhood dog. I have only one cat and I keep her nails
trimmed as I do my dogs. We have had numerous declawed cats come in, and
the large majority of them have either stopped using their litter box, are
biting in defense (not play biting), or both. They also typically can't be
around other animals. The large majority of our non-declawed cats do not do
this. In fact I can't think of any we have right now that do this (the
biting and the litter box). We can usually change the type of litter used
to solve the litter box issue with these cats. It's softer and easier for
them to use. It seems a lot of vets don't see the behavior problems because
owners don't usually relate the two or think to talk to their vet about it
(also, just from our experience).

--
~ Lori
and Jack, Sasha, Rufus, Joey, and Bug
{Clean the doghouse to reply}
~ http://www.smithandwest.net/
~ PETS, Inc - http://www.petsinc.org/
~ http://petsinc.petfinder.org/

[Luvskats00]

>I thought you were just talking >vaccines i.e. meds. There are >vaccine
clinics
>here who do it for $7 or you can >buy vaccines yourself

I have a cat who is the love of my life and would never bring in a new cat
until the new cat was checked by our family veterinarian. His prices are
average for this area. No sense in going to 4-5 vets for separate tests, meds,
etc. I have paperwork for every vet visit (for each cat for the past 16 years.)
So..the new cat would cost a bit more than another prospective adoptee because
this rescue group dropped the ball.

[Luvskats00]

"smithandwest"
writes

>...the vet may not be able to do >that without the owner's consent. It
>sounds like the
>owner may be at fault here,

I spoke to the husband/owner, who gave his permission. The rescue rep insisted
she would set it up. I don't have the owner's phone number or I'd bypass the
useless group and get to the bottom of the issue.

>Maybe right now is not the time to >get a cat if you will be undergoing
>surgery, unless there is someone >else there to help care for them.

I actually had one surgery several weeks ago and will have another in a month.
I am able to take care of a cat without dramatic health problems. I have been
offered cats with IBS, blindness, etc. If I had the room, I'd adopt more...but
I have limited room, funds, (and capability). I also want a cat who is,
hopefully, going to get along with other cats. Once she is here, she is home.
That's it.

> I would think a
>possibly unhealthy kitty would be a >risk for you.

I would NOT adopt an unhealthy cat..couldn't possibly accept a threat to my
current cat's health. That's why I was so aggressive about talking w/the
current vet. Since it appears to be impossible - although the current owner
said OK - logically, there must be something to hide.

> sometimes to get a cat into >rescue safely, or any animal, we
>have to "play the game" and >sometimes that means keeping >the owner anonymous
>or being nice to them when we >really want to strangle them!

I definitely agree there. The "owner(s)" in this case changed. It's either the
wife, the mother-in-law...the mother....other family member. It changed
constantly. Also, the wife had emailed the rescue group 2x...she made it clear
that she was going to dump the declawed cat to the street or a kill shelter. I
was told that the wife was a current or former vet tech. I didn't believe that
for one second. It could be possible that a vet tech (who is essentially an
animal nurse) could be such as cruel a**. Anything is possible, I guess.

>Everyone has their views. My view >and our rescue's view is to never declaw
>because it totally removes the cat's natural defenses and therefore they do
>not feel safe. Declawed cats don't >stand a chance if they slip outside

I am against declaw unless a person has tried every conceivable alternative,
including trimming, softpaws, and behavior training. I don't believe a cat
should be allowed to roam outside in any case..unless, of course, the cat is at
least 20 miles away from any danger. I live on the 5th floor in an apartment
house. My cat(s) had regularly tried to race into the hall when I opened the
door. Often, I picked one up (and closed the door on the other) so this
couldn't happen. People who live in houses have to be even more careful when
opening the door to the outside. Cats & kids?...well, the parents have to
develop a routine so cats don't accidently get access to the outdoors.

[Joe Pitt]

I'm sure the lady whose cat stopped using the litterbox after it was
declawed would disagree with you. She came to our group for advice. It now
is confined to her enclosed pool area that can be washed down as needed.
BTW, it was an adult when declawed.

--
Joe
http://www.jwpitt.com/cats.htm
Cat Rescue http://www.animalrescuefoundation.com
God created the cat so man could have the pleasure of petting the tiger


"Luvskats00" > wrote in message
...
> >If the cat was stated on
> >the site to be UTD and the story >keeps changing, complain to >them. I
do
> PetFinder for our >group, and the PetFinder staff is >great. They are
> typically quick to >respond when I have a problem >with the
site....Believe it
> or not, we >have a hard time placing >declawed cats, because they >usually
have
> been dumped >because of behavior problems.....
>
> As a (former) feline rescue volunteer, I had always the utmost respect for
the
> founder of the now-incompetent rescue group. I don't feel it's
out-of-line to
> get a vet who was treating the cat for all her life to sign off on her
health.
> I don't feel ready to adopt a cat with problems. There are hundreds of
special
> need cats - Because I'm undergoing surgeries and have limited funds, I
can't
> take a cat that is not healthy at the moment. (Of course, the future
health
> and well-being of the cat is my sole responsibility). Anyway. why is the
> organization avoiding asking the current owner to connect me (the future
> guardian) to the vet? Sounds like it's done so on purpose! Btw, I've
been a
> vet assistant for 4 1/2 years, also. I've never seen a declawed cat with
> behavior problems. I've also taken 3 post grad courses in feline/animal
> behavior and do not believe declawing causes this.
>

[Cheryl]

"Mary" > wrote in message
...
> >I will disagree with your statement that it's cheap to provide
> >the meds. No, it's not. To test and provide vaccinations can be more than
> >$100.
> >That's not cheap.
>
> I thought you were just talking vaccines i.e. meds. There are vaccine
clinics
> here who do it for $7 or you can buy vaccines yourself from
> http://www.drsfostersmith.com/ They also sell some FLV, FIV test kits and
other
> things at reduced prices.

That is handy to know. I just checked on the FeLV test kit (25 tests for US
$179) and they told me the kits you would order from their current stock
have an expiration date of Nov 2004. I may have to think about this, it
could save some money!

[Joe Pitt]

The problem with the test kits is that YOU need to draw the blood. My rescue
group tried it and only one member can draw the blood and she is a vet tech.
We did find a vet that gives us a great price on the FIV/FeLV test, about
the same as buying the kits ourselves. As for vaccines, they are easy to
give. Some cats require one to hold and one to vaccinate, others I can do
myself.

--
Joe
http://www.jwpitt.com/cats.htm
Cat Rescue http://www.animalrescuefoundation.com
God created the cat so man could have the pleasure of petting the tiger


"Cheryl" > wrote in message
s.com...
> "Mary" > wrote in message
> ...
> > >I will disagree with your statement that it's cheap to provide
> > >the meds. No, it's not. To test and provide vaccinations can be more
than
> > >$100.
> > >That's not cheap.
> >
> > I thought you were just talking vaccines i.e. meds. There are vaccine
> clinics
> > here who do it for $7 or you can buy vaccines yourself from
> > http://www.drsfostersmith.com/ They also sell some FLV, FIV test kits
and
> other
> > things at reduced prices.
>
> That is handy to know. I just checked on the FeLV test kit (25 tests for
US
> $179) and they told me the kits you would order from their current stock
> have an expiration date of Nov 2004. I may have to think about this, it
> could save some money!
>
>
>

[Cheryl]

In ,
Joe Pitt > composed with style:
> The problem with the test kits is that YOU need to draw the blood.
> My rescue group tried it and only one member can draw the blood and
> she is a vet tech. We did find a vet that gives us a great price on
> the FIV/FeLV test, about the same as buying the kits ourselves. As
> for vaccines, they are easy to give. Some cats require one to hold
> and one to vaccinate, others I can do myself.
>
Thanks for the info Joe. The kit said you can test saliva or blood; I
suppose it isn't as accurate tesing saliva?

[Joe Pitt]

Haven't seen that one. The kit our group got requires blood, as does the
test the vet does.

--
Joe
http://www.jwpitt.com/cats.htm
Cat Rescue http://www.animalrescuefoundation.com
God created the cat so man could have the pleasure of petting the tiger


"Cheryl" > wrote in message
...
> In ,
> Joe Pitt > composed with style:
> > The problem with the test kits is that YOU need to draw the blood.
> > My rescue group tried it and only one member can draw the blood and
> > she is a vet tech. We did find a vet that gives us a great price on
> > the FIV/FeLV test, about the same as buying the kits ourselves. As
> > for vaccines, they are easy to give. Some cats require one to hold
> > and one to vaccinate, others I can do myself.
> >
> Thanks for the info Joe. The kit said you can test saliva or blood; I
> suppose it isn't as accurate tesing saliva?
>
>
>