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  • You don't have to stay if you don't like our services

    So working at the no-kill cat shelter cleaning cat poop is tons better then working at a library. Cats might scratch me or bite me but they don't suck my soul out.

    The shelter opens at noon everyday. But the manager doesn't get in until 2. Mostly because she's at the shelter until midnight. Sometimes we have sick kitties that need a lot of attention. But she lives about a quarter mile away, so I wish she would get her so she can take care of people who walk in.

    People who walk in either want to adopt a cat or want us to take a cat (their own, a stray, mom cat with kittens, etc). People get annoyed they have to wait. Not my fault, I clean cat shit.

    So today I hear people come in and the head cleaner talks to them. I think she tells them the manager will be in at 2. Don't hear why they are hear.

    So I go up front to clock out and the woman ask, "can you help us?" Now I only know they are waiting f or the manager, and not wanting to be caught up with stupid people problems (people love giving long stories about how they love cats, then finally tell you they need to dump their cat with us) I say "no". The woman ask if I can get the manager in, the manager was texted but she didn't reply. I say I can't do anything. (I mean, I guess I can text her but if she reads my text she is bound to read the previous text and respond to the first text. I just don't want to be stuck in the middle of this ). They say they want to adopt a cat, give a cat a good home and I open my big mouth and asked if they looked at cats and filled out a form. They say no. So I offer a form.

    Woman is talking under her breath about how crappy we are, without a manager there when we are advertised to be open, how we don't want to adopt out cats. How we are rude. How there are other shelters. I'm thinking, "I don't want any of the cats to live with this person. She's going to bitch about all the restrictions we impose, like no declawing, indoor only, the cat has to eat Nurto, the high endish food. No cheap food! Who is the vet? did you pay a pet deposit. Ok, I don't know if she would bitch about it but I don't want to be around someone who is only bitching. So I tell her, "why don't you go to another shelter?"

    Yeah, she didn't like that, still bitching, saying we are rude and I'm rude, they are going to leave a negative Yelp review.

    Head cleaner says that the manager probably won't let them have a cat. Sounds agiest, but the manager doesn't like to adopt a cat to older people who look like they are about to die. We have cases where a family dump a cat on us because their relative died. And there is a cleaning crew that bring cats to us, because the relatives hire them to clean up the house and the cleaning crew find a cat, ask money from relatives to give to a shelter (us) a donation. So the manager will ask an old person who looks like they are on their last legs (really, people who are in wheelchairs, with a helper, are told by a doctor to get a pet) want to adopt and we want to make sure the cat will have a home when the person dies. One time we got a cat whose owner died and the cat refused to eat and the manager spent so much time force feeding the cat with a tube and finally got the cat to eat. Cat got adopted and the new owners didn't notice it wasn't eating and a month latter they brought him back (instead of taking cat to vet) and manager tried to get him to eat but cat died.

    So one of the people who came in was an older man with a walker. Head cleaner thinks the manager won't adopt out the cat. He could have other family that would take care of cat, or a plan. But anyway, glad the door didn't hit her ass out, but I don't like all these people bitching. If they find a cat somewhere else then good for her and him. maybe they will get a cat from a kill shelter.

    Earlier today, when we weren't open, woman came in. She was feeding two strays and both had kittens. Sigh, just fix cats when you start feeding them. Don't try to dump kittens on us, this was preventable.
    Time! Time! Time is what turns kittens into cats.

    Don't teach me a lesson; all I learn is that you are an asshole.

    I wish porn had subtitles.

  • #2
    Unfortunately, it's not always possible to get a stray fixed, either because of money issues (it's not cheap) or because the person can't catch the cat to take it to a vet.
    When you start at zero, everything's progress.

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    • #3
      Oh no, a bad Yelp review... However will the shelter survive?
      This was one of those times where my mouth says "have a nice day" but my brain says "go step on a Lego". - RegisterAce
      I can't make something magically appear to fulfill all your hopes and dreams. Believe me, if I could I'd be the first person I'd help. - Trixie

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      • #4
        My area has special TNR programs (Trap-Neuter-Release) that are low-cost or free. I don't know how common that is, though. Heck, the shelter I volunteer in will lend out live-traps and do the surgery, all for free! (Though I actually used a different shelter for the surgeries because their hours were more convenient.)
        “There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged.
        One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world.
        The other, of course, involves orcs." -- John Rogers

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        • #5
          Quoth depechemodefan View Post
          She was feeding two strays and both had kittens. Sigh, just fix cats when you start feeding them.
          My grandma was guilty of that too. She'd see a stray or two in the yard, and she'd feel sorry for them and start feeding them. But she never thought to get them fixed, and she could have easily done so because after she had been feeding them for awhile, they became quite tame. It took some time, but eventually they'd stop running from people, and then they'd start letting me pet them, and eventually I was even able to pick them up.

          Naturally, they'd start having kittens and the population would explode pretty quickly, and then my grandma would end up rounding them all up and taking them to a farm. At one point, she eventually wised up. When she took the last batch to a farm, she kept one of the kittens but got it fixed.
          Sometimes life is altered.
          Break from the ropes your hands are tied.
          Uneasy with confrontation.
          Won't turn out right. Can't turn out right

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          • #6
            My aunt and uncle were by no means cat people, but they were feeding a stray and yes, of course, she started popping out kittens. They kept trying to catch her but a few times, by the time they got her, she was pregnant AGAIN.

            Finally, after she had JUST had a litter, they got her and the babies into their basement and kept them there until she could be fixed. I think the babies were kept until they were old enough to be spayed/neutered as well.

            As an elderly person (in my 60s) I have sympathy for older people who want a pet. But of course the pet's future does have to be taken into account -- what procedures are in place for when the owner dies? I'm hoping to live quite some time yet, but nobody can tell, so I'm looking into that for my own two.
            Customer service: More efficient than a Dementor's kiss
            ~ Mr Hero

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            • #7
              My shelter used to run a program called "Seniors for Seniors". Adoption fees were free or drastically reduced for an older human to adopt an older animal. Since it usually takes senior animals longer to be adopted than younger ones (especially puppies and kittens!) and many senior humans are on limited budgets, it seemed like a real win.

              I never thought of it as also helping ensure that we had fewer animals outliving their caretakers, but that also makes some sense.

              A few weekends ago, we had a couple come into the Petco where one of our satellite adoption centers is. Their grandma had just passed, and had a green conure--a sort of parrot or parrot-like bird--and they didn't know what to do with it. They brought it into the store, and it got loose. After it spent a few hours flying around inside the store, it eventually got tired and one of the shelter staff decided to take it. So now she has a bird, in addition to cats and dogs. Good thing she just bought a decent-sized house!!
              “There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged.
              One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world.
              The other, of course, involves orcs." -- John Rogers

              Comment


              • #8
                Quoth MoonCat View Post
                Unfortunately, it's not always possible to get a stray fixed, either because of money issues (it's not cheap) or because the person can't catch the cat to take it to a vet.

                There is a cheap clinic (run mostly by donations, I used to donate to them when working for the library) that offered getting queens fixed at $65. Also, there are organizations that offer free spray/neuters. They advertise and it's maybe 5 or 6 times a year and they do 200 operations at a time. They also ask for volunteers to help with registration, cleaning up, etc, in ads. If the lady could google to find our shelter she could have google where to get pets fixed. Also, a lot of shelters/foster groups have traps they loan out, also the County. Sometimes it just takes not feeding the cat one day to get it hungry enough to fall in the humane trap. Yes, I know sometimes a person will spend months trying to catch a wiley cat, but too many people come in in our shelter with the same story this lady had. Also, the City has an ordanence that if you feed a stray you have to fix it. I don't think there is any cops going after people, though.

                I have to be honest, the manager and the owner are picky when finding homes for the cats. Though they are thorough. One time a nice couple wanted a cat. Manager looks at google maps and see the address they gave was some vacant lot or junk yard, I forgot. Kind of spotty if you can't give your address.
                Time! Time! Time is what turns kittens into cats.

                Don't teach me a lesson; all I learn is that you are an asshole.

                I wish porn had subtitles.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Quoth Nunavut Pants View Post
                  A few weekends ago, we had a couple come into the Petco where one of our satellite adoption centers is. Their grandma had just passed, and had a green conure--a sort of parrot or parrot-like bird--and they didn't know what to do with it.

                  That's a real concern, especially for big birds. Even the smaller ones like canaries and parakeets can live 10-12 years if well cared for. Bigger birds like Amazons and Macaws, you're easily looking at 50+ years. Cockatiels and conures clock in at 20-30 year lifespans. So yeah, if you're getting (or already have) a pet bird, you should probably make arrangements just in case they outlive you.
                  I am no longer of capable of the emotion you humans call “compassion”. Though I can feign it in exchange for an hourly wage. (Gravekeeper)

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                  • #10
                    I live in the sticks. If one *wants* to find low-cost spaying, it's even available in my area. Around the shelter that serves my town, there are insulated cat houses for shelter in the winter. I think there's even a sign to tell people not to be alarmed about the 'strays' they may see. It's an active TNR program. One ear is trimmed when the cat's been neutered.

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                    • #11
                      My shelter used to run a program called "Seniors for Seniors".
                      Miss S. Who is currently sitting on my lap, was one of those. She was 10 when I got her 5 years ago. She is anything but a mellow old lady and I do suspect she will outlive me.

                      There are shelter and rescue programs for people who are concerned about what happens to my pet when I’m gone. You set up with them with a donation and you will Rover or Fluffy to them. They make sure the pet’s remaining years are comfortable, in a home, if possible, otherwise at the shelter. Your donation helps with food & vet care.

                      You can also will your pet to someone you know will care for them, plus money for care. Or 3v3n set up a trust for pet care.

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                      • #12
                        Quoth MoonCat View Post
                        Unfortunately, it's not always possible to get a stray fixed, either because of money issues (it's not cheap) or because the person can't catch the cat to take it to a vet.
                        This is true. There's one mama cat I'd love to catch, as she's responsible for most of the strays in my area, but over the last three years I haven't been able to catch her. I feed a group of 7 feral cats, and got them all spayed/neutered through the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon. They charge $35/cat, which is the only way I could afford to do it, and they also get shots, a flea treatment, and tested for feline leukemia and other diseases. They don't get the expensive food, but I've never seen them turn down any food I've put out for them.

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                        • #13
                          I found 5 kittens under my car a few days ago. Not even old enough to have their eyes open yet. No mama in sight (I did watch for a half a day to see if mama would come back but no) we do live near a road and some forest so she could have got run over or eaten by something bigger. I’ve taken them in for the time being and quarantined them (I used to foster for wildArc so I’ve got things that normal people don’t need) from my other pets and have an appointment with the vet later. I’ve already got people I know can take care of them but until their weans they’re staying with me
                          Don’t worry about what I’m up to. Worry about why you are worried about what I’m up to.

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                          • #14
                            Quoth MoonCat View Post
                            Unfortunately, it's not always possible to get a stray fixed, either because of money issues (it's not cheap) or because the person can't catch the cat to take it to a vet.
                            These are genuine concerns but its also worth it to look into if your area has a neuter and release program. Mine does. Its worth it considering how many kittens a female can have in her lifetime and how many a male can sire.
                            "I try to be curious about everything, even things that don't interest me." -Alex Trebek

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