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  • The cats deserve better

    So I've been working at a no-kill cat shelter for more than a year.

    What drives me nuts is when people adopt a cat from us, they decide to bring the cat back because it gets sick. When people fill out the form to adopt a cat, some questions are "how much will you think you will spend on vet bills in a year? how much will you spend in an emergency for the cat?" And the manager will make it known that stuff can happen to a cat and they might have a spend a lot of money on a vet bill.

    So of course instead of taking a cat to the vet a lot off people will come with the cat and expect us to get the cat feeling better. Like cat has a cold and they bring it for us to cure it's cold. Or this one guy last week brought his cat who had stomach problems (or couldn't poop and then had explosive diarheah). The guy said he would be back in 2 days, and took 5 days to come back.

    In fact, (sad story) a guy brought in a cat whose owner died. Cat stopped eating, so the manager spent a lot of her energy forcing the cat to eat. Finally, the cat is better, and she adopts out the cat. The family brings the cat back a month latter because the cat is not eating and they havn't noticed because he is a big cat. So the manager tries to save the cat but the cat dies.

    Another time a woman adopts a cat but is allergic of the cat so brings it back. a year latter she comes back with a diff. cat that she got a city shelter. She doesn't have time for the cat and for some reason thinks the shelter owes her. Cat is upset with all the other cats around and is an ass, but he is a very sweet loving cat with humans so luckily we adopt him out.

    I have a lot of stories of people not taking care of their cats and expect us to make the cats better. Why get a pet when you can't afford to take it to the vet.
    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
    Because too many people are soulless. And cats are seen as disposable.

    Sometimes, I hate people.
    When you start at zero, everything's progress.

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    • #3
      People are the actual worst. My cat has been with me for over 10 years. If he got sick and had high vet bills I'd sell most of my belongings and go into debt to save him.
      Replace anger management with stupidity management.

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      • #4
        I still prefer most animals to most humans. Humans tend to think they're smart, then stop thinking, and somehow expect everything to go right for them. The animal never assumes it is smarter, and works as hard as it needs to keep fed and comfortable.

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        • #5
          It's akin to bringing your baby back to the hospital when it won't stop crying.

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          • #6
            People are terrible. I used to work at a shelter and for SPCA until it got to damn depressing. But since I used to train up search and rescue dogs, and disabled living dogs (focusing on the bigger breeds for bigger clients who need the assistance) I would always be at the shelters anyway. I've got my own zoo at home.
            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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            • #7
              SO SAD.

              10char
              AkaiKitsune
              Sarcasm dear, sarcasm. I’m well aware that dealing with civilians in any capacity will skin your faith in humanity alive, then pickle anything that remains so as to watch it shrivel up into an immortal husk thus reminding you of how dead inside you now are.

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              • #8
                While I will (and have) spent a lot on vet bills for my cats (as none of Buddy's previous owners ever bothered to have his teeth cleaned, last year I had to pay $400 to have four of them extracted as they were broken to the gum line). BUT there is a limit. I have two small kids, I have to provide for them and their futures. I can't afford thousands of dollars if my cats were to get cancer, say, or some other disease that is expensive to treat. I love them dearly but I have to be pragmatic. I adopted one of them 12 years ago though and I would hardly expect to go dump her on the shelter if she got sick. I wouldn't send her away to strangers just to avoid making a hard decision. I owe her that.
                https://www.facebook.com/authorpatriciacorrell/

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                • #9
                  And this is a reason why I don't like humans and like animals instead. Like others have said, I would find ways to get the money needed to get the animal the needed care. It's the same way with other things, it cost money to keep everything in good health.
                  Eh, one day I'll have something useful here. Until then, have a cookie or two.

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                  • #10
                    That is so sad. I agree with Ana though... there are definite limits and it depends on the situation. I love my cat dearly but she's sixteen. If she developed something expensive and chronic, or something with poor odds of success... well, it's time. Something like a broken leg, though, I would still shell out because I KNOW that can be fixed and I do love her. Still, people who adopt a cat then return it for things that are definitely treatable would grind my gears.

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                    • #11
                      This is why animal insurance exists. If you think you'd have difficulty paying vets' bills, get a policy for your pet!
                      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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                      • #12
                        I typed this post and realized it was depressing. Heads up. And people suck.

                        I have a cat that broke his leg. luckily i had the money to afford the operation where he gets a pin to fix the leg, which was $3000. If I didn't have the money at least I would have his leg amputated. Or start selling stuff. I've seen a lot of Animal Cops on Animal Planet and I do feel for people who try to do the best for their pets but sometimes the poor animals are miserable and the best isn't good at all. Like the time a dog had a bone down his throat and didn't eat for a whole month and starved to death. The owner said she was feeding him broth, but the prosecutor had a vet testify that if she took the dog to the bet he would have easily taken the bone out and the dog would have been able to eat again.

                        Taking a cat to the vet cost me at least $129. So people who come to us to get their cat treatment expect to spend maybe $20 instead at the vet even though when they adopted the cat were told it will cost more than $60 just for a vet visit, not counting any price for treatment. I can imagine a person falling on hard times and come to us and at least get some type of treatment for the cat, but most of the people who do this didn't have a change of fortune. Some people act like the shelter owe them treatment since they paid the $95 adoption fee a year ago.

                        But like most have said, people suck.

                        Yeah, I won't tell the stories of people leaving behind cats in carriers or cardboard boxes instead of coming in. Or the bully who found a kitten, and we told him we had no room, and he said, "then I ll just dump him back where I found him" so the manager of course said she would take in the kitten. Or the twit who came in, said she found a kitten, we told her we were full, then came back latter and when no one was looking just flung the kitten through the doors, even though there is a big notice on our doors about animal abandonment and the fines and jail times for that.

                        Or our dead kitten storage.
                        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.

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                        • #13
                          I had to have my tux cat put down last October because he was 16 and suffering with a heart condition that he wasn't going to recover from. I didn't want to do it because I loved him, but it was time. Of the ones I have right now, they're both approaching 14 and both are healthier than I am, except that one is diabetic. I pay for the insulin for her and give her two shots per day because I love her, and she's otherwise doing just fine. Some people don't realize or don't believe that a pet is a lifetime obligation, but it is.

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                          • #14
                            This is why I could never have a pet...the financial obligations if they got injured/sick would be way too much to handle. Three THOUSAND to put a pin in a cat's leg...?!

                            People should consider things like this when they bring a little puppy or kitten home and expect to pay for nothing more than food and litter and squeaky toys and scratching posts. Then again, too many people have a half-dozen kids and just assume the gov'mint will take care of all their needs.

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                            • #15
                              Quoth Monterey Jack View Post

                              People should consider things like this when they bring a little puppy or kitten home and expect to pay for nothing more than food and litter and squeaky toys and scratching posts.
                              Also to add onto that, getting the pet desexed.

                              Unless they are a breeder, they really should be aiming to get it desexed when it's old enough. There are thankfully programs in my hometown where desexing for cats at least can be made affordable (a little more for females due to the process though).

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