I hope this is the right place to be posting this.
Since adopting a former stray and then becoming a member of this forum, I've become highly aware of the stray cat situation worldwide. To my knowledge, there aren't any feral colonies or anything within the immediate vicinity of our house, but I know from what I've seen on social media that abandoned and feral cats are a big problem in the more general area where I live. I really want to be able to do something about this, but I've got a lot standing in my way:
1. I'm allergic to some cats, and to large concentrations of cats in a confined indoor space, so I can't do shelter work (TNR might be a possibility).
2. The house has some major works scheduled for this year, so I can't foster kittens - at least not for the foreseeable.
3. Being neurodivergent can make it tricky for me to deal with members of the public alone, without support. I also have an accent that some people in my area discriminate against and refuse to engage with.
4. I can't drive and don't know when, if ever, it will be possible for me to learn, due to all the driving instructors in the area having enormous waiting lists and most of them not being friendly to neurodivergent pupils. So I have to rely on public transport or my parents.
5. I'm currently unemployed, job-seeking, and surviving on welfare and my parents' generosity in letting me live with them rent-free. I also have a history of mental ill-health. All of which means I'm the opposite of the ideal person to take the problem on alone, or head an organisation.
So I've been trying to look into what I can do for existing organisations, like admin, adoption coordination, or TNR support. I can do fundraising obviously, but I really want to do some more hands-on stuff as well. I tried reaching out to the small-scale rescue organisations in my area. Unfortunately, I've not had much success.
Organisation 1, the only one in my immediate area: The person I spoke to said that they'd heard through the grapevine that the person in charge was looking to wind it down (if this is true, my immediate area would not be covered at all). Then they said, "But hey, you're young looking. Why don't you take over the shelter? What do you mean you're allergic? It's in a barn. You'll be fine." She gave me the number of the person in charge and I left a message for them, so I'm waiting on that, but I have my reservations after that weird conversation.
Organisation 2: They told me they're too small to take many volunteers and only handle owner surrenders, because every shelter is saturated and they can only do so much.
Organisations 3 and 4: I haven't reached out to them yet, but they're both on the other side of the county, about an hour's drive from me, and mainly working in areas that I'm unfamiliar with and include some really rough neighbourhoods. I'm not expecting glamorous work here, but I'm not sure how comfortable I'd feel in places like that given all the things that make me vulnerable to discrimination or worse.
Organisation 5: Not one person I've spoken to has a good word to say about the way it treats people or animals.
I know this is a long post and I hope not too negative, or coming across as just venting - honestly, I'm just trying to illustrate the situation. I was just wondering if anyone might have any suggestions on what I could do?
Since adopting a former stray and then becoming a member of this forum, I've become highly aware of the stray cat situation worldwide. To my knowledge, there aren't any feral colonies or anything within the immediate vicinity of our house, but I know from what I've seen on social media that abandoned and feral cats are a big problem in the more general area where I live. I really want to be able to do something about this, but I've got a lot standing in my way:
1. I'm allergic to some cats, and to large concentrations of cats in a confined indoor space, so I can't do shelter work (TNR might be a possibility).
2. The house has some major works scheduled for this year, so I can't foster kittens - at least not for the foreseeable.
3. Being neurodivergent can make it tricky for me to deal with members of the public alone, without support. I also have an accent that some people in my area discriminate against and refuse to engage with.
4. I can't drive and don't know when, if ever, it will be possible for me to learn, due to all the driving instructors in the area having enormous waiting lists and most of them not being friendly to neurodivergent pupils. So I have to rely on public transport or my parents.
5. I'm currently unemployed, job-seeking, and surviving on welfare and my parents' generosity in letting me live with them rent-free. I also have a history of mental ill-health. All of which means I'm the opposite of the ideal person to take the problem on alone, or head an organisation.
So I've been trying to look into what I can do for existing organisations, like admin, adoption coordination, or TNR support. I can do fundraising obviously, but I really want to do some more hands-on stuff as well. I tried reaching out to the small-scale rescue organisations in my area. Unfortunately, I've not had much success.
Organisation 1, the only one in my immediate area: The person I spoke to said that they'd heard through the grapevine that the person in charge was looking to wind it down (if this is true, my immediate area would not be covered at all). Then they said, "But hey, you're young looking. Why don't you take over the shelter? What do you mean you're allergic? It's in a barn. You'll be fine." She gave me the number of the person in charge and I left a message for them, so I'm waiting on that, but I have my reservations after that weird conversation.
Organisation 2: They told me they're too small to take many volunteers and only handle owner surrenders, because every shelter is saturated and they can only do so much.
Organisations 3 and 4: I haven't reached out to them yet, but they're both on the other side of the county, about an hour's drive from me, and mainly working in areas that I'm unfamiliar with and include some really rough neighbourhoods. I'm not expecting glamorous work here, but I'm not sure how comfortable I'd feel in places like that given all the things that make me vulnerable to discrimination or worse.
Organisation 5: Not one person I've spoken to has a good word to say about the way it treats people or animals.
I know this is a long post and I hope not too negative, or coming across as just venting - honestly, I'm just trying to illustrate the situation. I was just wondering if anyone might have any suggestions on what I could do?
They also said they ONLY did adult cats, which I find puzzling, because when you've got unfixed cats getting dumped outside, you are GOING to get kittens.
) Local businesses with cat-loving owners might be willing to provide space and handle the sales.
