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- Apr 6, 2006
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I recently moved from one town to another; and now I can't see my ferals anymore. They're being taken care of by the people who've always taken care of them, since long before I came; but I miss seeing them.
So today, because I was going through cat withdrawal, I went to the local animal shelter (Xenia, Ohio) to see if they needed volunteers. They told me that they hadn't organized a team of volunteers, that they'd need to assign a staff member to it, and didn't have a staff member to spare.
They did, however, let me go in and see the animals, which I did, because I just couldn't resist.
The oldest cat in the place was only five months old... they were kittens, really. They had evidently been chosen for their looks and personality, because every kitten in the place stuck a paw through the cages to me as I passed near. They're nice cages--plastic floors, with a cat bed, toy, and litter box in each; but there wasn't any place to hide. The kittens seemed almost hyperactive, a bit hysterical... where do they find a quiet place to sleep? The one kitten asleep was scrunched into a corner of a cage, trying desperately to get some shut-eye but constantly getting pounced on by a cagemate.
There were four dogs... I didn't stay with them long; their room smelled so horrible. It wasn't just a wet-dog smell; it was more of a rotting-meat and poop smell... The dogs seemed healthy enough and the floors were pretty clean though. I'm not sure if this is normal for any place that has a lot of dogs in one place. But I couldn't stay... I can't imagine how those dogs stand it.
I talked to some of the staff, and confirmed my suspicon that this was a kill shelter... most of the cats who are euthanized, they told me, are ferals who would be unadoptable. Older cats, they say, also don't have very much chance of getting adopted. They want to start a TNR program, to neuter ferals once a month; but they don't have the staff.
Naturally I wanted to take these kittens home... it was like an orphanage for cats. But I'm a college student who'd have a hard time paying for neutering, much less vet bills each year; and what sort of home could I give a cat, when I live with three big dogs and move constantly?
So... I asked if I could come back, even if I couldn't adopt a cat. They told me that, yes, the cats would benefit from being handled and socialized; and that I could come back if I wanted...
So... should I? I mean, it's a kill shelter; and I don't like the way the dog room smelled, or the way they say "we don't have enough staff" (admittedly, it's probably true) when it comes to organizing volunteers or a TNR program. And those kittens are plenty friendly--and so young, only five months old at the oldest, that they'd capture anyone's heart.
Could I do any good by going back and playing with the cats (and dogs, if I can take 'em outside)? Or would I just be encouraging them to go on the way they've been doing?
So today, because I was going through cat withdrawal, I went to the local animal shelter (Xenia, Ohio) to see if they needed volunteers. They told me that they hadn't organized a team of volunteers, that they'd need to assign a staff member to it, and didn't have a staff member to spare.
They did, however, let me go in and see the animals, which I did, because I just couldn't resist.
The oldest cat in the place was only five months old... they were kittens, really. They had evidently been chosen for their looks and personality, because every kitten in the place stuck a paw through the cages to me as I passed near. They're nice cages--plastic floors, with a cat bed, toy, and litter box in each; but there wasn't any place to hide. The kittens seemed almost hyperactive, a bit hysterical... where do they find a quiet place to sleep? The one kitten asleep was scrunched into a corner of a cage, trying desperately to get some shut-eye but constantly getting pounced on by a cagemate.
There were four dogs... I didn't stay with them long; their room smelled so horrible. It wasn't just a wet-dog smell; it was more of a rotting-meat and poop smell... The dogs seemed healthy enough and the floors were pretty clean though. I'm not sure if this is normal for any place that has a lot of dogs in one place. But I couldn't stay... I can't imagine how those dogs stand it.
I talked to some of the staff, and confirmed my suspicon that this was a kill shelter... most of the cats who are euthanized, they told me, are ferals who would be unadoptable. Older cats, they say, also don't have very much chance of getting adopted. They want to start a TNR program, to neuter ferals once a month; but they don't have the staff.
Naturally I wanted to take these kittens home... it was like an orphanage for cats. But I'm a college student who'd have a hard time paying for neutering, much less vet bills each year; and what sort of home could I give a cat, when I live with three big dogs and move constantly?
So... I asked if I could come back, even if I couldn't adopt a cat. They told me that, yes, the cats would benefit from being handled and socialized; and that I could come back if I wanted...
So... should I? I mean, it's a kill shelter; and I don't like the way the dog room smelled, or the way they say "we don't have enough staff" (admittedly, it's probably true) when it comes to organizing volunteers or a TNR program. And those kittens are plenty friendly--and so young, only five months old at the oldest, that they'd capture anyone's heart.
Could I do any good by going back and playing with the cats (and dogs, if I can take 'em outside)? Or would I just be encouraging them to go on the way they've been doing?