Shelter workers / volunteers - you be the judge:

[All Creatures Great And Small]

xx

[catmandu]

Thats Such A Sad Story, And We Know That You Meant Well When You Turned That Dear Gray Cat In.
But In Defense Of The Shelter, They Are So Overcrowded And Under Financed That They Sometimes Hvae To Make Snap Judgememts, Especially Iif Thhere Are Infectious Diseases Are Concerned.
That Poor Stray Is Well And Healthy Now, And Will Never Be Hungry Or Ill Again.
And You Did A Great Kidness For Him, Relieving Him Of His Daily Struggles Through Life.
He Appreciates That And Will Be Your Cat Angel, And Will Visit You And Your Cats, And See You At A Fine Place At The Rainbow Bridge.
One Fine Day.

[jazzcat]

OMG, he looks so much like my Decker. It just breaks my heart.

So they didn't even hold him to see if anyone would claim him?! Did they tell you they were a no kill shelter? I just don't believe they could have accurately assessed his condition in less than 24 hours.

So sad.

[Freedom]

Silver Ghost.

Yes, ferals are always put down immediately. After age 9 weeks or so, it takes a LOT of work, by a very special person / family, to tame the cat. With all the domestic cats in need of homes, ferals are PTS right away. With or without a URI. Dealing with, coping with, handling ferals is quite different from dealing with domesticated cats. the moment I read that he was "quiet" the whole drive to the shelter, I knew where the story was heading.

Ferals won't make a sound in a car; they are trying to be invisible to the "predator," the human. Domesticated cats have learned to communicate with their humans and know that making a racket will get attention: food, water, toys, let up from the cellar, etc. So in the car, they let you know they aren't happy about the situation. (Some few cats do enjoy riding, there are truckers who have cats with them for company; another story for another day. Those cats are not the majority.)

A shelter is not equipped to handle ferals.

Apart from that, if they are full, any cat requiring any sort of treatment becomes high on the list for euthanasia.

I am so sorry to read about this sweet kitty.

[jazzcat]

My Decker was about 9-10 weeks old when we finally discovered him and trapped him. He was at least semi-feral but as wild as he seemed to me I think he was just right out feral. I thank the vet tech who worked with him when we had him neutered. My plan was to neuter him and release him back out into the yard with his feral momma (we had her spayed at the same time) but Whitney the vet tech worked with him while he was coming out of sedation and got him used to being touched. From that point I was able to work with him, along with the help of his sibling Moxie we had found weeks earlier, and now two years later he's a sweet guy. He's still timid and scares easily but he does love his petting. It just breaks my heart to think he would have probably been put down if I had taken him to the shelter.

[All Creatures Great And Small]

Thank you so much for your replies. Freedom, your explanation makes sense, but then again, Jazzcat has a good point - couldn't they have held him for a little while on the off chance that he was someone's kitty, or to better assess his temperament? I know for a fact that this shelter is NOT hurting financially; they just got a huge bequest from a local lady who passed away, over a million dollars, and they are building a whole new state-of-the-art facility.

Another question I had, but forgot to ask - what method of euthanasia would be used for a feral? I can't imagine how they could get him held still long enough to administer a lethal injection, but maybe they are experienced at handling strugglers.

I have nothing but admiration for shelter workers and volunteers; they make those very tough decisions every day and still come back to work. Personally I could not take the heartbreak. I hope I never have to make this kind of decision again, that's for sure.

[All Creatures Great And Small]

xx

[lizbud]

I am so sorry you had this experience. I know you meant well & I'd be
heartbroken too if it happened with a cat that I "knew". Rest in peace
little guy.

[shais_mom]

I am so sorry this happened Shari. Of course you didn't mean the cat harm. And just b/c you made a flippant comment doesn't mean you meant the cat to die or knew it was going to happen. You did what you thought was giving the cat a chance.
I have to wonder about the shelter's definition of feral if he came into your yard like that. He may have been sick when you took him, it is really hard to tell.
Our local Humane Society (run by a total wackjob btw) claims that no shelter regardless of what they say is ever no kill b/c animals come in sick and dying and they have no choice but to put them to sleep. And if the shelter claims that it is no kill - then they must send the animal to another shelter to be put to sleep. That's the wackjob's take on it of course.
hugs to you -
and don't be a stranger - I miss Sammy and Dudley!

[KitCat]

You are a good person and did everything you could. The shelter seems untrustworthy. If you were able to catch the cat, how wild could it be?

[jennielynn1970]

Could you find out if they do that to all ferals that are surrendered to them? And if so, could you also contact the trustees of that estate that made the endowment and let them know about their practices? If they have 3million in holdings to help keep the shelter running, and they want to keep the money from an endowment, they might want to give a little more time to ferals.

The one shelter I volunteer for has ferals in it. Many have been there for years. Not saying that you want any cat in a shelter for it's entire life, but they are safe from harm and have food, water and shelter.

[All Creatures Great And Small]

I plan to write a letter, definitely. The lady at the counter acted really oddly while we were waiting for another girl to come and take the kitty in back. I was making small talk, telling her how I had caught him and that he had been around the neighborhood for a while, and how pretty he was, that somebody would surely adopt him, etc. She said almost nothing other than to take my name and phone number. She didn't say a thing about their S.N.I.P program of spaying/neutering and then releasing ferals back where they came from, which I did not know they had. I would have done that in a heartbeat! I would have loved to see him around the neighborhood if he was neutered; he wouldn't be peeing on my house then and might be less interested in arguing with my kitties. They brag all about that on their website, how successful that program is in our county. She didn't tell me anything about their policies on ferals or what could be expected to happen to that poor kitty. I would think a compassionate shelter worker would tell me exactly what I would be subjecting the cat to, so I could make an informed decision.

I still don't think that cat was truly feral. He looked very healthy (other than the fleas), no battle scars or runny eyes, and he wasn't totally terrified of people - he would stop, sit down, and look at me when I called to him from a distance. If I were to walk toward him, then he would trot off. I think he was being regularly fed by someone around here because he always came over from the same driveway across the street (but not from that house, I asked the neighbor over there). A few days before we caught him, he came into the next door neighbor's backyard and just made himself at home about 10 feet from the fence. He layed on his side all comfy, took a little bath - it made me laugh because it seemed like he was taunting my kitties with the fact that he wasn't fenced in and was a free range kitty.

If they have a program where they can neuter ferals, they must be able to somehow approach them, touch them, and then anesthetize them, so I find it hard to believe he was so unmanageable he had to die.

[All Creatures Great And Small]

xx

[jazzcat]

Maybe there is more to it that they didn't tell you like other health issues. I hope you can get some answers because what they did certainly contradicts what they say.

I know you feel bad but it wasn't your fault. You looked for a no kill shelter to help this guy. I wonder why they didn't tell you about the SNIP program?

[NoahsMommy]

Shari,

My heart is sick for you. I too, know you and know you never meant ANY harm to this little guy, the opposite in fact. He is a beautiful little boy...and I'm sure your mom is taking wonderful care - along with that lovely couple that left that $$ to this shelter.

This shelter has A LOT to explain. I am horrified about what they've done. I've worked at shelters and a vet clinic, the difference between someone wanting to HELP an animal (and would DO something) vs someone that just wants to A: euthanize or B: get rid of the "problem" is VERY, VERY, VERY easy to spot. Its so obvious, the ANIMAL can spot the difference, so don't try and tell me the TRAINED, ANIMAL SHELTER STAFF 'didn't know' what your intentions were. That's a load of bull s*i*!!!!

If you don't get any positive, honest feedback, Shari, please let me know. I'll call, email and write a letter. That shelter doesn't deserve a cent if this is how they treat animals. Its one thing if you just dropped this little guy off and were like, "here, take him, kill him, he's HORRIBLE!!!", but you didn't, you spoke about how he's gorgeous, quiet and after neutering and a flea-dip could EASILY be adopted out. Uhm...kinda different than the former, huh???

Please, let me know if I can help, OK, Shari???

Hugs, Kelly & Kits

P.S. I know you're busy and all and the circumstances kinda suck, but its REALLY good to hear from you. I hope you and your family are well??