Quote Originally Posted by luvofallhorses View Post
People are full of excuses giving up their pets. Some I WILL give an exception for, such as the dog or cat being in danger of being hurt or being dumped.. I work at a shelter, I see people dump their pets EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. and it's heart-breaking. We have had cases of dogs being tied or thrown over our back fence at the shelter or kittens and mom in a box duct-taped shut on the front door.
The same thing would happen at the shelter I used to volunteer at. People so cowardly that they daren't even show their face to the people at reception. I suppose, though, even they beat the lowlifes that abuse, starve, and abandon pets in their homes and on the streets, where they are less likely to fall into the care of the RSPCA or other animal organisations.

Sallyanne, I can sympathise with feeling frustrated at your friend. I can recall people who were quite clearly just on a 'day out' during my days at the shelter. They used to irritate me so, as in order to take them around the place (the policy was that a member of staff had to be with visitors at all times, since people have silly habits of sticking their fingers in cages... ), we'd be taking time out of our schedules that could be used for cleaning up, walking dogs, socialising animals, etc. We were always run off our feet as it was.

Now I'm sure your friend would have no intention of causing anything like that, but perhaps if she is not fully committed to getting a cat then it's something worth mentioning to her. I can understand that some people take time to find a cat that is right for them. But if the commitment to rescue is there in the first place, it definitely makes it more worthwhile for the staff to work to find that cat.

Also, thank you for reminding people to donate to shelters. Certainly in the UK, they are having a very tough time, and 'my' shelter in particular has laid off a lot of staff since I left in September 2009.

I've sent donations through the post to them a few times, when I can afford to do so. It's important also, to send the money directly to the shelter. I'm not sure, again, if this is the case overseas, but many shelters here are under the 'patronage', shall we say, of the RSPCA, Cats Protection, etc. With regards to the RSPCA in particular, money sent to the charity doesn't go to the shelters. It funds their campaigns and their inspectors, which, whilst important, is not always what people think their money is being used for.