I totally agree with you... there are many legitimate reasons why he wouldn't want the traffic or risk the dumping.... I just felt that any rescue group that does regular business with him would have sent someone to see the place....
Chris [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of TenHouseCats Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2005 12:54 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Please read this response!! URGENT:DO NOT USE-KittyKind -CATRESCUE-in Or... devil's advocate here--damn, it's a pain having 4 planets in libra: "but on the other hand!" that NO one ever saw his facilities is indeed somewhat smelly. that he doesn't allow perfect strangers into his place is not something to imeediately judge by. many people who take in special-needs cats do so out of their own HOMES--they are NOT a public shelter, usually don't have the insurance to protect themselves, nor a desire to have folks they don't know know where they are. FeLV cats, especially, need as stress-free an environment as possible; having strangers coming in all the time does not meet my definition of that.... FeLV cats tend NOT to be adopted out, so for them, a sanctuary setting is THEIR forever home, as much as it is the human's who care for them. do NOT underestimate the dumping factor--and the role that cowardice/shame plays in dumping. most people who dump do NOT call for an appointment, nor knock on the door and say, "i'm leaving a sick cat in a crate out in the snow at midnight--hope you find it in time!" as most farm folk can tell you, even healthy cats are dumped on them all the time. there are only so many cats that ANY facility can take in; limiting access is one of the ways to prevent a bad situation from developing. neighbors are another very valid reason to limit access--even in places where there are no legal limits on the number of cats one can have, there are often technicalities that ordinary folk don't think about when starting to take in the unwanted--special-use permits, for example. amount of traffic is another issue--these days, anyone in this area with a lot of coming and going traffic is gonna be looked at as a possible meth-lab: a definite problem since cooking the ingredients gives off a cat-urine odor! and then there are the very real folks who just like to cause trouble--every hour spent dealing with them means an hour that the cats DON'T get.... ON THE OTHER HAND.... volunteers and rescues who regularly work with a facility SHOULD be allowed to see the place! the general public is one thing, even a group that a facility has never worked with before might be asked to meet off-site initially. people need to investigate the shelters/rescues/sanctuaries they relinquish cats to, just as the shelters/rescues/sanctuaries research the folks they adopt to. there is NO way to completely weed out the good liars and the psychos, but both sides need to do their homework. which means talking to a NUMBER of people and groups--i don't know of any group that doesn't have SOMEONE who hates them, often because they were denied adoption rights. or people who find fault with EVERY organization they contact.... we do the best we can.... we have to communicate with compassion and honesty amongst ourselves, for the good of the critters... -- MaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 289856892
