Today we would like to ask our friends if they would consider phoning or writing to a pet selling shop near them or to their local member/mayor/representative/councilman, to express their concern. Mum doesn't really think it's too much to ask for the following requirements to be put in place:
- Compulsory desexing of non-breeding animals
- Compulsory health check and microchipping prior to sale
- The end of cat and kitten sales at pet shops
Our fosters have mostly come from surrendered litters. The owners chose not to have them desexed, and were then unwilling to deal with the results. Our shelter is forced to euthanise on arrival at the moment, because they are full to the brim and the foster homes are full. Local laws mean we are supposed to have a limit of 3 fosters at a time. Kitten season is out of control this year, and it pains mum to see how much the shelter staff are hurting. As most of you know, we had 4 kittens euthanised last month, 3 of which could have probably been saved if it wasn't for how stretched the shelter system is. It breaks mum's heart thinking of them, and she wishes every day that things had been different. The shelter is working so hard to try and bring about the day where they only have to euthanise in times of extreme illness or injury, only to be constantly sabotaged by the kinds of people who will sell $10 kittens.
We are street rats, and we think we're pretty cool:)
and 
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17 comments:
Well done to your Mum for having a go! Our Mum will go into any pet shop she sees that displays adverts for kittens for sale and ask them not to accept the adverts, but to put up Cat Protection posters instead - asking people to take their kittens there instead. It's a big battle as the shop owners say these advertisers are our customers" - greedy gits. They don't understand that by accepting ads, for kittens for sale they are encouraging overpopulation and it means cats will suffer. Grrrr @ some people. In the UK you cannot sell puppies and kittens from pet shops, it's against the law we think, but you can advertise. She has written to her MP about it, but the MP is a bit toothless and the way parliament works, there is never time to address this issue. It's dreadful for the RSPCA staff, it must kill them inside to have to euthenase healthy animals.
Whicky Wuudler
Ohh a zillion billion kissies and headbutts to your Momma for doing this!
You know Momma received an email to say that the RSPCA amended there statements and no have deleted the line where it says about not agreeing with cats being sold in pet shops.
It was from a cat Rescue here in NSW and they encouraged us to send an email which of course I did as I have been a regular donater to the RSPCA for a long time now and was disgusted.
I Received an email back saying to read the new policy statement and that there best inters are stopping the enthusing etc... The point is, there would not be as much enthusing if the sale of animals was more controlled. It is just too easy to buy them :(
As for desexing, microchipping etc.. I thought that was compulsory.. I mean you need the microchip number in order to register us with council.. Gah ok Ima goign to end it.. Momma is getting all cranky at these people.. I tell you, Momma does not like to wish any body bad.. but these people....
V-V
I'm disappointed to hear that, Victor. I didn't realise they'd changed it. They are still calling for compulsory desexing and microchipping, which is something at least. But there does need to be more restrictions here. There is no registration in North QLD at the moment. They are finally bringing it in sometime next year.
Whicky, I'm jealous of you having it be against the law over there!
Every kitten (and every pup) should have a price tag of at least one-million dollars, they are truly worth that and more.
It's a sad situation and we must all work harder to correct this.
A reputable hobby breeder of cats and dosg should be everyone's FIRST choice for obtaining a kitten or puppy!
This is so sad. I must admit that I bought Praline from a pet shop over 13 years ago (the price was much higher than $10). The owners of the pet shop were the breeders of Persians and Himmies and the mom and dad were there also. I wouldn't have my Sweet Praline without this shop. However, I do know there are others out there that aren't as careful with the kittens they sell, especially if the amount is only $10. Surely, a guarantee of health and updated shots and medicines should be required.
10 quids? How can any animal be that cheap? That means that the "breeder" doesn't care for the health of the momcat neither. Oh it's horrible! Well done, to your mom, that she stood up and talked to those people! Our mom hasn't seen cats or dogs at pet shops here in Germany. She says she is going to investigate what the law says. To find us, she studied internet ads and she was horrified about what she saw there too. Recently there are ads in bad German that advertise pure bred cats for very low prizes. There are warnings out that these people use the mommas to give birth as much as possible and that they live under horrible cicumstances, some in cages all their life. But people want to save money... those poor animals. Me, Siena, I am from a nice woman who cared very much for us and our mom and Chilli is from a rescue organisation who brought her from Italy. We understand that your mom is mad but she is really trying to help for the improvement of the situation, so she's doing all she can. Respect for that! You guys look lovely in that picture!
Purrs, Siena
Hooray to your mom! I think those are very reasonable requirements, and I hope it will come to pass. At our local (no kill) shelter, the fee to adopt a cat or kitten includes vaccinations, spay/neuter, and a new kitten kit. No cat or kitten is adopted until after a reference check. And not everyone passes the reference check.
Hooray for what you are doing. Some of our local shops do "sell" kitties and doggies, but these are from the local rescue shelters so the rescue shelters get another way of finding the rescues homes. And...there is no such thing as a $10 cat or dog.
We see signs for Free Kittens and Free Puppies all the time and that drives Mom crazy.
Mom has reminded our neighbor, who is seemingly responsible and intelligent, about 2 dozen times in the last year to vaccinate and neuter his kitten, who is now a year old!! When the kitten was a bout 5 months old, Mom finally volunteered to take her to the Vet to start her kitten shots, which our neighbor reimbursed her for after expressing his shock at the cost. He never has brought her back in for the rest of the shots, and she's certainly not neutered yet.
There is no such thing as a Free Kitten or Puppy!
We so agree with your mom. I have to say I don't remember the last time we saw cats for sale in London. Nearly everyone we know goes straight to a shelter to get their new puss to make sure a homeless puss gets a good home. FAZ
Well done to your mom!
That reminds us, we like to give a donation to the pound here in Canberra every year as that's where Trixie and Tigger both came from. We will go and do it on line rihgt now.
Mom puts the receipts in the boy's Christmas stockings and the donation is given in their name.
Merry Christas to you and your loved ones from the topcatrules girls.
Big purrs for your Mom!!!!!!!!
We wish we could get laws like the ones your Mom proposes!!
Things here are not likely to change unless we get people to understand that animals are Companion Pets and not disposable objects!!!!!!!
It is a constant battle we must keep fighting!
Purrs
Cory, we have some good Catster friends who have been able to use space in PetSmart for their rescue groups. We think it is a GREAT idea :)
Our local shelter haf not put ANY healthy animal to sleep in years...and our Animal Control haf an agreement wif four different shelters fur getting cats and woofies adopted out, da other aminals dey haf hadded in der includes fancy birdies and house rabbits! Dey usually go to da local "special" rescues. Mom had a discussion wif a local pet store cuz dey hadded a sign on der door dat sed "will pay for kittens" Ack, mom sed, are yoo peepul nuts! Well, not really, she had a good discussion wif da store manager and he sed he would talk to da "home office" and mom sent emails to da CEO of dat pet store and now she sawed da sign is gone...she won't shop der, but she checked fur da sign. Oh, dis is long...we send extra snuggles and head butts to yoor mom fur standing up fur all us furries!
Mum complained to a lady on trademe once who was trying to sell kittens at 4 weeks old, who still needed their mum.
We agree with you. Pet shop owners should be champions of animals rights, and not just trying to make a buck or two.
Thanks for this post - it's a good reminder of the crazy regulations (or lack thereof) out there. Mum visited the local RSPCA (Melbourne) yesterday, and there were so many kittens there looking for a new home. As for adult cats, it's terrible the number of cats surrenderred because people's keep them at their rental place. There is a horrific number of healthy animals dying (shelters can only fit so many), and people still won't understand that they need to neuter their pets.
Mon's gonna look into writing to her local MP...
Purrs
Gypsy & Tasha
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