Letters to the Editor
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Rescued our kitten from the rescuer!
We adopted a kitten in L.A. through a well known rescue organization. We had to fill out an application about five pages long asking us about every aspect of our living arrangements and the strength of the relationship between myself and my SO...it was ridiculous, but I was willing to do it. This woman brought our kitty to us and inspected our apartment, gave us his veterinary papers and assured us that he was in perfect health. After this rigamarole was done and she was gone, we picked up kitty for a snuggle and were appalled at how bad he smelled, I mean he reeked. I became suspicious that he had been kept in a filthy home or with too many other cats.
The next day, we took him to the vet and he had a case of coccidia parasites so bad that he was on antibiotics for a whole month. A four month old kitten had a parasite load that shocked our vet! When I called the woman from the rescue organization, she was immediately defensive and ended the conversation as quickly as she could. I am convinced that many of these so called "rescue organizations" are filled with animal hoarders. The cat I rescued from the Animal Shelter was healthier than the one I got from a rescue organization. And they had the nerve to give *us* the fifth degree. Pathetic.
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The exotic bird "rescue" group
About a dozen years ago, magazine publisher Steve Forbes ran for president and the centerpiece of his campaign was simplifying the ridiculously long and complex federal tax code.
Steve was off the mark - he should have focused his energies on the application process of these animal "rescue" organizations. Actually, doing my taxes takes less time than the application I was given from a local bird "rescue" group.
Why the identity and phone number of my landlord is relevant is beyond me. Along with wanting to know the history of every pet I have ever owned. Now I know I should have taken better care of that turtle I found in the woods when I was seven. The clump of grass and cup of water in that cardboard box I had the audacity to call a "home" was nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment.
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Not wanting to adopt a sick pet is a legitimate position to take
I can't blame anyone for not wanting to adopt a pet with serious health issues. I applaud anyone who is willing to undertake the kind of care they need, but I can tell you from personal experience that it is a heartbreaking and wearying experience--not fulfilling, not uplifting. It's only going to end one way.
My cat developed diabetes at age 6 and required 2 shots of insulin daily plus a monthly 12-hour blood glucose curve (drawing blood from his ear once an hour for 12 hours) for 4 years. He required special food, he required special doctor visits. He couldn't get his teeth cleaned, his bathroom habits couldn't regulate. We couldn't leave even for an overnight visit or a late night without getting someone to give him his shots. His life became all about food because his blood sugar was constantly spiking and diving despite the insulin shots, and our pet-life became solely about nursing him.
For 4 years we battled his illness and in that time I started to yearn for an end. Not because I resented taking care of him, but because the cat I knew and loved so much had gradually disappeared to be replaced by a creature who's only concern (rightly) was his immediate physical need.
It's one thing for me to have gladly taken care of an animal who I loved so much, but to take on that kind of effort and heartbreak for a pet you don't have a relationship with must take a saint.
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A different perspective
I find myself reading these letters with very mixed feelings. I began agreeing with many of the points Heather makes. All these rules and inspections seemed rather draconian and overly controlling. However as I continued to read the responses, I became uncomfortably aware that I have a pet who may very well one day be in the care of one of these organizations. I have a parrot who should outlive me by some 25 years. The rules and regulations all suddenly became very reasonable and sensible. Do I want a prospective adopter to be carefully inspected? Do I want the agency to do follow-up visits to make sure things are going well? Do I want them to be able to take back my bird if she is not being well treated? Yes, yes, yes! And I don’t want an adoptive family to be able to just give her away to somebody who may or may not know anything about birds if they don’t like her. I hope I won’t have to part with my parrot for a long time but I had to consider what would happen to her if I wasn’t able to care for her. The likelihood is that day will come. It gives me a lot of comfort to know the rescue agency I’ve contacted has all these rules and regulations and is very diligent about where they place their birds.
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Long-time rescue worker
After 10 years in the rescue business, I feel confident that I could beat rescue worker horror stories with adopter horror stories 3 to 1.
Let's see ... starting with Bill Frist adopting cats from a shelter and then dissecting them. Anybody remember that?
But rather than the all-too-familiar demonization that characterizes all public "debate" these days, why don't we just slow down and realize that we are all human, we all have our faults. Yes, there are over-zealous rescue workers and yes, there are cruel and negligent adopters. Is this new? To anyone?
Kathryn Page
Bastrop TX
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Fanatically in love with the little doggies and kitties
Days later and the story's still sticking with me.
You don't have to visit with too many homeless dogs or cats to be smitten. Or I don't. I'm a pushover, and I'm willing to jump through some hoops as a result. So we're presented with the gotcha problem, that once you're hooked, some reel you in with an increasingly farfetched plausibility.
Back in the 1940s AA asked individual groups what their membership requirements were. When they put them all together, it turned out they eliminated everyone. It sounds like this applies here. Drunks died then as a result. Pets are being killed now, by pet fanatics - by people who "love" pets so much that pets are being killed because of it.
Fanaticism is my gig. One requirement for membership in the human race might well be that I conscientiously examine how fucking nuts I am, and you do it for yourself, too. Maybe we'll need a little help, too, from some denial-puncturers. And then we each take our own craziness into account on a regular basis. Manipulative control freak do-gooders, please take note.
Best, too, to know the pet adoption rules before you meet the pets.
Best -
(More, for free: google "Rabid Fanatic" +"Monty Johnston")