# Stray Cat - RSPCA or not?



## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

Found a stray cat outside my doorstep hiding from the rain in the porch this morning. Female, young, very poor condition, covered in scabs and sores (I assume from fleas), emaciated... no collar, clearly been out on the street for a while. I put some food out and went to work and she was still hiding in my garden when we got back, and I can't really just leave her there.

I phoned the cats protection league and it's a 6-8 week waiting list. I phoned the RSPCA and they said bring her in straight away. Hmmm... will she be guaranteed to be given treatment and not put down, I ask.. well.. no.. apparently not. So I am skeptical about handing her over the RPSCA.

No vets appointments today but I did get a nurses appointment for this evening so will hopefully get her checked for a microchip just in case, have some heavy duty flea treatment, and I think a topical bath medication will probably be given for the sores and scabs.

Should I trust the RSPCA and hand her over or does everyone else think it'd be risking her life? I'm sure she will recover but will probably take quite a few months... does anyone know of any other rescue centres in South Wales?

Unfortunately we have the problem that we are in rented accomodation and only have permission for the 2 dogs... the other problem is the 2 dogs.. the collie is fine with cats but the german shepherd considers anything that moves of that size something that can either be played with or eaten.


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## powderpuff_girl (Mar 5, 2007)

Athravan said:


> Found a stray cat outside my doorstep hiding from the rain in the porch this morning. Female, young, very poor condition, covered in scabs and sores (I assume from fleas), emaciated... no collar, clearly been out on the street for a while. I put some food out and went to work and she was still hiding in my garden when we got back, and I can't really just leave her there.
> 
> I phoned the cats protection league and it's a 6-8 week waiting list. I phoned the RSPCA and they said bring her in straight away. Hmmm... will she be guaranteed to be given treatment and not put down, I ask.. well.. no.. apparently not. So I am skeptical about handing her over the RPSCA.
> 
> ...


u fed her so it will make her come back again and again!! in my opinion u have 3 options! leave her outside to freeze to death, take your chances with the RSPCA but if she is in really bad health they will just put her down at a guess!! or take her in but then u would have to pay for treatment!!! keep us posted!!


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

if you dont want to keep her or cant afford the treatment fees then you havnt got much of a choice either the RSPCA or see if you can find a more privately run rescue centre in your area


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

Paying for treatment is no problem... but I just can't house her permanently, so am happy to give all the vet money required and then find her a new home, or hand her over to a good rescue where I know she won't be put down.


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## stephenie191 (May 29, 2007)

Advertise locally. Maybe somone will want her? 
Might have to take your chance with Rspca, as long as she has nothing really bad wrong with her i can't see why they would put her down.

Few flea drops, food, few months, she'll be perfect for adoption


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## powderpuff_girl (Mar 5, 2007)

Athravan said:


> Paying for treatment is no problem... but I just can't house her permanently, so am happy to give all the vet money required and then find her a new home, or hand her over to a good rescue where I know she won't be put down.


if u wernt in cardiff i would take her im a sucker for a sad animal!!! problem is u aren't garanteed she will get a new home! its a hard one


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

stephenie191 said:


> Advertise locally. Maybe somone will want her?
> Might have to take your chance with Rspca, as long as she has nothing really bad wrong with her i can't see why they would put her down.
> 
> Few flea drops, food, few months, she'll be perfect for adoption


they put to sleep alot of healthy animals im afraid, although I would imagine a kitten wouldnt be too hard to rehome


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## powderpuff_girl (Mar 5, 2007)

stephenie191 said:


> Advertise locally. Maybe somone will want her?
> Might have to take your chance with Rspca, as long as she has nothing really bad wrong with her i can't see why they would put her down.
> 
> Few flea drops, food, few months, she'll be perfect for adoption


i can see where your coming from and in a perfect world that would b true but if they treated every stray in this country and housed them (sometimes for the rest of their lives we are talking a lot of money!!!)


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## *H* (Jun 17, 2007)

I wouldn't trust the R.S.P.C.A not to put it down as soon as it came in their doors, Anyhow have pm'd you


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

powderpuff_girl said:


> i can see where your coming from and in a perfect world that would b true but if they treated every stray in this country and housed them (sometimes for the rest of their lives we are talking a lot of money!!!)


which I hasten to add the RSPCA are not actually short of.


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## Plutino (Aug 5, 2007)

SiUK said:


> they put to sleep alot of healthy animals im afraid, although I would imagine a kitten wouldnt be too hard to rehome


is young, not a kitten, but yeah, probably not too hard to rehome, but like you say, are they going to put her down anyway just cause she wont be ready in a couple weeks? I've never seen such an affectionate cat, would be horrible to have that happen I think.


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## stephenie191 (May 29, 2007)

They may put her down, but noone knows that for certain. Just phone them up and explain the situation and come out and ask them if she will be put to sleep.

If you have other options thats brilliant, but lets not be totally Anti-RSPCA. 

Maybe a private shelter like somone suggested. :mrgreen:


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

If you take her in you have to keep her for 28 days or have a rescue centre take her.
Unless they've changed this in the last few years.
You have to advertise her in case she belongs to someone. Although you can ask an owner to reimburse you the cost of feeding and vet care if someone comes forward for her.
For some reason a private rescue is under different laws than an official rescue centre, or it was when I was rescuing.
She's unlikely to freeze to death at the moment and if she has been out for a while a bit of cold won't hurt her.

She may well have an allergy that makes her 'scabby and thin'. One of my cats has hayfever and it makes her feel scabby ansd she loses a bit of hair. She also looks a little thinner although that is mainly the lack of hair.

On that note you should be able to find a rescue centre on UpMyStreet - For Where You Live

There are many cat rescues that your vet might be able to put you in touch with.

I hope you either find her owner or get her a good home soon when she's well eonough. As said above she could have come here if you were a little closer or could get her up here but it's a heck of a long way.


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

stephenie191 said:


> They may put her down, but noone knows that for certain. Just phone them up and explain the situation and come out and ask them if she will be put to sleep.
> 
> If you have other options thats brilliant, but lets not be totally Anti-RSPCA.
> 
> Maybe a private shelter like somone suggested. :mrgreen:


if you asked whether she would be put to sleep they would never say yes even if they were going to, they try to cover it up anyway because it doesnt do their "charity" image any good. Not saying they dont do good because they do stop cruelty to an extent, they are just somewhat misguided.


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

Another option might be to try a boarding cattery and ask if they know of a local cat rescue facility.
They often know where these places are even if they aren't advertised.

Here's a link to the ones form upmystreet. Around Cardiff.

UpMyStreet - FindMyNearest… Results of your search for boarding kennels & catteries


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## PendleHog (Dec 21, 2005)

It is something on an untruth that the RSPCA put down anything that cant be rehomed within a few weeks, though it will largely depend on her condition (since she is as yet undiagnosed..), temperament and age. A friendly, young cat is likely to be given treatment unless they consider her condition too severe (what "too severe" constitutes is up to their vet..)

For your own peace of mind I would try to find a smaller local shelter as they are usually more inclined to give long term "one on one" care. There are certainly plenty around, your vets will be able to point you in the right direction.

I'll be honest though, if she came to my door I would take her to RSPCA. My local branch housed my dog for 2 years before we rehomed him, so I know they are not "trigger happy" when it comes to putting animals down. 
It will largely depend on the shelter manager and vet involved.


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

they do put to sleep alot of animals every year though, maybe not within a few weeks


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## PendleHog (Dec 21, 2005)

SiUK said:


> they do put to sleep alot of animals every year though, maybe not within a few weeks


Like I say, I believe it is largely dependant on the particular manager and vets involved. 
I am not a fan of the RSPCA as you probably know, though I do believe people exaggerate certain points in order to demonise them at times.


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## yellow_rat_gal (Mar 24, 2007)

If you need her gone Christy, Owen and I could probably take her in... the house is turning into a rescue centre it seems! (I'm a sucker for a sob story!)


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## Hell67 (Jul 24, 2007)

there is a RSPCA cat shelter in stapeley (nantwich cheshire)its really nice and very clean,all the cats are well looked after and are in large cages with lots of toys.maybe you could give them a ring it wont harm to ask if they have any room


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

PendleHog said:


> Like I say, I believe it is largely dependant on the particular manager and vets involved.
> I am not a fan of the RSPCA as you probably know, though I do believe people exaggerate certain points in order to demonise them at times.


having seen the figures, sadly this is not the case...

if what they reported is accurate, and its being checked yes, then nearly 800,000 animals have been destroyed by them in the last 10 years.

so... we're talking about 200 animals a day killed, according to their own figures..

more to come on that one.. once i have satisfied verification of figures.

christy - no, don't take it to the rspca unless you have no other choice.

Nerys


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## mEOw (Dec 28, 2006)

yeh, we'll take her in if she is still around when we come down and you havent found her original owners (if she had any) *shrugs* already got 6 cats, one more wont do any harm.. 
Owen


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## Plutino (Aug 5, 2007)

vet said it's at least 10 years old based on the teeth heh. Wasn't infested with fleas, just had a few and seemed to have a bad reaction, a lot of scabs all over the body though. Athravan's mom's gonna look after it til we can be sure that no one's missing a cat, then we'll probably just try to rehome it from there. Rescues around here have long waiting lists from what we've seen so far, and he mom's already got 5 so one more's not much trouble  Nothing major wrong with her though, should recover fully and be adoptable soon. It's just not worth the risk with rspca when we're perfectly happy to pay the vet bills and spend the time looking for a new home. Personally, I also find it hard to oppose them on one front, but then look for their 'help' on the other.


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

Shows how much I know about cats.. she's small so I thought maybe 6-8 months, turns out she's in double figures... oops.


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## zoe6660 (Jun 3, 2007)

sorry i havnt read all the thread but what i have hear and seen if the cat have any illness and they cant treat it they will put it down and the RSPCA got alot of animals dumped on them i kinda feel sorry for them.
if i seen a cat like that i would try and help it myself and i know my mam isnt fussy on cats she would do the same. its up to you what you think is best coz you seen the kitty lol


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

please, if you have to feel sorry for anything to do with the RSPCA, then feel sorry for the 200 animals a day they destory.. not the "charity" who have over £200 million in the bank they are waiting to hold a coup with..

N


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## Andy (Jul 27, 2005)

Just a quick one what can the RSPCA do with all the animals they cant rehome? 800,000 seems a lot but if they kept them all where would they go?


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Plutino said:


> vet said it's at least 10 years old based on the teeth heh. Wasn't infested with fleas, just had a few and seemed to have a bad reaction, a lot of scabs all over the body though. Athravan's mom's gonna look after it til we can be sure that no one's missing a cat, then we'll probably just try to rehome it from there. Rescues around here have long waiting lists from what we've seen so far, and he mom's already got 5 so one more's not much trouble  Nothing major wrong with her though, should recover fully and be adoptable soon. It's just not worth the risk with rspca when we're perfectly happy to pay the vet bills and spend the time looking for a new home. Personally, I also find it hard to oppose them on one front, but then look for their 'help' on the other.


Miliary dermatitis is caused by a flea reaction and can be horrible for the cat.

Sounds like you've got it sorted now though, I'm sure you'll find a good home for her!! Good luck! Let us know how she gets on.


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

thats something they could spend that 200 million on yes 

instead of sitting on it in the bank that is...

and tbh.. if they take 800,000 animals, with nowhere to keep them, then surely they are no better than the people they have taken them from?

N



Andy said:


> Just a quick one what can the RSPCA do with all the animals they cant rehome? 800,000 seems a lot but if they kept them all where would they go?


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## freekygeeky (May 25, 2007)

cat protection act or wood green RSPCA may put her down,


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## the-tick (Nov 27, 2006)

no no no no to the rspca we reported a cat we thought was a stray, and it looks like they took it and never tried to locate the owner and they put up missing notices.

And when we tried to check up on the rspca we were quite rude and patronising and told us we had no rights to ask about the cat we reported.

Ring the Cats Protection League


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## Andy (Jul 27, 2005)

Nerys said:


> thats something they could spend that 200 million on yes
> 
> instead of sitting on it in the bank that is...
> 
> ...


To be honest I dont think 200 million would be enough to house,feed and care for 800,000 for ten years animals but I know where your coming from. 200 mill would go a long way to helping some of them. But where do you draw the line?

Sorry Athravan!


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## pixie_bex (Jul 1, 2006)

I know owen and ems have already offered but if you need a new home for her you are more than welcome to bring her down to basildon with you and i will take her in 

x


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

Aww, thanks pixie 

Unfortunately she's not really eating or drinking today... had another vets visit, she has zero teeth in her mouth, not a one - and they were most likely removed with surgery... so someone had this cat when it was elderly and had bad teeth and spent enough money for it to undergo surgery to remove them, which makes me think, someone out there must care about her.

The bad news is she has exagerated breathing and she is on steroids now, and having a full x-ray on wednesday (don't ask how much that costs...) to check for any tumours/cancer etc. and will have her liver and kidney functions tested.

Going to start putting up flyers and trying to find her owners but if I hand her over the RSPCA now knowing that she has health problems and turned out to possibly be 15+ I know the prognosis won't be good 

So we'll see what happens.. will update with the xray results, hopefully if she's just elderly and doesn't need anything major done to her I will be able to look for a private home soon. She's also on the waiting list for the cats protection league which is 6-8 weeks!


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## Catherine896 (Jul 27, 2007)

Aww hope she is OK and that you can find her original owners.
Well done for helping her out!


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

I'm so pleased you are happy to foot the vet bills rather than just leave her where she was.
This is how we got our 'oldie'.
Her owners, who had had her for 10 yrs, decided she wasn't worth it any more and were going to dump her.
They did indeed dump her younger sister but Beauty came home after 4 weeks so we ended up with her.
She has allergies and seems scabby throughout the summer months. We flea her every 2 months with frontline but it makes no difference so the vet says the allergies aren't caused by fleas.

Good luck with her.


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

We had a result!! 

Reunited this moggy with a worried set of owners and her brother earlier.

Took a photo, printed it out and did door-to-door, got a result when someone recognised the cat as their neighbours. Left a message through the door and the owner rang back as soon as she got in from work.

The cat had only been missing 5 days but she is 15 years old and escaped through a window whilst the owner was cleaning and must have been too confused to find her way back.

The flea allergy is apparently being treated but is being very stubborn, the owner offered to pay for all the treatment I'd had done at the vet, and is going to follow up with the x-ray as her breathing has apparently gotten worse since being out but is possibly to do with the weather and getting a cold.

Her name was Misty and I am just glad there was a happy ending.


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

:no1: Well done Christie


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

That's excellent news! I'm so happy. Imagine if you had handed her over the RSPCA?? They might never have got her back.

That's made my night!!!: victory:


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

YAY!!!! I love it when a plan comes together WELL DONE U xx


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## loulou (Jan 18, 2006)

Thats brilliant news for the cat and the owners well done


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Try the local free paper they love a sob story and you may find she a\ctually does have a nice owner who really did lose her. Must be worth a go. The smaller RSPCA shelters tend to be better. The big one in Liverpool put the strays down on arrival if they are in poor condition ???? They call it on the vets advice. Poor Kitty someone must lhave loved her once


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## Catherine896 (Jul 27, 2007)

YAY! Well done thats such great news!!!


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## tokay (Mar 13, 2007)

try this place Home for manytears.co.uk
they WILL NOT put a animal down if it can be helped and they actually rescue dogs/cats on deathrow in the RSPCA shelters


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## tokay (Mar 13, 2007)

Ahh i didnt see that 
thats great news on reuniting the poor thing , well done :no1:


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