This is a sad, sad day.
There is no explanation on the RSPCA website to this major change of policy.
We are no longer able to take in stray cats, dogs, equines or farm animals. If you find a stray animal please follow the advice below:
• Dogs – contact your local authority.Now I gather the RSPCA like other animal welfare charities receives no government funding which makes this policy change even more bizarre, because all they have done by shutting their doors is push the problems onto other animal charities such as - Cats Protection League, Hillside Animal Sanctuary, Dogs Trust and even the SSPCA - the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
• Cats – visit our stray cats pages for more information.
• Equines and farm animals – contact the police.
The Scottish SPCA is entirely separate from the RSPCA, which operates in England and Wales only. There is no such charity as the 'RSPCA Scotland' or 'Scottish RSPCA'!
As someone who has supported the RSPCA over the years I am astounded, shocked and saddened at this change of policy - we have had both cats and dogs from their branch at Radcliffe on Trent - and was never happy that they only housed animals for 7 days before putting them to sleep, but now to just shut their doors is shameful.
A huge thank you to Hillside Animal Sanctuary for putting this information into the public domain.
Hillside already take in around 75,000 animals each year so the RSPCA shutting it's doors will only increase that figure, if you can make a small donation and help Hillside, please do so here and help them today.
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5 comments:
The RSPCA demonstrated its lack of commitment to preventing cruelty to animals when it launched the 'Freedom Food' label.
I'm not surprised at all. As far as I'm concerned 'Freedom Food' just means 'less cruel than 100% battery'.
Hillside do good work, but they are not the ones who get phone calls in the wee small hours because someone has found an injured animal. If we are to carry on taking in the animals who have NO chance if we turn them away we have to say that those who are someone else's responsibility must be treated as lower priority. Healthy stray dogs are the responsibility of the local authority dog warden and healthy "stray" cats are probably not stray at all.
I am very doubtful that the Radcliffe home really does put down healthy animals after 7 days - I know of no other RSPCA branch or home that does this and I think this is a misunderstanding of what we would normally do if a stray with very little chance of survival was brought in. If (for example) we took in a cat with chronic renal failure that cat might well have several months good quality life if he/she could be returned home but it would be cruel to put the cat into kennels with no reasonable chance of being rehomed.
If we take in animals because they have been neglected or cruelly treated we have a responsibility to give them first call on resources.
It would be entirely wrong to put down treatable neglected animals in order to take in more immediately appealing animals.
And in fact the Radcliffe's website states quite clearly that their policy is no different from other RSPCA branches:
"No dog is put to sleep to make room for another dog. Sometimes a dog may be at the shelter for a while but it is hoped that the right person will come forward to adopt them. Luckily Max did not have to wait long but his kennel will be filled again by another dog waiting for the chance to find the right person to come into their life."
Some of the animals they have listed have been at the centre for as much as 6 months.
The RSPCA is not shutting its doors to animals in need - the RSPCA exists to help sick and injured animals. Therefore, sadly there may be occasions when our centres cannot take on a healthy but unwanted pet.
The RSPCA is the only animal charity to take prosecutions against animal cruelty and the animals rescued from these horrific situations have to come first.
As a charity which recieves no Government funding, we don't have infinite space and money to help every animal so we have to help those most in need first.
RSPCA refused to even consider to take two cats I knew of about three years ago.
Their owner was in hospital long term. The cats were living in a tiny shed, surrounded by gardening equipment, being fed every other day by a family who lived 15 miles away, and never got to go out.
Just how in need do the poor creatures have to be before RSPCA will consider them?
I will never donate to this charity.
(Well done Colchester Cat Rescue, for coming to their aid, despite not really having the room themselves)
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