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by Suzyn Barron, President of Warwick Valley Humane Society, Inc.
Did you know, it takes a lot to get under my skin and get me angry. I am a slow burner and once the issue is addressed, I let things go. I do not allow myself to boil over at nonsense. But, there have been certain people who push the wrong button. I do not take threats lightly and know they are meant to push me to do what that person wants at that moment. Those that are successful is only because the animal comes first. I write this after a very disturbing phone call demanding that we intake a 20+ year old cat who is no longer using the litterbox. I suggested that the cat go to the vet, that there is a medication for incontinence if that is what it is. Not interested. I asked what would the shelter do with a 20 year old cat who doesn’t use the litterbox if its owner of 20 years no longer wants it?
I was told to put her in one of the rooms to live with the other cats at the shelter. Our free roaming cat rooms are not designed for long-term care, but rather for hopefully an easier transition to a home.
I then explained that the shelter’s purpose is to find homes for the homeless, that this cat has zero potential to be adopted by a stranger if its own family doesn’t want her and that we are not a sanctuary.
And this cat is only front de-clawed and has ruined the wood flooring in the home. De-clawed cats often stop using the litterbox in their later years and troubleshooting the issue with litter box and litter changes usually helps. Not interested.
This owner could care less about this senior cat because this person is a dog person! In my mind, this person is NOT a humane person at all with such disregard for the cat’s emotional and physical well-being. This little old lady cat that has been a family member for over 20 years. Do people not realize that one day they, too, may be old and have incontinence issues? Will they be removed from their home for being too much trouble to take care of. Perhaps.
So, the icing on this cake. The vet said this cat might have cancer, but the owner disagrees. I suggested that the cat go to the vet on Monday to be euthanized as we do not have a vet on staff to offer this closure. The response, “I’ll just use my own gun instead”. The button has been pushed!
Without further discussion, I said bring the cat to the shelter now, right now.
Sadly, no cat. When we called to let the person know our closing time, we were told that the other family member found out what was happening and said this person would need to find another place to live before the cat. I hope that holds true.
“The purity of a person’s heart can be quickly measured by how they regard animals” ~ Theophile Gautier
Pet of the Week:
Adoption applications are available at wvhumane.org or call 845-986-2473 for more information.
