“adopt, donate or send bleach.”

[Contrary1]

If you have any funds to spare, please try to help your local animal shelter. They are always in need of food, old blankets, towels, and as mentioned in the article, bleach.



Jack O'Lantern, an orange tabby cat, was thrown from a
car in front of the Humane Society of Elkhart County's
shelter over Halloween weekend.

b]Overwhelmed Elkhart, Ind., shelter euthanizes 600 animals in one month

"ELKHART, Ind.— Each day at five, staff members of the Humane Society of Elkhart County close the animal shelter and hold a meeting. And each day, like clockwork, they begin hearing a “thump, thump, thump” from outside.

That is the sound of pets being abandoned by owners who either do not want them or cannot care for them anymore.

Among the recent arrivals left in “drop boxes” — kennels that are accessible through doors on the outside of the facility — are Sweet Pea, a Chihuahua being nursed back to health from near starvation, a cocker spaniel named Cookie and a “family” of three pets left together — a dog, a cat and rat.

These animals add to the usual traffic of strays, rabid raccoons and animals rescued from abuse. When the drop boxes are full, the Humane Society finds pets tied up at the door, or — as was the case with a domesticated ferret — running around in the parking lot. Recently a whole litter of kittens was left in the Humane Society dumpster

With as many as 600 or 700 animals arriving each month — sometimes 30 animals in a single day — the facility, which has space for only 266, is in crisis mode..."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34117457/ns/us_news-the_elkhart_project/

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

1. Pets are also victims of this crappy economy n/t

[Naturyl]

2. I live on less than $700 a month and we have two dogs.

"Hard times" are no excuse to dump a companion animal, in my opinion. I know "hard times" intimately. The thought of dumping our dogs would never occur to me.

[Warpy]

3. My cats went a long time between checkups when I was broke

but I always managed food, water and cat litter.

They were rescued adult cats. There's no way I'd send them back to kitty Auschwitz for another go. Too few people adopt adult cats.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

18. No, its not a good excuse, but that's what we get.

My rescue group is struggling financially after taking in several dogs with cancer when their owners could no longer afford treatment. In some cases, it was undiagnosed because they couldn't afford more testing - like poor Cleo

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=11970413



Shameless plug for fundraiser:
http://sites.google.com/site/eastcoastasiandogrescueorg/home/bandana-fundraiser/christmas-samples

[jgraz]

4. I've got five rescues in my house right now.

3 are fosters, if anyone is interested. ;)



http://mickaboo.org/our-birds/frame2421.html



http://mickaboo.org/our-birds/frame2363.html

[bain_sidhe]

5. Everybody in our rescue group is doubled up

People who usually have only one foster, have two. People who can handle two fosters, have four. Me, I adopted my last foster dog and thought I was "full up" on animals - I really didn't think I could handle more than three dogs, and I didn't like fostering, so I'd been helping the group with short term "sitting" when fosterers have to go out of town or have a problem.... Well, I've got a foster now too. But he's just a little thing. No trouble at all (as I told my hubby when I broke the news that I was fostering again). Although another volunteer is doing all the adoption-related stuff (which is what I hated), interviews, checking references, home visits, and things like that.

(Meet Eddie: http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=14930827 )

[Touchdown]

6. I have to give up my cat. I think she's sick, and I don't know how to help.

After 9 years, she's getting less and less friendly. She never was very friendly to anybody but me in the first place. Skittish isn't the word I'd use. More like paranoid. She's always lived inside, and never been hit, but she'll startle easily with the slightest moves. She growls at car crashes blocks away, but thunder doesn't faze her. She never wants to be petted, never wants to sit on laps. She used to snuggle in my crotch as long as she was on solid furniture, but she doesn't need that anymore.

Se never sits still for me to brush her, and so there's a mat just before her tail that I can't clip off, since she can't settle down. She's been a puker, sometimes twice a day for a couple of years. I started buying her expensive food 9 months ago, but the "human grade" food makes her wipe her ass all over my rugs. It seems she's bound and determined to destroy my house no matter what.

I have a feeling she's in pain, but I don't know what to do to make her happy anymore, and the only reward I get for keeping her is expensive food, a full shit box and racing stripes on my carpets. I know nobody else would want her, since she's such an unfriendly cat, and I also know at 9, she'll probably die at the shelter before she's adopted anyhow. I can't take her to the vet and put her down.

I was going to give her to the Denver Dumb Friends League. They're a good shelter, and have modern facilities. I was going to make a donation to them when I say goodbye. I know, by a number of posts here and elsewhere, animal lovers are the most judgmental people when someone gives up their pet. As such I'm afraid of the lectures and browbeating from some goody goody who has more humane compassion than God... just ask them. They don't know her, and I'm liable to cause a scene in the shelter when I'm there.

Problem is... I've been thinking about this for 3 months now, and I still can't bring myself to let her go. A friend with two cats (and has had dozens of others in her life) said to think of it like a divorce as opposed to child abandonment. I suppose that helps, but I still get conflicted.

[alstephenson]

7. Have you taken her to the vet for a check-up?

I don't mean to be judgmental, but a cat being dropped off at a shelter these days is really a death sentence, especially for a skittish 9-year old. So many people are forced to give up their pets due to circumstances beyond their control - please reconsider the shelter or putting her down. You're "conflicted" for a reason.

[superduperfarleft]

9. Take her to the vet.

You're conflicted because you know it's wrong to abandon an animal you've been entrusted to care for.

[Touchdown]

10. And so it begins.

I've taken her to the vet. She's been checked for diabetes, thyroid trouble, and a battery of others. The only advice I was given is limited food, but she doesn't over eat.

Again, you don't know me or my cat. Fuck you!

[superduperfarleft]

11. How is people attempting to help this poor cat a personal attack on you?

Your cat will die in a shelter. You know it, I know it, and everyone who bothered to respond to you knows it. What were you expecting, a pat on the back?

You should see some of the animals I live with, animals who are far more damaged than occasionally puking (as always, due to prior abusive situations). If you truly love your cat, she should be more important than a carpet or the fact that she's not up your ass 24/7.

But whatever. Let someone else congratulate you on your decision, I won't. And please, don't ever adopt another animal again.

[Touchdown]

14. You are not attempting to help a poor cat, you are beating up on her owner.

I was not expecting anything other than an ear and an understanding that I am having trouble with this. That is apparently too much for you to understand, Mr. Walk-on-water.

She has always been hateful. She has always been destructive. She hisses at everybody, and sometimes even me. Aside from being fat, she has no physical problems. She has never been psychologically evaluated though. She might have a mental disorder from birth. I've had numerous dogs and cats in my life, and I've never had one like her.

Yuo come off as if anything wrong is always the human's fault. It could never possibly be that any human is being held hostage by an animal. I can't invite anybody over. I'm embarrassed to have such a mess in my house... excuse me, her's.

You want to put your sanctimony to use? Take her from me. Give her your home. Give her your love. I will pay for a plane ticket and $250 for vet bills for you.

If not, you're nothing but hot air.

[Gormy Cuss]

16. Of course Touchdown knows that she's likely to die in the shelter.

That's what makes it so hard.

[Contrary1]

13. Hey Touchdown...just a couple suggestions:

You might switch her back to her old food gradually, or maybe a mixture of half and half. Cats are really weird when it comes to diet. The newer food may not agree with her, even if she seems to like it.

Also, you said she had been checked out. Was that since this newest change in behavior? I have a kitty who all of a sudden didn't care to be held or petted, stated eating less, and throwing up a lot. Turned out he had a couple really bad teeth in the back.

Maybe it could be something as simple as that. Good luck with her.

[Shell Beau]

15. If you've had the cat for nine years, I think you just need to ride it out.

You never know what kind of pet your animal will be, but when you take it, you are taking on that responsibility. Unless the animal is vicious and a threat to you or others, then I think that cat is yours forever. At least that would be my philosophy. Take her to another vet. If you think she is sick, after 9 years, I feel like you may know better than your vet. See another vet for a second opinion. If she is in pain, it needs to be dealt with. Good luck.

[superduperfarleft]

8. At least they get to a shelter.

In my neighborhood, people just drop them off on some random stranger's porch. My recent rescue was clearly an indoor cat who was declawed, and he lived on my porch for about a month.

The longer I'm around people, the more I like my cats, even the screwed up ones.

[tammywammy]

17. I had 5 cats show up hanging around my house a few months ago

I got set up with a local group they covered getting them fixed and a rabies shot, I just had to trap them. I was talking with my next door neighbor and we both noticed they all showed up when this new family moved in. A couple of them are skittish, but one's super loving and the other two are in between. I feed them and now they're all fixed. I didn't want to take them to a shelter, cause even though I refuse to say they're mine (though I feed and pet them), I knew they'd be put down (even the sweetie one, it's just not likely they'd all get homes).

edited to add: I have two indoor cats now, and one was a shelter cat. She was pregnant when I adopted her and that's where the other one came from. I got good homes for the rest of her litter and she was fixed as soon as possible after giving birth.

[damntexdem]

12. Send bleach? What's wrong with the colors the animals are already?

;-)

[Contrary1]

19. **Update on this story** :)

:woohoo:

Occasionally, all you have to do is speak up, and help arrives.
After we reported Tuesday that the Elkhart Humane Society was overwhelmed by abandoned animals, the shelter saw an outpouring of support that was also overwhelming.
In one day’s time, the organization received some $12,000 in donations and arranged a dozen new adoptions, boosting the total for November to 42.

“Seriously, my staff was crying,” said Rachel Dennis, the society’s assistant director. “It’s just been amazing. Help is pouring in from all over the place.”
In addition to the cash donations, some people offered to help find pet-food sponsors, a dog bakery owner offered to donate a portion of holiday proceeds, and e-mails have arrived from other parts of the country from readers who wanted to adopt. Dennis says one man wrote from California, saying he wanted to adopt a dog and was willing to pay the shipping — so they are working on those arrangements. Among the just-adopted critters is Buddy, a golden lab who recently recovered from being attacked by another dog, and Rudolpho the ferret, who had been abandoned in the Humane Society parking lot.

Some readers who saw the photos and video had specific adoptees in mind. Most sought-after, according to the mail, was probably Sweet Pea, the Chihuahua who was being nursed back to health from near starvation. (For all of you who expressed interest: He can’t be adopted until he’s fully recovered.)
We also received mail from readers around the nation saying that they are seeing the same problem in their own communities — shelters are full, and animals are suffering in this recession.

“This is what we were talking about this morning,” says Dennis. “We hope (our experience) sparks other humane societies to stand up and speak out.”

http://elkhartprojectblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2009/11/25/3546018-money-pours-in-rudolpho-gets-a-home