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| Fancy, a rescue from HAS |
I know people do these things. It's an unfortunate circumstance of human nature, but we can do pretty awful things to the creatures in our world... not to mention to other humans. I was going to do an update post, but I think more than anything, I need to just talk about some of the things I need to get off my chest.
Rescue can be VERY hard. I've cried so many times seeing the horrible situations these precious little animals find themselves in, and know that somebody DID that to them, and of course it makes me sad, it makes me angry too. I could go and rant and rave to the world, but I think that people are already well aware of the hideousness that can be contained within the human psyche. I always prefer to try to focus on hope, and on healing, and keep things in the positive... if all I did was think about the bad, I don't think I could do this. Many days it feels like it will never end, and that things will never improve or change. It's a big task we set ourselves, in all kinds of animal rescue... helping animals recover from what is almost 100% of the time a horrible situation caused by HUMANS. In all likelihood, even under the most ideal conditions, we will never fully eradicate this.
The No-Kill effort is something that people in the rescue community widely advocate, and many are working to see Hamilton become a no-kill facility (with little to no traction). In many communities who have adopted the no-kill mandate, conditions have improved immensely for animals that are put into shelter situations, and the options in these areas grow. I am a strong believer in this effort. But I also know that it's not going to eliminate the need for animals to be rescued... and it's definitely not going to eliminate the darker side of human nature. People will continue to do horrible things to each other and to animals. It's a sad fact of life. I can't bring myself to pretend that the NEED for rescue or for animal cruelty laws will ever change..
There will always be low-income areas, where people don't have (or don't know they have) access to low cost spay/neuter, or know their rights concerning having pets in homes, or be able to afford to get Fritzy medication for his allergies. There will always be ignorance, and cruelty, and neglect. For as long as we live in modern society, these things will be a factor. There will always be a need for rescue.....
And rescuers... what a passionate, inspirational bunch of people. They come from all backgrounds and have all types of methods, but when it all comes down to it, they want to rescue cats. Many pay out of their own pockets, take much time from their own busy schedules, and they willingly accept the chance that their hearts may be broken because the cat they tried to help didn't make it, or couldn't be helped. This is a chance they willingly take, because rescuers know that when things DO go well, and even when they don't, they made a difference in the life of an animal, if even for a little while. THAT is what we do it for. THAT is the ultimate reward.
Something that saddens me, is that human nature element of things. Rescuers are people.. They all have the same purpose, but not all have the same methods, and not all share the same philosophies and beliefs about the specifics. It's almost like politics... Some are hard right, some are hard left, and many are in the center about things, and sometimes this causes issues and infighting. I may be criticized for writing this, but it's inevitable when you get such a diverse group together, and give them a communication platform like Facebook, altercations will happen. It's nobody's fault, really, and I understand human psychology enough to know that it's inevitable. But I think the tensions of this incredibly intense kitten season has made everyone a little edgier and trigger-happy than usual, and it does boil over into these communications. That's when it's time for everyone to step back and say "whoa....folks, what's going on here?"
We are all doing this for the same purpose. Not everyone will agree on the methods. Everyone is desperately trying to do their best to play a part in making things better. None of us have unlimited resources or abilities. If we did, I'm sure this problem would already be solved. We all contribute what we can, when we can, and it continually blows my mind when people make out like what's been done isn't enough. "Thank you XXX for saving this cat, but why didn't you save that other one TOO?"..... What? Really!? Step back and ask yourself, don't you think that if XXXX could have saved THAT cat too, they would have? Rescues are VOLUNTEER organizations run on DONATED MONEY, and that is NOT easy to come by. If it was easy, every person who cared about it would run a rescue. We are not miracle workers. We can't make vet care, foster homes, and food fall from the sky by doing a sacred cat dance to the gods. Does anyone seriously think for ONE moment that every cat that we couldn't save doesn't haunt us in our dreams at night? Does anyone think for a second that we aren't sad when we can't save them all? The positively HERCULEAN efforts of the amazing people who run these rescues isn't enough for some people it seems, and it's really really SAD! THAT makes me want to cry as much as the thought of the cats we couldn't save! We all bear our hearts open to be continually sliced open, then poured over with iodine.... we do the very best we can, and it's still not good enough? They often put their lives aside to do the work they do... and it's not good enough? All I can say to those who are critical of the people doing something is... STOP. If you can't appreciate the efforts made, if you can't be thankful for what IS done, STOP being critical and start doing what YOU can to help. Want to see more cats saved, foster. If you can't foster or you already do, help recruit more fosters. Do what you CAN. Being critical and nit-picky about how rescues save cats or what cats they save DOES NOTHING TO HELP THE CAUSE - THE CATS. If you don't like the way that the rescues are doing things, and have a better way to do it, please feel free to start your own! This isn't like small businesses where new kids on the block are competition. HECK NO! I guarantee there's not a rescue in the world who is sad when MORE groups come together for the common cause. We just CANNOT forget what the purpose is, even though it's stressful, even though it's HARD to see that not every single cat can be saved. It's certainly NOT for a lack of trying. Watching the efforts rescues go to to pull enough cats to avert a vet day, seeing the planning and coordination and shuffling these people do to try to accommodate yet one more cat or sick kitten when they are already bursting at the seams... Maybe not everyone can see this effort, but it's time to start APPRECIATING this effort a little more. Even one cat pulled is ONE MORE CAT SAVED!!! And for some small rescues, even taking on one extra cat can stretch resources. How can anyone fail to consider that these people also have to take into account the animals they already HAVE in their care, and they have already committed to providing them with all their needs until they find forever homes? Cats certainly don't get adopted at the rate they are taken in, even by the most successful rescues. Capacity is an issue, and any responsible rescue will not exceed their capacity. They do what they can, when they can. I just can't understand why that isn't enough for some people.
Another disturbing trend is the criticism of the "everyday guy" who dumps their cat or doesn't get it fixed because they're poor or don't know any better. Yes, these people exist. I've been poor. I've struggled. I've had to scrimp and save to buy food, or pet food, or get things done. It's a reality of life. But most of these people are NOT the enemy. They don't realize the larger picture of the impact of that one small act of putting their cat outside because they have to move somewhere it can't go. To them, it's just one cat. We in rescue see the bigger picture... we deal with it every day. We are so deep in the trenches we can't see anything else. But we have to remember that not everyone in the world is as immersed, or as passionate, about this as we are. That doesn't mean they don't care, or that they wouldn't if they knew better! It just means that they can't see things with our cat-colored glasses. You catch more flies with honey. If we educate people, and instead of excluding them and pointing fingers at them, we find ways to help make them PART of the solution. Help them to find the resources that are available.. teach them a better way, even one person at a time, this is how ideas spread. I have yet to meet someone who was uneducated NOT be receptive to the message of rescue once they know those resources exist. MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT AWARE OF RESCUES!! They think rescue, they think the local SPCA. Rescues, volunteer groups on limited budgets, don't advertise themselves... With what money? But talking to people about solutions and doing so in a way that they can feel involved, even if it's just spreading the word. We start doing that by dealing with EACH OTHER in a respectful way, in a way that promotes the positives... Not divisiveness.
It's like that facebook experiment, where they showed more negative stories than positive ones for a week, and people got depressed? It's the same general idea when showing your "brand" to the public... We, as rescuers, need to pull together and show a united front. Set aside egos and differences, and focus on the fact that there's a lot of work to do, and the longer we sit and point fingers amongst ourselves, the longer that work is left undone. Concentrating our efforts on the changes we CAN make, doing what CAN be done, and appreciating what is done by others.. those elements are the key to moving forward the agenda that brings ALL of us together. Let's keep our eyes on the prize people!
And do those of you who run rescues, all of them. THANK YOU. Thank you for taking on the stress of organizing a bunch of volunteers, who can be like herding cats, and are still human afterall. Thank you for making the effort to bring in money, and deal with the organizational side of things, and doing the bits that not everyone can. THANK YOU for keeping track of vet records, making appointments, and dealing with fosters. THANK YOU for having to make tough decisions, and still carrying forward. THANK YOU for taking on the difficulties that can be involved in dealing with cats, the potential heartbreak, the 2 am emergency phonecalls, and the disappointments when you did your best and nothing helped. The burden you bear is something I have respect for, because you're STILL doing it, and you keep carrying on even through tears. Please don't stop.
To the foster parents, THANK YOU! Thank you for cleaning up poop and pee and litterboxes... Thank you for toughing through being sick to take that cat to the vet for it's spay, thank you for taking time out of your life to give that cat his medication, and being bitten in the process. Thank you for bandaging up that scratch you got from a scared cat, smiling, and soldiering on. Thank you for being willing to let go of a beloved foster to go to a forever home, even though you're sad and will miss them because they were a piece of your heart. THANK YOU for being there with them, when they draw their last breath, because even though you did everything you could, mother nature takes some anyways and you can't save them all, no matter how hard you try. THANK YOU for every tear you've shed to make a difference in an animal's life.
To other volunteers, THANK YOU! Don't think everything you do doesn't make a difference. Even sharing a post on facebook can mean the difference for a cat in need. DOING something is always better than just talking about it. Even the little things cannot be overlooked, because every brick is needed to hold up a wall, and volunteers are extra bricks needed to keep it strong.
We're all here for the same purpose. It doesn't hurt to feel like our effort is worthwhile. We don't do this to make other people happy, we do this for cats, and for the feeling it gives us. It can be hard enough without negativity. Let's lift each other up. It's going to be a long hard kitten season. We could all use a helping hand.
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