Not All Animal Rescue Societies Truly Rescue

I just took a look at this Web site—it has a nice, clean appearance, and reviews some really cool products for cats. Take a look, if only for the nifty cat swag.

But also, the author has written an article about Best Friends Animal Society and a recent rescue they have been working on. A case of institutionalized animal hoarding had been found, and Best Friends was brought in to help make things better

Animal hoarding is a weird aberration in which a person or institution (in this case, an institution named FLOCK), collect some type of animal, saying that they are only thinking of that animal. But instead of caring properly for them or trying to find good homes for them, the hoarder(s) maintain the animals in horrific conditions. The animals often die or end up completely frightened and confused—and that is just the tip of the iceberg. The conditions are truly, truly horrible, and the state in which the animals are when discovered requires a strong stomach.

To quote from the HARC (the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium at Tufts University), “Animal hoarding is not about animal sheltering, rescue, or sanctuary, and should not be confused with these legitimate efforts to help animals. It IS about satisfying a human need to accumulate animals and control them, and this need supercedes the needs of the animals involved.”

In this case, the conditions were as horrific as they get.

The story brought tears to my eyes. I have such a hard time understanding how people can harm cats, and I really don’t get the cat hoarding mentality. Yet it is a problem. A few months ago, I read of a case of cat hoarding that took place in Petaluma a few years back. The woman who was doing it said she was “rational.” Ha!

Because of these kinds of people, animal rescuers can get a little leery of cat hoarding, to the point where they can suspect it in places where it isn’t. I told an animal rescuer recently that I had four cats and she clearly thought I was on my way down the loony path, that it was only a matter of time before the authorities would be knocking on my door. I was bemused by her reaction. I do understand the fear, but my four cats are quite happy and healthy, and I really am rational. (I plan to invite her to my house to alleviate her fears.)

Is there anything we can do to help this problem? Of course! There are some genuine groups who are doing genuinely good things for animals, including no-kill shelters. If you wish to help animals, you can’t go wrong donating to them, or helping them out in some other way. Or, if you want to get more involved, there is probably a local animal rescue group you could volunteer for. These societies always need help.

One more side note: I am reminded of an article I once read about a couple spending $20,000 on an operation for their $4.99 goldfish—and the goldfish died anyway. As my wonderful sister-in-law said, there are a lot more socially responsible ways to spend that kind of money than on a goldfish. Much as I love my goldfish, even if I had that kind of money to burn, I wouldn’t spend it on a risky operation that had only a so-so chance of succeeding. Instead, I’d donate that money to a no-kill shelter, and save the lives of a large number of animals.

But do the research first to make sure you are donating to something that is legitimate. For example, do not donate to PETA, which is another horror story in itself. “PETA is against the no kill movement and euthanizes the majority of animals that are given to them.”

Since you may find conflicting reports about any given place, or you may have different ideas about what constitutes loving care (some places, for example, advocate not letting your animals outside unless they are in an enclosure, and you may not agree with that), you will have to listen to your heart to decide whether a place is doing more good than harm.