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Issue with Cat Rescue !HELP!
I'm unsure if there is where this post is to go, this seemed the most likely but if I'm wrong feel free to move it to the correct category.
I'm having an issue with a cat rescue in Hamilton, ON. But first I'll give you the details on the cats. I feed the feral cats in my neighbourhood, nothing special just some dry food so they don't starve. There was one fellow... he would come by everyday and he was such a friendly guy. He came as much for the attention and pats than for the food alone. One day he brought a friend with him, a very cute yet painfully shy female. When I noticed she was pregnant, I slowly over a week coaxed her inside the house and put her on a diet of wet and dry food. She settled in nicely, to the point if I opened the front door, she'd run the other way. Since she had decided she was going to live with me, I chose to name her Princess. She'd follow me everywhere and loved to be pampered. On June 24th at 3am she gave birth to her litter of 3 kittens. 2 females and 1 male. The male and one female were close to being identical twins. The male had two grey marks on his head but was otherwise white, the female had one grey mark on her head the rest was pure white. I named them Mark (male) and Dot (female) the third kitten, also female, was long-haired, fully grey with the exception of a very small white bib. I named her Puffy. The cute story ends there. My income source wouldn't allow for me to keep four cats, as much as I would've loved to. So I did a Google search for rescue places in Hamilton and came across one that had '******' in it's name. Seemed perfect. I contacted them and said I would like to have the two kittens adopted out if they were capable of doing so. A few days after their 8 week 'birthday' the woman came to collect the 2 kittens and offered to have Princess and Puffy to get their needles as well. Since I had asked repeatedly for the cost of this prior (to which she never replied) nor had she mentioned any cost when she picked them up I made the incorrect assumption that the rescue would be paying for it. So she picked up all of my cats, promising to return Princess and Puffy the very next day. The very next day I get a Facebook message saying the cats had fleas and she wasn't going to give them back until I could prove to her I had had my apartment fumigated. She also added that the Vet cost for the needles was $50 per cat. Since I'm on a very limited income I offered what I could at the time, a 50/50 split, the first half to be paid then and there. The second half to be paid at the end of September. She refused this, still saying the apartment had to be fumigated. Since I live in a multi-unit dwelling, I'm not allowed to do anything like that. The Landlord at the very least must give permission, or more to the point the landlord would be the one responsible for doing it. This left me no choice but to contact a legal clinic, who in turn asked me to call the Hamilton-Burlington SPCA. After speaking with 2 people there who told me in no uncertain terms that she could not withhold my cats for fleas, they advised I contact the Hamilton-Wentworth Police. So I did and opened a Theft report, but they weren't very willing to do anything except speak to the person. They considered it more of a civil matter. Nevertheless an officer went to speak with her, at which point she said she was withholding the cats over the money, not fleas. He suggested I come to a compromise with her about the money. I tried again, explaining to her my source of income and told her that I could pay in two installments. Once again she refused. Skip ahead a couple of days and she has now said that if I don't pay her the $100 she is going to put my cats up for adoption on Sept 14th. This of course causes me to freak out. So after a bunch of phone calls, I end up pawning my TV so I could get the money I was short. So then when I tell her I have the money, she decides that I now owe her boarding costs of $10 a day as well. Saying that she's had my cats for almost a month. She's had them for 12 days and not by my choice either... I haven't left them there, she's refusing to give them to me. So then I get a letter offering a compromise, she's found a home to adopt Puffy into. Therefore I only have to pay for Princess' vet bills. This is of course unacceptable to me, they are both my pets and I want both of them back The poor police officer has been out to see her 2 or 3 times now. Each time he sees her he tells her she has no right to hold the animals because of fleas OR money. However, he still also won't arrest her because I gave her my cats willingly in the first place. Apparently it doesn't matter the circumstances or what happened afterwards. I've tried contacting her twice now, saying I have the $100 but the new line I'm getting is, and I quote "One of the rules that all rescues go by is that no un-spayed cat is returned to the owner." She knows full well that she caused Princess to miss her spay appointment with the HBSPCA's geared-to-income Spay-Neuter clinic. Am I nuts to think something isn't right here? All the flea stuff I read said it wasn't safe for a pregnant cat and shouldn't be used on a kitten until it was 12 weeks old. I've purchased something called Diacemaceous Earth, a natural pest killer powder. Harmless to people and animals. If she had informed me of the costs beforehand for the vet stuff, I could've found another way to get it done, or at least had one cat done at a time. I'm at a loss here, I don't know what to do. I want my pets back, but this lady seems to be going out of her way to stop me each time. I say I have the $100, she wants $125. If I came up with the $125 I get the feeling she'd find another reason to raise the price. Anyone have any thoughts? I'm running out of time. The officer on the case isn't back at work until the 14th, and I really don't trust this woman with my cats. HELP! Last edited by growler~GateKeeper; September 13th, 2012 at 12:58 AM. Reason: removed potential identifying reference, mention of names leads to slander/liability issues |
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OMG what a nightmare for you! I have no idea what you should do but I'll see if I can find someone who might be able to give you advice. Hang tight! You clearly love cats and have a big heart....you shouldn't be punished like this by someone so nasty.
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"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb “We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler |
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Something does not feel right. I reread your post and saw you had called a Humane Society. Last edited by growler~GateKeeper; September 13th, 2012 at 12:59 AM. Reason: references from quoted post |
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I did buy some Diacemaceous Earth, an all natural; safe for people and animals; pest killer. It's basically fossilized fresh water organisms that contain silica and on a microscopic level are very sharp. It kills by getting onto the pest (any bug with an exoskeleton) and forcing it's way in their bodies. At which point the pest dehydrates to death. Sorry, I figured I'd explain it in case anyone ends up here by accident looking for flea solutions. And if there are, you want the food grade variant. A medium container cost me $27, and if you're in Hamilton and want to know where to buy it, you can PM me. To get back on track, No she didn't provide anything in writing. I didn't sign anything. I didn't even know there was anything I needed to agree to, so as far as a verbal contract all I have is her saying she would return them the next day. Yeah, it looks like I'm going to have no choice but to show up at this woman's house (where she runs the [rescue] from) with a friend, a camera, and probably a phone call to the police. Hopefully tomorrow will be emergency free in Hamilton. Regardless of how this all went down, she is a fairly older lady and I don't want to appear to present some sort of threat to her. I just want my kitties back and to never hear from her again. It appears I may have been 'victim' to one of those people that do this as a hobby and are not actually proper 'rescue shelters'. Last edited by growler~GateKeeper; September 13th, 2012 at 01:03 AM. Reason: remove potential identifying reference, names can lead to slander/liable |
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Last edited by growler~GateKeeper; September 13th, 2012 at 01:05 AM. Reason: references from quoted post |
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So you're being punished for giving those kitties a hand. That is awful. Now I'm worried about where the other 2 little guys are going since it all seems so weird. In good faith you got in touch with a rescue and this happened.
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" How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven." - Robert A. Heinlein |
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I am staying out of this story as I am aware of the [rescue] the OP is speaking of and know individuals working with them. I've heard nothing but good. Hard to remain neutral.
However, the repeated push of Diatomaceous Earth is bothering me. I urge anyone wanting to use this product to ensure you have the food grade earth. Any other mix is deadly to cats/dogs. It is a good product and has been used by humans as well as for pets but please educate yourself on it before using.
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Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me. We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD! Last edited by growler~GateKeeper; September 13th, 2012 at 01:06 AM. Reason: removed potential identifying reference, mention of names leads to slander/liability issues |
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