This story tells it how it is. straight out. Please be a responsible pet owner... desex, microchip AND register your cat/dog!
story from brisbanetimes.com.au
This woman has killed 100 cats this week.
She had to.
Euthanasing cats and kittens is her business.
Melanie "Minnie" Layton is an animal attendant at the RSPCA's centre at Fairfeld.
Recent moves by the State Government to force councils to make it compulsory for people to register their cats by July 1 may be one small way of making her job easier.
However, if councils don't strongly encourage ratepayers to desex their cats - with hefty discounts for desexed cats in the new cat registrations - her job will continue to be as hard as it really is.
On the day we spoke it had been a hard day.
"The other day we had to euthanase 32 cats, primarily because there are just too many cats," Minnie said.
"And these were beautiful cats. There was nothing wrong with them - they were healthy, really beautiful cats," she said.
"And that is really hard to deal with because they don't deserve that.
"They deserve to live and be happy and healthy."
The irony for the Queensland's peak animal welfare organisation, the RSPCA, is that too many Queenslanders and certainly Brisbanites think cats and kittens are cute, but easily disposable.
When they become an inconvenience, they are dumped.
The RSPCA receives 18,000 cats and kittens each year and kills 12,000 of them by legal injection.
Minnie Layton's job is to clean up that mess.
For five days straight in a month-long roster, Minnie Layton puts cats and kittens to death.
Stray cats have a three-day shelf life, but if someone surrenders their own cat, they have just 24 hours.
And it is not pretty.
Unfortunately, it is pretty necessary.
The RSPCA would choke if she didn't do her job.
Minnie Layton might spend three days looking after cats and kittens and then, on the fourth day come and collect the cats that the vet marks with a big "C" on the chart above their stall.
They all go off to "Central", the centre at the RSPCA's Fairfield home where they are killed.
After that, the cats get an injection in the stomach with a legal mix of barbiturates.
And then there is the disposal.
"After the euthanasing we have to check to make sure that they have passed away," Minnie explains.
"And after that we have to look after each body and dispose of each correctly."
That part gets serious.
Every animal attendant has a soft side.
Later, Minnie says the euthanasing is a hard, but necessary part of her job - something that effects all her colleagues.
"They have images of cats they have euthanased going through their heads at night," Minnie said.
"And they always question themselves. Why? Why that cat?
"You just question the owners of the cats. Why didn't you get your cat de-sexed."
Perhaps surprisingly, Minnie does have pets.
"I have two cats, a dog and a fish."
help out here: RSPCA
5 comments:
Cute picture of the cat.
Every one of my cats & dogs is spayed/neutered. It just makes me crazy when I see people breeding their dog for profit or let the pet breed "just once" before spaying, so their children can learn about life or so that the pet can experience motherhood, just once. Dumb asses!!!
on a slightly different note...
Knowing what an animal lover you are, I didn't know if you'd seen these videos. You'll probably have to copy & paste the link.
http://video.yahoo.com/network/100000086?v=4340561&l=100000085
my favorite one is the dog, leopard cub and the piglet... if only humans got along so well!
Excellent post. The plight of animals in shelters is shameful. Each year, millions are killed in shelters, just to make room for more that will be killed as well. What the human species does to the animal world is disgusting and cruel. Until we treat all life with the respect and compassion that it deserves, we will continue to be barbarians, causing pain and suffering to any and all beings that we can, be they human or animal.
One of the most rewarding experiences of my life has been watching our "newest" cat, a 9 month old feral cat that we trapped, become the most loving - and I swear to you, appreciative - cat ever. There are days where I can only think that Dusty is trying to thank us for saving her from a miserable life.
Getting to know any animal is a beautiful experience. Knowing that you saved one is even better.
Hey Victoria, it has been a while since I dropped by (apologies) and I just wanted to let you know how much I admire your passion for the animals of this world. And you walk the walk as well as just talking the talk ... it just makes my day :-)
Thanks for your beautiful comments, I am truely touched.
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