Reality TV in reality - RSPCA Animal Rescue

> Especially when big business and big projects are allowed to go ahead and destroy huge amounts of bush/forest area and destroy millions of native animals homes and habitat.

& on that one…we agree. 🙂

I don’t think that that is too much to ask of cats (cat owners) either.

But it seems that a lot of the restrictions on humans are very tokenistic.Especially when big business and big projects are allowed to go ahead and destroy huge amounts of bush/forest area and destroy millions of native animals homes and habitat.
Money always seems to be a bigger priority unfortunatly.

Of course humans are the worst..I won’t argue against that. That’s why we impose rules & regluations on humans when it comes to protecting the environment….no littering here, no fires there, no vehicles in this area, no access to that area, no shooting here, no fishing there, etc. It’s not too much to ask that cats (& really, cat owners) should live by rules too….confinement to houses/yards, not being out at night/early evening & morning, being desexed, eradication of ferals, etc.

I understand perfectly well what you are saying but I still disagree.
I think that BOTH are issues of concern and both lifes should be valued.

and just a bit of food for thought:
(from: http://www.users.bigpond.com/berrime/wildcats.htm)

Rightly or wrongly, environmental groups and councils have increasingly called for the confinement of cats to prevent their predation on birds and other wildlife. Cats do impact on wildlife, like humans they kill to eat, but there has been a great deal of misinformation and propaganda about the true harm they cause. This debate has become so heated at times, fueled by a minority of vocal cat haters who often have the ear of government, that people have lost sight of the fact that it is humans themselves who are the real culprits. Massive, ongoing and largely irreversible damage to the environment by human activity is the main reason for the loss of wildlife, the impact of cats being infinitesimal in comparison. In fact if given a choice, cats do what they have done for millennia, which is to prey mainly on rodents and rabbits, the so-called pest species that humans have spent millions trying to control. “

> By that rationalization your life is then inherently less valuable than, say, the life of a Yanomami person?

If I (& those like me) & the Yanomami lived in the same area & were being actively hunted & killed by an effecient, ruthless predator…then yes, the Yanomami persons life really is more valuable than my own. I reckon I’d even throw myself in front of said predator to save the last of the Yanomami if it came to that.

> Who is to judge what makes on animals life more important than anothers?

When it is the survival of the species under threat, surely you can concede that the life of the last of its kind is more precious to protect than the life of say, a cow, which is one of hundreds of millions the world over?

> And on a side note, I am sure that far more cows are murdered by humans on a daily basis than native wildlife are murdered by cats.

We breed cows for food (breeding animals for food is another debate altogether). Some of these native species are under direct threat of extinction. It’s a massive difference.

The RSPCA has an excellent wildlife service, with carers across Canberra. The after hours number is 0413 495 031.

As I understand, any wildlife carer with a licence in the ACT is not legally allowed to care for roos or snakes, that falls to TAMS.

So why does a crappy little town like Qbn (and surrounds) have such a good service, and ACT has not such a service?

The wildcare service in Queanbeyan is only for animals in NSW though. You have to call ACT rangers for roos and snakes in Canberra

Qbn has an excellent Wildcare service. They have a 24 hour phone, and advertise their number and tell people to put it in their phones. It sure works, injured roadside roos are phoned in within minutes. Around Xmas I had a brown snake trapped in netting under the house, and it wouldn’t die. So I rang Wildcare and they had a bloke round in 30 minutes who got it out and went off with it. Thing with Wildcare is, they have a really active group of volunteers.

#28 – best thing i’ve read in a while – thanks for the laugh

I have trapped a feral before with a trap hired from the RSPCA, and I did not experience what you did aussielyn. I bet they were glad I brought the cat in before it had a chance to breed, and I certainly did not receive any dirty looks. The staff member that I dealt with was most pleasant considering the unpleasant task she had ahead.

Part 1) Never mind domestic animals; not too long ago I found some injured native wildlife – a bird. Wires asked me to drop it over to the nearest shelter myself, but unfortunately I was on the bike. The person they sent over was a volunteer (who was quite pleasant, no dramas there) but it sounded like a bit more money allocated to them wouldn’t have hurt.

Part 2) Saw some kittens (2-3 months old maybe) hanging out in a roadside storm drain in Hume a few nights ago. Can’t say they looked like they had a home nearby. People here seem to have opinions on the critters. What to do?

I used to catch feral cats in a trap and take them to the RSPCA for them to turn them into blood and bone. I would release neighbours cats if trapped, pity I could not tag them! At that time I had a pond in my front garden, with fish, that cats would have a turf war over. You would not believe what ferocious beasties are out at night.
I gave up trapping the feral cats because of the looks I would get when I arrived at the RSPCA. They absolutely hated me even though what I was doing was humane. I guess they have a big conflict of interest when it comes to the most efficient predators on our fauna.

argh. please excuse my typos! I really need to proof read more.

justbands said :

> I still don’t get why our ‘native wildlife’ is seen as more deserving of life or more important than the lives our all the other animals that are slaughtered on a daily basis with no one really seeming to give two hoots.

Many native animals are under extreme threat of extinction. Cows are not.

By that rationalization your life is then inherently less valuable than, say, the life of a Yanomami person? Doesn’t really fly with me.
To me, all human life is valued equally and just the number of any race, for example shouldn’t factor in to their worth.
The same applies for animals in my opinion. Who is to judge what makes on animals life more important than anothers?

And on a side note, I am sure that far more cows are murdered by humans on a daily basis than native wildlife are murdered by cats.

DAY 752 – My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal.

I give our cat fresh meat.

DAY 768 – I am finally aware of how sadistic they are. For no good reason I was chosen for the water torture. This time however it included a burning foamy chemical called “shampoo.”

Who washes a cat?

DAY 765 – Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their hearts.

This part makes sense. 🙂

> I still don’t get why our ‘native wildlife’ is seen as more deserving of life or more important than the lives our all the other animals that are slaughtered on a daily basis with no one really seeming to give two hoots.

Many native animals are under extreme threat of extinction. Cows are not.

I still don’t get why our ‘native wildlife’ is seen as more deserving of life or more important than the lives our all the other animals that are slaughtered on a daily basis with no one really seeming to give two hoots.

Because they’re not as tasty?

Thank you FC. You’ve made my day.

I fear that the current economic context will lead to even less government funding for organisations like the RSPCA, while donations from the community are likely to also decline. Add to the the increased likelihood of people dumping animals they claim they can no longer afford to care for at the RSPCA to deal with and the future looks grim for this charity. Anyone who goes to our local RSPCA will see that they are already operating fairly close to the bone. I hope the next ACT Budget won’t leave them out in the cold.

My cat is strictly indoors and cat enclosure only.

But I’m damn tempted to let him out to severely impact on upon the local birdlife… considering that all the birds I see are Indian Mynas.

#28 made my day. Haven’t laughed that hard in a long time!

EXCERPTS FROM A DOG’S DIARY

Day number 180
8:00 am – OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
9:30 am – OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
9:40 am – OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!
10:30 am – OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
11:30 am – OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
12:00 noon – OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
1:00 pm – OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE!
4:00 pm – OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
5:00 PM – OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
5:30 PM – OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE!

Day number 181
8:00 am – OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
9:30 am – OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
9:40 am – OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!
10:30 am – OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
11:30 am – OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
12:00 noon – OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
1:00 pm – OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE!
4:00 pm – OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
5:00 PM – OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
5:30 PM – OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE!

Day number 182
8:00 am – OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
9:30 am – OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
9:40 am – OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!

EXCERPTS FROM A CAT’S DIARY

DAY 752 – My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant.

DAY 761 – Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded, must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair … must try this on their bed.

DAY 765 – Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was…Hmmm. Not working according to plan.

DAY 768 – I am finally aware of how sadistic they are. For no good reason I was chosen for the water torture. This time however it included a burning foamy chemical called “shampoo.” What sick minds could invent such a liquid. My only consolation is the piece of thumb still stuck between my teeth.

DAY 771 – There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the foul odor of the glass tubes they call “beer”. More importantly I overheard that my confinement was due to MY power of “allergies.” Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.

DAY 774 – I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The bird on the other hand has got to be an informant, and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room his safety is assured. But I can wait, it is only a matter of time…

The (ACT government run) pound doesn’t euthanase feral cats – that is left up to the RSPCA, a charity.

Surely managing feral cats in the ‘Bush Capital’ should be taxpayer funded as with other feral animals like rabbits?

I guess this really is the truth about cats and dogs.

So, given that most people in Australia live in cities (say 90% of the population), and assuming that cat ownership is distibuted evenly between city and country dwellers, that means we have “at least” 2.7 million cats in Australian cities.

I reckon we would notice the 81 million dead animals lying in the gutters of our cities each year. (And that doesn’t count the ferals either!)

No one is contesting whether or not cats kill native wildlife.

If you want fluffly figures from unreliable sources, try this on:

Research indicates that nearly 50% of domestic cats do not hunt at all. Of those that do, nearly 40% catch rats and mice only. 24% catch introduced birds. Only 4% of domestic cats catch native birds. Stray cats mainly eat rats, mice and garbage (F Seymour, ANZFAS article)

> Well it’s probably always the same arguments because that’s thr truth… Ever thought about that?!

Ever thought about the truth that cats really do kill native birds & animals? Yes, well fed, surburban cats. Many studies have shown this, google it. They differ slightly…although generally speaking they reckon each pet cat kills on average 30 native critters every year. There are at least 3 million pet cats in Australia. That’s a bucket-load of killing…around 90 million animals….each & every year. Oh..& that’s just domestic cats…feral cats number more than 5 million!

But my cat isn’t called Tiddums…?

If pinning blame onto domestic cats makes you feel better, go nuts. It’s just naive to think that the domestic cat is a major cauase for diminishing native wildlife numbers.

If you want to blame cats, blame these cats http://www.promuts.kz/tehnika/PR_724.jpg

It’s always exactly the same arguments…. “Not my Tiddums”, “Not a problem in surburbia”, “Humans are worse”, “Dogs kill too”, “Blah blah blah”.

Well it’s probably always the same arguments because that’s thr truth… Ever thought about that?!

I could have posted all the pro-cat replies myself. It’s always exactly the same arguments…. “Not my Tiddums”, “Not a problem in surburbia”, “Humans are worse”, “Dogs kill too”, “Blah blah blah”.

or as much as humans do.

I still don’t get why our ‘native wildlife’ is seen as more deserving of life or more important than the lives our all the other animals that are slaughtered on a daily basis with no one really seeming to give two hoots..

justbands you can’t just say that all cats kill. All animals kill and it’s just an instinct, it can’t be helped. My dog loves chasing birds and if she catches one then she will harm it. It’s just want animals do. I agree with PsydFX – well fed suburbian animals do not harm our native wildlife as much as animals roaming the streets do.

My partner and I have cats and they don’t ever go outside (Actually my partner hates outdoor cats because of what they can do to the native wildlife) If the cats do go outside its supervised and only for 5 minutes to play in the grass, or they have collars and leads on and can’t go very far. Its not the cats fault, its the owners who let their cats roam around and eat the birdies.

In answer to the initial question, I am not sure that there are any other services. about 6 months ago I found an injured bird when walking my dogs, for some reason he wasn’t able to fly away and all his mates had left him. When I called up the wildlife rescue they said that they just didn’t have the resources tos end somebody out to collect him so we had to go for a Drive to the RSPCA to drop him off.

I think other than the pound collecting stray dogs there isn’t much else out there.

So you’re saying in the middle of suburbia cats have a major impact on our native wildlife?

> I honestly think that in the middle of suburbia, well fed outdoor cats have a minimal impact on our native wildlife.

Wrong. Remember, cats don’t kill to feed…they do it for fun. Well fed or not, cats enjoy killing….& there’s plenty of birds & animals in suburban Canberra for them to get hold of.

my dog kills birds too, but you dont hear anyone saying “kill all dogs!”

I honestly think that in the middle of suburbia, well fed outdoor cats have a minimal impact on our native wildlife.

The only way to stop them would be to keep them inside permanently….which simple doesn’t happen I’m afraid.

Actually I know at least two cat owners who do exactly that. Yes, it doesn’t happen very often, and I detest cats outdoors as much as the next native bird lover, but let’s not tar them all with the same brush.

I think we are actually in agreement in a lot of ways about the cat issue, justbands. I have two cats who live inside and who have an external cat enclosure to play in. They don’t kill animals. People who want to keep pets should take responsibility for making sure those pets do no harm to others by providing appropriate facilities for their environmental participation, as it were. And bells are not enough.

Trouble is weeziepops….you don’t have to be an irresponsible owner for your cat to be a killer. ALL cats are killers. In fact, that’s the biggest problem with them….I’ve never met a single cat owner that actually admitted their Tiddums killed birds & animals. It’s always someone elses cat. Wrong. All your cats kill, at any given opportunity. The only way to stop them would be to keep them inside permanently….which simple doesn’t happen I’m afraid. So yes, love animals…hate cats. Well…I hate cats being in this country I should say.

Love animals, hate cats? Does not compute. Cats are animals. And people who let their pets breed and live outside unchecked and are basically irresponsible owners are to blame for wildlife being killed by domestic pets.

> If that’s the way we deal with things how bout we kill all the annoying people who value animals lives as worthless.

I hope you’re not referring to me. I love animals..love ’em. I just hate cats, mostly ’cause they kill so many of those animals that I love.

If that’s the way we deal with things how bout we kill all the annoying people who value animals lives as worthless.
In killing them, it will be better for every animal tortured and slaughtered to feed their craving for flesh.

I’m still confused as to how a cat gets stuck in a wall?

Because cats are stupid.

There are a lot people I know how donate to the RSPCA here. I’m one of them. But I also know a lot of people who think it’s much better to donate to say the Smith Family or the Salvos (which I also do), and to an extent it is as there are a hell of a lot of people who need help. But animals are just as important and people need to be made aware of the fact that they need help too.

I’m still confused as to how a cat gets stuck in a wall?

Thanks for your practical suggestion. Just sledgehammer through the wall and beat it to death or do you recommend we all keep a gun or two handy for such instances?

> for a person who finds a cat (not necessarily their own) stuck in a wall?

That’s an easy one….kill it. Better for the cat (out of its misery) & better for every small native animal & bird in Australia.