Upset at the Ottawa Humane Society

[exsNohs]

I know exNohs. My post wasn't just directed to you. I just wanted to bring the situation to light so I don't have to be the mean-ol-mod.

I completely understand.

[exsNohs]

Okay, I think the point was that she had a screen and her cat went *through* it. No matter how much you watch your animal, you are still ASLEEP for several hours a night when you can't watch your animal.

I understand that, like I said before, none of my windows are never left open. I also have a very great alarm system. If one of my windows were open by just a little crack.. the whole system would go off. Not enough time for a cat to get in or enough space even with wooden sticks in my windows. It depends on how good you protect your house I think. My husbands in the navy so hes gone alot, and me, being the scardy cat i am about people braking in or being robbed and things.. I have my house very secured.

[VoodooJoint]

I had 2 cats go out through a screen many years ago. My (psychotic) roommate left the window open while she was home and I was at work. I came home, saw the window open (with a screen that was pulled away from the spline a bit on one side) and immediatly looked around the apartment for my cats.

They were gone. I spent hours outside tracking them down and luckily I found both of them. Even luckier they were both surgically altered.

Soon after that I kicked out my roommate--who sat on her butt the whole time I was looking for my cats.

[VoodooJoint]

I'm moving this thread to the kitchen.

[fairysari]

No matter how vigilant you are about watching you pet or securing your home, accidents can and do happen. The only foolproof way of preventing an unwanted litter is to have your pet fixed.

[smartorl]

Robberies happen when people aren't home, natural disasters happen, things happen. I fostered Hurricane Katrina dogs, one of the two came pregnant because she was house dog that had never been in contact with other dogs. She was a seven year old tiny mini daschund that had a very hard time delivering the puppies because of her small size especially not knowing what the father was as she was found running loose after the house was destroyed. Two years ago after the three major Florida hurricanes, my truckers hauled water down to Miami and brought back animals for two rescues to be fostered and hopefully reunited with their owners. Several that were with us for a while, while we searched for their owners were found (through microchips and vet records) came pregnant from being out of their homes after they were damaged or even sadly once rescued as sometimes several were housed together and accidents in sexing happened. Given the chance, animals will do what nature has bred into the to do, it is up to us who own them and share our lives with them to do what is best to keep them safe.

[diane]

About animals being indoors: I had a friend whose yellow lab was in heat so she locked her in the house. But when she got home she found a stray dog that had broken a window to get in. Her lab had a litter of 12. (she had her dog spayed after that)

Around Terre Haute IN there is a certain day each month where owners can drop off their pets and have cats fixed for 15 and dogs for 25. This helps low income families.

I have also adopted from the Humane Society they gave me a voucher that was good for $25 off. Which helps out.

Spay and Neuter are expensive for the fact that it is a surgery. They have to pay everyone involved. And it is better for the animals health.

When my dog was neutered it turned into exploratory surgery due to the fact that they could't find one of the testicles. It ended up being stuck in his abdomen.

[nonamian_girl]

exsNohs, are you saying that you NEVER open your window?

I just remembered that I had a cat as a kid, and believe it or not, he jumped out from our four story high apartment window and was okay.

exNohs, I see your point, but I don't agree, it is just NOT possible to watch an animal (or a child for that matter) every second of every day. Plus if you just had the animal fixed, you wouldn't HAVE to, and wouldn't that be so much easier?

[zambonigirl]

Cats are not easily watchable. They are tricksey little hobbitses who like to climb and hide and spend lots of time *away* from you. All of my cats have been little cuddley hobbitses who actually enjoyed human contact, but they still liked to be away from us for most of the time. They all got out at times. Our last cat, who died last year, would just take it into her head that she needed to go outside about once or twice a year, and while I would have two armsfull of groceries, she'd slip out between my legs, and then sit down on the door mat and sniff at it. I was lucky that it was all she did. My other cats would also escape as we were coming in, and they'd run off as fast as they could. Maybe not everyone in the world has a cat with wanderlust, but all four of mine did at some point or another, and that's either a very large coincidence, or it's pretty typical.

I also need to mention that none of my cats ever had actual access to the outside world. Being a stalwart SoCalsian, I'm an apartment dweller, and all I have for a "backyard" is a balcony. I am very thankful that all of my cats were fixed in their lifetimes.

[kathrynj]

From what I understand of it, female cats that are not spayed have a much increased risk of uterine cancer and other reproductive system issues?

Correct me if I am wrong, but I do believe it is in the cats best interests to be spayed, perhaps this is what they were speaking of when they referred to a health risk?

[sandra]

Originally Posted by kathrynj

Correct me if I am wrong, but I do believe it is in the cats best interests to be spayed, perhaps this is what they were speaking of when they referred to a health risk?

If you are talking about what the girl at the OHS told me when I got refused the adoption.....then yes I will correct you. She reffered health reason as in our cat could transmit a desease to the GP!!! Which doesnt make any sense at all. "Never" did she talk about actual cat health which shows how the OHS staff are not qualified at all for giving proper info.

Anyways that is a thing from the passed and doesnt even matter to me anymore...am very happpy with my 2 new piggies. I got to save 2 piggies instead of 1... All worth it.

[nonamian_girl]

Those are some VERY cute oinkies! How are they doing? You should make a thread for them in the introduction forum so we can ooh and ahh.