Hey guys, so I might be in a bit of hot water here, but I need to share this. I work at a local animal shelter, and it feels like all we do is love the dogs, while the cats are kind of ignored. They’re euthanizing cats for minor medical issues like a URI or a fixable injury, but the dogs? They’ll let them suffer for days until they can get treated. I couldn’t just stand by and watch it happen, so I went behind their backs a couple of times. I asked a rescue friend to pull a little kitten with a URI instead of euthanizing it. Then today, a cat came in with a seriously injured tail, and the hospital staff said just to euthanize it. I spoke up, and thankfully, a supervisor agreed to post the cat for rescue instead. But then another supervisor came in yelling at me for ‘superseding’ the vet staff. She said it would be cruel to make the cat wait in pain for a few hours for rescue to tag it. I just think it’s crazy to euthanize a healthy, friendly cat just because it needs a bit of a tail amputation. I mean, if I get fired for doing what I believe is right, then so be it. The hospital staff only give pain meds, and they would’ve just put the cat down. They seem to want to euthanize instead of treating these animals, and I feel like it’s because they don’t want to deal with them. I walk into the hospital and see them playing games on their phones instead of helping animals. Anyway, I’ll keep you all updated if I end up losing my job.
Wow, that’s really messed up. How can they justify euthanizing for such small issues?
Haven said:
Wow, that’s really messed up. How can they justify euthanizing for such small issues?
IDK, right? It just seems so unfair to the cats. They deserve a chance just like the dogs.
@Griff
Totally agree. I can’t believe they’d let a kitten with a URI be put down. That’s just sad.
What do you mean by ‘superseding’ the vet staff? Like, are you not allowed to question them?
Alexander said:
What do you mean by ‘superseding’ the vet staff? Like, are you not allowed to question them?
Yeah, exactly. Apparently, I’m not supposed to go against what they say, even if I think it’s wrong.
I get that some medical issues can be tough, but letting animals suffer is just cruel. You’re doing the right thing.
Lin said:
I get that some medical issues can be tough, but letting animals suffer is just cruel. You’re doing the right thing.
For real. I wish more people spoke up like you. It’s so important to advocate for these animals.
Do you think the shelter has any policies that protect you for speaking out about this? Seems risky.
Sawyer said:
Do you think the shelter has any policies that protect you for speaking out about this? Seems risky.
Honestly, I don’t think they have any real protections. If I get fired, it’ll probably just be for ‘performance issues’ or something.
Seems like there’s a serious issue with how shelters operate sometimes. Thanks for bringing this to light.
Wolf said:
Seems like there’s a serious issue with how shelters operate sometimes. Thanks for bringing this to light.
Yeah, it’s a shame. Animals should come first, not the convenience of the staff.