Victoria – this isn’t good enough

Dear Sir / Madam,

I need help or some advice? I work in the Coburg area and behind my work is a family of cats (dad, mum & one kitten left) living in the lane way behind a number of shops. Some of the shop owners have built a shelter (which is quite good) The mother cat is expecting again any day. I have been feeding the cats every now and then as they are also fed by a local shop keeper (given fresh meat and chicken). They don’t really belong to anyone. I am willing to pay for the female cat to be spayed once she has her new batch of kittens but I don’t know what to do with the kittens once they arrive. Previously some of the shop owners have taken the odd one or two. I have contacted the cat protection society and another similar organisation who inform me that they would just put them all down. I would appreciate any advice you may have. As I stated I am willing to pay for the female to be spayed – do you know of a vet that would do this for an alley cat? Thanks and any advice appreciated.

What you have – a compassionate person looking for help, willing to act as a cat caregiver.

What Victoria cat ‘welfare’ groups have offered her – to kill the cats.

This isn’t even close to good enough. This is the kind of person you should be grabbing and engaging and using to better the lives of cats in your state; not fobbing off by telling them you’ll kill the kittens she’s willing to help you to save.

If your state’s laws aren’t what you need, then every Victorian animal group who is killing because of this outdated legislation, should be on the streets protesting until the laws are changed. You, as the spokespeople for cats, need to be demanding that these cats are offered protection and that you are granted permission to care for these animals.

If your shelters are full in 2011, just as they were in 1970, then guess what… you’re doing it wrong. If the best you can offer a compassionate community member looking for help, is to offer to kill some cats, then guess what… you’re doing it wrong. If you’re killing kittens, when other communities have all but dried up their kitten supply through outreach desexing and community cat care, then guess what… you’re doing it wrong.

The cats of Victoria need groups who do more than claim to care, and take millions of dollars from the community in the name of ‘cat welfare’, bu then in reality do little more than act as garbage disposal for local councils, taking on trapping contracts and killing thousands of cats annually.

The cats of Victoria need groups who genuinely champion those policies that protect cats.

The cats of Victoria need a hero.