RANT: Kinda ticked at the Humane Society

[Folly's place]

I think the OP did the right thing. He did ask the neighbors if anyone recognized the cat, and had no takers. The friend in rescue will/ should check for a microchip, so if one is found, kitty can go home.
Many cats are dumped 'out in the country' and it's a rotten thing to do!
The woman at the shelter was either having a 'bad hair day', or was the jerk staffer that so many businesses and organizations will have. It might be interesting, as a regular contributor, to complain to the director. Overfull or not, she could have been more polite and helpful.
Mary

 

[townchicks]

I'm sorry that she was rude to you, and this is not an excuse, but it is very hard to work in the rescue field sometimes. There is even a psychological term for it. "Compassion Fatigue " If this is a no kill shelter, they do indeed get full. In order to take more animals, some have to go out. Thanks for doing your part by getting your cat from them. Believe me, though, that lady has to deal with a lot of jerks and morons everyday, who are dumping animals before they go on vacation, because the kids got tired of them, because they got a new one and the old one doesn't like it, and any number of reasons that are just plain stupid and really mean that the person doesn't care about their pet. After all, some jerk just dumped this cat out to fend for himself, right? Sometimes, people just snap. You don't know what else she may have had to deal with that day. Humane societies are just private groups that are trying to do the best they can, with what they've got. They do not get funds from the government or a "national" humane society. Maybe you can cut them some slack. Good on you for taking it on yourself ( and your friend) to get this cat to a safe place.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

this might have been mentioned already, but just an FYI that the "Humane Society" (HS) and the "Humane Society of the United States" (HSUS) are NOT the same organization

The HSUS is a lobbying group that trades in misleading advertisments, etc. Here's a link I found when googling just now that explains it a bit more:

https://www.humanewatch.org/what-local-humane-groups-say-about-hsus/

note: I have no affiliation with the link above or either of the organizations mentioned, just sharing info

So. . wonder where all that money goes?

I am going to be the turd in the punch bowl by saying this but.... You baited and placed a trap, and caught a stray cat. Why take it to the animal people? Why do you assume a cat needs rescuing, and why do you assume the shelter people are the solution. Certainly put it out of your own sight and mind. Assuming a cat needs "rescuing" was your first mistake. Taking it in to those people was number two. What did you expect? Let the damned thing out and on it's way and you would have avoided a lot of ass pain. The shelter is the place we take unwanted animals but the humane society is more likely to kill it than any other group I can think of. You did that cat no favors. I am sure this will not be a popular opinion.

Well. . I get what your saying here but personally I wouldn't wanna leave it be to roam around my place. She says she lives in the middle of nowhere. . it's more likely that it was dumped. It will be looking for something to eat and chicken might be on the menu.

I'm sorry that she was rude to you, and this is not an excuse, but it is very hard to work in the rescue field sometimes. There is even a psychological term for it. "Compassion Fatigue " If this is a no kill shelter, they do indeed get full. In order to take more animals, some have to go out. Thanks for doing your part by getting your cat from them. Believe me, though, that lady has to deal with a lot of jerks and morons everyday, who are dumping animals before they go on vacation, because the kids got tired of them, because they got a new one and the old one doesn't like it, and any number of reasons that are just plain stupid and really mean that the person doesn't care about their pet. After all, some jerk just dumped this cat out to fend for himself, right? Sometimes, people just snap. You don't know what else she may have had to deal with that day. Humane societies are just private groups that are trying to do the best they can, with what they've got. They do not get funds from the government or a "national" humane society. Maybe you can cut them some slack. Good on you for taking it on yourself ( and your friend) to get this cat to a safe place.

Maybe. Or maybe the lady is just a wench. lol.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

So. . wonder where all that money goes?

"HSUS puts more into its pension plan and Caribbean hedge funds than it gives to pet shelters. Between 2012 and 2014, HSUS put over $50 million in Caribbean investments while also putting nearly $10 million into its pension plan."

that info taken from here:
https://www.humanewatch.org/10-things-you-should-know-about-hsus/

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Yeah, the entire animal rescue system is a little messed up.
Don't get me wrong, they've done some good work;
In the last 30 years the number of euthanized animals in shelters each year has dropped drastically, from something like 20+million a year in the 80's to 12 million a year in the 200's to only 7 million a year today.
HSUS sponsored a bill in my state, which I read in it's entirety, that shuts down bad puppy mills without shutting down private in-home, show, or working dog breeders or large-scale operations that take good care of their animals.
And there's probably a real chance that the shelter literally had NO room for another cat at ALL. Cats have it the worst.

But there's so much wrong with the system in it's entirety and the people who work in it can just be genuinely AWFUL people. I spent a year trying to find a puppy to rescue and was turned down by nearly every rescue for having unfixed livestock and a farm. Some of them even chose to chew me out for it. 9_9 Like, where do they think their dog food comes from!?!? Farms! My sister has a friend who lives in a fancy suburb, owns an expensive house, great job from her husband, stay at home mom, has an immaculate pet history, experienced with big dogs, trainer lined up, and SHE couldn't get a rescue dog. It's nonsense.
And big groups like HSUS and such put as much money towards terrible garbage campaigns against pet owners and farmers and responsible breeders as they do sponsoring bills like the one in my state.

All in all it's pretty lame. And you're not alone in your experience.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Yeah, the entire animal rescue system is a little messed up.
Don't get me wrong, they've done some good work;
In the last 30 years the number of euthanized animals in shelters each year has dropped drastically, from something like 20+million a year in the 80's to 12 million a year in the 200's to only 7 million a year today.
HSUS sponsored a bill in my state, which I read in it's entirety, that shuts down bad puppy mills without shutting down private in-home, show, or working dog breeders or large-scale operations that take good care of their animals.
And there's probably a real chance that the shelter literally had NO room for another cat at ALL. Cats have it the worst.

But there's so much wrong with the system in it's entirety and the people who work in it can just be genuinely AWFUL people. I spent a year trying to find a puppy to rescue and was turned down by nearly every rescue for having unfixed livestock and a farm. Some of them even chose to chew me out for it. 9_9 Like, where do they think their dog food comes from!?!? Farms! My sister has a friend who lives in a fancy suburb, owns an expensive house, great job from her husband, stay at home mom, has an immaculate pet history, experienced with big dogs, trainer lined up, and SHE couldn't get a rescue dog. It's nonsense.
And big groups like HSUS and such put as much money towards terrible garbage campaigns against pet owners and farmers and responsible breeders as they do sponsoring bills like the one in my state.

All in all it's pretty lame. And you're not alone in your experience.

Exactly correct.
I'm in missouri the puppy mill capital. The rescues and shelters here keep the mills thriving.
It's so much easier and cheaper to go get a mill puppy then dealing with a shelter.
Then the millers dump their used up or sick dogs in the system.

 

[happyfrenchman]

I concur.... the people that are at the shelters... I feel for them, but they are (IMO) a large part of the problem,... There is no way they would let me get a dog because I have an unneutered dog at home. They would want him to live inside, preferably with air conditioning.... they give you a questionnaire to make sure someone will be home with the pet........ That is messed up. They mean well I suppose. If some stray cat is walking around I would not mess with it unless it went after something.... most likely it is there eating rodents so the animal control people would probably describe it as being neglected and malnourished. People that think a stray animal should be brought in for rescue, are kidding themselves. Might as well toss that cat into a meat grinder. Animal lovers kill more animals than any.

 

[nsteinpfad]

I'd take the kitty! Too bad I live 2500 miles away...

 

[LittleMissCountry]

Where I used to live, the Humane Society was awful. We adopted a cat for my daughter's birthday present. She picked out an orange tabby, fixed and vaccinated. Four days later the cat gets sick and we take it to our vet. She has a fatal disease. The vet advised us to take her back so they can euthanize her. The Humane Society refused to refund our money, insisting she just had a respiratory infection, despite seeing the lab results by our vet. They were going to out her back up for adoption. We ended up taking her back to our vet to be put down.

The Humane Society where we live now is amazing.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Where I used to live, the Humane Society was awful. We adopted a cat for my daughter's birthday present. She picked out an orange tabby, fixed and vaccinated. Four days later the cat gets sick and we take it to our vet. She has a fatal disease. The vet advised us to take her back so they can euthanize her. The Humane Society refused to refund our money, insisting she just had a respiratory infection, despite seeing the lab results by our vet. They were going to out her back up for adoption. We ended up taking her back to our vet to be put down.

The Humane Society where we live now is amazing.

What a nightmare.

Exactly correct.
I'm in missouri the puppy mill capital. The rescues and shelters here keep the mills thriving.
It's so much easier and cheaper to go get a mill puppy then dealing with a shelter.
Then the millers dump their used up or sick dogs in the system.

howdy neighbor. Yup. Tons of unwanted pets in our state . . and tons of people trying to turn a dollar on pups.
Some friends of mine wanted to adopt a dog from our local humane society. They made the mistake of answering their questions about other pets when asked. .yes they have some barn cats that they don't keep medical records on. They are barn cats. A dime a dozen. Guess what. They could not adopt a dog unless they caught any and all barn cats on their property and showed records of all their shots up to date etc. etc. Plus pay a pretty chunk of change for the adoption.
A dog missed out on a good home that day.