Thoughts

A list of places that I recommend to people to surrender their animals if they have decided as a last option that they can no longer keep them. This list is in order of my preference and least likely to euthanase.

You

Try and rehome the animal yourself, advertise it on Facebook, ask friends and family, ask people to put the word out.

Cat Protection Society

Cats and kittens only, no kill shelter, surrenders by appointment only, located in Newtown, surrender fee.

https://www.catprotection.org.au/index.php/surrendering-a-cat/if-the-cat-is-yours

RSPCA

https://www.rspcansw.org.au/our-work/shelters/sydney

Cats, dogs (pocket pets and birds too I believe), unsure on surrender policy, animals in good health have a better chance, depends on availability of space, no surrender fee last time I checked.

Animal Welfare League 

Surrenders by appointment only, located Kemps Creek, I've heard that kittens have a better chance if they are vaccinated.

http://www.awlnsw.com.au/surrendering-a-pet.html

Various rescue groups

List supplied and maintained by Renbury Farm, they do not guarantee or endorse any of the groups.

http://www.renbury.com.au/rescue-groups/

Renbury Farm

Council animal holding facility (pound) for Liverpool, Fairfield, Bankstown, Camden City Councils, unsure on surrender policy, but surrendered animals do not have to wait the 7 or 14 days before they can be adopted, rescued or euthanased, surrender fee.

http://www.renbury.com.au/information/

Gumtree

You can sell animals on Gumtree, but legally they have to be microchipped (NSW law for selling or giving away a cat or dog). I strongly recommend against giving away animals free to good home as this attracts all sorts of undesirables and you don't know what will happen to them. Also if they can't afford/don't want to pay an adoption or sale fee, how are they going to feel about desexing, vaccination, emergency vet bills?

I'm as guilty of this as anyone, so here is a post on a topic lately that has had me thinking lately about why it's so important to decide what you envisage for your cat or dog for the rest of their life (10, 15 20+ years) and what ground rules you need to set for them from the start.

Based on my experiences when I adopted my first two kittens I decided on the following:

1. Indoor only (they seem happy enough indoors) 2. Not allowed human food (some of them are more okay with this than others) 3. Allowed on the bed and lounge, but not on the kitchen benches or dining room table (still working on this and the rangehood and the top of the fridge have been added to the list!)

Recently I had a client call up to ask if bathing her dog daily was a bad thing. The advice I normally give here is that you don't want to bathe them too often as it can strip the natural oils from their coat, to make sure that they're using a suitable product etc. After I explained this to them I started asking questions about why she was wanting to bath him so often, was he getting extra dirty, did he have fleas, was he an inside dog, what breed of dog was he. It turned out she was bathing him nightly before bed because this 8 week old Staffordshire puppy was sleeping on the end of her bed. I tactfully asked her if she planned on letting him sleep on the end of her bed when he was a 30kg dog to which she laughed and then said 'Ohhh'. I suggested to her that she should decide what her plan was for him and to start now and stick with it.

I told her about my two dogs, how one was small (Isa) and had free run indoor and outdoor, sleeping under the covers at the foot of my bed every night, then the second dog (Cookie) which was going to be larger was the same because they were together and very much bonded from day one. I moved out and they stayed and my sister had a baby and they were banished to outside. My nephew is now nearly 3 and they still bark and scratch at the back door because they don't understand and want to be back indoors with us. Their separation anxiety is so profound that when we drive in the car the smaller one whines the whole time because he's in the back and I'm in the front!

I also have a cat, Tora, whom I adopted when she was surrendered to a vet hospital I was volunteering at because she had fallen five stories and the owners couldn't afford treatment for her injuries. I'm starting to believe that the reason she fell was because she was trying to get outside after a change from being allowed outdoors to being a 100% indoor cat in an apartment. She sits at the doors and windows meowing to be allowed out and has health issues from stressing at being indoors, because the owners hadn't planned on her needing to be an indoor cat at some point.

Guy on the phone: Hi, I want to find out about something to make my cat sleep?

Me: You want something to help your cat sleep or you want to put him to sleep?

Guy: for him to sleep

Me: For him to sleep permanently? To have him euthanased? Put to sleep humanely?

Guy: Yes, yes, that one

Me: What do you want to do with him afterwards? Do you want to take him home, or leave him with us, or have him cremated?

Guy: We want him to sleep.

Me: So you want him put to sleep permanently right? Is he sick, is he old, is that why?

Guy: Yes, yes, he's very old.

Me: Okay, do you want to take him home to bury afterwards, or do you want to leave him with us to take care of?

*trying so hard to not use the words disposal or dispose of*

Guy: Yes, please, how much?

*Not getting into this again, I gave him the price for euthanasia and disposal just in case*

Me: Now, do you want to be present or do you want to leave him with us?

Guy: Yes, okay.

Some thoughts on grief after losing one of my own cats earlier this year and four foster kittens in the last few weeks.

I don't know what to say to someone who has just lost a loved one, "I'm sorry for your loss" or "I'm thinking of you and your family" just don't seem to cut it, but it's about all I can think to say and as diplomatic as I can be.

(Even using the words 'lost a loved one' bug me, as if you've just misplaced them, lost implies they can be found again, but they can't, they're gone. I've been trying to train myself to not use euphemisms, to use the words dead, died, euthanased.)

Apparently I'm not the only one who struggles "They're in a better place now", "I'm sure they're watching over you" and "at least they're not suffering anymore" are just as bad, if not worse!

But when it comes to animals people can be even less understanding!

Some of the consoling words I've heard from people that made me want to turn around and slap them even if they meant well:

"Oh well, at least you'd only had him for 2 months"

Because apparently that's not enough time for me to care enough when something dies.

*talking about why someone else will never get another cat* 

"their cat of 15 years died, it's different to your situation"

As if that somehow makes my grief any less valid.

"You know it's not your fault, these things just happen, you mustn't blame yourself"

Well thanks, I wasn't thinking that, but now that you mention it.

"You know technically it was only a stray cat right?"

Which means I'm not allowed to be sad??

A whole nation is allowed to be upset over the death of someone they've never met, but I'm not allowed to be upset over a week old kitten dying?

Yes, I bawled my eyes out after losing a kitten that I'd only had a week, but that was a week of hourly feeds, watching this tiny kitten grow, get more active day by day, just starting to open his eyes, a tiny little kitten entirely dependent on me for his survival and I held him while he died, unable to do anything, being the who said, yes, let's euthanase him, knowing that I had no other choice. Of course I cried, I wouldn't be me if I didn't and the day that I'm not upset by something like this, will be the day I quit vet nursing.

Minus 50 points for this guy:

*sitting in the waiting room of an emergency and referral vet with a 12yo German Shepherd about to be admitted for multiple major surgeries*

Guy: I love German Shepherds, we had them for years, blah, blah, blah, but they kept on dying so we have little dogs now.

Because that's appropriate waiting rom talk and just what we wanted to hear!

Lightning, my pretty kitty that I 'only had for two months', diagnosed with a fatal, incurable disease at 6 months of age :(

Guy on the phone: Hi, can I please speak to Trish

Me: Where are you calling from?

Guy: It's Roger from Acacia

Me: Do you mind holding and I'll check if she's available for you?

*checks with Trish and we're not interested*

Me: Unfortunately I checked with Trish and we're not interested.

Guy: Well, that's very diplomatic of you.

Me: Umm yes, sorry we can't help you.

Guy: And how long have you been working there?

Me: Ah, how is that relevant?

Guy: People can just talk can't they?

Me: Look I'm sorry but we can't help you, I checked and we're not interested.

Guy: Well you're devoid of all personality aren't you!

Me: Apparently.

"This morning I was woken up by the sound of this little one desperately meowing. Went outside to have a look and she was trapped on my neighbour's roof. Climbed up and rescued her before taking her to the vet. She is in good health and safe to say she has found herself a loving new home. Gonna name her Leeloo."

So a friend of mine also has a really big heart, rescuing this little kitten on the weekend. You can see the change in just a few short hours a bath (or two), being de-fleaed, a belly full of food and lots of cuddles, can make.

This surprisingly affectionate little girl, who turned out to be pure white, not the dusty white we originally thought, is a little on the skinny side, weighing in at 300g, has teeth already and happily crunches dry biscuits, so we're guessing she is between four and six weeks of age.

His big heartedness continued when little kitten was taken to the vet and she suggested that he a foster a kitten or two from them to keep her company while he is at work and to help teach her some social skills (she is already meowing for attention when you put her down and starting to play bite). He was reluctant at first but when the foster coordinator showed us some kittens he chose a little black female kitten that was closest in size to little roof kitten.

Introducing all of my babies:

Titan (Titanfall), MN, white and tabby, domestic short hair, 8 months. My first foster kitten that I bottle fed from when he was found at 2-4 weeks of age, but by the time he was finished being treated for ringworm he was 4 months old and of course I'd grown attached so he became cat number 3!

Tora (Toraline), FN, brown rosetted, bengal, 1 year 8 months, Surrendered to an emergency hospital when her owners couldn't afford her treatment after she fell 5 stories so I adopted her, making an even two boys, two girls.

Indie (Indelible), FN, grey, and Magnus (Magnus Bane), MN, black, domestic shorthair, 1 year 1 month Both adopted from the pound at roughly 8 weeks of age after being found and brought in from two separate locations. These were my first kittens :)

Isa (Isa-wana), MN, black (and grey), Jack Russell Terrier cross Poodle, 7 years 7 months My first puppy, in my final year of high school, he used to sleep under the covers at the end of my bed and has looked like a little old man ever since he was little.

Cookie (Cookies and cream), FN, white and liver spotted, German Shorthaired Pointer, 4 years, 5 months My second puppy after I moved back home, Cookie monster when she's in trouble and petrified of everything, despite her size, but especially other dogs, strange people and water.