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When you can, perhaps you would be willing to write a letter to the board of directors of this rescue documenting your experience.
And to try again to get someone who cares to understand that this is a cat with health problems. (NOT a candidate for a barn cat as some suggested, as that would not solve the cat's health problems, and would be just plain cruel)
I am sorry the people you dealt with were so nasty. But these were store employees, not members of the rescue organization?
I also understand that your biggest worry is that Toby will not get the health care he needs. Considering this sounds like a cat flipping organization, we can only keep our paws crossed that his next owner will be equipped to deal with his health issues.
Perhaps...he had to stay with you for a few days...to keep him from going somewhere awful..while the time becomes right for the new perfect owner of Toby to show up.
Well that's the way I see it. Things happen for a reason. Toby will be okay. {{hug}}
NO...it was the rescue group employees who were so awful. They didn't even give me a chance to tell them what Toby's problems were, or what the vet I took him to did (gave him an antibiotic for the upper-respiratory infection he had). They just kept sayimg that this was MY cat, and asking why they just couldn't treat him and return it to me. Then, when it was clear I was returning him, they wanted nothing more to do with me. They should have apologized for "selling" me a sick one - and instead they were rude because I wasn't willing to keep him.
I made one last attempt with the driver of the rescue, who picked up Toby, asking him to have their vet call me so I could provide feedback. The vet never called.
I also asked about getting the $160 fee back, and they snottily said that when owners decide they don't want a cat after all, they can't just get the fee back. They made it sound as if I simply changed my mind.
My main sorrow is Toby. I know I only knew him for six days, but I'm afraid the rescue will just "dump" him onto another unsuspecting owner, and he'll be shuffled back and forth between homes. Poor thing.
I honestly think I need anti-depressants or something. I still feel so bad.
P.S. He was way worse than I thought. I've found urine puddles, too - and more poop in the living room and upstairs hall. It really was in every room in the house - a completely untenable situation.
P.P.S. I like your thought about his needing to stay with me for a few days to wait for his perfect owner to show up. It's a nice thought.
This is such a sad and terrible experience. To find a kitty that you want to love and take care of, and within days find out that you have adopted a kitty with these health issues. I have a few questions if you don't mind.
First, the shelter is 100% at fault here. The pet store is next. Didn't the poor kitty have the diarrhea etc. in the pet store ? Was the kitty very tiny and weak? The pet store should have noticed something! There is plenty of blame to go around; and I don't like using the term 'blame', but in this case it is necessary.
When you settled down in hopefully another day or so, and if you can deal with one more thing: report both the shelter and the pet store to the County or State Animal Control -- go as 'high' as you can to get the proper party to see that both are penalized, or shut down until they clean up their act. The powers that be WILL listen.
This is sad, you and this helpless kitty are in my prayers.
This is such a sad and terrible experience. To find a kitty that you want to love and take care of, and within days find out that you have adopted a kitty with these health issues. I have a few questions if you don't mind.
First, the shelter is 100% at fault here. The pet store is next. Didn't the poor kitty have the diarrhea etc. in the pet store ? Was the kitty very tiny and weak? The pet store should have noticed something! There is plenty of blame to go around; and I don't like using the term 'blame', but in this case it is necessary.
When you settled down in hopefully another day or so, and if you can deal with one more thing: report both the shelter and the pet store to the County or State Animal Control -- go as 'high' as you can to get the proper party to see that both are penalized, or shut down until they clean up their act. The powers that be WILL listen.
This is sad, you and this helpless kitty are in my prayers.
The kitty didn't seem weak at all. He was full of bubbly energy, chasing and jumping for a string for hours on end. He was scooting around the house, climbing up on things, etc.
I'm not sure the pet store did anything wrong, other than not show much sympathy. Toby DID seem OK there, and fine the evening I got him home. It was the next day the problems started.
But the rescue group....I think they're a big numbers operation. (The cats weren't evn given names....just numbers.) But i don't know that I'm up to dealing with the County Animal Control. What would I say? That they're adopting out sick animals? The rescue would just say that they made a mistake, and they took the cat back.
My only "standing" would be if, after I write to the Board of Directors asking for a refund, they refuse to grant it. Then I could say that they are passing off sick cats as healthy and pocketing the money. (Just imagine....they could keep adopting out poor Toby, collect the $160'- cash only - multiple times. What a cash cat!
I'll take a few days "off" and then write to the Board of Directors, asking for a refund and outlining my concern that they are adopting out sick cats to unknowing owners.
The kitty didn't seem weak at all. He was full of bubbly energy, chasing and jumping for a string for hours on end. He was scooting around the house, climbing up on things, etc.
I'm not sure the pet store did anything wrong, other than not show much sympathy. Toby DID seem OK there, and fine the evening I got him home. It was the next day the problems started.
But the rescue group....I think they're a big numbers operation. (The cats weren't evn given names....just numbers.) But i don't know that I'm up to dealing with the County Animal Control. What would I say? That they're adopting out sick animals? The rescue would just say that they made a mistake, and they took the cat back.
My only "standing" would be if, after I write to the Board of Directors asking for a refund, they refuse to grant it. Then I could say that they are passing off sick cats as healthy and pocketing the money. (Just imagine....they could keep adopting out poor Toby, collect the $160'- cash only - multiple times. What a cash cat!
I'll take a few days "off" and then write to the Board of Directors, asking for a refund and outlining my concern that they are adopting out sick cats to unknowing owners.
I was living in NYC when I adopted my cat and the Mayor's Council for Animals gave a dollar figure to each rescue that took an animal out of the city shelter - that's a dollar figure for each animal. They then get an "adoption" fee from people like us. Very, very bad shelters tend to have hoarding situations where as long as one of their fosters will accept another animal, they just keep sending them. The pet store sells a lot of pet supplies so they're usually happy with that.
We also had a cash only shelter that everyone who knew steered clear of. Half their cats were half feral and their kittens had a reputation for not living long. And they were so smarmy - we can only take cash today because a cat peed on our credit card swiper. Tee hee, so cute, and what BS.
Your instincts were good about the cash and the way they couldn't get rid of the cats fast enough. If you feel up to it, you should try to tell someone in the hope of savings all the Tobys who need medical help from people who seek to profit from them (and you).
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