Prayers, Please and Maybe Suggestions?

[Sue and Kids]

Thank you, Tambrey, for sharing about our kitties on Facebook. I added you as a friend. I did stumble onto another group on Facebook I didn't know existed: "Finding Forever Homes in The Black Hills". I was accepted into their group and will be putting info about the cats in there soon.

I got an OK from our Director to go ahead with Petsmart, if I wanted to deal with the paperwork. I talked to the Petsmart manager and he said to go online to fill out an application. I went on and started the application, but there is a lot of info I don't have (tax number, date incorporated, etc.). The application is done in sections and it won't let me leave areas blank to come back to. So I'm stuck on Page 1. I'm going to call the Petsmart manager tomorrow (he wasn't in today). I'll ask him to email me the content of the full application, so I can take it to our director and get the info in one session. She isn't well and I don't want to be making multiple calls to her. Cross your fingers that we can get this all done soon.

We are having a fundraiser meeting on Friday. Rita and I are going to ask for help from the members, to see if they would be willing to socialize with and/or help place the cats. The director said it's fine with her. We'll see what happens.

Thanks, everyone for your information and support. I've got several things going at once, and this old lady is getting confused!

Sue (And Kids!)

[Sue and Kids]

Hi, everyone. Just a short update, in case you're interested...

At last Friday's meeting, Rita and I asked the members if anyone could come help in the Cat Rooms. We said, even if they didn't clean, we needed people to socialize with the cats. We did get two ladies who said they would come in periodically to help. Cross your fingers...

I have gotten into the Facebook Group I mentioned before, and from there have been referred to two other related groups. Our kitties have been discussed but nothing concrete yet. I've had one lady interested in one of our cats. But I've learned not to hold my breath.

I got documentation from the Petsmart manager. Wow! It was a 28-page PDF file. I've been busy with doing cat stuff on the Internet in the evenings. I plan to spend a large part of my day tomorrow trying to condense down what information I need from the Director. She has told me to call any time. So I hope I can get that going.

Please keep our precious kitties in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you for sharing them on Facebook and for all the infomation and encouragement.

Sue (And Kids!)

[Traci]

Kudos to you, Sue, for taking the reigns, and just keep telling yourself, only 17 cats, that number is relatively low.

I have a burning question though, why the h - e -double-toothpicks isn't the director giving you leads, client lists, supporter lists and assisting you through this? She's been a "director" all these years, and now she can't even give you leads on contacts?

Sorry, not directed at you, I just can't wrap my head around her failure to act.

Your kitties are always in my thoughts and prayers, stay committed, they are depending on you and your fellow cat ladies.

[k9Karen]

I had another idea. Do you have access to any public bulletin boards (at supermarkets, Laundromats, your place of employment, your friends' or relatives' places of employment, apartment complexes, city or county parks, etc. - anywhere someone put up a bulletin board. Even Craig's list or other local on-line sites. Where I work we have a physical bulletin board (which is HUGE) near one of our employee entrances and also an intranet bulletin board. Ask around and talk to your friends and neighbors - get as many people as you can to post in places they know about.

Also, have you considered contacting one of the local TV stations? They sometimes do features on places like yours on slow news days. It can't hurt to ask.

[Sue and Kids]

I just can't wrap my head around her failure to act.

Traci, I'm at a loss to understand the Director. She has taken good care of the cats all these years but wants to make no effort to help me (or them). It's like she can't relinquish control, no matter what the consequences.

Thanks for the input, Karen. I appreciate your thoughts.

One of the most difficult things about this situation is our Director is adamant that we not do any advertising in our town. No bulletin boards and no news stories, either by newspaper or TV. She told us that advertising doesn't bring people to adopt but instead, causes them to dump more animals on her.

I know. I don't follow that logic at all. We have to obey her edicts because she has physical control of the cats. I don't want to take a chance of her being irrational and doing something drastic.

Presently, I'm wading through the PetsMart application. I know this should be something the Director should be doing, but if I don't do it, it won't get done. I just hope I have sufficient information to complete it.

I have been given the contact name and phone number of a person in a very large rescue organization, and I'll be calling them. I've also found another organization called "Rescueme.org". Have any of you heard of it before?

stay committed, they are depending on you and your fellow cat ladies.

I'm still plugging along, although I have to admit the lack of response is discouraging sometimes. But I love these kitties and will only give up if I run out of ideas. If they are threatened with being destroyed, I have even considered calling the ASPCA. The cats are not being mistreated now but I consider killing healthy kitties just because they have nowhere else to go, "cruel".

Thanks for the support and prayers. They mean a lot.

Sue (And Kids!)

[Traci]

My guess is she doesn't want exposure via media because it would reveal her failures. Her logic doesn't fit, since the HS is I assume, officially closing at some point, so there's not going to be any "dumping". She's not divulging something, keeping things from the open, and none of it is benefitting the kitties.

Any contact you can make with rescue organizations can be helpful, as they can also provide more contacts in their network circle. Local can be hard, so think outside of the local area. I'm really quite surprised no one in your local area has asked questions of what's going on, since in a small community, word gets around quickly (the director's illness for example, and questions about what is she going to do with the HS etc).

Karen's ideas are good, but please stay away from craigslist if possible, especially if considering requests for adoptions. There are weirdos and freaks out there with NO GOOD INTENTIONS.

I really think the director needs to give up some control here - and media usually always gets the attention of caring people who want to adopt, there's something truly wrong with someone who denies her charges the chance for adoption and happy loving homes, she's not doing right by them.

[Sue and Kids]

there's something truly wrong with someone who denies her charges the chance for adoption and happy loving homes, she's not doing right by them.

I totally agree, Traci.

Any contact you can make with rescue organizations can be helpful, as they can also provide more contacts in their network circle. Local can be hard, so think outside of the local area. I'm really quite surprised no one in your local area has asked questions of what's going on, since in a small community, word gets around quickly (the director's illness for example, and questions about what is she going to do with the HS etc).

I can't explain this town's apathy toward animals. Maybe people new to town don't know about us. Honestly, I don't have many friends here, since I'm such an "animal person". If questions have been asked, I might not be aware of them. I really wish the Director would give up at least some control. If we could advertise in town or on the media, more people would be aware of us and the situation.

I'm going to make contact with the big organization I mentioned before (the North Shore Animal League). A friend of mine contributes to them. I'm also going to contact the Fargo cat shelter Tambrey mentioned. I will also check out the "rescueme.org" site.

I'm not a member of Craigslist. I've heard about some questionable dealings on there. It's OK if you're selling/placing an object, but I don't think I'd want to add an animal.

Do you think I should contact the ASPCA? I don't want to "jump the gun" here. Our cats are not neglected and are well cared for. But I don't want to wait until the Director passes on and have to contact them in a crisis situation. I'm not sure how to approach this.

Thank you for your ongoing help. I appreciate it so much.

Sue (And Kids!)

[Traci]

Is it a local ASPCA? Or regional? (like western states, for example) - I can't remember for certain, but I think there was a regional ASPCA out of one of the western states (south end) who helped here with a major sanctuary (the owners were first charged with neglect, then the charges were somewhat reduced because they were willing to allow many people to help place animals) - there were literally hundreds of animals needing homes (horses, llamas, sheep, goats, cats, dogs), and with so much assistance, every single animal was placed.

So, if local or regional, I think it would be great to be able to talk to them for assistance, even contacts they might know would help greatly.

[Sue and Kids]

Hello, everyone. I thought maybe you'd be interested in an update on our shelter cats' information.

Traci, I did contact the ASPCA. The Community Initiatives Director replied to my email. She told me that our "state representative and Relocation Team" had been notified about our situation. She also inquired about the opinions of our Board of Directors and veterinarian. I have emailed them back and said we might need their assistance in a crisis situation.

It took awhile but I finally got to speak privately to our vet. She told me (twice) that none of the cats will be destroyed. She is adamantly against euthanizing any healthy animal. This was a huge relief to me, needless to say.

Our vet must have contacted the Director right after our conversation. The next day, the Director said to me, "No cats will be killed". Our vet has said she and her staff will contact people in the community to try to place the kitties. If worst comes to worst, she will build an addition onto her clinic to house the cats.

I'm glad I talked to our vet. She is a close friend of the Director, and quite honestly, earlier I hesitated to talk to her. Before I did, I spoke with the Director one-on-one about the order to destroy the cats. The Director wouldn't give me much of an answer except that our vet would refuse to do it. Fortunately, the Director has a great deal of respect for our vet and will listen to her above any of the rest of us.

Also, our PetSmart adoption partnership has been approved. I'm taking down one kitty tomorrow to be adopted. They don't have a lot of room right now with kitten season. But I hope to get some of our friendliest cats down there as I can. (I can't go at a moment's notice since it's an 80-mile round trip.)

I'm also glad to report that three kitties have been adopted with my RescueMe.org free website. It makes me happy that some of them have gotten good homes here in the area.

So things are slowly improving. Of course, the best new development is that the Director has backed off her decision to destroy the cats. I know it's probably going to be a long process trying to get them homes. But the kitties will be safe in the meantime.

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update you. I've been very busy trying to get information on Facebook, Petfinder, and RescueMe.org. I'm the one who dealt with all the paperwork for PetSmart too. But I'm not complaining. If it means some of our cats get homes, it's worth it. Thank you, everyone, for all your support.

Sue (And Kids!)

[Traci]

What WONDERFUL news, Sue!!! Thank you Sooooooo much for doing everything you're doing for those sweet babies!!

I'm thrilled you talked to your vet, I had a feeling she would be a great ally, I'm so happy to hear she's offered her help!