It's interesting that you chose my message since this is the first time I
have posted in a long thread (actually, several threads but all concerning
Big Boy).  People who post to newsgroups are usually asking for opinions,
and I gave mine.  Many shelters and rescue groups do very fine work, and I
have great respect for them.  However, they simply cannot give the same sort
of personalized attention that a person can give in a home.  I adopted my
blind cat, Duffy, after he had been in a shelter for 3 months.  I have the
greatest admiration for them because they did everything they could to keep
him alive and find a home for him -- and that was also a great gift to me.
Nevertheless, I still think a foster home is *far* preferable, and that
basically is what Big Boy has now.

MaryL

Kelly, thanks for understanding...  Mary, I appreciate your suggestions but
I don't have the physical space to maintain this seperation indefintely.   I
would absolutely love to find him a forever home but I don't have any
takers.  Shelter is my backup choice... and yes I understand the downside of
shelter living...  Right now I'm looking at 2 shelters...  I have posted
everywhere I can think of and handed out flyers all over the place...

Kelly wrote:

Mary did no such thing and you're being completely unfair. Her concern
is for the best interests of THE CAT, and that is as it should be. I
agree 100% that the focus should not be on dumping Big Boy at a shelter
and expecting someone else to deal with him, but instead finding him a
forever home. It can be done and I have faith in Chris to make it
happen.

Where he may languish for years in a stressful environment penned up in
one room with a bunch of other cats at various stages of illness. From
what I know, the human contact these cats gets is minimal and the
shelter certainly doesn't have the staff or time to do all the things
Chris is capable of doing to find this cat a home.

You can no more predict that than you can predict what I'm having for
dinner tonight. With some tenacity and determination, which from what I
can see so far Chris has alot of, a great home can be found for Big Boy.
It may take some time, but it may not be a long as you think, and if we
all pull together and start getting his story out there I don't see why
it can't be done.

Have you forgotten Mister Mistopheles? When I first found out about him
I had no idea how in the hell I was going to find a good home for this
cat who was not only in another state across the country, but reported
to be aggressive and he had already sent the owners wife to the
hospital. But I decided that if I did right by this kitty things would
somehow work out and they did. When you do the right thing and stop
worrying about inconvenience, instead putting the focus on what needs to
be done to make it happen, things DO work out and that's how we should
be thinking instead of being ok with dumping him at a shelter and
expecting someone else to deal with the situation. Read the long quote
at the bottom of my sigline. It truly applies to situations just like
this one.

She's done a great job so far, and if she keeps at it she *will* be
successful and find Big Boy his forever home.

"If." That Michigan shelter you were so ready to send him to has over
600 cats and have had some pretty serious issues in the past. They also
don't know when to say no and have doubled in population in just over a
year. They have 60+ cats with Leukemia confined to one room. They only
have 3 full time staff and I was told that the cats get attention around
feeding time and that's about it. Even the best shelters aren't in a
position to give these cats the time and attention they would get in a
home, and while their intentions may be good, a shelter IS NOT IDEAL.
Chris has already said that this cat is not one that would do well in a
shelter, so it would be cruel and unfair to put him in such a situation.
The focus must be getting this cat into a home and if we all email
everyone we know, and if Chris would go to the media and push to get Big
Boy's story told, along with talking in person to every vet she can and
asking that they contact their clients with Felv+ cats (or cat loving
dogs that don't live with any at present) to see if they would like to
adopt a companion, I have no doubt that this situation can have a happy
ending. Sure, it's inconvenient to keep him seperate in the bedrooom for
awhile, but we're talking about Big Boy's life and what's best for
*him*, and that is what is most important.
Any inconvenience is a small price to pay for giving him the best
possible future.

He doesn't live in a crate in a bathroom. He is isolated in her bedroom,
and that is certainly preferable to being put in a single room at a
shelter with a bunch of other cats and minimal human contact.

I really wish you would support Chris in her efforts to find Big Boy a
home rather than supporting dumping him at a shelter. I believe in Chris
and even though I know it's frustratng for her, the rewards of finding
him a wonderful forever home will make the temporary sacrifices she
makes incredibly worthwhile. I believe that she can find the right home
for Big Boy and I hope she keeps her chin up and hangs in there.

Megan

                                   

Hi Kelly,

I did not interpret Mary's post suggesting Chris reconsider her options as
"making this even harder on Chris". Very much the opposite. Mary is
encouraging Chris to do what is in the best interests of  Big Boy and
offering support and understanding. In the scheme of things, trying to get
Big Boy adopted, hasn't been going on for long at all. He is now in a calm
environment where he is being very well cared for which is a very good
foster situation. He is not living now or going to live indefinitely in a
"crate in a bathroom". Chris has posted that his space has expanded to her
bedroom where he can jump on her soft bed, where he has more space, and that
he can go back and forth from his litter box in the bathroom to the bedroom.
I think the attention he is getting from Chris is excellent as far as
socializing goes and can only be helpful in terms of adoption into a home.

Placing him in a shelter in one room (one is about 20x12, the other 15x15)
with, in one case, up to 15 other FelV+ cats, in the other case there are
currently 6 FeLV+ cats, is not a stress-free situation. Big Boy is
symptom-free and depending on the configuration of the FeLV+ population and
the dynamics, it is not an ideal scenario which, I agree with Mary, one
should hold out for whenever possible. No matter how well a shelter is run,
with exceedingly few exceptions, funds are always an issue as is the number
of staff and volunteers and how much time is available for quality human
contact beyond the many duties such as feeding, cleaning, litter boxes,
other cats/animals, dealing with people wanting to surrender animals, etc. I
would not want to place a symptom-free kitty, who by all accounts is doing
very well under Chris' TLC, in a situation which, by necessity, is
changeable as funds get low, intakes get higher, volunteers come and go,
etc. The stress would be a main concern for me as is the varying human
contact. The lack of continuity and stability are worrisome.

I realize that can be frustrating and that the situation might seem
hopeless, but these things can take time and right now, I think the
situation Big Boy is in is pretty darn good and a lot better than a shelter
situation. Even the people I spoke to who own/run both Angel's Gate and Rude
Ranch, who I am certain are enormously dedicated and caring, stated that a
situation such as Big Boy is in now is far better than any shelter.

Chris has done a lot to try and find Big Boy a home and there are more
options. I do think it is worthwhile to contact a reporter at a local
paper/TV or radio station and have Big Boy's story out in the media.
Exposure is key and the number of people reached via the local media is
immeasurable and I think, in addition to everything else Chris has done and
continues to do, very worthwhile. I also provided Chris with a link to a
cat-loving group of people. One never knows who might be able to help, who
is listening and lurking, and who has what contacts. Patience, creativity,
and tenacity will result in a good solution. We should attempt to achieve
nothing less.

M.