http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/8372318.

Lost_cat_is_put_down_by_RSPCA/

Ann Baker's lost cat is put down by RSPCA

7:50am Saturday 4th September 2010 in News By Richard Harris

QuickTime and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime and a TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor are needed to see this picture.

* Ann Baker whose beloved cat Nightshift was put down by the RSPCA * Nightshift A Selby pensioner has told how the RSPCA seized her beloved pet cat from the street and put him down within the space of 24 hours. Ann Baker, 79, of Church Avenue, said she had owned the tabby cat, Nightshift, since 1992 and he was the last living link she had with her late husband, who had still been alive when they took the animal in as a stray. Mrs Baker said that over the weekend, Nightshift had come down with a respiratory problem. She took him to the vet on Bank Holiday Monday and paid more than 100 to have him treated. On Tuesday, he was whining to go out of the house so she let him into the garden. But when she came to let him in, he was nowhere to be seen. A neighbour later told her that an RSPCA van had been seen in the area and Mrs Baker then contacted the charity. She said: A woman confirmed they had picked up a cat in Selby. She phoned back and said she had bad news he had been put down. I cant understand it as his fur was healthy, his eyes were clear. She said the female inspector who had taken Nightshift was asked to bring the cats body back to Mrs Baker, and he had now been buried in her garden. Mrs Baker said there appeared to have been no attempt to find out who owned the animal before he was taken away. She said: She (the inspector) just grabbed him off the street, bundled him into a van and had him destroyed. A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said that if the cat had been microchipped it would have meant he could have been returned. She said: We are sorry that the cats owner has been caused upset and distress. We have been in touch

with her to convey our sympathies. Our staff have animals best interests at heart. An RSPCA inspector took the cat to a vet who confirmed that it was extremely ill and suffering from several problems including kidney failure and breathing problems. Generally, if an RSPCA inspector finds a healthy cat then it is kept for seven days while we make inquiries and endeavour to track down an owner, but this cannot always be the case if an animal is very ill or injured and needs immediate veterinary treatment. Comments(23) NoNewsIsGoodNews says... 8:32am Sat 4 Sep 10 So do the RSPCA just pick up any old cat that they see wandering the streets. Good way of them to make money by holding pets hostage. NoNewsIsGoodNews Herbie says... 10:10am Sat 4 Sep 10 Hang on, on one hand the RSPCA are saying had he had a microchip he could have been returned, and on the other hand they're saying he was found by a vet to be extremely ill and so was put down... About as clear as mud... My sympathies to Mrs Baker Herbie Pedro says... 12:00pm Sat 4 Sep 10 A sad story and the lady must have been very upset - but if she had gone to the vet today he/she would have said the same thing and sent her a bill. Sorry for your loss Mrs Baker, but the vet is qualified and you are not. Pedro Viper_7 says... 1:39pm Sat 4 Sep 10 Crux of this story is; did the cat have a collar? If not then no issue with RSPCA picking up said cat and putting it to sleep if it's outlook was poor. If yes, well that's a different matter, someone has picked up a cat belonging to someone in a small time period - ie it's not been seen roaming the streets for days on end. Crux of this story is; did the cat have a collar? If not then no issue with RSPCA picking up said cat and putting it to sleep if it's outlook was poor. If yes, well that's a different matter, someone has picked up a cat belonging to someone in a small time period - ie it's not been seen roaming the streets for days on end. Viper_7 Vic Mellons says... 2:01pm Sat 4 Sep 10 I wish they'd do the same to the cats that use our street as a toilet. Vic Mellons AnotherPointofView says... 3:33pm Sat 4 Sep 10 What gives the RSPCA the right to steal someones pet and kill it??????? AnotherPointofView Guy Fawkes says... 4:26pm Sat 4 Sep 10 This is a difficult one, but on balance I'm not impressed with the way the RSCPA handled it. Firstly, the cat was at least 18 (if she'd had it since 1992) and had just had major medical treatment, and so obviously didn't have long to go and could well have had other, undiagnosed problems. Therefore I'm not surprised that when the RSPCA person saw him, he thought that he must be on his last legs. And if Nightshift had no collar tag or microchip, those two things combined make it not unreasonable for the RSPCA to assume that they were dealing with a stray cat who was in discomfort and probably dying. However, there are lots of owned and looked after cats who don't have collars or microchips. Mine managed to get rid of three collars in the first year I had her, before I admitted defeat and took the hint that she doesn't do collars. Furthermore, stray and feral cats are not usual in this country: the overwhelming chances are that if you see a cat walking around, it has an owner. Unless Nightshift was in extreme discomfort and at death's door, the RSPCA should not have put him to sleep before making a serious attempt to identify and contact his owner. If he was, then the vet who treated him previously needs to be investigated, because either he failed to diagnose a whole load of other problems or ripped Mrs. Baker off in respect of the earlier treatment. The

RSPCA is a charity that depends on public donations for its survival. They need to be careful about making this kind of mistake too often: reading this story has made me somewhat less inclined to donate money to them0, and too many stories like this are likely to have an effect on their bottom line. Guy Fawkes Canardvert says... 5:20pm Sat 4 Sep 10 This is not the first time I have heard of disgusting actions by the RSPCA in the Selby area. I am guessing this over zealous RSPCA officer is one of the same I have knowledge of. She is the reason I stopped a regular donation to the RSPCA, and now give to more cat, and animal friendly charities. This poor lady has lost her companion. The RSPCA in this area should be closed down. This is not the first time I have heard of disgusting actions by the RSPCA in the Selby area. I am guessing this over zealous RSPCA officer is one of the same I have knowledge of. She is the reason I stopped a regular donation to the RSPCA, and now give to more cat, and animal friendly charities. This poor lady has lost her companion. The RSPCA in this area should be closed down. Canardvert lindao says... 5:53pm Sat 4 Sep 10 Why then did this dear lady's vet take 100 from her for treatment only a few days ago if the RSPCA vet did not think the cat fit enough to be alive/treated? My sympathy to Ann Baker lindao Soothsayer17 says... 6:15pm Sat 4 Sep 10 The more I hear about the RSPCA, the less I like. The recent court battle (which they lost) over the millions that the dotty old Scottish granny left them showed them up for what they are a bunch of underhand little Hitlers with millions squirreled away in the bank (for god knows what purpose) which they desperately tried to hide. Wonder how much of that titanic sum came from other vulnerable pensioners who had no idea what they were signing? Ha! words: loan-keep Soothsayer17 DropsOfJupiter says... 7:55pm Sat 4 Sep 10 The RSPCA are an absolute disgrace. Little Hitlers, running around in uniforms thinking they're the Police. The RSPCA was set up with good intention, but it's all become about money, jobs, uniforms and brand new vehicles. Support small animal charities rather than this national so called animal welfare charity. DropsOfJupiter BL2 says... 7:56pm Sat 4 Sep 10 Canardvert wrote: This is not the first time I have heard of disgusting actions by the RSPCA in the Selby area. I am guessing this over zealous RSPCA officer is one of the same I have knowledge of. She is the reason I stopped a regular donation to the RSPCA, and now give to more cat, and animal friendly charities. This poor lady has lost her companion. The RSPCA in this area should be closed down. Not just in Selby but all over the place. I've written a letter of complaint on behalf of someone before, about the behaviour of one of their wardens. There are many cases of them acting in a way that does not reflect well on what they claim to do! If you're looking for an animal charity to support I suggest you look at the many others who do great work but receive far less funding than this lot. Some interesting reading.... Charities: Animal Welfare Question Asked by Lord Elton To ask Her Majesty's Government under what authority, controls and supervision and in what circumstances officers of a charity are empowered to (a) remove a pet from its owner's care, (b) keep it in their own care, (c) deny access to it to the owner, and (d) refuse to inform the owner of the place in which it is kept. Answer : The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Davies of Oldham):

Charities have no power under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to seize pet animals. The power of seizure can be exercised only by a police officer, an officer of a local authority or Animal Health. If the person who was responsible for the animal has concerns regarding its welfare following seizure then it is open to him to apply to the court for an order which could, among other things, grant him custody over the animal. Anyone aggrieved by the removal of an animal under the Animal Welfare Act may appeal to a magistrates' court for its return. The location of a seized animal may be withheld if it is considered that there is a danger that the animal may be stolen back. [quote][p][bold]Canardvert[/bold] wrote: This is not the first time I have heard of disgusting actions by the RSPCA in the Selby area. I am guessing this over zealous RSPCA officer is one of the same I have knowledge of. She is the reason I stopped a regular donation to the RSPCA, and now give to more cat, and animal friendly charities. This poor lady has lost her companion. The RSPCA in this area should be closed down.[/p][/quote]Not just in Selby but all over the place. I've written a letter of ocomplaint on behalf of someone before about the behaviour of one of their wardens. There are many cases of them acting in a way that does not reflect well on what they claim to do! If you're looking for an animal charity to support I suggest you look at the many others who do great work but receive far less funding than this lot. Some interesting reading.... [quote]Charities: Animal Welfare Question Asked by Lord Elton To ask Her Majesty's Government under what authority, controls and supervision and in what circumstances officers of a charity are empowered to (a) remove a pet from its owner's care, (b) keep it in their own care, (c) deny access to it to the owner, and (d) refuse to inform the owner of the place in which it is kept. [HL2038] The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Davies of Oldham): Charities have no power under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to seize pet animals. The power of seizure can be exercised only by a police officer, an officer of a local authority or Animal Health. If the person who was responsible for the animal has concerns regarding its welfare following seizure then it is open to him to apply to the court for an order which could, among other things, grant him custody over the animal. Anyone aggrieved by the removal of an animal under the Animal Welfare Act may appeal to a magistrates' court for its return. The location of a seized animal may be withheld if it is considered that there is a danger that the animal may be stolen back.[/quote] BL2 Guy Fawkes says... 8:50pm Sat 4 Sep 10 [quote]Charities have no power under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to seize pet animals.[/quote] The issue here is that the RSPCA officer made the assumption (I'm speculating) that Nightshift was a stray and not a pet. Any complaint against the RSPCA would probably result in a reasonableness test being applied, and given that Nightshift was (a) old and not in very good health, and (b) had no collar tag or microchip, the RSPCA could probably claim that they made a reasonable assumption that he was a sick stray. In any case, the bottom line is that this was a horrible mistake, handled very badly by the RSPCA. Guy Fawkes King Edward says... 9:50pm Sat 4 Sep 10 No wonder their animal homes are full if they spend all day picking animals off the streets! Presumably the few they post pictures in the Local Link for adoption are the ones that slipped passed the needle? I've had my suspicions about the RSPCA before and this just confirms them - they don't get my support, I'll save that for the one-off shelters run by people who care, not national 'businesses'. King Edward Canardvert says... 3:14pm Sun 5 Sep 10 I agree with all the comments made after my post. What should be asked is when are the RSPCA to be called to account. This officer in Selby is an over zealous, jobsworth who comes over as if she is empowered as a police or military officer. She has devastated an elderly person's life, and will not be called to account. Complain to the RSPCA and they do not want to know. I suggest the Press interview the RSPCA high command and let them face the music over both their policies, and the type of person they employ. I hope they read these comments, and take immediate action to avoid further distress and cruelty. Perhaps we should start by taking the 'Royal' away from their name, and continue by taking 'prevention of' of out. That leaves 'cruelty to animals.' moneyforwhat says... 9:36pm Sun 5 Sep 10

firstly to Mrs Baker...this was a sad story to read, indeed you must be very upset and all normal humans will feel very badly for your loss and distress. I sincerely hope that the RSPCA will offer a proper explanation and apology for this disastrous report. Many cats are not chipped and many wear no collars (in fact it is often remarked that a collar is not good for a cat due to their climbing habit). Sadly this poor cat wasn't wearing a sign either, letting whomever aware that he was receiving medication and you know humans don't have these signs either. I find it odd that one vet thought the animal well enough to treat yet another decided it was too ill. I say disastrous report as this will surely impact on donations. I donate to this charity for the sake of animals who may be dealt a bad deal....and we all do now that there is a lot of cruelty. Perhaps you may not like animals so much but hurting them should never be an action that anyone should resort to, in the same way that no child should ever be hurt or abused. The people part of the charity are quite mixed. Some are so wonderful, others lacking in people skills. I may re-consider which animal charity I donate to. moneyforwhat sadfaz says... 9:47pm Sun 5 Sep 10 lindao wrote: Why then did this dear lady's vet take 100 from her for treatment only a few days ago if the RSPCA vet did not think the cat fit enough to be alive/treated? My sympathy to Ann Baker Vets are legalised racketeers !! Yorkie Girl says... 11:48am Mon 6 Sep 10 Viper_7 wrote: Crux of this story is; did the cat have a collar? If not then no issue with RSPCA picking up said cat and putting it to sleep if it's outlook was poor. If yes, well that's a different matter, someone has picked up a cat belonging to someone in a small time period - ie it's not been seen roaming the streets for days on end. Viper, you are wrong, if the cat had no collar it is not a different story. Places such as the RSPCA dont encourage cats wearing collars as they can get caught and be very badly injured, so they advise people get their cats 'quick release collars' (which are pointless as they fall off too easily) or get your cat microchipped. The cat in this story cant have been chipped, or the RSPCA would have returned her cat. But surely they could have waited the normal 7 days before putting the poor thing down. Yorkie Girl hifive says... 12:31pm Mon 6 Sep 10 The RSPCA are a disgrace! They wouldn't let me have a pet, purely because I live in a flat! It's a first floor flat and I've got my own entrance so how does it differ from a house? Yet they refused point blank. Then the council picked up some stray dogs and couldn't re-home them. I took one in and she has been a very happy pooch ever since, and the fact she's in a flat has had zero negative impact on her. . hifive LeftyLoony says... 3:55pm Mon 6 Sep 10 I'm not very impressed with the RSPCA in York either. I made a complaint to them recently about a pet shop, which will remain nameless, which was keeping reptiles in unhygienic conditions. I poined it out to the shop staff and they didn't seem very interested, so I took it a step further and asked the RSPCA to look in on them. I never heard anything back, so I eventually phoned them and asked them if they'd done anything about it, and they just said that an inspector had visited and the animals were "fine". They were NOT fine! There were animals with sores on their noses where they'd been trying to get out of their enclosures and some of them had been sitting in their own excrement for days on end! At the time, I just thought it was symptomatic of having inspectors who only know about cats and dogs and anything else is too specialised for them, but having read the Nightshift story, I'm beginning to wonder if they actually care about any animals at all... LeftyLoony moneyforwhat says... 8:57pm Mon 6 Sep 10 hifive wrote: The RSPCA are a disgrace! They wouldn't let me have a pet, purely because I live in a flat! It's a first

floor flat and I've got my own entrance so how does it differ from a house? Yet they refused point blank. Then the council picked up some stray dogs and couldn't re-home them. I took one in and she has been a very happy pooch ever since, and the fact she's in a flat has had zero negative impact on her. that is brill...well done you. A dog in a flat with someone who thinks the world of it and gets to do the things it needs to do is a happy dog. An animal responds to it's owner and that is what makes it happy and is it's well being. I don't believe they are interested in the property market or that their owners might go out for a couple of hours and leave them to their own devices. A nice safe place with some sort of routine is the key. Animals look to humans for company in much the same way as vice versa. Long time ago the RSPCA person advised me not to have a cat whilst I had a dog.....I ended up with two dogs and four cats (two of the cats made their own minds up to move in). They had their pecking order. The smallest cat was the leader and the boss. moneyforwhat lauren m says... 9:04pm Wed 8 Sep 10 Seriously i cant believe im reading some of the stupid comments on here! What if this cat was picked up by someone who was concerned about it as it was dieing, THEY called the RSPCA they collected the cat from them, the RSPCA then took it to the vet who confirmed it was dieing and suffereing tremendously so used their professional opinion to come to the decision it was BEST for the cat to be put to sleep. Not wait 7 days later! Has it been confirmed by Ms Bakers vet that she actually took it to the vets, hard to belive a bank holiday bill to see a cat would only be 100!!!!!!! I would say this is just one side of a story which may be littered with lies of an angry old woman, wanting someone to blame for HER letting a cat get to a point where it was in pain. lauren m Canardvert says... 12:35pm Fri 10 Sep 10

Lauren M - read what the vast majority of people on here are saying. Dissatisfaction with the RSPCA is rife, and this is a further tragic example of their failings. I have tried to discuss the matter and others with the RSPCA, but they refuse to enter into any reasonable correspondence. Come on Press, name and shame the officer involved and the managers aiding and abetting her actions. And investigate the RSPCA at local and regional level. It is time for them to be accountable.