Is there true no kill at animal shelters in Los Angeles? No, not yet, but it may be on the long distanced horizon based on the latest statistics (see trend below)? Los Angeles have banned declawing – an enlightened move – well done. They are trying really hard to create true no kill animal shelters. That means no killing at all.
This is the target and it is a difficult one that requires lots of thought and hard work. It is not a case of hoping that someone walks in the door of the cat or animal shelter. It is about networking and finding a person who can look after an individual cat. That requires a bit more effort than putting the cats into an animal gas chamber.
Los Angeles shelter animal kill rates
The figures for the chart above come from the Los Angeles Huff Post. The figures are not listed in a chart as presented on this page. I have cobbled together the numbers from the article, which is entitled: LA Animal Shelters’ Euthanasia Rates Drop, Approaching Near-Record Low.
When I began to write this post I had hoped that the current kill rates showed a real trend downwards. They don’t, to be honest. They seem to have leveled off. Although a lot of work to achieve these figures needs to be recognized and praised.
An important part of these figures is that it looks like Los Angeles Animal Services is on track to euthanize 4,000 fewer cats and dogs this year than the previous year.
It seems to me that re-homing cats is about hard-nosed business. It is about networking and finding ways to create success. An example is the city of LA working with Found Animals. Found Animals started a promotion called “Twelve Pets of Christmas“, which resulted in 1,000 LA shelter companion animals being saved. It is a teamwork process combined with good networking. That is the way I see it.
Without wishing to be critical, a lot of shelters are probably not sufficiently business-like to ensure that they run a true no kill establishment. There are some. They should be consulted.
re: above comment, I just realized that I didn’t post both the petfinder pic of Tootsie and my very first photo of her once she came “home” (on the second day home) on flickr, so can’t link there. But, both pictures are at the top of my blog post about adopting Tootsie. She was totally cooperative as a photo subject, and I took only one picture of her that day (camera batteries ran out suddenly). Heh.
I may be wrong, but I do suspect that the bad online pic contributed to the fact that Tootsie had been at rescue place for 4 months, and no one before had shown any interest in adopting her. (As I learned when I went to adopt her.) I’d taken a break from searching petfinder, and just happened to return to find Tootsie. To be clear, I hadn’t seen the petfinder ad or pic before, even tho it obviously had been there from some time. Meaning, I didn’t see the pix and reject her at first, and then come back later. I personally wasn’t put off by the online picture- I saw a poor miserable cat who needed help. But, others might have had more negative reactions, and just passed her by.
link with two pix at top of post:
http://teh-kitteh-antidote-anecdote.pictures-of-cats.org/2007/01/i-haz-confessun-i-now-haz-non-virtual.html
Tootsie is a classic example of poor presentation. Tootsie is a fabulous looking Maine Coon. You could not see a better rescue cat. To be unadopted for four months is very poor marketing by the shelter. Charities, animal sanctuaries, cat shelters etc are all businesses bottom line and people want to preserve them as they get employment from them. Yet in an ideal world they should no exist. At these organisations, there is definitely a conflict of interest or potential conflict at various levels between what is good for the humans and what is good for the cats. This puts a brake on eliminating the unwanted cat population.
I am sure certain people take the photos. These people should be trained – it would only take a day – and use decent cameras (they are cheap these days). There is no excuse for poor photography and poor presentation. It saves lives.
You could not see a “better rescue” cat in any rescue, Michael. What is your point. 🙁
I totally agree with what Marc and Michael said about photographs, and I’ll post it here rather than on Michael’s previous page. I’ve thought a lot about this, although I missed Michael’s page.
The rescue agency pic posted on petfinder of Tootsie was just terrible. The description was not inviting, but apparently it was verbatim from the person who gave her up. I suppose the intent there (description) was to be realistic, and not invite unrealistic expectations. Fair enough. But, I thought surely a better picture would have been in order, b/c the one posted was awful.
I’ve had conversations via flickr with two people who worked at cat rescue places- both put up their photos of the cats on flickr, and they were very good photos. What I found out was really odd, and both people said somewhat similar things- that there was a kinda of “job ownership” already in place as to cat photography- and thus their photos were not so welcome. Weird eh? But, I’ve learned that there is such a thing as “the cat rescue industry” which more about the humans than the cats. The really good rescue places of course do not fall into this category.
Anyway, after my Tootsie adoptive experience, I’d often thought that good photographers who love cats really could contribute to cat rescue. Admittedly I’d forgotten about that idea of late.
I will post a link to the photo of Ms. cat in a separate comment, b/c I know a link will put the comment into mod.
Good point – there’s an important balance to the organization, the parameters for which include having a good business ability. It must be hard. There is no end to how hard they could work. The internet really must help with the networking side of things.
I think a major key is to be able to take a good photo and the have your cats being happy as possible and comfortable and friendly to people who come looking. That’s a massively tall order though – I realize that.
Still lets hope this trend, or leveling, changes back to a decline in killing.
Good point. In business terms, presentation helps to achieve sales. That sounds like what part of the problem of rehoming is about that. I did a page on that
Rehoming unwanted cats needs a lot of inventive thought backed up with determination.