When it comes to cats there are lots of pleas for funds. The fundraising website is growing in popularity. Anyone can post a fundraiser. I don’t want to be cynical about this but…we cannot make the assumption that every request for funds on one of the many fundraising websites is genuine.
These sites get a hell of a lot of visitors. Millions per day some of them. The website, itself, has to be funded. It probably takes a proportion of the donations. That encourages a website to have lax controls. Cats are very popular on the internet. Cats are more popular on the internet than in real life!
What made me think this dark thought was the request for donations to “Save Snuggles”. Snuggles is a sweet looking long haired calico cat who scratches herself.
The cat’s caretaker, Beth Kululu Berryman, states that she wants funding to declaw Snuggles because it is the only way to save her life. Here is part of the request, verbatim:
I am honestly begging for your help in possibly saving her life. For reasons we have been unable to determine since I found her 2 years ago, Snuggles will scratch at her skin until it is raw..
Sorry, I have great difficulty in believing this because it is so stupid and using “declawing” makes it very emotive. It does not make sense. If a cat is scratching herself you take her to the vet and diagnose the reason, which will be itchy skin caused by an illness such as a flea bite allergy (a typical reason but one of many).
As a cat caretaker you don’t hold your hands up in despair on the internet and ask for money to declaw your cat!
Bizarre — and for me unbelievable. Think about it. It is so easy to post a picture of a sweet cat and plead for money. Where is the evidence? Don’t get me wrong. I am sure most requests for money are genuine. You can normally tell. However, there has to be a proportion of fraudulent requests. The Snuggles campaign seems to me to be one.
There is a lot of fraudulent behavior on the internet. Beware.
Note: I could be wrong about Snuggles. Of course. But if I am wrong then Beth is stupid. Sorry Beth.
Ruth – I agree – regardless of anything it has to be made clear to them that declawing is a bad thing to do – not a word they should be using or considering.
This makes me sad.
The problem is that we daren’t take the chance that this stupid person isn’t planning to have Snuggles declawed if she gets enough money to do so. Hence the anti declaw brigade having to educate her quickly because some people are foolishly donating money to her and if she really does intend to have her declawed then if she gets enough money she might just do so.
It does sound like a scam but her cat’s precious toe ends might be in danger. By the comments she will either be educated that declawing is cruel or realise her scam isn’t working because she chose to beg for money for cruel surgery instead of begging for money to consult a vet about the supposed itch.
Oh boy that stinks worse than an untended litter box (OK…. no nasty comments please, I scoop litter at least twice a day…but it seemed a good metaphor). I agree that documentation needs to be provided or made available. Plus this is an absurd claim as Michael said. I have heard people talking about having cats maimed…ummm declawed…to save their furniture (do NOT get me started on this…) but I have never heard such a wacky story especially accompanied by a picture of a cat who seems to be very healthy with all fur intact!
As someone who now spends a lot of time helping raise funds for medical treatment for cats and dogs, I’m very careful who I offer assistance to. One red flag is when a donation page doesn’t offer the option of calling in a donation to the vet in charge of treatment. Anyone legit doesn’t mind this and the vets sure don’t mind taking a debit card payment over the phone. There have been several supposedly legit rescues get caught this year for taking the donations and running.
This is a story I wrote yesterday where we have a case of abandonment and it will likely escalate to misuse of funds. http://www.examiner.com/article/dozens-of-pigs-allegedly-abandoned-at-happy-hooves-pig-rescue-upstate-sc. Also be careful of anyone who doesn’t post photos showing the animal as it recovers from whatever. When I had to get funds I always posted vet receipts after treatment was given to show the money was used for that purpose.
A $$ ploy, for sure!
As you say, where is the evidence? I don’t see a bald, bleeding or suffering cat.
I’m not reading any vet statements or any treatments tried. If, indeed, Snuggles sratches herself raw, there is a medical reason that declawing won’t resolve.
I feel like just slapping this person silly!