Brigita's Blog: Passing The Buck and Going in Circles......

Have you ever gotten the run around and just gone in circles?  And you never did get an end result?  Well I am going that route now and it is very frustrating.

This past weekend I showed a farm to a buyer.  It was foreclosed in December and just went on the market now.  So, of course, no one has occupied the residence since at least December.  As we were walking around the farm, a very undernourished cat came up to us and followed us around.  It seemd like a very friendly cat, looking for affection.  As we walked around the outside of the house, we saw 3 more cats, also extremely skinny.  I assumed these were barn cats on that farm and were abandoned when the owner left.  (I assumed this because they were all friendly.)  I felt so sorry for them.  I wanted so much to do something for them.  (I am on the Lehigh Valley Animal Response Team, which is a part of the Emergency Animal Rescue, so of course I wanted to do something to help them.)  So, I decided I would make some calls the next day. 

My first call was to the County SPCA.  They told me they didn't have anybody to help, but to call the County Animal Contral and gave me the number.  I called, and they told me that they were unable to help and that I would have to call the township police.  OK.  Made the call to the township police.  They told me that they did not have an Animal Control Dept. so they couldn't do anything, to call the County Animal Control.  (You see where I'm going?)  Called the County Animal Control Dept. back.  This time they told me to call the SPCA.  (Back to square one.)  Wanting to desperately help the cats, I called the SPCA once again.  Explained this whole run around and they said (here it goes again) "We cannot do anything.  Animal Control and the police are the only ones."  I then asked them "What am I supposed to do?"  They suggested that maybe I could go over and feed them.  It would be fine if I were a neighbor of the farm, but I'm not.  I would have to drive over every day to feed them.  Sometimes, that is impossible.  (If you're thinking that I should just adopt them, sorry.  No can do.  I have cats and dogs of my own.)  So, what would you do if you were in this situation????  I don't know at this point.  All I want to do is save the lives of these neglected animals.

What irritates me is that there are people that are so uncaring.  First of all, the owners should have done something with the cats.  They probably assumed the cats would be able to fend for themselves.  (If they were born in the wild, they would be.)  All the authorities do is tell you it's out of their hands and then send you to someone else.  And, in the meantime, you get nowhere, and these poor animals end up suffering.  The longer it takes, the more suffering they go through.  This is no way to treat any living creature.  How would you feel if it was you in their place????