Dilemma

[Gothgranny]

Hi, I'm in a bit of a pickle - I've been accepted as a volunteer cat carer at a rescue shelter in London. However, chatting with the shelter manager, I've discovered that they routinely put to sleep any cats that test positive for FIV. This has shocked me, and am now wondering whether to start volunteering for them or not. I'm completely against putting healthy cats to sleep (FIV cats can live many years with no health problems). What would you guys do?

[KittyWitty]

In the same situation I am not sure what I'd do - I understand why they'd do that but at the sametime it isn't something I like.

Sounds like it is something that you really need to decide for yourself - is it something you are willing to gloss over, are the other aspects good enough for you to forget about or is it a deal breaker?

[Hunnybunny]

If you do take up the voluntary role then you are condoning and supporting their principles.

I personally would never give my time up to a shelter where animals were unnecessarily destroyed due to lack of up to date knowledge and draconian attitudes.

I'm sure there is an ethical shelter that would gladly take you up on your offer and you can be happy that you are buying into the right ethos.

[bobbys girl]

I have to agree with the others. I understand the thinking behind their policy (though I don't agree with it) Quite often the first contact shelters/vets have with FIV cats is when they are already ill with something else and there is no one to care for them.

We have switched from our local vet (1/2 mile away) to one over the border (6 miles) purely due to their ethos regarding FIV. We would not still have our lovely Bobby if we had stuck with our usual vet!

I hope you find another place to volunteer. By the way did you mention to the manager your views on FIV? Perhaps they need a more up to date opinion on the matter!

[Kay]

I think it depends on whether you would ever be able to have a say in their FIV policy - if it were me I would work there for long enough to find out what other people think, and to suss out whether there is any chance of the shelter bosses having a rethink

walking away will change nothing

[Crewella]

I agree with Kay. In your position, I'd have a chat with the shelter manager and explain my concerns, then base my decision on the reaction.

[Hunnybunny]

The shelter manager will have absolutely no say in the policies set out by the board.

The only possible way that you can make any change is by getting voted onto the committee and implement change from the top which as most committees are made up of people with little knowledge about what actual rescue involves is very very difficult indeed!!

I think you'll find that if you do volunteer and start trying to talk to people about FIV in a positive way you will find your services are very quickly not required due to a conflict of interests.

Don't waste your time, if you want to try to educate them email them the relevant research data and go to an ethical rescue and do some real good for people that understand FIV in its entirety.

[booktigger]

The shelter manager will have absolutely no say in the policies set out by the board.

The only possible way that you can make any change is by getting voted onto the committee and implement change from the top which as most committees are made up of people with little knowledge about what actual rescue involves is very very difficult indeed!!

I think you'll find that if you do volunteer and start trying to talk to people about FIV in a positive way you will find your services are very quickly not required due to a conflict of interests.

Don't waste your time, if you want to try to educate them email them the relevant research data and go to an ethical rescue and do some real good for people that understand FIV in its entirety.

That does depend if it is an independent rescue or not, and how much the committee has to do with the day to day running of things. It might be worth speaking to them before volunteering and seeing their reasoning behind it, just in case it is ignorance and you can make a difference.

[Hunnybunny]

If it is a shelter then even as an independent it will guaranteed to be a registered charity as no 'voluntary organisation' without charitable status could afford a shelter. If it is a charity it has to board/committee who are in charge of making all such policies and decisions about how the rescue is run including FIV status cats.

The manager, staff and volunteers have no say in day to day policies.

If you volunteer then you are buying into the ethos that the rescue has set out already.

[Gothgranny]

Thank you for your helpful replies. I've now made my mind up, won't bother volunteering with them as this is totally against my principles, and will defo tell them why when I contact them. This is the London branch of a major national charity, they used to rehome FIV cats but have recently changed their policy - at a national level I guess - because of people adopting FIV cats and not "sticking to the rules" - ie keeping them as strictly indoor cats only. This was the reason given by the manager. I'll just stick with volunteering for CP then

[bobbys girl]

I have been 'advised' to keep Bob as an indoor only cat. But how can I do that when the others come and go as they like. I could understand it if I lived in a town with busy roads and strays.

I kept him in while he was recovering, but you should have heard the pitiful yowling when he couldn't join the others
He lives life to the full now - and I worry like crazy.

[Hunnybunny]

There is absolutely no reason a neutered non aggressive healthy FIV positive cat should be indoor only. The likelihood of infection to another cat is almost nil.

The only reason that said National charity take this stance is because there is a National ignorance about FIV due to vets being woefully un knowledgeable about the latest research and passing the info/attitude onto the public as your average Joe has little reason to question their vets on such things and they don't want to look like they are being negligent by letting FIV cats live a normal life and impacting on their homing and public fund raising.

What said National charity should really be doing is using its influence to educate people about the truth about FIV+ cats. Unfortunately they are being given this info through their own vets and most vets are almost Nazi like about their attitudes to FIV and seem to want to just PTS everything that has it when the reality is that a significant % of cats they deal with on a regular basis will infact be FIV+ without their knowledge and will never be sick a day in their lives.