Animal lovers protest removal of fleas from UGH

Iwannahurl

thesandeman wrote: »

12 cats were destroyed during the cull. 6 fleas were found.

7 cats had been killed before the first flea was discovered.

How many were going to St Ives?

emptybladder

So they were killing cats weeks before the first flea was found?
http://www.galwaynews.ie/30736-two-cats-killed-every-flea-found-city-hospital

SchrodingersCat

What the HSE did was a waste of taxpayers money. Having to pay €4500 to kill 17-20 cats? When the GSPCA or Galway Cat rescue would have removed the cats for free and weren't even consulted? That was pure stupidity.

Even then, by keeping the cats on the premises either as-is or under a Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) program would have saved them even more money in the long term. Household cats have been shown to be very effective at keeping vermin under control (http://theoatmeal.com/comics/cats_actually_kill). Even more effective are hungry feral cats.

Rentokill laughed all the way to the vets with the doomed cats knowing well sure that they would be paid not only for destroying the cats, but for getting the call back to tackle the boom in the number of rats in the hospital. The fact that the flea outbreak was not even caused by the cats just emphasises the stupidity of whoever is in UCHG that gave the call.

Discodog

Rentokill may be seriously at fault here if they were the so called experts that advised the hospital. One wonders how many cats this company kills & whether they take precautions to avoid killing pets as they didn't appear to in this case.

docmol

Maybe time for a paid license for cats. The funds for same used to control and rehouse feral cats. People with unlicensed cats could be fined. Same system as dogs really.

Discodog

docmol wrote: »

Maybe time for a paid license for cats. The funds for same used to control and rehouse feral cats. People with unlicensed cats could be fined. Same system as dogs really.

Less than 50% of dog owners buy licenses. None of the license goes towards rescuing dogs. A cat licence is totally unworkable. You would have to get owners to microchip & even then it would be a nightmare to catch a cat in order to check it's microchip.

docmol

Discodog wrote: »

Less than 50% of dog owners buy licenses. None of the license goes towards rescuing dogs. A cat licence is totally unworkable. You would have to get owners to microchip & even then it would be a nightmare to catch a cat in order to check it's microchip.

Exactly the same arguments used by those who didn't want to take responsibility for their dogs I'd imagine. One of these days cat owners will have to grow up, but it will probably take an act of parliament to get that culture change started.

Discodog

docmol wrote: »

Exactly the same arguments used by those who didn't want to take responsibility for their dogs I'd imagine. One of these days cat owners will have to grow up, but it will probably take an act of parliament to get that culture change started.

Legislation only works if the public support it. It's pointless licensing cat ownership when it's unenforceable.

The UK plan to abolish dog licensing, as it doesn't work but they are making microchipping compulsory for dogs. There are no plans to include cats.

Red Pepper

SchrodingersCat wrote: »

Even more effective are hungry feral cats.

I heard the feral cats were being fed out of the kitchens. I suppose they would hardly survive on rats alone...

Only in Ireland. Worst hospital in Ireland in so so many ways I would say.

Mrs OBumble

docmol wrote: »

One of these days cat owners will have to grow up, but it will probably take an act of parliament to get that culture change started.

I used to own a cat.

She was fixed. She was fed regularly, dewormed, and taken to the vet annually.

Please outline how exactly you think I needed to "grow up".

docmol

Apologies, that comment was aimed at the people who keep their cats outside, feed them occasionally and don't really care what they do when they can't see them (which is most of the day) There are responsible cat owners, who neuter their pets and know where they are all the time, be it a run out the back or in their own house. Basically I've no issue with anyone keeping any pet once they take responsibility for it and don't let it roam wild and cause problems for other people. It isn't accepted in dog/horse/whatever owners but some cat owners think that they don't have any responsibility for their pets and that it's fine to let them run free all day.
Last post for me in this thread I think ^^

Lapin

To hell with the cats.

Redhairedguy

Lapin wrote: »

To hell with the cats.

Ah here now. We like the cats!

Red Pepper

Lapin wrote: »

To hell with the cats.

Lapin is "rabbit" in French.

Redhairedguy

Red Pepper wrote: »

Lapin is "rabbit" in French.

So shouldn't that be 'to hell with the greyhounds' then?

Red Pepper

Redhairedguy wrote: »

So shouldn't that be 'to hell with the greyhounds' then?

A bastard of a cat killed and ate 3 of my little rabbits when I was a kid. He was about to start on the other 2. The survivors never quite got over it.
Anyway I think coursing involves mainly hares.

Discodog

Redhairedguy wrote: »

So shouldn't that be 'to hell with the greyhounds' then?

Seeing as we kill thousands of Greyhounds every year that would appear to be the attitude of many in Ireland.

Pumpkinseeds

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

From the Galway Indo site - anyone wanna do a counter protest about the protestors?


Ref: http://galwayindependent.com/stories/item/5204/2012-51/UHG-criticised-for-putting-down-feral-cats

What exactly is your point? You are a Mod, your function is to moderate and you seem to be pushing an agenda. There was no flea problem when Rentokill were called in to kill the feral cats. There was no attempt to have the cats relocated. Several cat rescues offered to help with the ferals but it was too late at that point as the cats had been killed by then and no attempt had been made to have the cats relocated.

The cats were never a threat to patients or to staff. The protestors are demonstrating what most of us would consider to be basic human decency and are trying to help the cats. Frankly I find your thread disgraceful. If you are opposed to people trying to improve the lives of homeless animals I pity you. You must have little else to occupy you.

Redhairedguy

Red Pepper wrote: »

A bastard of a cat killed and ate 3 of my little rabbits when I was a kid. He was about to start on the other 2. The survivors never quite got over it.

That's a hell of a haunting way to learn about the cruelty of life. Hope it didn't turn you into too much of a pessimist?

Mrs OBumble

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

What exactly is your point? You are a Mod, your function is to moderate and you seem to be pushing an agenda. ... If you are opposed to people trying to improve the lives of homeless animals I pity you. You must have little else to occupy you.

Yawn, I'm not a mod here, so I can push any agendas I want within the bounds of the forum charter. If you have a problem with my post or thread, you know where the "report post" button is.

Back on topic, you do realise that the vast majority of animals in the world are "homeless" - and that most animal rights activists campaign against animals being held in captivity? For a cat, I would consider living a domestic home and not being free to roam and hunt as nature intended is a form of captivity.

pleasant Co.

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

What exactly is your point? You are a Mod, your function is to moderate and you seem to be pushing an agenda.

Mrs OBumble is not a mod of this forum (Galway City - the location of the thread you are posting in). She is a normal regular poster here, just like you.

With that in mind, maybe you'd like to take this new information on board and revise your post, maybe not. In any case I'd like to remind you that civility doesn't cost a thing.

Storm 10

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Yawn, I'm not a mod here, so I can push any agendas I want within the bounds of the forum charter. If you have a problem with my post or thread, you know where the "report post" button is.

Back on topic, you do realise that the vast majority of animals in the world are "homeless" - and that most animal rights activists campaign against animals being held in captivity? For a cat, I would consider living a domestic home and not being free to roam and hunt as nature intended is a form of captivity.

If you are not a mod why do you have mod after your name it certainly fooled me as I thought you were one, perhaps you should remove it to stop people thinking you are one.

pleasant Co.

Storm 10 wrote: »

If you are not a mod why do you have mod after your name it certainly fooled me as I thought you were one, perhaps you should remove it to stop people thinking you are one.

Mrs OBumble is not a mod of galway city (here, this forum). The list of forums she mods are just below her avatar.

Discodog

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Yawn, I'm not a mod here, so I can push any agendas I want within the bounds of the forum charter. If you have a problem with my post or thread, you know where the "report post" button is.

Back on topic, you do realise that the vast majority of animals in the world are "homeless" - and that most animal rights activists campaign against animals being held in captivity? For a cat, I would consider living a domestic home and not being free to roam and hunt as nature intended is a form of captivity.

Simply not true. Millions of Animal Welfare activists campaign for the ethical treatment of all animals & not just captive ones. You fail to understand domestication. A cat can live a perfectly content life in a home environment.

But your opinions are just symptomatic of many Irish people which is why we have one of the worst animal welfare records in Europe.

Red Pepper

Redhairedguy wrote: »

That's a hell of a haunting way to learn about the cruelty of life. Hope it didn't turn you into too much of a pessimist?

I have to say the murder scene I uncovered has marked me ever since. I will never forget it. 3 little rabbits ripped to shreds and 2 other rabbits in the corner shivering with fear and waiting to die.

fishy fishy

i think the cats are getting a bad rap here - I think the problem is not with cats at all, but they want you to think its about cats to cover up the real problem.

I don't believe for a second it is cats.

pleasant Co.

pleasant Co. wrote: »

Mrs OBumble is not a mod of galway city (here, this forum). The list of forums she mods are just below her avatar.

Was Mrs OBumble a mod of galway city forum when she started thread?

tightropetom

So, are people just against sorting out feral cats or is it all creatures that can be pests? If it were rats, or cockroaches, or pigeons would that be an acceptable pest control operation?

pleasant Co.

Deleted User wrote: »

Was Mrs OBumble a mod of galway city forum when she started thread?

No idea, it's irrelevant to the thread - but I guess you could PM her and ask her, of course she doesn't have to answer you but that's entirely up to her - free will and all that.

Redhairedguy

tightropetom wrote: »

So, are people just against sorting out feral cats or is it all creatures that can be pests? If it were rats, or cockroaches, or pigeons would that be an acceptable pest control operation?

Absolutely. Cats by nature are clean creatures; which have a function in society for controlling the level of pests that can be detrimental to humans. Rats for example, can carry Leptospirosis (aka Weils Disease) which is fatal to humans if not caught early and treated properly.

Cats tend not to carry too many diseases that are particularly dangerous to humans, except for Rabies and Toxoplasmosis, which people can get off a ton of other animals anyway. The most common infections that people can get off cats are very tame by comparison; the likes of ringworm, which children commonly get off each other anyway, and Cat-scratch disease which though a pain in the ass, clears up after a short period of time.

Cats simply cannot be kept inside, whether they are feral or domesticated. If a cat wants to get out, they will get out. Short of chopping their legs off, there is very little people can do.

There are a load of feral cats in my estate. They are shy creatures, which bolt at the hint of a person/car/dog. They are completely non-invasive, and I have yet to see any mice, rats or anything in or around the estate. (which at times can have overflowing skips, and plastic bin bags lying on the ground beside them.)