City Newspaper Archives - 9/2007
PETS: Ask shelters about euthanizing policy
Published on Sep 04, 2007
My boyfriend and I recently experienced a terrible ordeal with a local animal shelter. We had discovered a litter of five-week old kittens in a garage, and found homes for two of the kittens fairly quickly. We cared for the other two for a while, but they needed medical attention sooner than we could provide it. Upon researching the adoption process at Rochester Animal Services, we decided to take them there.
A week later, my boyfriend returned to Rochester Animal Services for our cat's spaying follow-up visit. My boyfriend couldn't find the kittens. He was then told that all kittens less than two pounds are automatically euthanized. Whoever admitted the kittens had to know they were less than two pounds; they were babies! Still, not one of the three employees he conversed with that day mentioned the policy. One even said, "Thank you for saving these cats."
Granted, the overpopulation of strays is unimaginable and provides for the need to euthanize in great numbers. Regardless, we certainly wouldn't have left the kittens there if we knew their fate. Please let this letter serve as both a warning and request. Don't take kittens to a shelter without inquiring about such policies. But more importantly, take care of the pets you have. Until we can all take responsibility for our own animals, there will always be litters showing up in our garages, and possibly no way to save them at all.
SARA PASSAMONTE, ROCHESTER
