# Something you should all know about the RSPCA



## Shadowrat

As many know, I take on rescue rats.
A lot of the rescue rats I take on are referred to me from the RSPCA. I used to volunteer there, and once they found out I had rats, they began sending me all the rats they got in.
They did not have the facilities to cater for them there, and used to just euthanize them, so I was happy to do this. It was only 4 or 5 rats a year back then.

Now, 8 years on, its more like 15-20 a year. Still no problem, happy to help these animals out.
I have always paid for my rescue work out of my own pocket, and never asked the RSPCA for financial assitance, despite the fact that Im saving them the money and trouble of looking after them, or even just the cost of euthanizing them.

However, recently, I decided to try and see if I was entitled to any kind of funding. If you don't ask, you don't get!
The branch manager was a lovely guy and totally agreed I deserved some financial help. He admitted that the branch often just passes the buck when it comes to small animals, and he felt it was wrong, too.
He said that he would need to talk to the trustees and broach the subject of funding for me.

He got back to me yesterday.
The trustees had decided I should get nothing. This alone wasn't too much of a shock; I never actually _expected_ it to begin with.
But the reasoning they gave?

*'We have enough on our plate with dogs and cats, rats aren't important'.*

Yep, they actually said it.
While Im not too surprised, we've always known they were cack when it came to rats, but Im surprised they had the brass to actually come out and _say_ it.
Clearly, the RSPCA stands for Royal Society for Picking and Choosing Animals.

The branch manager said he was frankly embarassed to be associated with them. It wasn't just _one_ trustee in the room either, it was the majority. Only two or three stood up to protest about it.

I've never had much faith in the RSPCA, but now they've out and out admitted they don't care about anything other than dogs and cats. And often, not even those :/

So please, if you donate to them, or ever think about it, reconsider it.
If you're a small furry owner or lover, they don't give a damn about your pets. 
It is not _they_ who rescue and help these animals; it is smaller, home run, independant rescues like myself. We are the only people who will do it, because the RSPCA have admitted they don't place these animals as important.
Donate to smaller rescues, not the RSPCA. You know then that your money is going directly to help the animals.

The RSPCA are one of the richest charities in the country. 
3 of their MP trustees have been done for fiddling expenses...one has just been convicted.
I looked at the RSPCA accounts (as a charity they are freely available). They have so much money you wouldnt believe it - trillions! Investments all over the place; that is where people's donations go: investments.
Also there are a considerable amount of people that work for them who earn 80k or over a year.
Their intake in 2008 was £120 million.
And yet they refuse to help out the smaller sanctuaries and rescues who only exist because the RSPCA won't help these animals.

Their campaigns and ads make it appear that they are concerned with the welfare of any and all species. Watch any of their tv shows, and you'll see them rescuing all kinds of species from swans to rabbits to deer to crows to hamsters. This is, quite clearly, not the case in most situations.

I remind people, this isn't something I've speculated or assumed; its come directly from the horses mouth:
'rats aren't important.'

Its probably safe to assume this would extend to hamsters, guinea pigs, mice, gerbils, ferrets, rabbits, small birds etc.

My issue isn't that I am not going to get any funding; I don't care about that too much. I've coped for 8 years, I'll continue to cope.
My disgust is at the attitude displayed by an organisation that is supposed to be about protecting ANIMALS, not just dogs and cats.

So please, if you're going to donate, give it to an animal rescue that actually DOES the work for these small furries, not the RSPCA who couldn't give a damn and make more money in a year than most of these rescues will ever see in their lives.


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## thedogsmother

The trouble is rats arent cute to a lot of people, a needy cat or dog, preferably a puppy or kitten will bring in the big bucks in donations when its face is plastered all over the advertising whereas a rat wouldnt. I used to think the RSPCA were a wonderful organisation but my eyes are wide open about them these days, they are a business nothing more .


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## Snippet

My local branch is pretty good with small furries, and when I phoned up to complain about someone being cruel to their rats (left rats in consevatory in the middle of summer, rats died of heat exhuastion) they where out the next day. I do know, however, that the charity as a whole is of the opinion that anything smaller then a cat is a 'second class citizen' and not worth the bother.


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## Shadowrat

Snippet said:


> My local branch is pretty good with small furries, and when I phoned up to complain about someone being cruel to their rats (left rats in consevatory in the middle of summer, rats died of heat exhuastion) they where out the next day. I do know, however, that the charity as a whole is of the opinion that anything smaller then a cat is a 'second class citizen' and not worth the bother.


The 'rats in a conservatory' thing rings a bell. Im sure I heard about that.
Im sure it must vary from branch to branch, and you'll sometimes be lucky to get in contact with someone who really cares. But it amazed me that all except two trustees in the room agreed that rats didn't matter. 
The fact that they didn't even try to sugar coat it suggests they think its not only reasonable, but acceptable to think this way


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## Guest

Tbh this doesn't surprise me. Not a big fan of the RSPCA, far too many animals have been let down thanks to them


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## Lil Miss

wish i could say it did surprise me, but its a well known fact they really dont give a monkies, most of them only care about rescues if it makes them look good, they wont act if an animal has food and water even if its clearly suffering and starving, it can have been left without feed and water for days, as long as when they come you feed it its fine!!
they also kill so many animals each year, simply because they can not be bothered to put the work into them


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## Snippet

Shadowrat said:


> The 'rats in a conservatory' thing rings a bell. Im sure I heard about that.
> Im sure it must vary from branch to branch, and you'll sometimes be lucky to get in contact with someone who really cares. But it amazed me that all except two trustees in the room agreed that rats didn't matter.
> The fact that they didn't even try to sugar coat it suggests they think its not only reasonable, but acceptable to think this way


If you where active on the Fancy Rats or Goose Moose forums around this time last year then you would of heard about it. I post under the same username on both forums.


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## manic rose

to be honest it doesnt surprise me. when I was looking to find some rats to adopt I would check the RSPCA website for rats to rehome very regularly and never saw any rats on there. there was plenty of other small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs but never any rats.

is very sad that some people in charge of such as well known and respected organisation have this view. rats are just as deserving of a good home as any other pet. thank god there is people out there who will rescue them


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## Ditsy42

hell will freeze over b4 I donate a penny 2 them, wouldn't give em the steam off my sh$ite, I prefer 2 donate 2 small private rescues who I know do a fantastic job regardless of funding


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## Angie2011

OMG!!!  I started to donate to them about 6 months ago! its not a huge amount! i feel sick!!!!  i had no idea :cryin::nono:


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## laurenbeautyroom

My local rescue centre told me how dire they are I was in shock!
They said they only go out when TV cameras are about and that they have had to ring and ring and ring them when they needed help in the case of abandoned starving animals as the police will only let RSPCA take them. The police actually threatened to arrest the members of the local rescue when they went to collect some animals that had been abandoned for weeks with no food or water. There were dead animals lying all around and the police wouldn't let them save them. The RSPCA did nothing.
They also euthenise healthy animals. Not cool.
And they threatened to sue this guy I know who wrote on his website about what they are really like. Why can a charity afford to sue someone? They pay thousands on lawyers which should go on animals! 
It's a disgrace. People have no clue.
My local rescue has four acres with every animal you can think, it is their own house, they both have full time jobs and have volunteers to help and have to raise money to look after the animals other people dump. But they do it for no profit and no support from the RSPCA.


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## myzoo

:>( it is so sad that the people who are supposed to be helping these beautiful creatures arnt doing what they are supposed to its a shame that because a rat or other rodents are generlly less appealing that they wont give them the same care that a dog or cat would get.Sorry to say this but they are liars they show in the adverts them rescuing many animals when really the case is they cant be bothered even when they have a neglect/abuse case handed to them on a plate they mostly ignore it if it involves small animals.its like the rspca drop in vet service will only see cats and dogs nothing else why so what about low income familys/rescures needing help with a small animal so they would rather the animal suffer than offer this service to us its a discrace.i certainly wont be donating to them anymore.theres a small homebased rescue near me who take in any animal from the rspca nd the survive from donations from the public and get little or no help from the rspca.it makes me so mad that the people who are supposed to protect are in some ways destroying them for no goos reason apart from time and lack of respect for these small animals


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## Rini

I have a bad experience with the RSPCA and I dont think they do as much as they should! They also LIE! They told me they couldnt send someone out if it was dangerous and they arent trained and they are ALL volunteers. They said there were only volunteers working for them... which is bull... they just wriggled out of doing something. I could have done without them being so horrible before I lost my cat. (It's a long story and extremely traumatic).


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## LostGirl

Doesnt shock me at all tbh

We had a officer at our door a few yrs ago (family dispute) and the lady knew nothing! Honestly we were telling things about how to care for our types if animals then when I said please go and visit my kitten who was run over 6months ago who's in for his like 10th skin graft costing us £4k all together and then say we don't care I dare you!


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## 912142

Shadowrat said:


> As many know, I take on rescue rats.
> A lot of the rescue rats I take on are referred to me from the RSPCA. I used to volunteer there, and once they found out I had rats, they began sending me all the rats they got in.
> They did not have the facilities to cater for them there, and used to just euthanize them, so I was happy to do this. It was only 4 or 5 rats a year back then.
> 
> Now, 8 years on, its more like 15-20 a year. Still no problem, happy to help these animals out.
> I have always paid for my rescue work out of my own pocket, and never asked the RSPCA for financial assitance, despite the fact that Im saving them the money and trouble of looking after them, or even just the cost of euthanizing them.
> 
> However, recently, I decided to try and see if I was entitled to any kind of funding. If you don't ask, you don't get!
> The branch manager was a lovely guy and totally agreed I deserved some financial help. He admitted that the branch often just passes the buck when it comes to small animals, and he felt it was wrong, too.
> He said that he would need to talk to the trustees and broach the subject of funding for me.
> 
> He got back to me yesterday.
> The trustees had decided I should get nothing. This alone wasn't too much of a shock; I never actually _expected_ it to begin with.
> But the reasoning they gave?
> 
> *'We have enough on our plate with dogs and cats, rats aren't important'.*
> 
> Yep, they actually said it.
> While Im not too surprised, we've always known they were cack when it came to rats, but Im surprised they had the brass to actually come out and _say_ it.
> Clearly, the RSPCA stands for Royal Society for Picking and Choosing Animals.
> 
> The branch manager said he was frankly embarassed to be associated with them. It wasn't just _one_ trustee in the room either, it was the majority. Only two or three stood up to protest about it.
> 
> I've never had much faith in the RSPCA, but now they've out and out admitted they don't care about anything other than dogs and cats. And often, not even those :/
> 
> So please, if you donate to them, or ever think about it, reconsider it.
> If you're a small furry owner or lover, they don't give a damn about your pets.
> It is not _they_ who rescue and help these animals; it is smaller, home run, independant rescues like myself. We are the only people who will do it, because the RSPCA have admitted they don't place these animals as important.
> Donate to smaller rescues, not the RSPCA. You know then that your money is going directly to help the animals.
> 
> The RSPCA are one of the richest charities in the country.
> 3 of their MP trustees have been done for fiddling expenses...one has just been convicted.
> I looked at the RSPCA accounts (as a charity they are freely available). They have so much money you wouldnt believe it - trillions! Investments all over the place; that is where people's donations go: investments.
> Also there are a considerable amount of people that work for them who earn 80k or over a year.
> Their intake in 2008 was £120 million.
> And yet they refuse to help out the smaller sanctuaries and rescues who only exist because the RSPCA won't help these animals.
> 
> Their campaigns and ads make it appear that they are concerned with the welfare of any and all species. Watch any of their tv shows, and you'll see them rescuing all kinds of species from swans to rabbits to deer to crows to hamsters. This is, quite clearly, not the case in most situations.
> 
> I remind people, this isn't something I've speculated or assumed; its come directly from the horses mouth:
> 'rats aren't important.'
> 
> Its probably safe to assume this would extend to hamsters, guinea pigs, mice, gerbils, ferrets, rabbits, small birds etc.
> 
> My issue isn't that I am not going to get any funding; I don't care about that too much. I've coped for 8 years, I'll continue to cope.
> My disgust is at the attitude displayed by an organisation that is supposed to be about protecting ANIMALS, not just dogs and cats.
> 
> So please, if you're going to donate, give it to an animal rescue that actually DOES the work for these small furries, not the RSPCA who couldn't give a damn and make more money in a year than most of these rescues will ever see in their lives.


How is the RSPCA funded? Is it by shareholders or purely by donations? Who are they responsible to?


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## 912142

912142 said:


> How is the RSPCA funded? Is it by shareholders or purely by donations? Who are they responsible to?


They have charity status - you could write to the institution that deals with charity status with your comments - they would then address this with the board. After all they got the charity status for dealing with all animals not just dogs and cats. They will also have personalities who give their time and names to them - would be worth highlighting these comments to them in written form. Put as many spokes in the wheel as you can - when they start getting awkward questions asked they may think through their current policies again!

I find their comment appalling and I think you should push that up the ladder but most of all I agree with your comment about donating to smaller rescues - these places really do need help and are nearly always forgotten.


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## simplysardonic

Sadly, I'm actually not shocked by their response, after helping with the hutch rescue last year I came to realise that in general people have a sh*tty attitude to rats at the best of times


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## smudgiesmummy

i was told years ago, that if they cant find homes for animals they will be put to sleep even at a young age


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## manic rose

smudge2009 said:


> i was told years ago, that if they cant find homes for animals they will be put to sleep even at a young age


know that this happens at some places but I find it a disgraceful practice. no healthy animal should ever be put to sleep because they cant find it a home. reading stuff like this makes me wish so much that I had the money to be able to run a rescue shelter/sanctuary for small animals


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## ajohnson

Wow, that's terrible. I've owned rats for years now, absolutely love them, so I find it appalling that the RSPCA reacted in that way. Totally unprofessional for such a large and well loved charity.

I will definitely think twice now about donating money to them.


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## Blondie

Sadly I am not surprised at all. RSPCA is just a huge corporate business now, I stopped supporting them years ago.


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## Argent

Sickening that they're the only ones legally allowed to do anything and they can't even be bothered. I wish an external animal welfare board could be put together...god knows there's more than enough passionate, diplomatic and knowledgable people who would be up for the job. If the RSPCA think they've 'got enough on their plates' then maybe the power to do something should be handed to someone who gives a damn.


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## NoSpecialFeaturesHere

The RSPCA branch I worked for had lots of rats. It was a no-kill shelter and they wouldn't refuse to take in rats in need, and they would certainly never put them down unless they were suffering. They were cared for and given as much consideration as the dogs and cats and rabbits and guinea pigs etc. 

As far as I'm aware the branch receives no funding from HQ, they raise all the money themselves. 

There are some good RSPCA animal homes that care a lot about their animals, and if people stopped donating to them just because they're affiliated with the RSPCA name, the animals would be the ones to suffer. Where would they go? They'd be left to go to the dog wardens/pounds and be put to sleep after seven days.


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## Guest

NoSpecialFeaturesHere said:


> The RSPCA branch I worked for had lots of rats. It was a no-kill shelter and they wouldn't refuse to take in rats in need, and they would certainly never put them down unless they were suffering. They were cared for and given as much consideration as the dogs and cats and rabbits and guinea pigs etc.
> 
> As far as I'm aware the branch receives no funding from HQ, they raise all the money themselves.
> 
> There are some good RSPCA animal homes that care a lot about their animals, and if people stopped donating to them just because they're affiliated with the RSPCA name, the animals would be the ones to suffer. Where would they go? They'd be left to go to the dog wardens/pounds and be put to sleep after seven days.


There are far more dedicated rescues out there than the RSPCA, and last time I looked your branch must be the only no kill RSPCA shelter out there :/, maybe you can tell us why as a charity, RSPCA inspectors get an 18 grand a year pay packet? (some a lot more) Last time I looked that isn't volunteering and surely that money would be far better put back into the rescues?

(Not having a dig at you personally but I for one have had far too many bad experiences with the RSPCA so not a huge fan of them)


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## noushka05

dosent surprise me im sad to say, just recently they had a young rottie in who had been kept in a cupboard most of his life and so his bone development had suffered, he was making progress each time he was assessed but then on one particular assesment they decided he hadnt progressed enough and the decision was made to put him to sleep....my local dog rescue begged the RSPCA to let them take him so they could work on getting him better......the RSPCA refused and put him down anyway!


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## NoSpecialFeaturesHere

B3rnie said:


> There are far more dedicated rescues out there than the RSPCA, and last time I looked your branch must be the only no kill RSPCA shelter out there :/, maybe you can tell us why as a charity, RSPCA inspectors get an 18 grand a year pay packet? (some a lot more) Last time I looked that isn't volunteering and surely that money would be far better put back into the rescues?
> 
> (Not having a dig at you personally but I for one have had far too many bad experiences with the RSPCA so not a huge fan of them)


I don't work there anymore but I know they fought against HQ to not become a kill shelter. They wanted to enfore their 'policy', which is to move the animals on after three months to another branch and give them another three months then put to sleep.  I hate that. I don't know what they do there now, they have a new manager, but when I was there it was no-kill and the animals stayed put until they found a home.

Don't get me started on the amount of money they get paid in the higher positions!! (I didn't know the inspectors got paid that much, I do know they work long hours and do work that I couldn't do. I was a humble animal care assistant, I don't know much about much.) But I completely agree with you that the pay packets should be lower so the money can go to helping the animals. The fact that the top dogs in HQ get what is it, nearly a hundred thousand pounds a year??? Something stupid like that - all donated money... well, frankly it makes me sick. I wrote to them about it one time... got myself into a bit of bother. 

Poor animals.


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## NoSpecialFeaturesHere

noushka05 said:


> dosent surprise me im sad to say, just recently they had a young rottie in who had been kept in a cupboard most of his life and so his bone development had suffered, he was making progress each time he was assessed but then on one particular assesment they decided he hadnt progressed enough and the decision was made to put him to sleep....my local dog rescue begged the RSPCA to let them take him so they could work on getting him better......the RSPCA refused and put him down anyway!


That's appalling!!


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## niki87

noushka05 said:


> dosent surprise me im sad to say, just recently they had a young rottie in who had been kept in a cupboard most of his life and so his bone development had suffered, he was making progress each time he was assessed but then on one particular assesment they decided he hadnt progressed enough and the decision was made to put him to sleep....my local dog rescue begged the RSPCA to let them take him so they could work on getting him better......the RSPCA refused and put him down anyway!


 That is awful....they put a dog down that had people who wanted it............ That is the worst RSPCA story ive heard...and that is saying something!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## noushka05

niki87 said:


> That is awful....they put a dog down that had people who wanted it............ That is the worst RSPCA story ive heard...and that is saying something!!!!!!!!!!!!


yes it upset us when we were told... the girl who helps at the rescue who told us said that she and some others had been donating monthly to the RSPCA...after that they all immediatley stopped their direct debits they were so upset and disgusted!


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## Guest

niki87 said:


> That is awful....they put a dog down that had people who wanted it............ That is the worst RSPCA story ive heard...and that is saying something!!!!!!!!!!!!


It happens all the time hun, one of my friends who works in a kennels has a few stories the same 
It seems they are the be all and end all when it comes to rescue and no one else can achieve what they cba to do 

Not sure if anyone remembers the Amersham case where 130 horses were taken from Spindle Farm and at least 40 were put down due to severe neglect? (many of those would have pulled through if someone had given them the chance ) Well what the RSPCA won't tell you is they had been watching these people for over a year and still left them there until it was far too late for the majority of the horses 

Why you ask??

Well that is simple, media coverage.


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## Amethyst

B3rnie said:


> maybe you can tell us why as a charity, RSPCA inspectors get an 18 grand a year pay packet? (some a lot more) Last time I looked that isn't volunteering and surely that money would be far better put back into the rescues?


Personally (while I agree the RSPCA sometimes gets it wrong) I don't think a min salary of 18 grand a year is extortionate given some of the work Inspectors have to do ...

What do you think would be a suitable wage?


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## Guest

Amethyst said:


> Personally (while I agree the RSPCA sometimes gets it wrong) I don't think a min salary of 18 grand a year is extortionate given some of the work Inspectors have to do ...
> 
> What do you think would be a suitable wage?


I don't care that they get a salary it is a job at the end of the day, it is the fact that they are constantly pleading poverty and tell the public that everyone is a volunteer 

There are lots of rescues out there that would be so thankful for a wage but they do it for the love of the animals, the RSPCA do it for the money IMO

(I am not digging at the inspectors themselves it is the organisation I have big issues with)


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## CanIgoHome

b3rnie said:


> tbh this doesn't surprise me. Not a big fan of the rspca, far too many animals have been let down thanks to them





ceearott said:


> sadly i am not surprised at all. Rspca is just a huge corporate business now, i stopped supporting them years ago.


rspca don't care about animals anymore just money


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## ceretrea

Shadowrat said:


> As many know, I take on rescue rats.
> A lot of the rescue rats I take on are referred to me from the RSPCA. I used to volunteer there, and once they found out I had rats, they began sending me all the rats they got in.
> They did not have the facilities to cater for them there, and used to just euthanize them, so I was happy to do this. It was only 4 or 5 rats a year back then.
> 
> Now, 8 years on, its more like 15-20 a year. Still no problem, happy to help these animals out.
> I have always paid for my rescue work out of my own pocket, and never asked the RSPCA for financial assitance, despite the fact that Im saving them the money and trouble of looking after them, or even just the cost of euthanizing them.
> 
> However, recently, I decided to try and see if I was entitled to any kind of funding. If you don't ask, you don't get!
> The branch manager was a lovely guy and totally agreed I deserved some financial help. He admitted that the branch often just passes the buck when it comes to small animals, and he felt it was wrong, too.
> He said that he would need to talk to the trustees and broach the subject of funding for me.
> 
> He got back to me yesterday.
> The trustees had decided I should get nothing. This alone wasn't too much of a shock; I never actually _expected_ it to begin with.
> But the reasoning they gave?
> 
> *'We have enough on our plate with dogs and cats, rats aren't important'.*
> 
> Yep, they actually said it.
> While Im not too surprised, we've always known they were cack when it came to rats, but Im surprised they had the brass to actually come out and _say_ it.
> Clearly, the RSPCA stands for Royal Society for Picking and Choosing Animals.
> 
> The branch manager said he was frankly embarassed to be associated with them. It wasn't just _one_ trustee in the room either, it was the majority. Only two or three stood up to protest about it.
> 
> I've never had much faith in the RSPCA, but now they've out and out admitted they don't care about anything other than dogs and cats. And often, not even those :/
> 
> So please, if you donate to them, or ever think about it, reconsider it.
> If you're a small furry owner or lover, they don't give a damn about your pets.
> It is not _they_ who rescue and help these animals; it is smaller, home run, independant rescues like myself. We are the only people who will do it, because the RSPCA have admitted they don't place these animals as important.
> Donate to smaller rescues, not the RSPCA. You know then that your money is going directly to help the animals.
> 
> The RSPCA are one of the richest charities in the country.
> 3 of their MP trustees have been done for fiddling expenses...one has just been convicted.
> I looked at the RSPCA accounts (as a charity they are freely available). They have so much money you wouldnt believe it - trillions! Investments all over the place; that is where people's donations go: investments.
> Also there are a considerable amount of people that work for them who earn 80k or over a year.
> Their intake in 2008 was £120 million.
> And yet they refuse to help out the smaller sanctuaries and rescues who only exist because the RSPCA won't help these animals.
> 
> Their campaigns and ads make it appear that they are concerned with the welfare of any and all species. Watch any of their tv shows, and you'll see them rescuing all kinds of species from swans to rabbits to deer to crows to hamsters. This is, quite clearly, not the case in most situations.
> 
> I remind people, this isn't something I've speculated or assumed; its come directly from the horses mouth:
> 'rats aren't important.'
> 
> Its probably safe to assume this would extend to hamsters, guinea pigs, mice, gerbils, ferrets, rabbits, small birds etc.
> 
> My issue isn't that I am not going to get any funding; I don't care about that too much. I've coped for 8 years, I'll continue to cope.
> My disgust is at the attitude displayed by an organisation that is supposed to be about protecting ANIMALS, not just dogs and cats.
> 
> So please, if you're going to donate, give it to an animal rescue that actually DOES the work for these small furries, not the RSPCA who couldn't give a damn and make more money in a year than most of these rescues will ever see in their lives.


I'm afraid this doesn't shock me at all. I recently took up a long complaints process with my local RSPCA regarding mice they had in their care. One of the aspects of this complaint was the staff saying I didn't need a homecheck, and they didn't need to see the cage as they were 'just mice'. When I offered to foster they said no, mice don't need fostering even though they hardly ever get out the cage etc etc. They wouldn't even spend the same amount of money on cardboard bedding because they believed shavings were more appropriate. And that was from the chairman eventually. I gave up in the end. There was a lack of disclosure about the health risks suffered by hugely inbred mice. But I guess that okay because many people adopting them would just think that mice only live for 6 months in any case. Nothing was said about the higher incidence of tumours likely to occur, no effect to warn people.

I totally agree, since the 'scandal' of pedigree dog breeding the RSPCA has continually proved itself to be a largely hypocritical organisation. If they don't want to care for small animals, give them to people who can. I often think they should be renamed The Royal Society of the Euthansia of Small Animals, or perhaps The Royal Society for the Protection of Animals we Like? Or the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Whomever it is Fashionable at the time lol I could go on. The excuse of lack of staff and lack of funds only flies so far when small animal rescues nationwide are homing, transporting and inundated with furries...and they have next to no funding and often no staff at all.


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## manic rose

ceretrea said:


> I recently took up a long complaints process with my local RSPCA regarding mice they had in their care. One of the aspects of this complaint was the staff saying I didn't need a homecheck, and they didn't need to see the cage as they were 'just mice'. When I offered to foster they said no, mice don't need fostering even though they hardly ever get out the cage etc etc. They wouldn't even spend the same amount of money on cardboard bedding because they believed shavings were more appropriate. And that was from the chairman eventually. I gave up in the end. There was a lack of disclosure about the health risks suffered by hugely inbred mice. But I guess that okay because many people adopting them would just think that mice only live for 6 months in any case. Nothing was said about the higher incidence of tumours likely to occur, no effect to warn people.


if they took this kind of attitude with cats or dogs there would be an uproar in the media. makes me so sad. a few months ago nearly set up a direct debit to them but so glad I didnt now.


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## Argent

Maybe some messages to Panorama or Channel 4 are in order? They can't keep getting away with this - we're all aware of what they're like, and there's so many people that pick up THEIR slack, out of the goodness of their hearts.


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## myzoo

Argent said:


> Maybe some messages to Panorama or Channel 4 are in order? They can't keep getting away with this - we're all aware of what they're like, and there's so many people that pick up THEIR slack, out of the goodness of their hearts.


So sad but so true. they need a good kick up the backside.


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## niki87

B3rnie said:


> It happens all the time hun, one of my friends who works in a kennels has a few stories the same
> It seems they are the be all and end all when it comes to rescue and no one else can achieve what they cba to do
> 
> Not sure if anyone remembers the Amersham case where 130 horses were taken from Spindle Farm and at least 40 were put down due to severe neglect? (many of those would have pulled through if someone had given them the chance ) Well what the RSPCA won't tell you is they had been watching these people for over a year and still left them there until it was far too late for the majority of the horses
> 
> Why you ask??
> 
> Well that is simple, media coverage.


I heard about teh Spindle Farm case.....they were made out to be such the heroes!!!!!!!



Argent said:


> Maybe some messages to Panorama or Channel 4 are in order? They can't keep getting away with this - we're all aware of what they're like, and there's so many people that pick up THEIR slack, out of the goodness of their hearts.


Too true....Seriously I knew they were becoming commercial....but this is neglect in itself. Didn't quote Snippets post but the rats comment is actually hurtful!!!!!!!! B******s!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Shadowrat

Amethyst said:


> Personally (while I agree the RSPCA sometimes gets it wrong) I don't think a min salary of 18 grand a year is extortionate given some of the work Inspectors have to do ...
> 
> What do you think would be a suitable wage?


Half or even a third that amount each year would be life changing to my personal rescue, and the small, independantly run rescues all over the country.
Personally, I'll probably never see £18k.....

The smaller rescues see just as many horrific things, we have to go out at all hours and in all kind of situations to rescue animals, we have to deal with just as many aggressive or abusive owners, we have to put ourselves at just as much personal risk, we're doing the same work, but for free.
I've personally had to go out and actually do the job an inspector should be doing on several occasions.

On one occasion, a pet rat had been released into an overgrown back yard of an abandoned house, and was living out in the elements. As we know, being released is usually a death sentance for a domestic rat. 
The people who were clearing out the house for re-sale had just happened to spot it drinking from the pond. And it was a good thing he was an agouti hoodie rather than a pure agouti otherwise they'd probably have just thought he was wild. 
This house was a fair distance from me, so I called the RSPCA asking if they could send an inspector out to catch the rat, and I'd arrange to pick him up and bring him here. They said they'd call me back that day.
The day passed, no call.
Another day half-passed, no call.
Every day having to live in the wild was one more day that rat could have been killed. 
I rang back, and was told the inspectors would only be able to go out 'in about a fortnight'. I told them this was absolutely useless, and the rat would be dead by then, if it wasn't already.
Again, it was implied to me that it wasn't a top priority. 
Im sure if it had been a puppy or a kitten in imminent danger, it would have shifted higher up the priority list >:/

In the end, I thought 'screw this' and got a train up to the house myself. I figured I'd just wait there, for however long it took, until I caught the rat.
The people let me in, because as luck would have it, they were cleaning the house out on that day (after this, they were going to not be at the property for another week). They said they'd not seen the rat recently.

I went into the garden, and it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
But maybe it was just instinct after having rats for so long, but the first pile of debris I pulled apart, there he was, fast asleep. 
I got him, took him home, and he was one of the most lovely rats I've ever had.

The worst thing? The RSPCA center I'd called to ask to send an inspector out was located a 5 minute walk from the property the rat was in.
It would have taken them literally 15 minutes to at least go and look at the situation; they wouldn't have had to even get in the car!

That was one of my biggest wake-ups about the RSPCA, the fact that I as a lone female had to go into a house with a bunch of people I didn't know, and put myself at risk to save this animal, when they were sitting just 5 minutes up the road!

If the RSPCA don't want to deal with these animals, they HAVE to make that public knowledge, because they're currently just lying to the public.
Perhaps if they admitted they don't want to deal with these animals, they could then allocate the smaller local rescues who DO want to deal with them, a certain amount of the enormous amount of money they take in. 
Perhaps work _with_ them?
Honestly, even a donation of £500 would drastically change my life in rat rescue, and its probably the same for all other small animal rescues.
Its just hard for me to see these people raking in huge wages, when I get diddly squat for doing work on their behalf that is equally as hard and taxing.


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## ceretrea

And that post above says it all. Well put.


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## Spellweaver

Argent said:


> Maybe some messages to Panorama or Channel 4 are in order? They can't keep getting away with this - we're all aware of what they're like, and there's so many people that pick up THEIR slack, out of the goodness of their hearts.


Totally agree :thumbup: This is one of the richest charities in the world, and yet it continues to build up its multi-million pound bank balance at the expense of the animals it is supposed to care for. It needs investigating thoroughly.

Heh heh - perhaps we should sic JH on 'em - but on second thoughts, no. We want the truth, not some lies designed to up the ratings!


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