CAT CAGES AT THE MAPLE RIDGE SPCA
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF SPCA STANDARDS OF ANIMAL WELFARE

Animal Advocates Society Message Board

THE STATE OF THE MAPLE RIDGE SPCA

Posted By: Brigitta
Date: Wednesday, 5 June 2002, at 8:23 p.m.

Posted on 5/23/2002 at 01:08:15 AM by Brigitta

At 11:30 on Tuesday May 21 I noted four cats at our shelter with no water – not spilt, but bone-dry bowls where the water had been consumed or evaporated several hours ago. I didn't check the rest of the cages. The staff were working hard. The workload is daunting, and since the euthanasia moratorium, it could only have grown. There are four free-standing cages in addition to the regular cages in the small animal room. These four cages are about two feet square; two are in the small kitchen/bathroom, two are in the unheated back room which is also used for euthanasia. The cages are so small that staff use a small plastic tray for a litter pan and small, shallow dishes. The cats live in these cramped quarters in relative sensory and social isolation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The plight of the dogs has been exemplified by the stories of Odie and Keisha on the Animal Advocates web site. These concerns have been brought to your attention before. Each plea for improvement has been met with either silence or with platitudes, excuses or promises. But the bottom line is, in two years since I first brought up the problems, the SPCA has apparently not had the time, the interest or the resources to do anything to this day, even to ensure that the cats have water.

The City of Maple Ridge pledged some monies for urgent upgrades. They asked for a list of needs. Flowers were planted and a fence was put up that blocks the dogs' view of the world from their cells. Where is the trailer that could serve as improved housing for the small animals? Evidently not a priority. You could use the money invested in benefits such as company cars to install a modern phone system so staff don't have to keep repeating information such as open hours and adoption fees. Then maybe they'd have time to do an end-of-day check to see that each animal can get through the night comfortably. What exactly are your priorities? SPCA personnel have been sent on travels to discuss matters. Panels and committees have been convened to investigate matters, consultants have been paid to write about matters.... For heaven's sake, just do it. Please delegate someone to let me know when end-of-the-day checks will be instituted and when the undersized cages will be replaced with something better. I hope to hear a date, not promises, platitudes or silence. I'm afraid you find me too easy to ignore but I think other people share my concerns. I'm posting this letter on message boards read by people who care about animals. I will post a short update daily to advise them of your response or lack thereof. Please don't misunderstand me to be hostile, I'm just at my wit's end. The SPCA has to work for the animals. It has to.

See also: SPCA Haves and Have Nots, how the SPCA treats itself and how it treats animals: THE SPCA'S HAVES AND HAVE NOTS