I sent 33 emails, where I presented myself and my research and I asked if they were willing to answer few questions.
I received 8 answers, and only one was negative; as today, I received 4 completed questionnaires.
These are the translations of the answers:
Mondo Gatto
·
Where is the cat shelter
located?
In Milan.
·
Who is the supervisor? How many
volunteers do you have? Is there any employee?
The shelter is managed by the Association which counts on 40
volunteers, no employees and 4 operators.
·
What kind of relationship do
you have with the municipality? Do you receive subsidies?
We don’t receive any subsidy from the municipality of Milan, we just
have an agreement for sterilizations and therapies for stray cats.
·
What kind of help do you
receive from the outside?
Donations, in money and food.
·
How many cats over 7 years old
do you have?
It depends on the period of the year; in summer the percentage drop
because of the arrival of kittens while during the winter inevitably increase.
·
Are there people who
specifically ask to adopt those cats? Can you show a percentage (even vague) of
these people in comparison to the visits you receive?
Luckily there are people willing to adopt older cats, their
percentage is around 10%.
·
Approximately, how many cats
over 7 years old are adopted in comparison to younger cats?
Around 20%.
·
Do you promote in any way the
adoption of older cats?
Yes, we try to explain what it means and in many cases the
advantages that there are in adopting an older cat; this is one of goal of the
Association.
·
If yes, what you have done?
We address with a certain frequency this issue on social networks
and magazines, publishing pictures of the cats with a little description of
their personalities, of their story (if known) and the requirement for the
perfect adoption, at least in theory.
·
Do you know any initiative
external to your shelter addressing this issue?
No.
·
Do you think that the adoption
of older cats might have some sort of benefit on the shelter of a economic
kind? Or is it just a moral issue?
Yes, it is an economical saving because adult cats need to eat
therapeutic food and sometimes to take medicines, but it is for sure also a
moral question, an informed choice that can add value and meaning to the action
of adopting an animal from a shelter.
Associazione Gattolandia
·
Where is the cat shelter
located?
Monza, near Milan.
·
Who is the supervisor? How many
volunteers do you have? Is there any employee?
There are 4 funder members and around 50 volunteers. There are no
employees and nobody is paid.
·
What kind of relationship do
you have with the municipality? Do you receive subsidies?
We are completely autonomous and private, we don’t receive any
grants from any institutions.
·
What kind of help do you
receive from the outside?
Various donations; from food to blankets, and money (through cash,
bank transfer, paypal, 5x1000).
·
How many cats over 7 years old
do you have?
More than 10.
·
Are there people who
specifically ask to adopt those cats? Can you show a percentage (even vague) of
these people in comparison to the visits you receive?
It might seems weird but the requests are seasonal. Before summer
holidays a lot of older cats have been adopted; in September a lot of kittens.
Honestly I’m not good with percentages, and the adoption of older cats depends
on a lot of variables: season (it is uncommon to have kittens in the winter),
family’s needs (composition, presence of other cats or dogs), in general beyond
the request of who wants to adopt. What we do is to address to the most
suitable cat in relationship with the type of family and the life style; there
is no constant equation.
·
Approximately, how many cats
over 7 years old are adopted in comparison to younger cats?
Again, not good at statistics; let’s say around 30%.
·
Do you promote in any way the
adoption of older cats?
If we think that it is suitable for the family, yes.
·
If yes, what you have done?
If the cat is very old, we push the adoption as “heart adoption”.
·
Do you know any initiative
external to your shelter addressing this issue?
Basically every shelter pushes older cats as “heart adoptions”.
·
Do you think that the adoption
of older cats might have some sort of benefit on the shelter of a economic
kind? Or is it just a moral issue?
Who spend 90% of his time to volunteer, without a wage, doesn’t take
into consideration the monetary side. In general, and not only for what concern
older cats (probably who breeds cats for work might give a different answer)
the adoption of every cat is a moral/emotional topic. The cost of a cat in the
shelter depends on the situation of the cat at his arrival more than on his
age: if the family who abandon him always cured him it will have a cost
(medical examination, pesticide, and maintenance). If he never got a vaccine
and he’s never been to a veterinary, it will have another cost (complete check
up). If the cat arrives with a disease, he might needs specialized therapies
and ad hoc food. So I would say that the cost depends on the health condition
of the cat upon his arrival more than on his age.
·
Where is the cat shelter
located?
We are located near Brescia. The building has 600 mq internally
(6458.3 ftq) and 3200 mq (34445 ftq) of green areas in the park outside,
completely used as a center for recovery/therapy/adoption of cats.
·
Who is the supervisor? How many
volunteers do you have? Is there any employee?
It is managed from the no-profit association “Telefono Difesa
Animali” (Safeguard of Animals Telephone), born in 1994. Right now there are around
40 volunteers; 25 are working on the cleaning of the building, 10 are foster
parents (nannies), and 5 work on social networks, web, fundraising,
administrative office and other activities. There are no employees, and nobody
is paid (except for 2 veterinaries, paid for their service).
·
What kind of relationship do
you have with the municipality? Do you receive subsidies?
We don’t receive grants from the municipality, and we don’t have
agreements with public administrations. We collaborate with ASL Brescia on the
strength of the national law 281/91 and the regional law 33/2009, catching on
the territory cats of feline communities which are sterilized for free by ASL
(around 300 cats per year).
·
What kind of help do you
receive from the outside?
Donations and money offers, food but also various kinds of objects,
which are reselled with revenues for the shelter.
·
How many cats over 7 years old
do you have?
6; they are almost exclusively from anonymous abandonment, rescued
“post trauma” but without a comparison on “lost cats” announcements, or senior
cats of a community sterilized but left alone and by now domestic. In this age
zone, last year at least 3 cats have been reunited with their original families
after being rescued from car accidents.
·
Are there people who
specifically ask to adopt those cats? Can you show a percentage (even vague) of
these people in comparison to the visits you receive?
Only 2 families per year (on around 280 adoptions) expressively ask
to adopt a senior cat, above 7 years old.
·
Approximately, how many cats
over 7 years old are adopted in comparison to younger cats?
See the previous answer.
·
Do you promote in any way the
adoption of older cats?
We have to specify that we discourage the transfer of a senior cat
from private owners to a shelter; we suggest that the research for a new family
has to be done directly from the “seller” through clinics, acquaintances,
neighbors, friends and colleagues. This give them also the possibility to stay
in touch with the new family and it gives more guarantee for the cat.
·
If yes, what you have done?
We promote anyway the adoption of a senior cat, taking the cue from the attached document [which comprehend the 7 reasons for adopting an adult cat that I wrote about in this post].
·
Do you know any initiative
external to your shelter addressing this issue?
No.
·
Do you think that the adoption
of older cats might have some sort of benefit on the shelter of a economic
kind? Or is it just a moral issue?
No, no benefits.
ARCA
·
Where is the cat shelter
located?
In Milan.
·
Who is the supervisor? How many
volunteers do you have? Is there any employee?
It is managed directly by the supervisor. There are around 20
volunteers and no employees.
·
What kind of relationship do
you have with the municipality? Do you receive subsidies?
Only continuing inspections by ASL. No help or grants of any kinds.
·
What kind of help do you
receive from the outside?
Sporadic and modest donations of food, objects or money.
·
How many cats over 7 years old
do you have?
Around 10.
·
Are there people who
specifically ask to adopt those cats? Can you show a percentage (even vague) of
these people in comparison to the visits you receive?
10%.
·
Approximately, how many cats
over 7 years old are adopted in comparison to younger cats?
5%.
·
Do you promote in any way the
adoption of older cats?
Adoptions are made with very accurate criteria of selection, taking
into consideration the needs of who is willing to adopt and the situation of
the cat.
·
If yes, what you have done?
We discourage the adoption of kittens to seniors and people who live
alone. Every adoption is different and we need take into consideration a
plurality of factors, about personalities and environment: in general, we try
to match the needs of the cat and who adopt him, so that the cohabitation
satisfies the whole family.
·
Do you know any initiative
external to your shelter addressing this issue?
No.
·
Do you think that the adoption
of older cats might have some sort of benefit on the shelter of a economic kind?
Or is it just a moral issue?
In the eyes of the shelter, cats and kittens have more or less the
same cost. Once tests and sterilizations have been done (but even older cats,
when they arrive, have those), the two age zone are the same. Is primary a
moral reason, but you have to find people with a particular sensitivity, and
they are very rare to find.
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