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.

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 .

__________________


gsds (Henrick and Bella), the cats (Syd, Lilly, Elvis and Dizzy), the gerbils (Honey, Lisa, crusty, Millhouse, Flanders, Bart and Homer), the rats (Valentine, Flower, Petal, Blossom, Koda, Cava, George), the mice (Minnie, Pop, Seudag, Caraid, Silver, Trouble, Athena, Pandora, Aphrodite, Meep, and Springtime)

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.

__________________
Cara,
Owned by Fern, Heidi, Asteroid, Bubbles & Fizz
Missing Snippet, Frost, Willow & Nix


Opinions are like armpits. Everyone has them, and some stink.

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

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

__________________

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

__________________

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.

__________________
Cara,
Owned by Fern, Heidi, Asteroid, Bubbles & Fizz
Missing Snippet, Frost, Willow & Nix


Opinions are like armpits. Everyone has them, and some stink.

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

__________________
Proud Mummy to
Cat - Holly
Guinea pigs - Pixie, Purdy and Popple
Rats - Biffy, Cooper and Moz



R.I.P to all my pets who have passed. They may be gone but they are forever in my heart.

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

__________________
"Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way."
Martin Luther King Jr.

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

__________________

Mr Benjamin: Shih Tzu
Oscar: Shih Tzu
Casper: Snobby puss
Urwin: Tortoise
RIP Candy: Long haired Colly
RIP Shane: GSD
RIP Saxson: GSD
RIP Blaze: GSD
RIP Buddy: cockatiel
RIP Lucky n Fluff: Hammys
RIP Cheeky n JoJo: Budgies
RIP Diggit: Nether-land Bunny