Reader Daniela contacted Maddie’s Fund in January to inquire as to why a specific cat was on the NYC ACC kill list and included the details from the cat’s records as they appeared on Facebook. Shelly Work from Maddie’s Fund replied on January 20:
Hi Daniela,
I’m going to have to refer your question to the Mayor’s Alliance, who I’ve copied on this email, since I do not have familiarity with these reports or specific procedures at NYCACC. The Mayor’s Alliance works closely with the NYCACC and should be able to help you.
Sincerely,
Shelly
If Maddie’s Fund isn’t familiar with the NYC ACC pet records or procedures, that might explain a few things. For example, it might explain why Maddie’s Fund would post this story on its website and Facebook page without gagging on the irony:
When the Dane County Humane Society (lead agency for Maddie’s® Projects in Dane County, WI) had an influx of cats and kittens with upper respiratory infections last summer, they knew they had to take action. What did they do? Held a clearance sale!
With absolutely zero budget or lead time, they launched a next-day “Cats with Colds” clearance, offering the cats and kittens with special training in how to medicate them and how to protect any other cats in the home.
While the adoption staff was being trained in how to educate the adopters, the PR staff was letting their Facebook followers and the local media know about the promotion.
Twenty cats were adopted immediately, mostly kittens. After four days, every one of the available cats had been adopted, with their new humans saying things like, “A cold? I don’t mind that, and I know how to pill a cat!”
Maddie’s Fund, which pours cash into the NYC ACC pet killing facility, isn’t familiar with the pound’s “specific procedures”. (I guess pet killing is a specific procedure.) So maybe they don’t realize that NYC ACC kills cats with colds every week. Furthermore, the pound fails to protect cats in its care from catching the dreaded NYC ACC cold, which generates a never ending supply of cats for the kill room.
If Maddie’s Fund does realize this and still claims ignorance, that’s deception. If they truly aren’t aware of the needless cat killing at NYC ACC and just keep sending checks without researching the real story, that’s irresponsible. If Maddie’s Fund fails to ask the question, “How come Dane County HS can save cats with colds on a ‘zero budget’ but NYC ACC, to whom we have given millions, kills them?”, that’s just plain stupid.