Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control in NC hasn’t updated its statistics since the end of February 2012. That month, the pound killed 67% of the cats in its care. Here are some of the cats currently shown on Char-Meck’s PetHarbor pages.
Cats at the Charlotte Pound
These pictures make me sick the way they are
handling these sweet cats and tiny kittens. Ugh! Horrible! Those poor babies: (
I wonder if they ever try this new-fangled thing I’ve been hearing about in the shelter world called PETTING. Who knows, there could be something to it?!
I get it. Those viscous looking cats look like they’re going to make a break for it. Just sick and wrong.
OMG, those poor cats. You can tell most of them are going to be killed just from what the shelter people are doing to them now.
It puts me in mind of a poster I saw recently: “Can you tell from these adoption photos which animal shelters care about saving animals?”
Pretty obvious. Bad handling and photos —> bad outcomes.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=226168217483064&set=a.226168130816406.36117.138009096298977&type=1&theater
I noticed that their shirt emblem states Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Dept. I wonder if the employees have ever had any training in handling pets. I guess they are used to handling criminal suspects! I feel sorry for these kittens and cats. If they are treated like this daily, they probably become afraid of humans!
More “hey, we know what we’re doing, we’re trained professionals!”
No, no you don’t. And the fact that you put these photos up proves that you are completely clueless about both animal handling and the purpose of the photos.
Please stop being horrible people and get your shit together.
Thank you for saying so eloquently what I am thinking. God help those poor cats and kittens ’cause the “shelter” folks sure aren’t. Hopefully they will be rescued from these people. WHAT THE HE77 IS WRONG WITH THEM?
How is it that the people who care the least about animals seem to be the ones getting paid to “take care” of them. So sickening so disheartening.
Exactly. Im so sick of hearing about stories like this. Poor kittens.
Just sent an email to rstory@cmpd.org – the chief who is in charge of this particular area. Perhaps some of you might want to do the same. If they know that they are being watched, maybe, just maybe they will make some changes FOR the animals??? One can always hope . . .
Poor babies! Can’t anyone get them out of there? If I didnt live in Ohio I would take every one. Just shameful to treat them that way.
Get these humanoids AWAY from these poor cats! You can tell they’re not feral and don’t need to be handled so strongly! You’re clearly freaking out the poor babies-thats what they are-is Babies-please be gentle with them.They are also precious-maybe you’re gonna kill them in the morning but could you PLEASE show a little kindness and gentleness and MAYBE a little LOVE(I know that might be pushing it) for their last unfortunate time on this plane. I would also suggest starting afresh here with the handlers,maybe they should work at the county jail with murderers+rapists who may actually DESERVE rough handling-
Well they have to treat them like that, of course, so they will be scared to death, and deemed “un-adoptable.” That way, when the director talks to the local paper, or concerned citizens over the phone, he/she can put out there for the public that they are saving every “adoptable” animal that comes in.
I actually don’t know if that is the case here or not, but it seems to be at so many shelters, that I think it is becoming the common practice way to justify all the killing.
Charlotte Megaturd ACC is now on my shit list. If the photos are any indication of how they handle kittens, or any animal, it proves they are in the wrong line of business.
Cats are one animal that remembers bad treatment. Future problems from them can be directly related to how they are handled as kittens. Of course CMACC wouldn’t know that and the photos prove what ‘kind’ of people they are.
I’m disgusted with animal control “professionals” that shouldn’t even be around animals.
Did you all know that there is a group of caring people that working to help shelter pets with their artistic skills? Check out HeARTs Speak – http://heartsspeak.org/ Many of their members are professional photographers that go and take great photos of shelter pets to help them find loving homes. This shelter and many others need people helping them take better photos of their pets.
I understand how these pictures look and do agree that some animals may be mishandled, BUT until you have walked a mile in these peoples shoes SHUT IT! They have to make daily decisions on who dies and who lives. Maybe you should get out there and push spay neuter in your community. Did you know that Charlotte Mecklenburg does a free spay neuter clinic once a month? I bet no one stopped to think about all the good they do for the community. Those kittens come in half scared to death. They have been on a truck or in a trap or just left by the front door. Maybe you should jump all over the people in the community that use Animal control as a dumping ground. Just a thought
Just a thought from a killing apologist. With friends like you, the homeless pets in Charlotte don’t need enemies.
I understand that the employees have to make difficult decisions but can’t they at least respect the animals they take in. I guess if they abuse the animals and then they become unsociable, it makes it easier for them to decide which ones to kill!
With the exception of the most laid back cats, being hauled in a van that stinks of dog doo and going through the intake process is extremely traumatic. The only way to stop it is a massive spay/neuter effort. However, there will still be the jerks who call for service because they want to be rid of the stray who walks on their car and/or poops in their pansie. And they don’t care if it dies.
It is a well know and very sad fact that animals are mishandled at animal control facilities. However! The answer to the problem is not to bash the facilities,agencies or people who work at said agencies. Charlotte animal care and control is comitted to saving as many adoptable animals as they can. They work with rescues who are comitted to saving adoptable animals every single day. Its easy to make them the scapgoat. AFTER ALL I’M SURE ALL OF YOU HAVE VOLUNTEERED AT YOUR LOCAL ADOPTION AGENCY OR ANIMAL CONTROL. With that being said maybe you should get off your rears and propmote spay/neuter. There are not enough homes unfortunately to adopt all the cats and dogs that are born every.single.day. Period. On my encounters at facilities such as Charlotte Animal Care and Control I see people who are working as hard and as fast as they can to keep up with the constant flow of animals who are injured sick and scared that come thru the door. Many are fearful. These people get bit and injured if they assume that the cat,kitten,dog or puppy that comes in will not bite them. But I’m sure you all took that into account before judging them.RIGHT?!
Geez, I am getting soooooo sick of this crap. I have been working with feral cats since 1999 and have done TNR on at least 600 cats now. And that’s not including the kittens tamed and placed for adoption.
It’s so easy to sit back and armchair quarterback every time CMAC farts and gets accused of something. What are YOU doing to help shelter pets? Put your money where your mouth is and save a life (or more) by volunteering to foster a cat, dog or litter of kittens. Or how about spaying the feral and/or stray cats skulking around your neighborhood? Maybe you live on a farm and could take a few to live in your barn. Hey, I know…I feed about 200 every day and could sure use help with food and surgeries! Step up and DO something instead of blaming a government agency for a
mess created by idiots who dump their fertile cats and/or don’t spay/neuter their own cats.
I will tell you straight up I have had issues with AC but
Geez, I am getting soooooo sick of this crap. I have been working with feral cats since 1999 and have done TNR on at least 600 cats now. And that’s not including the kittens tamed and placed for adoption.
It’s so easy to sit back and armchair quarterback every time CMAC farts and gets accused of something. What are YOU doing to help shelter pets? Put your money where your mouth is and save a life (or more) by volunteering to foster a cat, dog or litter of kittens. Or how about spaying the feral and/or stray cats skulking around your neighborhood? Maybe you live on a farm and could take a few to live in your barn. Hey, I know…I feed about 200 every day and could sure use help with food and surgeries! Step up and DO something instead of blaming a government agency for a
mess created by idiots who dump their fertile cats and/or don’t spay/neuter their own
cats.
I will tell you straight up I have had issues with AC but I want to relate an incident that occurred this past Saturday. I have several cats I rescued as kittens from a low-income housing project that were slated to go to the Humane Society of Charlotte until they flop-flopped and now I am stuck with them. There was a free rabies clinic sponsored by Coalition to Unchain Dogs so I took four. Well, there were dozens of Pits and dogs in general so I asked that the cats be handled inside a vehicle to avoid escape because they were very scared. So the vet hoists her but into the back of an AC van and is handed the first cat and the van doors shut. Shortly after she hollers that the cat bit her, it is to go to AC for ten-day quarantine and she will not do any more “feral” cats. So now I have three unvaacinated and unmicrochipped (also free that day) cats. Well, two of those horrible AC employees, Jennifer Johnson and Trish Lopez, saved the day by taking the kids back to AC and taking care of them without incident. Of course, now I have to figure out how to come up with the $100 to bail out the “feral” cat in a few days…donations anyone?
Lastly, AC gave away 100 FREE spay/neuter vouchers to feral colony caretakers to help lower the feral cat population.
I wish I had YOUR armchair Jane – the one that allows you to know what everybody here does to help shelter pets, to judge it as unworthy, and to tell us what we should be doing to be good enough. It must be lonely way up there.
In the meantime, the pound can keep killing animals without fear of accountability from you. Sweet.
REALLY? Did you even read what I said? Unlike others, I don’t have time to sit in my armchair even if I had one. Since I am unemployed I sell my plasma twice a week to buy cat food (25 lbs./day) for the two dozen feral cat colonies that take nearly two hours a to feed each day.
And what do YOU to help homeless animals other than bitch about what others don’t do? Oh yeah, I nearly forgot…you call for people to show up to protest the HSUS but don’t do so yourself. So much for leading by example. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.
Jane, It’s not a pissing contest.
The point is that Char-Meck appears to be mishandling cats (something they have a history of doing) and needlessly killing them. I don’t think you want either of those things to happen, just like people here.
You only visit this blog to troll, which is not allowed. Please consider this a one time warning to stop that.
A troll? ROFLMAO. If you want to dump me because I disagree with you, so be it. Like I said, I am no big fan of AC and feel a lot of idiots there should be fired instead of waiting to retire and collect their pensions. But while you deride them about cat handling I am curious why you have never made a stink about Daisy, the Lab mix who escaped from her crate at the airport en route to her owner in Alaska and died in surgery after some dumbass ACO shot her with a tranq gun. When she began to have problems and was taken to the vet it was discovered the dart had gone into her spleen. The shootist supposedly admitted he didn’t have a good shot but took it anyway. So where is the outrage here???
Disagreement is fine. Trolling is not allowed. If you do not know the difference, try Google.
In this instance trolling is in the eye of the blog owner. And interesting you didn’t address the Daisy question…oh well.
I don’t know who Daisy is, aside from the anecdote you related. Do you have a link to press coverage of the story? I don’t report everything. I wish I could. And yes, trolling is in the eye of the blog owner. Of course!
I appreciate people who make it a goal to help the animals. With that being said, Jane, why don’t you hoist your ass to vet school, learn what the bite quarantine LAW is and watch who you are trash talking about. That vet is the most caring, well trained doctor and hsoc is very lucky to have her. You are uneducated, therefore, your opinion means NOTHING in this setting. Everyone thinks your’e a nut. Thanks for trying ( I love cats) but through trash talking “that vet that hoists her butt” to help our pets and ferals you WILL lose help. You make it impossible!
“It’s so easy to sit back and armchair quarterback every time CMAC farts and gets accused of something. What are YOU doing to help shelter pets?”
Wow, so if I don’t do “enough” to help shelter pets, it excuses CMAC’s incompetence of the paid staff? Incompetence that resulted in the death of newborn kittens?
Fact is, MANY of us are helping shelter pets in our area. But even if we were doing nothing, nothing at all, it still would not excuse the incompetence, cruelty, and blatant apathy that is happening at so many of our shelters in this country.
Oh, got my stories of incompetent cat handling mixed up. Same idea stands, though…
And for those who just can not get enough of CMPD AC&C America Now aired this story today:
http://www.americanownews.com/story/18166801/feral-cats?clienttype=printable
“We don’t manufacture the animals inside the shelter; they’re out in the community,” and Knicely adds, “We’re just trying to take care of the community problem and you can’t do it alone.”
AND
“Unfortunately, it has to be euthanized,” Knicely comments as a feral cat is carefully placed by a worker onto a stainless steel examination table and comforted.
COMFORTED??? Maybe sedated prior to EBI, so I suppose one might argue better than gassed but ultimately dead is dead not comforted!
Thank God for Lake Norman Lucky Cat advocates and veterinarian Beth Broome for supporting T-N-R of feral cats in Iredell County. A few miles north of Char-Meck and “doing it alone”… not funded by tax dollars… not blaming the community… working hard and saving lives, now that is comforting!
Seriously? Do you think any feral cat caretaker is not doing this out of his/her own pocket???? Unless Obamacare will subsidize TNR there are no government subsidies. Geez….
What I think ~ seriously ~ is that Char-Meck is NOT comforting your “feral” cat while in bite quarintine… and if you do not have the $100 on the due out day they will kill your cat regardless of how much ass kissing you perform.
What I know ~ seriously ~ is that you and I choose to save animals with our sparse cash. CMPD AC&C chooses to kill animals and blame the community (you and I) while being funded with our tax dollars.
Charlotte, I got a message from an ACO who checked on the jailbird and gave her some wet food. She said the girl was still scared but readily went for the yummies. I was grateful for the update and wish there were more ACOs like this one instead of the turds who believe themselves gods because they dress like stormtroopers and carry a long pole. I am optimistic – I WILL get this cat back when quarantine is up.
Hmm, lets see. I fundraise to help people get their pets altered, and help w/ trapping and transporting, if needed. I promote the adoption of pets from my local shelter. I feed a feral colony, While I don’t foster for my shelter (couldn’t if I wanted to, they don’t do that) I have taken in pregnant cats to keep them from going to the shelter, and then found homes for the kittens, so I think that counts. When I can, I travel to the next county to volunteer at the No Kill shelter there. Sooo, I think I have met all of Armchair Janes criteria to be allowed to criticize, so I will. That is no flippin’ way to handle a cat. It is cruel, it is frightening an animal that is already scared, and it is only going to increase their odds of being bitten. It’s also going to create animals that are scared of people, and are difficult, if not impossible, to be adopted out. But, it seems that adoption is not really the goal, is it?
Perhaps a call can be made to professional photographers to be on call so they can snap the perfect Kodak moment. I am not crazy about these “photo ops” either but it could be worse…at least they are photographed and posted on the slim chance an owner make be looking for them.
And, once again, before you indulge in name calling, read my whole post, but then, that might result in a reality check. Can’t have that…
Actually, I bet if the shelter cared enough to ask the community for help, a professional would step up to do it. It certainly has happened in many other communities.
In this day and age, there really is no excuse not to have pictures of lost and adoptable pets available online. I know there are shelters that don’t, but I hardly think this one deserves a medal for it.
The pics could be worse, I guess, if say, they had the cats swinging from a choke pole, in front of the camera. It’s almost funny that you complain about all the ferals you have to care for, but you defend this shelter for handling cats that way, and causing them to dislike humans, so the only hope they will have at life, is if they can be given a home as a feral cat. A fine example these people set for the community, too. What a way to get people to recognize how precious these lives are, and get people to step up and help them.
Trust me, a reality check is the last thing I need. What I need is a vacation.
” I bet if the shelter cared enough to ask the community for help, a professional would step up to do it. It certainly has happened in many other communities…”
I photographed the kitties at CMACC, then they fired me. I cleaned the cages twice a day, then they fired me. I fostered dozens of cats & kittens, then they said I wasn’t welcome there. I worked many, many off-site adoption events then, yep, they fired me. I worked dozens of spay/neuter and rabies clinic, raised a few thosand dollars for the Second Chance Medical fund and they still fired me.
So, as you can see, good deeds DO get punished for the simple reason that the management at this shelter can not & will not take citisizim of it’s programs or people. Yes, I called the vet a F#cking Bitch (which she is) for saying :no more cats in foster, it’s “too much trouble” when they all come in on Saturdays for health checks. Wah, wah, wah. Wait, isn’t that your JOB?!? They don’t want the communities help or involvement. It’s so much “less trouble” to keep killing.
Which is why Bilbo Blinn should have gone a long time ago. It also pissed me off when one of the techs commented on why all the fuss to save eartipped ferals when tame cats are being put to sleep. My only hope is the arrival of the new captain who has already effected positive changes. Fingers crossed.
I would be glad to help with a small donation to help get the kitten back from the killers. If you can’t get her back, take it for cat food.
Do you have Paypal & an email address? Or YesBiscuit could give you my email address.
Just wanted to let any interested parties know that biter cat, AC #A1031138 pictured above in the carrier, was reclaimed at the end of her quarantine on Tuesday. Choosing the spay/neuter option, I only had to pay $10 for her license. She was already vaccinated for rabies and chipped, she got a distemper shot upon intake (all cats do per AC policy) and they let me use one of my vouchers for her spay. I picked her up from the clinic yesterday and she is doing well, although hiding under the bed.