By excluding statistics from the annual report, the RSPCA WA works to keep supporters in the dark.
Update 18 November
The RSPCA National Stats have landed today. For a $670,000 investment we get.... drumroll.....
... 421 cat adoptions in 2015/16!
One adoption a day. Maybe. Probably an extra on the weekend. Whatever *shrugs*
If you are a WA tax payer, you should be furious. If you are a WA rescue group you should DOUBLY furious because while you weren't eligible for any of the millions of dollars in Cat Act grant money, YOU are the ones having to help needy cats while the most well-funded animal group in the state enjoys its shiny, new, mammoth cat shelter which barely functions in its primary role - getting cats adopted.
The organisation promised in return for our investment thousands of cats would benefit each year. Adoptions would runneth over! Instead, this state-of-the-art resource is wasted, while community groups burn out trying to pick up the slack.
Oh, and despite being responsible for just 700 cats - they still managed to kill 200 of them. Amazing.
Original post 26 October
Remember how last year (Nov 15) the RSPCA WA opened their new cat facilities that would:
"... provide a tremendous boost in our capacity to help cats in need. It will enable us to provide shelter and safety for up to 2,000 kittens and cats each year.” ~ David van Ooran, RSPCA WA CEO.
Thanks to $250,000 support from the community and a $420,000 grant from the state government.
The RSPCA WA lobbied hard for the new cat laws. It was happy to take hundreds of thousands of the community's dollars in support of same.
Well, guess how many cats were saved in 2015/16 thanks to our huge investment?
No one knows! The RSPCA WA just released its annual report and it includes no statistical breakdown of animal outcomes.
Imagine that - a 100% community funded animal sheltering organisation deciding not to disclose how many animals they saved/killed.
I have FOI'ed local councils for the past four years, and more than 5,000 cats need help each year, thanks to our new cat laws and zealous, cat-trapping councils.
How many cats are available for adoption at the RSPCA WA - easily the states most wealthy animal shelter generating more than $8 million dollars in revenue last year - in spring (a season we’ve been told each year is the start of ’kitten season’) on a Friday leading into the weekend?
11 cats.
In WA alone there are 716 cats on PetRescue looking for a home. So currently, just 1.5% of the adoptable cats in WA are being managed by the RSPCA WA.
So why exactly did we build them a big, new cat pound again?