What if there was no RSPCA?

This post was sparked off by an exchange between Tony Woodley, one of our inspectors and a member of group that campaigns for better welfare protection for equines. It tries to put a third perspective: that of an RSPCA branch volunteer.

First of all a couple of misconceptions about the way the RSPCA works:

 — we do take in stray animals but only if there is a welfare reason. A fit cat who wanders into someone's garden doesn't need to be "rescued" whereas one who's been hit by a car and injured does. The National RSPCA has a system to arrange payment for initial first aid and most branches will do their level best to cover the cost of continued treatment and rehoming. If the person finding an injured animal can't transport it direct to a vet then the National RSPCA will send out an inspector but this inevitably takes more time. 

— Local authorities have a statutory obligation to provide a collection service for stray dogs (the fact that they often don't is one of the reasons why the RSPCA doesn't see much point in spending lots of effort trying to push for other welfare services to be made the responsibility of local councils).

—The RSPCA National Control Centre operates 24/7 but it is hammered in the summer months and at weekends because those are the periods when members of the public are out and about and available to notice welfare problems and also when young animals are most at risk. The reason why the police can often get through more quickly than ordinary members of the public is not normally because they have the local inspector's private number but because there's a dedicated number for them to use to contact the Control Centre (provided they remember they have it!).

If there were just two things that would help to reduce the number of complaints about the RSPCA the first might be reducing the length of time callers to the NCC are held in a queue, but that could only be done by increasing the numbers of staff (and therefore diverting funds away from frontline activities). The second would be the ability to take in unlimited numbers of unwanted animals and that would require a stupendous increase in resources unless we were willing to return to the bad old days of killing animals to make space to take in more.

The Internet may eventually help with the phone queue issue if more people can be persuaded to report non-emergencies (i.e. situations that won't get significantly worse with a delay of 24 hours) via the National website rather than telephoning. I don't see any way we could operate a completely open-access system for animals who have become unwanted unless we can somehow persuade owners to be more rational about acquiring them in the first place. 

Storify of the first EFRA Committee Animal Welfare Inquiry Evidence session

Price of everything and the value of nothing?

Delightful antique child's chair donated to our Burleigh St shop

There's been some controversy recently about the efficiency of charity shops as sources of funds.

Shops inevitably have substantial running costs because their landlords are businesses which will only be interested in letting properties at a full market rent and the same applies to suppliers of necessary utilities such as electricity, phones etc.

Stock may be sourced from donations, but a substantial amount of effort is involved in sorting donations into things that are suitable for sale in the shop and those that can only be sold for recycling. Most will need some cleaning or steaming to remove creases  before offering for sale—it's not simply a matter of sticking on a price-ticket and waiting for customers.

At the moment I reckon I spend about 25 hours each week doing backroom work in our shops and the latest batches of requests for help with veterinary treatment costs made me wonder approximately how much time I need to put in for each individual animal.

The average price of goods in our shop works out at £2 per item so we need to sell 100 items to cover each treatment (again based on average cost). That means it takes me roughly one evening's effort to cover one animal's treatment.

It does make me feel rather cross when people who should know better claim that the RSPCA doesn't deliver any services at all.

We need more shop helpers—if you might be able to volunteer, please email volunteering@rspca-cambridge.org.uk

Shocking political lobbying by the RSPCA: in 1835!

From the Evangelical Magazine and Missionary Chronicle, volume 13


[Click on the page and drag it to move down as it doesn't scroll]


It does sound as though RSPCA AGMs were more entertaining in those days.

Joseph Pease was the Quaker MP who was largely responsible for achieving the passing of the 1835 Cruelty to Animals Act, which extended the protections of Richard Martin's Act to include cats and dogs as well as horses and cattle.

Three Shops Volunteering Challenge

We wanted to run a sponsored event doing something that would be directly useful to our charity as an alternative to sponsored walks etc. and we came up with the idea of asking people to sponsor our charity shop volunteers to put in a certain number of days helping out.

Will you help RSPCA Cambridge by sponsoring our volunteers, or by joining the campaign and volunteering yourself?

You can sponsor our Newmarket team via their page on the secure JustGiving site and our Cambridge team via their Bookshop page.

We're hoping that people will be inspired to give volunteering a go and enjoy it so much that they turn into regular helpers.

To volunteer at either shop, just call in to pick up a volunteering form and have a chat with the manager.

Our Newmarket shop is at 10A Market Street (joining the High Street and the Guineas shopping centre). Call in any day except Sundays and Mondays and ask to speak to Debbie.

Our Bookshop is at 188 Mill Road, Cambridge. Call in on a Saturday or Monday afternoon and ask to speak to Pat, who can also tell you about volunteering at our general charity shop at 61 Burleigh Street, Cambridge.

The event will run throughout 2016 - why not make it your New Year resolution to volunteer and help raise funds to help local animals?

National Council Elections

Congratulations to the successful candidates, who were (in alphabetical order):

• Mrs Margaret Baker
• Mr David Canavan
• Dr Daniel Lyons
• Ms Jane Tredgett
• Mrs Peta Watson-Smith

If you've been following the newspapers you'll notice that three of the successful people are "the other candidates" (ones who were only mentioned by name in the Mirror article which was noticeably more balanced than the rest).

I'm not sure what this means (maybe just that not many RSPCA members read the Times, Telegraph or Daily Mail). It's definitely a vote of confidence in the competence of the three serving council members who were re-elected and in favour of continuity in the task of improving and strengthening the RSPCA's ability to provide practical welfare services for animals.

As I've often said before, I believe that strong practical services don't just benefit the individual animals who are helped but are also key if we want to be listened to when we try to change the way animals are treated because they give us our credibility.

The Times doesn't seem to like the result at all, which is pretty peculiar of it considering that there was an overall majority of "other candidates" (i.e. people whose main expertise is in the nuts and bolts of keeping the unique set of animal welfare services that is the RSPCA on the road and who are ostensibly the sort of person of which the Times approves).

Update on Myxomatosis vaccination

If you have rabbits and live in the UK we strongly advise that you consult your vet about vaccination. Myxomatosis is carried by biting insects and your pet does not need to be in direct contact with wild rabbits in order to be at risk. Cambridge is a very high risk area because of the large numbers of wild rabbits living on the beautiful commons and fen areas scattered through the city and along the river.

It used to be necessary to vaccinate rabbits at 6 month intervals but more modern vaccines should give twelve months protection. 

If you are on means tested benefits (which does include working tax credits) and live within a 19 mile radius of Cambridge you would be eligible to use our clinic at 1 Pool way. Rabbit vaccinations cost £17 per rabbit (used to be £7 for the old 6-month vaccine) and provide protection against both myxomatosis and Viral Haemorrhagic disease.

The clinic is open for general treatments on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday between 8.30 and 10.30 am. There is also a vaccination and micro-chipping session on Wednesdays at the same times.