Touched By An Animal

I have volunteered over the last 5 years at Touched by an Animal, stuffing envelopes for mailings or just coming in to give attention to the cats and kittens. The first time I was there and given a tour, I was amazed to learn the actual number of cats, because the place was clean and sanitary. I was and continue to be impressed by this loving, well organized rescue with its logo "Tossed & Found", which has come to the aid of many, many abused cats for many, many years.

I have been volunteering with Touched By an Animal for over five years. I have been the "pet taxi" when a cat needs to go to the vet. I see the love and care and medical treatment that these cats receive and I am happy to help out. I adopted a litter of three cats from here when they were two months old and the triplets will turn four this summer. When Touched By An Animal received these kittens, one weighed 1/2 a pound and the other two weighed one pound each. Now the smallest one, a girl, weighs 5 1/2 pounds and her brothers: one weighs nine pounds and the other twelve. My husband volunteers at Touched By An Animal five nights a week for a few hours to pet the cats, and so many are extremely affectionate! If you know anyone who needs a loving pet cat, please stop by and visit!

I volunteered for this organization for 1-1/2 yrs. I also have made monetary and in-kind donations to them and adopted three cats from them.

I was not interviewed to determine my skills or interests, nor given any orientation or training. So I just started washing dishes, cleaning cabinets and window sills, sanitizing the plastic sheets nailed to the doors and combing cats. I was occasionally thanked by their hired cleaners.

The condition of the 90+ cats and their environment is disheartening. Even worse, I see no sustained effort to get these animals adopted out. Not even all the kittens born this and the previous summer are pictured on Pet Finder.

Many cats have matted coats, untrimmed nails, feces clinging to their tails and hindquarters. Many have diarrhea and most have gingivitis. Puddles of urine and vomit and piles of feces cover the floors throughout their 100 year old house. The smell of cat urine and ammonia greet you at the front door. They do not have a full time vet. A retired vet on inactive status at the IL Dept of Financial and Professional Registration provides intermittent exams and some treatment at the shelter.

Their is constant turnover of the paid employees. The founder and executive director are only willing to pay one person for six hours cleaning per day. They then demand that their poorly educated young adults from dysfunctional homes "volunteer" an additional 10-20 hours unpaid work at the shelter. Additionally, they refuse to pay new employees for the first three days they work until they are fired or give two-weeks notice (and work those last 2 wks).

The house is stuffed with "stuff" in addition to the cats. There are piles and boxes and file drawers full of paper as well as books. Donated items and unused housewares and linens are packed into the basement. Some of it is moldy. The founder refuses to throw it out.

I see no evidence that they have any current viable programs. They recently received a restricted grant but are unable to use it because they have no programs to apply it to. Another person volunteered to assist them straighten out their record-keeping. She left in disgust because they would not provide her with even a copy of their bank statement.

The board of directors has been characterized to me as having "no balls." They never disagree with the founder. She meddles into everything. The person who previously wrote grants for them quit doing so because the founder re-wrote every one of them.

The cats they take in need to be saved from their so-called saviors. I'm sick at heart that so many sweet and beautiful animals there who act desperate for attention are not being placed with a caring family.