# Ever offer to play w/cats at shelter? Denied!



## kittyglitter (Feb 1, 2013)

Does this sound right? I live in Fl. and few mos. ago saw article in newspaper that there were so many cats at this shelter. Meanwhile, I thought...I love to play and love on kitties...so I called and offered to come and play and socialize the kitties to help them for free of course.... Meanwhile, they said, "oh no..we don't allow that. I was so upset and disappointed. If I called different shelters, is that a normal thing you think? I even bought a few toys to bring w/me never thinking they would say no. 

I was thinking if I did that now, I would surely get to see the personality of each of the kitties and find the one I want to adopt. Any good ideas?


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I can't imagine a shelter denying that! But then again it may be they don't want the liability of you being bitten or scratched but I'm sure If asked someone else they might offer a better response than a flat "we don't don't allow that". Call again and see if you can talk to someone else or ask for the manager and ask WHY you are being denied doing a service for the welfare of the animals. Call other shelters and see if you can get a more detailed response to the question. 

They may require training you as a volunteer first to cover their bases. That would be acceptable I would think. They may not want someone just coming in off the street without training or possibly a background check. I can understand that - there are a lot of crazies in this world and they don't know you. Good luck! Let us know what you find out.


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## artiesmom (Jul 4, 2012)

No, I never heard of that.
Wonder why..
I was at Petsmart the other day, looking at the kitties for adoption. I absolutely fell in instant love with one of them--and his sister. They were trying to be adopted as a pair. 
I knew Artie would never take to not being an only child, and my landlord would evict me for having 3 cats..
I just wanted to hug them and play with the them, especially the male; for just a bit....
When the volunteer, who was cleaning their cages and feeding them came out. I told her that I would love to hold and play with them a bit, but could not adopt.
She gave me a kind of dirty look and walked away....:boxing
I felt bad, but worse for them....
They were at the window, pawing it, meowing, rubbing it while I was talking to them..They just wanted to be loved..and I could not do it....
Did not know if I should feel bad or mad..
so I walked away and got my stuff for Artie....
:kittyball


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## Ritzpg (Dec 7, 2010)

I know of one SPCA/Humane Society that allowed me to simply walk in (I called and emailed first) and socialize (cuddle, play) with the cats. But another similar organization required training first. Depends on the organization.


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## 3furbabies (Dec 7, 2011)

Hmmm. The one I use to work at had volunteer socializers. You couldn't just walk off the street and ask to play with them, but if you signed up as a volunteer and after you had an orientation, you would tell them your availability and socialize the cats. Maybe the person misunderstood you... I would call back and say you want to volunteer and then mention you would love to be a cat socializer.


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## Jakiepoo (Jan 5, 2013)

Depends on the organization, they're not doing it just to spite you, they're doing it for the welfare of their animals. They don't know who you are, what kind of person you are, how you treat animals. You have to realize they probably get offers like yours all the time, and they just can't let anyone in to play and cuddle with the cats if they don't know them.

Maybe see if there is some sort of volunteer training program you could go through, I know out local shelter has one, but don't be alarmed if they're full up, ours is almost always full.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Most shelters will require you to be formalized as a trained volunteer...which means you have to do the nasty jobs (change litter, do laundry, clean cages etc.) along with the fun stuff like socializing. Otherwise they'd have a huge bunch of socializers and no one cleaning up.


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## mumof7kitties (Jan 27, 2013)

It's a liability thing most likely. Go to their volunteer orientation and take the kitty class if necessary. It's a one time thing and then you can socialize whenever you'd like. 

I did the training for both our SPCA and Humane Society a few years ago. I don't get in as often as I'd like these days but the SPCA is literally on my way home from class so I stop there occasionally. I walk some dogs first and then chill out with the kitties. 


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## Blakeney Green (Jan 15, 2013)

doodlebug said:


> Most shelters will require you to be formalized as a trained volunteer...which means you have to do the nasty jobs (change litter, do laundry, clean cages etc.) along with the fun stuff like socializing. Otherwise they'd have a huge bunch of socializers and no one cleaning up.


I think this is the issue right here.

Anywhere I've ever lived, to help at the shelter you would need to complete a volunteer application and undergo a criminal background check. Then you would attend a training orientation. Once you started the volunteer work, you would get to do some of the fun stuff like playing with the kitties, but you would also be expected to do some of the less exciting tasks like cleaning and washing.

I think it would be pretty unusual for a shelter to just let you come play with the animals, without any checks to ensure you aren't dangerous and without any expectation that you'll help with the less desirable tasks, too.

In my opinion, you'd have better success if you approach the shelter by saying, "I would like to volunteer," and if you prepare yourself to be assigned a variety of jobs. Many shelters have applications and information on their websites. If you take the time to fill out an application, the shelter is more likely to take your offer seriously.


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## 3furbabies (Dec 7, 2011)

doodlebug said:


> Most shelters will require you to be formalized as a trained volunteer...which means you have to do the nasty jobs (change litter, do laundry, clean cages etc.) along with the fun stuff like socializing. Otherwise they'd have a huge bunch of socializers and no one cleaning up.


 
It depends on the shelter. We had paid staff that did all the laundry,cleaning, feeding, etc. and only the volunteers were allowed to socialize cats/walk dogs.


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

3furbabies said:


> It depends on the shelter. We had paid staff that did all the laundry,cleaning, feeding, etc. and only the volunteers were allowed to socialize cats/walk dogs.


Opposite here - volunteers do a bit of everything.


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## oceanmist (Feb 12, 2011)

Arianwen said:


> Opposite here - volunteers do a bit of everything.


Same. I'm pretty sure at the shelters I'm applying to volunteer at, the volunteers clean and then can interact with the animals(at least at the cat shelter). At the shelter with dogs, I think volunteers are assigned jobs based on what they put on the adoption form, but all do some form of work.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

Primarily it's as doodlebug said, to expound on that, most places need a lot of help with the dirty jobs, it's a lot of hard work and just taking in random people off the street to play with cats not only is unsafe for them and the cats, but irritating to the people in the building trying to get the serious jobs done. You'd be in the way of that.

Where I volunteer (a cat sanctuary, so a little different), it's only open to the public on Sunday.


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## Alex Harris (May 4, 2012)

If you really want to go to this shelter,I would go in and offer to be a volunteer.


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## MyBabiesDaddy (Jan 1, 2013)

Where I adopted Simba from, there was a family there (with kids) who was playing with the kittens. I highly doubt the kids were "trained", but it seems like the parents brought them just to play with the cats (probably for the cats' sake). 

I tried volunteering at the local PetSmart because I too saw those pitiful cats and wanted to hug them and pet them. When I inquired more into it I was told that since I could only offer an hour or two , once a week, they don't need me. I asked why not and the lady responsible said because it's too stressful for the cats to have too many people interact with them. She said that it's stressful enough for them with all the sounds and scents in the store. I had figured that the more time out of the cages, the happier they'd be (and I was more then willing to clean their litter, etc. ) I was a little disappointed, but I don't want to stress out the cats any more then necessary. 

I inquired into the local shelter and it looks that they require training before volunteering. I guess every shelter is different.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I tried to do this with our local shelter, but with the dogs and I got told the same thing. I had to take a volunteer class, which seemed fair enough. You don't want people messing up the poor things worse than some of them are.

Then I was told I had to commit to a certain amount of hours and days each week in order to become a volunteer. I wouldn't mind being scheduled, but to give me a minimum (which was close to working part time), forget it.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

artiesmom said:


> No, I never heard of that.
> Wonder why..
> I was at Petsmart the other day, looking at the kitties for adoption. I absolutely fell in instant love with one of them--and his sister. They were trying to be adopted as a pair.
> I knew Artie would never take to not being an only child, and my landlord would evict me for having 3 cats..
> ...


Artiesmom, someone else mentioned this sort of response as well. I used to work at PetSmart and we didn't allow anyone who wasn't seriously interested in adopting to play with the cats. There are a few reasons for this, but mainly two. 

The cats, especially the adults, are very seriously stressed out by being there; it's loud there are dogs and people, people bang on the glass (no matter how often they are told not to). The more new people they interact with the more stress they get.

The volunteers/staff have no way of knowing if your personal cats are sick. This isn't meant personally, but SO many people go through a PetSmart each day, and if even a few ask to see the cats just to pet them it's a huge risk. If someone is honestly interested in adopting then that outweighs the risks, obviously.

It wasn't anything personal, and it is a policy for the sake of the cats.



MowMow said:


> I tried to do this with our local shelter, but with the dogs and I got told the same thing. I had to take a volunteer class, which seemed fair enough. You don't want people messing up the poor things worse than some of them are.
> 
> Then I was told I had to commit to a certain amount of hours and days each week in order to become a volunteer. I wouldn't mind being scheduled, but to give me a minimum (which was close to working part time), forget it.


MowMow I agree that it's frustrating, but I can also see their point. In order for someone to volunteer they need to train you, which means money spent. Is it worth it for them to spend that money on someone who can only come in 1-2 hours per month or every few weeks, or someone who can commit to 4-6 hours every week? They only have so much money unfortunately. It's the same at the shelter here.


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## Alex Harris (May 4, 2012)

Our shelter fortunately doesn't have a minimum hour requirement.Once you fill out the paper work, they show you what to do and you are left on your own. For someone who is animal saavy,it seems to work. With my schedule,I don't think I could volunteer at a shelter who required a minimum. I foster dogs and am also the co founder of a rescue,which takes up a lot of time.


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## Merlin_Guinevere (Sep 2, 2012)

All the shelters I've been to for that purpose have jumped at the chance when I offered to go in and cuddle with the kitties. I think it is really odd that they wouldn't let you...


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## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

At the public shelter in town (humane society), they require a volunteer application/training prior to interaction with the animals unless you're a potential adopter and even then will only allow you to interact with the cat(s) you may want to adopt.

At our private shelter, where everyone is a volunteer (no paid staff), we won't allow strangers (i.e. first time visitors) be alone with cats without a volunteer present. However after visitors have come a few times and have shown they understand cats and are good around them, they are allowed to wander from cat room to cat room and pet/socialize. The restriction is for the safety of the cats, but also the safety of the visitors. They don't know which rooms have "door dashers" or "nippers".

One problem that we've had is people wanting to give treats while they're petting. We have several special diet cats so some treats are unacceptable. This problem is hard to catch if you don't monitor your visitors pretty closely. 

(Note that we have 18 different rooms with cats and usually six volunteer on staff during our open hours.)


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## grrawritsjordi (Dec 29, 2012)

For me, I think that is strange. I used to go to my local shelter and play with the puppies and kitties all the time. They had a huge yard that you could take the dogs to and throw balls and just let them run around. (Most of the time they didn't want to play because they wanted to go around sniffing, peeing and running the yard.) It was so much fun to see the dogs so happy and the cats were mostly loving, although I ran into some semi-ferals and I didn't understand why they had them out in the open as they tried to take a swat at me when I wasn't even paying attention to them.

But I do understand that in some shelters they may not have a lot of people to help, so someone coming in and just wanting to socialize with the animals and not clean up after them, who doesn't have any of their training, may just be a bother. If I were you, I would tell them that you want to come in for a few days/weeks to choose the right cat for you. I agree that you cannot get a cat based on one interaction. I went back to see Moosey 3 times and socialize with other cats before I chose her. When I got her home, her personality was completely different, but she is getting better everyday and she is my morning snugglebutt.

The shelter I got her from lets the public come in all the time and play with the 40+ plus cats, 6 dogs and 3 bunnies. They are amazing.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

"Volunteers" don't really have time to play with the cats at my local PetSmart. I had to sign a release (in case I was bitten or scratched), and spent most of the time cleaning out cages, refilling water dishes, feeding the cats (with a chart for each cat because of health issues), and dealing with the (sometimes idiotic) public. We got to let the cats out to play, but certain cats could only be let out at certain times, because not every got along. It was a lot of work for a "volunteer" position. I would tell visitors NOT to pet certain cats who were out on their break and did they listen? "Oh, I know all about cats, they won't scratch _me_." Fail.


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