to be really scared and pissed off with the RSPCA.

[HelenaDove]

Last Weds night a snake found its way into my kitchen. It was on the wall above the cooker.

I heard the saucepans ding and saw it, I freaked out i called the RSPCA. They asked loads of questions. They said it was a corn snake Im incredibly phobic. They told me to go round all my neighbours at midnight and ask if its someones pet. They refused to come out. So did the police when i phoned them. In desperation i phoned the council and got my third refusal. So DH tried to catch it to put it outside It was too fast and got through a hole in the kitchen floor. We filled the holes at the instruction of the RSPCA. My 65 year old husband with a heart condition had to try and deal with it I was and still am a wreck. RSPCA phoned at 8.30 am the next morning (Thurs) to ask if it was still there after telling me to "leave it" (they didnt give a fuck about the cat i told them i have) Didnt ask whether i have young children or a baby in a cot. During The Thurs morn phone call she told me to call again if the snake comes back. Well at midnight DH saw it trying to get through the venty bit in the window of the communal hallway and managed to gently shove it outside.
Phoned RSPCA again who again told me that they cant come out at this hour and can only come out during the daytime. Ive been living in fear since last Weds. Woman on Thurs promised me they would come out if it appeared again.

The guy on the phone tonight warned me that if the snake gets hurt i would be prosecuted.
But they WONT come out Im petrified Snakes are nocturnal FFS! My nerves are fucking bad. DH has had to take extra GTN spray

I googled earlier and found this. And they had the cheek to tell this couple it was "crossed wires" And like this couple we are in Essex too.

www.express.co.uk/news/uk/493358/Man-removes-five-foot-snake-from-kitchen

My faith in them was already wavering after they sent a door to door chugger to my 80 year old mum who couldn't afford to contribute. He left shouting at her and as a few neighbours watched yelled "the woman at number 16 condones animal cruelty!" poor mum was so upset.
I did complain and was told he'd since 'left the organisation'.

Between that and the pups I'm pretty much done with supporting them.

My RSPCA experience:

STBXH had an enormous tank full of tropical fish. He & 9yo dd1 spent hours every week testing the water quality, tweaking the ph levels & generally faffing with it - it was a sweet, geeky dad & daughter thing they did together. I've always rather disliked the fish tbh - smelly & dull.

I kicked H out (for impeccable 'Leave the bastard!' reasons).

Among other stuff, I made it clear that he had to shift the bloody fish. 3 months later, I'm doing my inadequate best to feed & clean out the damn fish each week, & dd1 is getting increasingly distressed that they are not being cared for properly. Given size of tank, this entails being armpit deep in smelly water on a weekly basis & lugging half a dozen buckets of foul water out & fresh water in.

STBXH continues to fob me off about moving the buggers. I ring RSPCA to explain fish have been abandoned.

RSPCA ring STBXH. He tells them he left the fish in my care & doesn't see why I can't continue to look after them for him indefinitely.

RSPCA ring me back & explain that they can't do anything, unless I neglect the fish or abandon them by moving out of the property without making provision for them, in which case they'll prosecute me. Oh & can they have a fiver please, or better yet a regular direct debit?

STBXH rings me to gloat that RSPCA say I'm stuck with fish.

I tell him actually I've found a small charity which is coming round to collect entire fishtank & set the tank up in an old people's home.

STBXH appears two hours later & collects fish.

RSPCA are off my donation list.

Yet again they fail to respond to a animal who needs assistance.

Snakes need assistance when not in nice heated vivs because they get sick,slow death type sick.

And as to the rspca being impoverished, what a load of bollocks

If you actually need the rspca round, for something like seriously injured wildlife just tell them that you'll ring the local rag to come and do a human interest story, and they should turn up to get their pictures taken. Or if it's really urgent say you saw some riders and dogs near where you once saw a fox 4 years ago and the whole horde will turn up in minutes. Don't say things that you feel should interest them, like half dead roadkill, or orphaned wildlife, or starving animals, or physical abuse or stuff cos they won't turn up. You only need to read the requirements to be 'rspca approved' to realise how little they care about welfare.

Why do people hate the RSPCA on this thread just out of curiosity

I said why I did. They would not come out to suffering animals.

This is the experience of a LOT of other people.

in 2014, the RSPCA had a total income of 125.9 million and an expenditure of of 119.7 million, the made a profit of 6.2 million.

In 2013 they had a total income of 121.3 million and expenditure of 117.4 million. They made a profit of 3.9 million.

If you're wondering why they keep insisting they are poor, it's probably because in 2012 they made a profit of 11.3 million, so yes, compared to 2012, they are struggling.

Their chairman is paid £160k p/a this is more than most small animal rescues make in a year.

The RSPCA can no longer afford to take in unwanted animals directly from the public. Small animal rescues can afford to.

That's one reason why many despise them. One of many.

Yep, another one here who rang them about a kitten which had been abandoned by someone who just moved out of the house and left the kitten.

They were about as much use as a chocolate teapot. They wouldn't come out, just told me to put it in a cardboard box and take it to the local vet. Which I did, it wasn't chipped and vet said the local rescue was overflowing and it would be kinder to PTS.

Said kitten is now snoozing on my feet, three years and lots of expensive cat food later

Not just that they won't come out to animals in distress. In my case they didn't come out to investigate a case of actual cruelty when my cat was shot dead with an airgun. They said they would send someone but never turned up.

They're mainly a political lobbying organisation and people don't realise that their donations aren't likely to be spent on cute kittens and are more likely to be spent on taking MPs out for fancy expensive lunches.

When I was eight years old my pet rabbit escaped from our garden. We had rabbit proofed it but he found a tiny little gap to burrow through and hopped into a garden a few doors down. We went frantically looking for him, posted up flyers, put notes through people's doors etc etc. One of my neighbours found him in her garden but instead of letting us know, called the RSPCA who promptly came and took him away and gave him to a foster carer. He was chipped and everything but they wouldn't give him back to us even though it was obvious he was well looked after and loved.

So I have a grudge against them for that, I genuinely still think about my bunny and feel sad about him, even though it was a good 20 years ago now!!

bloody hell i had no idea the donations were that high.

Purple thank God that little cat has you.

DearLeader thats horrific Im so sorry.

babybee i had a rabbit as a child too.

such heartbreaking experiences

Silver Birch I HAD to contact the HA to let them know the RSPCA mentioned they may have to dig up the kitchen floor. I did NOT expect the HA to come or help catch it so you can pack in the fucking gaslighting.

I am sorely tempted to e mail this thread to Cats Protection and see what they think about the advice to put all my cats food away.

I didnt catch up with absolutely all these posts because i was tired last night after being up all night on Monday.

Thankyou to all who have been supportive.

Pinky, if you go through the full thread you'll see why some people hate the rspca.
Was speaking to my mom and she told me about my grandfather neighbour. She used to have a little terrier and pom dog.
She called the rspca after some local kids kept jumping the huge back fence into the garden and terrorising the dogs.
They weren't interested.
They killed the terrier. They drowned it in the brook.
she'd only let them out to go the loo.
Id forgotten that story.
I loved that little dog.

Oh Kali thats horrible That poor little dog.

Somebody dumped a little Welsh Section A pony stallion in our field. It was unbroken, wild and did not look in a good state. We rang the RSPCA and they said they couldn't help but that we should call back after a couple of days if not claimed. We did and their brilliant response was "let it out of your field on the road and try and coax it into somebody else's field so it will be their responsibility!!"

Never given them a penny and never will. Plenty of more worthwhile animal charities..

The RSPCA are a big and very political organisation. As charities go, they are fairly wealthy. Not coming out to cases in real need, as shown on this thread, yet blowing plenty on fat cat salaries and politically motivated campaigns does not show them in a good light.

They used to be the default option in every case of animal cruelty, or need to rehouse. Not anymore. There are now a lot of other smaller, even breed specific, rescues who are now doing a great job.