ICAWC 2012 : Maggie Roberts and Karen Heistand Heart or Head Difficult Decisions in Feline Rescue

Heart or Head?Heart or Head?

Difficult Decisions Difficult Decisions in Feline Rescuein Feline Rescue

Maggie Roberts and Maggie Roberts and

Karen HiestandKaren Hiestand

How should decisions be How should decisions be made?made?

With the heart With the heart or with the or with the

head?head?

Getting the balance rightGetting the balance right

Needs of Needs of the animalthe animal

Needs of Needs of the people the people

What the Animals NeedWhat the Animals Need

•Quality of life: physical and mentalQuality of life: physical and mental

•Appropriate housing, handling, treatmentAppropriate housing, handling, treatment

•Disease preventionDisease prevention

What the Humans NeedWhat the Humans Need

•Motivations of staff and volunteersMotivations of staff and volunteers

•FundraisingFundraising

•Public relationsPublic relations

Loosing sight of either side Loosing sight of either side causes problemscauses problems

Examples:Examples:

No kill policy No kill policy

vs vs

Healthy animal Healthy animal euthanasiaeuthanasia

What’s right and what’s wrong?What’s right and what’s wrong?

Maybe there is no such thing in animal rescue?Maybe there is no such thing in animal rescue?

Just different ways of looking at the issuesJust different ways of looking at the issues

UtilitarianismUtilitarianism

Weighing everything up, what gives the best outcome for the most animals/people.

Animal RightsAnimal Rights

Every individual animal has rights that can’t be outweighed by the majority

ContractarianismContractarianism

What society thinks is right

Respect for NatureRespect for Nature

Credit Alley Cat Allies

RelationalRelational

An animals worth is based on whether that

animal matters to a human

Why do these arguments matter?

•What does the organisation think?

•What do you think?

•What do your supporters think?

•What do the people you want to influence think?

•How do you please everyone while still doing the right thing for the animals?

The Heart

Why do people get involved in animal rescue?

• Moral reasons and beliefs

• Altruism

• Feel good factor

• Gain skills

• Ego rescue

The Head

•Policies

• clarify the ethical beliefs of organisaion• help match right people to right organisation

• help ensure we see things from the cat’s perspective

Limitations of Rescue

•There’s never enough money•There’s always more animals than you can help•Rescue is expensive

– Buildings, vet care, labour, food, litter...

Difficult Decisions

OR

Spay the pregnant cat?

Let her have the kittens?

WhoWho do you help? do you help?

Who Who cancan you help? you help?

Now for a really difficult decision….

Which is the BEST

cat????

Sometimes you’re too close to an issue – so

some decisions require an outside

perspective

Thank YouThank You