FARK.com: (5109742) Former Toronto Humane Society supervisor charged with animal cruelty, making him the seventh of their employees charged in the past year

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		Former Toronto Humane Society supervisor charged with animal cruelty, making him the seventh of their employees charged in the past year (thestar.com)		62
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Indolent		2010-03-15 01:25:17 AM

Rather disappointed. The article gives zero details as to what he had done that was considered animal cruelty. If a dog attacks you and you hit it with a rock that is considered animal cruelty in some places.

jabelar		2010-03-15 02:14:40 AM

My opinion on this depends on the specific charges. Was he maliciously harming animals? Was he neglecting animals? Was he limited by funds from providing proper care? Did he like animals so much he was having sex with them? Very bad reporting.

UsikFark		2010-03-15 02:17:55 AM

Indolent: The article gives zero details as to what he had done that was considered animal cruelty.

This, it won't be a proper thread without some inflammatory details.

Mr. Right		2010-03-15 02:20:29 AM

No specific charges but the number of employees charged since a raid would indicate that something unsavory was going on. If the charges were trumped up, somebody would have called the OSPCA on it by this time, wouldn't they?

Indolent		2010-03-15 02:23:20 AM

jabelar: My opinion on this depends on the specific charges. Was he maliciously harming animals? Was he neglecting animals? Was he limited by funds from providing proper care? Did he like animals so much he was having sex with them? Very bad reporting.

In some parts of East Texas that's called Saturday Night.

Dired		2010-03-15 02:25:18 AM

You always hurt the ones you love.

UsikFark		2010-03-15 02:25:53 AM

Dired: You always hurt the ones you love.

It works both ways.

draaga		2010-03-15 02:28:46 AM

Link (new window)

Apparently they don't euthanize the animals correctly from what this article indicates.

Mudflap		2010-03-15 02:29:32 AM

Indolent:

In some parts of East Texas that's called Saturday Night.

*checks profile*

Ah. Austin.

Arguement invalidated.

jingks		2010-03-15 02:30:22 AM

Mr. Right: No specific charges but the number of employees charged since a raid would indicate that something unsavory was going on. If the charges were trumped up, somebody would have called the OSPCA on it by this time, wouldn't they?

Exactly. Also, the fark headline is misleading as it sounds like it's an ongoing issue. A large portion (or all) of the staff was commuting acts of animal cruelty (I'm guessing in regards to basic care, feeding, living conditions, etc) at the same time, which is kind of expected since if only some of the staff we're being cruel they would likely be reported/fired straight away.

jingks		2010-03-15 02:32:43 AM

FTA: In the raid's aftermath, the OSPCA displayed a mummified cat that had been found in a live trap in a ceiling.

R.I.P. ceiling cat.

/ can anyone shoop eiling cat out of the picture?

jigger		2010-03-15 02:34:25 AM

Indolent: jabelar: My opinion on this depends on the specific charges. Was he maliciously harming animals? Was he neglecting animals? Was he limited by funds from providing proper care? Did he like animals so much he was having sex with them? Very bad reporting.

In some parts of East Texas that's called Saturday Night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxovoNevMt0

NannyStatePark		2010-03-15 02:39:58 AM

Go read something on the Houston Press about BARC. They literally lose animals in the drainage system. I saved two cats from that place last month, but I have to say they must be making progress. I'm personally sick of animal shelters euthanizing animals instead of charging reasonable adoption fees, and at least BARC does that.

And at least Toronto prosecutes animal cruelty, unlike the idiots in Houston.

A_bomb37		2010-03-15 02:42:19 AM

Not surprised.

Had my dog stolen by the local SPCA. Then had one of their employees try to extort us for his return.

/DNRTFA
//chilling tale.

Ringshadow		2010-03-15 02:46:45 AM

draaga: Link (new window)

Apparently they don't euthanize the animals correctly from what this article indicates.

From that article: In the raid's aftermath, the OSPCA displayed a mummified cat that had been found in a live trap in a ceiling. It claimed that 25 animals had to be put down and numerous others were showing signs of neglect. One senior OSPCA official described the shelter as a "house of horrors."

Good lord. Just.. what the hell. That almost reads like a puppy mill description.

TheMega		2010-03-15 02:50:15 AM

No mention AT ALL of Harold!

i37.tinypic.com

Darwin's Prophet		2010-03-15 02:50:33 AM

Ringshadow: draaga: Link (new window)

Apparently they don't euthanize the animals correctly from what this article indicates.

From that article: In the raid's aftermath, the OSPCA displayed a mummified cat that had been found in a live trap in a ceiling. It claimed that 25 animals had to be put down and numerous others were showing signs of neglect. One senior OSPCA official described the shelter as a "house of horrors."

Good lord. Just.. what the hell. That almost reads like a puppy mill description.

Reminds me more of a hoarder, which makes sense since they probably had the same mental attitude.

"Why yes this dog has a severe case of mange, a unrepaired broken leg, is eating rotten food in a cage filled with his wastes but at least he's still alive. You just want to kill him!"

base935		2010-03-15 02:53:33 AM

I had to do some community service recently for some traffic stuff.

So I chose to do it at the local animal shelter, thinking I would just play with puppies and kittens, and ended up just loading two washing machines every hour with lightly soiled blankets. Not too bad.

But I realized that the employees that were in contact with the animals, filling the food and water bowls, weren't there because they loved animals, but because they were otherwise unemployable and lucky to be making $8-9/hr. I can imagine that after a day or two, the glamour of changing out bedding for the rows of cages of stray cats would quickly pass. So, as this retard is opening the cage of a scared stray cat, in it's cage, there wasn't a lot of gentleness, because it was just work. It hissed, and poised up a claw, like a scared cat would. This girl just said, "Fark you", put a tag on the cage that said "VICIOUS ANIMAL", and told me that now it wouldn't be adopted and would be euthanized. Almost like she was exercising some power to choose who lives and dies, with no emotion. And moved on to the next cage.

That still makes me sad. It was simply a scared cat.

tbyte		2010-03-15 02:59:15 AM

base935: I had to do some community service recently for some traffic stuff.

So I chose to do it at the local animal shelter, thinking I would just play with puppies and kittens, and ended up just loading two washing machines every hour with lightly soiled blankets. Not too bad.

But I realized that the employees that were in contact with the animals, filling the food and water bowls, weren't there because they loved animals, but because they were otherwise unemployable and lucky to be making $8-9/hr. I can imagine that after a day or two, the glamour of changing out bedding for the rows of cages of stray cats would quickly pass. So, as this retard is opening the cage of a scared stray cat, in it's cage, there wasn't a lot of gentleness, because it was just work. It hissed, and poised up a claw, like a scared cat would. This girl just said, "Fark you", put a tag on the cage that said "VICIOUS ANIMAL", and told me that now it wouldn't be adopted and would be euthanized. Almost like she was exercising some power to choose who lives and dies, with no emotion. And moved on to the next cage.

That still makes me sad. It was simply a scared cat.

Cool story bro, but I'd be pissed if I was tricked without warning into adopting a cat that was going to hiss and claw at me. Or a dog that was going to bite me for that matter. There were probably plenty of animals there that didn't do that.

A_bomb37		2010-03-15 03:01:53 AM

tbyte: base935: I had to do some community service recently for some traffic stuff.

So I chose to do it at the local animal shelter, thinking I would just play with puppies and kittens, and ended up just loading two washing machines every hour with lightly soiled blankets. Not too bad.

But I realized that the employees that were in contact with the animals, filling the food and water bowls, weren't there because they loved animals, but because they were otherwise unemployable and lucky to be making $8-9/hr. I can imagine that after a day or two, the glamour of changing out bedding for the rows of cages of stray cats would quickly pass. So, as this retard is opening the cage of a scared stray cat, in it's cage, there wasn't a lot of gentleness, because it was just work. It hissed, and poised up a claw, like a scared cat would. This girl just said, "Fark you", put a tag on the cage that said "VICIOUS ANIMAL", and told me that now it wouldn't be adopted and would be euthanized. Almost like she was exercising some power to choose who lives and dies, with no emotion. And moved on to the next cage.

That still makes me sad. It was simply a scared cat.

Cool story bro, but I'd be pissed if I was tricked without warning into adopting a cat that was going to hiss and claw at me. Or a dog that was going to bite me for that matter. There were probably plenty of animals there that didn't do that.

You ever have a freaked out animal shoved in a cage and just ram your arms in there?

Bet they come out with a bit of blood.

hestheone		2010-03-15 03:07:00 AM

Known lots of dot Indians and never met one with a pet.

/Now, feather Indians - they always have pet dogs. But the dot kind never.

xC0000005		2010-03-15 03:07:35 AM

No suprise to anyone who's worked at a shelter. Often run by loving people who just can't keep from taking in that one more cat or dog. That's fine - they can share a huge cage with another animal, right? A few years later the shelter's housing makes Detroit look downright attractive - it's wall to wall feces and smells like someone made condensed, sweetened broth from nursing home linens. A few years ago the fire department burned one of those. It was safer and cheaper than cleaning up the building. (They removed the cats first).

That, folks, is how well meaning shelter employees wind up charged with cruelty. It isn't always that bad, even one cat over the limit per space might be cruelty depending on how stupid the laws are.

tbyte		2010-03-15 03:07:36 AM

A_bomb37: tbyte: base935: I had to do some community service recently for some traffic stuff.

So I chose to do it at the local animal shelter, thinking I would just play with puppies and kittens, and ended up just loading two washing machines every hour with lightly soiled blankets. Not too bad.

But I realized that the employees that were in contact with the animals, filling the food and water bowls, weren't there because they loved animals, but because they were otherwise unemployable and lucky to be making $8-9/hr. I can imagine that after a day or two, the glamour of changing out bedding for the rows of cages of stray cats would quickly pass. So, as this retard is opening the cage of a scared stray cat, in it's cage, there wasn't a lot of gentleness, because it was just work. It hissed, and poised up a claw, like a scared cat would. This girl just said, "Fark you", put a tag on the cage that said "VICIOUS ANIMAL", and told me that now it wouldn't be adopted and would be euthanized. Almost like she was exercising some power to choose who lives and dies, with no emotion. And moved on to the next cage.

That still makes me sad. It was simply a scared cat.

Cool story bro, but I'd be pissed if I was tricked without warning into adopting a cat that was going to hiss and claw at me. Or a dog that was going to bite me for that matter. There were probably plenty of animals there that didn't do that.

You ever have a freaked out animal shoved in a cage and just ram your arms in there?

Bet they come out with a bit of blood.

Not all animals will turn violent over some stress. The ones that don't are the ones I would prefer as pets.

A_bomb37		2010-03-15 03:10:18 AM

tbyte: A_bomb37: tbyte: base935: I had to do some community service recently for some traffic stuff.

...

You ever have a freaked out animal shoved in a cage and just ram your arms in there?

Bet they come out with a bit of blood.

Not all animals will turn violent over some stress. The ones that don't are the ones I would prefer as pets.

Fair enough, but an animal not handling stress well should not be the only reason to euthanize it.

Ringshadow		2010-03-15 03:12:44 AM

tbyte:

Not all animals will turn violent over some stress. The ones that don't are the ones I would prefer as pets.

I'm sitting here with a bandaged hand because my cat bloodied me while playing so I'm getting a kick out of this.

tbyte		2010-03-15 03:14:19 AM

A_bomb37: tbyte: A_bomb37: tbyte: base935: I had to do some community service recently for some traffic stuff.

...

You ever have a freaked out animal shoved in a cage and just ram your arms in there?

Bet they come out with a bit of blood.

Not all animals will turn violent over some stress. The ones that don't are the ones I would prefer as pets.

Fair enough, but an animal not handling stress well should not be the only reason to euthanize it.

It only gets euthanized if nobody adopts it, because they'd prefer the calmer animals. Unless every cage in the place had the tag, some of them must have been calmer. Providing the customer with information should lead to less euthanized animals in the long run.

cot		2010-03-15 03:20:10 AM

Ringshadow: I'm sitting here with a bandaged hand because my cat bloodied me while playing so I'm getting a kick out of this

Post your address, tbyte will be right over...

Ringshadow		2010-03-15 03:23:56 AM

cot: Ringshadow: I'm sitting here with a bandaged hand because my cat bloodied me while playing so I'm getting a kick out of this

Post your address, tbyte will be right over...

My cat would eat him alive. She's an evil little thing.
i44.tinypic.com

She came to me with the name Belle. Bael would have been much more appropriate.

/yes, she's fat
//she owns fat. she makes it work

A_bomb37		2010-03-15 03:26:53 AM

tbyte: A_bomb37: tbyte: A_bomb37: tbyte: base935: I had to do some community service recently for some traffic stuff.

...

You ever have a freaked out animal shoved in a cage and just ram your arms in there?

Bet they come out with a bit of blood.

Not all animals will turn violent over some stress. The ones that don't are the ones I would prefer as pets.

Fair enough, but an animal not handling stress well should not be the only reason to euthanize it.

It only gets euthanized if nobody adopts it, because they'd prefer the calmer animals. Unless every cage in the place had the tag, some of them must have been calmer. Providing the customer with information should lead to less euthanized animals in the long run.

But judging by the anecdote previously supplied, once the tag is affixed the shelter will NOT adopt out the animal of course leading to it's euthanization.

Not that I'm saying all animals are safe cuddly wuddly toys, but a barely-above-minimum-wage, but I'd maybe like a second opinion before someone starts slapping "kill this animal" tags on cages willy nilly.

/Kitteh death panels?

A_bomb37		2010-03-15 03:28:24 AM

A_bomb37: tbyte: A_bomb37: tbyte: A_bomb37: tbyte: base935: I had to do some community service recently for some traffic stuff.

...

You ever have a freaked out animal shoved in a cage and just ram your arms in there?

Bet they come out with a bit of blood.

Not all animals will turn violent over some stress. The ones that don't are the ones I would prefer as pets.

Fair enough, but an animal not handling stress well should not be the only reason to euthanize it.

It only gets euthanized if nobody adopts it, because they'd prefer the calmer animals. Unless every cage in the place had the tag, some of them must have been calmer. Providing the customer with information should lead to less euthanized animals in the long run.

But judging by the anecdote previously supplied, once the tag is affixed the shelter will NOT adopt out the animal of course leading to it's euthanization.

Not that I'm saying all animals are safe cuddly wuddly toys, but a barely-above-minimum-wage shouldn't be slapping "kill this animal" tags on cages willy nilly.

/Kitteh death panels?

FTFM. too early/late.

TheyCallMeSirr2		2010-03-15 03:30:56 AM

acing two counts of animal cruelty, Vijay Kumar is the seventh THS employee arrested since November

/November
//December
///January
////February
//March

xC0000005		2010-03-15 03:35:32 AM

Ringshadow:
She came to me with the name Belle. Bael would have been much more appropriate.

The wife and I used to foster feral kittens and return them when they were older, disease free and had learned not to to attack you when entering the room. As the kitten raisers we got to name them. Mine were always named after demons - I bought a book of demon names. Satan, Baal, Diablo, Lilith, Ann Coulter - the shelter lady would shake her head and I'd say "Tell them it's pronounced Ball. And who wouldn't want to play with Lily?" "This here is Patches, Cthulhu, Sparkles, and ImapD

Begoggle		2010-03-15 04:01:22 AM

Indolent: Rather disappointed. The article gives zero details as to what he had done that was considered animal cruelty. If a dog attacks you and you hit it with a rock that is considered animal cruelty in some places.

images1.fanpop.com

Oh? Like what places?

Begoggle		2010-03-15 04:04:43 AM

jingks: FTA: In the raid's aftermath, the OSPCA displayed a mummified cat that had been found in a live trap in a ceiling.

R.I.P. ceiling cat.

/ can anyone shoop eiling cat out of the picture?

That sounds like a perfect opportunity to combine Ceiling Cat and Akbar.
But not for me at this time.

SwiftFox		2010-03-15 04:17:43 AM

A_bomb37: tbyte: A_bomb37: tbyte: A_bomb37: tbyte: base935: I had to do some community service recently for some traffic stuff.

...

You ever have a freaked out animal shoved in a cage and just ram your arms in there?

Bet they come out with a bit of blood.

Not all animals will turn violent over some stress. The ones that don't are the ones I would prefer as pets.

Fair enough, but an animal not handling stress well should not be the only reason to euthanize it.

It only gets euthanized if nobody adopts it, because they'd prefer the calmer animals. Unless every cage in the place had the tag, some of them must have been calmer. Providing the customer with information should lead to less euthanized animals in the long run.

But judging by the anecdote previously supplied, once the tag is affixed the shelter will NOT adopt out the animal of course leading to it's euthanization.

Not that I'm saying all animals are safe cuddly wuddly toys, but a barely-above-minimum-wage, but I'd maybe like a second opinion before someone starts slapping "kill this animal" tags on cages willy nilly.

/Kitteh death panels?

The gentlest, friendliest, most affectionate cat I know was considered unadoptable until someone realized it merely so utterly hated being stuck in the cage.

Uncle Tractor		2010-03-15 04:21:51 AM

Wasn't there a South Park episode about this?

captainktainer		2010-03-15 04:57:07 AM

SwiftFox: The gentlest, friendliest, most affectionate cat I know was considered unadoptable until someone realized it merely so utterly hated being stuck in the cage.

When you're dealing with millions of excess animals causing tremendous ecological (both human ecology and natural ecology), and when there are far too few households to adopt them all out to, is it really a good practice, as a whole, to adopt out animals displaying violent behaviors? I'm glad that an outlier was able to find success for itself and its human, but ask yourself honestly - given realistic constraints on money and time available, should animals displaying similar aggressive traits be adopted out at the same rates as animals that appear more docile?

PlatinumDragon		2010-03-15 05:34:45 AM

This has been a pretty big mess. The OSPCA has had issues with the now-former head of THS, Tim Trow, who incidentally was one of the people arrested.

My partner used to do phone fundraising when she first moved here. She would get donors who said they loved the organization, but wouldn't donate as long as he was at the helm.

max_damage78		2010-03-15 06:10:21 AM

For anyone who wants to know what happened, here's an article that was printed in The Globe And Mail last July. This was one of several media reports that lead to the OSPEA investigation and raid that lead to charges against most of the heads of the Toronto Humane Society.

Killing Them With Kindness

"I know what's right and I know what's wrong," said Mary Mathison, who volunteers in the THS's kitten nursery. "And it's definitely wrong, wrong, wrong there."

"It is heart-wrenching, I've watched critically ill animals suffer and die in my hands while I run around trying to get permission to euthanize," said Magdalena Smrdelj, a THS veterinarian.

Both know they're risking their positions by speaking to The Globe, as THS staff and volunteers are required to sign confidentially agreements. Both said that animal suffering inside the shelter was too great for them to remain silent.

"Died Oct 19 3:15 am. Gasped and jerked and cried last breaths, because there was no one in shelter to euthanize or treat. This is not humane!"- Written on the medical chart of a cat

mytdawg		2010-03-15 08:40:43 AM

Mummified cat in a live trap? WTF?

Shelter dog surrendered by owners after 10 years. Lived in a barn for 3. He was Heartworm positive and has a pin/plate/screw in one leg from being hit by a car. He was treated but I haven't had him tested yet this year. He's over 11 now, the treatment almost killed him. I really didn't think he was going to make it, I figured I was just bringing him home so he could die in a real home instead of a shelter. Probably the flat out nicest dog I've ever seen. Goofy but a real sweetheart.

IdBeCrazyIf		2010-03-15 09:22:48 AM

xC0000005: "This here is Patches, Cthulhu, Sparkles, and ImapD

blogs.discovermagazine.com

/Ohh the things you can find with GIS

snake67		2010-03-15 09:45:36 AM

Typical THS douche in handcuffs.

Cletus from Canuckistan		2010-03-15 10:08:53 AM

I've been very suspicious of this whole investigation since OSPCA and THS have been involved in a rather vicious turf war for years, and OSPCA has been rather ham-handed and dickish about the raids / perp walks (calling the media beforehand to make things extra humiliating). But the stories coming out of that place now are just heartbreaking.

Turbo6inKY		2010-03-15 10:15:30 AM

We rescued a dog from the Lexington/Fayette County Humane society. He was so pathetic, had a limp. Once we got him to our vet and had him X-rayed, we found his pelvis had been crushed on his right side, most likely due to a car strike.

The guy had survived stray for an unknown amount of time, then spent five months in a cage at the Humane Society in pain so intense he'd throw up if he had to walk more than a short distance. He should have been put down.

But we're suckers. An FHO has relieved his pain and he's an absolutely wonderful dog now. He's especially good with our two-year-old.

Felis_Panthera		2010-03-15 10:19:47 AM

Cletus from Canuckistan: I've been very suspicious of this whole investigation since OSPCA and THS have been involved in a rather vicious turf war for years, and OSPCA has been rather ham-handed and dickish about the raids / perp walks (calling the media beforehand to make things extra humiliating). But the stories coming out of that place now are just heartbreaking.

there's something to be said for the power of public shaming... given that the maximum penalty under Canadian law for animal cruelty is $2000 and/or 6 months in jail... I'm all for plastering the faces of those responsible for the cruelty all over every available scrap of media... however, I do worry about people who haven't necessarily done anything wrong being treated this way... it's one of those things where just the accusation can haunt a person, regardless of the truth of the matter...

mitEj		2010-03-15 11:02:59 AM

In the raid's aftermath, the OSPCA displayed a mummified cat that had been found in a live trap in a ceiling. It claimed that 25 animals had to be put down and numerous others were showing signs of neglect. One senior OSPCA official described the shelter as a "house of horrors."

The THS has filed a court action of its own. It accuses the OSPCA of negligent investigation, trespass and defamation.

brigid_fitch		2010-03-15 12:34:02 PM

Darwin's Prophet: Ringshadow: draaga: Link (new window)

Apparently they don't euthanize the animals correctly from what this article indicates.

From that article: In the raid's aftermath, the OSPCA displayed a mummified cat that had been found in a live trap in a ceiling. It claimed that 25 animals had to be put down and numerous others were showing signs of neglect. One senior OSPCA official described the shelter as a "house of horrors."

Good lord. Just.. what the hell. That almost reads like a puppy mill description.

Reminds me more of a hoarder, which makes sense since they probably had the same mental attitude.

"Why yes this dog has a severe case of mange, a unrepaired broken leg, is eating rotten food in a cage filled with his wastes but at least he's still alive. You just want to kill him!"

Not a bad analogy. Shelters and rescues are notoriously picky about whom they adopt out to, meaning animals stay even longer in cages. I was branded an evil pet owner because I don't take my indoor-only cats to the vet every 6 months and I euthanized my 16-yo German Shepherd because her arthritis was so bad, she literally couldn't walk anymore. My 16-yo dog, that I adopted from a shelter when she was 7 when she was emaciated, untrained, & never socialized around dogs & turned out to be the best dog I ever owned. However, now no shelter in Ocean County, NJ would let me adopt an animal.

When I turned to Great Dane rescue organizations, I got the same treatment--because I didn't spend hundreds of dollars on treatment to prolong my dog's suffering & because my cats never get sick, they wouldn't let me adopt. Finally did get a Great Dane from an organization who confused my background w/someone else's and I wasn't about to correct her. Now I have a 5-yo gorgeous GD who's been in a kennel since July because they couldn't find a "suitable" home for her. In 6 months they couldn't find anybody?? Give me a break. And, by their standards, I shouldn't have been allowed to adopt her, so she would have spent even MORE time in there. Utterly stupid.

Sobrrr		2010-03-15 12:55:46 PM

I'm a dog groomer because I love dogs. However if I hated dogs and loved to torture them, grooming would the perfect job too. There's nothing I do during the grooming process that the dog WANTS to do. I spray water in their face, dry them with a loud scary drier, comb out mats, pick eye boogers, express anal glands and the ever-dreaded touching of their feet. Then they get a big hug and a cookie afterwards. If I left that last part out I would just feel mean and miss the whole reason I come to work everyday.

brigid_fitch		2010-03-15 12:57:57 PM

max_damage78: For anyone who wants to know what happened, here's an article that was printed in The Globe And Mail last July. This was one of several media reports that lead to the OSPEA investigation and raid that lead to charges against most of the heads of the Toronto Humane Society.

Killing Them With Kindness

Thanks for the background that TFA didn't bother to include. Pretty much what many of us thought--THS' president is of the "crazy cat lady" variety & won't put down animals even if they clearly need to be, to the point of interfering with veterinarian's decisions! That guy's gotta go. No-kill or low-kill shelters sound good on paper, but they never really work in reality. There are far more strays than people willing to adopt. Even fewer people willing to adopt adult animals--everyone wants puppies & kittens. There was a no-kill shelter in South Jersey years ago that was closed down due to overcrowding and cruelty to animals (for not putting down seriously ill or injured animals). I can't find an article about it (it was over 10 years ago) but the conditions in your link are pretty similar to what the ASPCA found there.

/All the animals I've ever owned have been rescues.
//And I always adopt adult animals. The youngest animal I adopted was a 1-yo emaciated, 1/2 Siamese white cat who had the most heart-wrenching meow I'd ever heard. I just couldn't leave him in a cage.