CAT FOUND

[smallpaws]

Small tabby and white cat with white bits was hit by a car and killed this morning at Clachan Seil. No collar or microchip. If it's yours please phone me on 300362.

Pat

[smallpaws]

This wee cat hasn't been claimed. She'll be going to the vets for cremation either this afternoon or tomorrow. If you know who she belongs to please ask them to contact me ASAP.

[Foxglove]

Smallpaws, why does the poor soul need cremating? Is there nowhere it could have a decent burial? Not being critical at all...just curious.

[smallpaws]

All of the charity's animals are cremated when they die - it's illegal to bury your deceased pet in the garden, though I have never heard of anybody being prosecuted for doing that! Apart from anything else, my garden is pretty full as, before the vets started the cremation service, any dead animal which was not taken away by the owner was dumped (legally) by the bin men up at Moleigh. In the year 60,000 when archaelogists from another planet decide to see how we used to live, I'm not sure what practices they'll imagine were carried out here when they dig my garden up.

Pat

[Foxglove]

Better cremated then than dumped on the tip at Moleigh. What a sad garden of memories you must have..

[brodie]

In the UK, if you are the property owner and provided the cat is dead then it is not illegal to bury the cat in your garden. It is sensible to note where the burial takes place so that this information can be provided to the new owners when the property is sold.

[smallpaws]

Indeed it is now.

This is from a pet crem. statement:

'When the new hazardous waste regulations came into force the Environment Agency felt all pets should be classified as hazardous waste. That issue was resolved by government by making it clear they would only be hazardous if the vet deemed them to be and that would only be for a small number of cases. However, these cases are unspecified so even though it is clear that very few would be considered hazardous it is left to the vet to make that decision and this in turn can lead to interpretation issues'

[NickB]

'When the new hazardous waste regulations came into force the Environment Agency felt all pets should be classified as hazardous waste. That issue was resolved by government by making it clear they would only be hazardous if the vet deemed them to be and that would only be for a small number of cases. However, these cases are unspecified so even though it is clear that very few would be considered hazardous it is left to the vet to make that decision and this in turn can lead to interpretation issues'

Surely it is not mandatory to take a dead pet to the vet though?

Sounds like an issue for someone like yourself who operates a sanctuary or some other sort of facility, but not for the average pet owner.

[smallpaws]

No, of course it isn't Nick! I assume the statement refers to those whose animals are put down at the vets for some reason - some illnesses are zoonoses, some of the drugs given to animals during sickness or euthanasia are pretty lethal to human beings too. Not all the animals which are put down here are sick rescues, some are our own pets.