Working at the SPCA

I have always wanted to work at the SPCA. At the risk of sounding like a cliché, I want to help those who can't help themselves. So, I filled out a form and before I knew it I was...

Becoming a volunteer
The whole process is rather intense. The SPCA checks applicants very carefully, including the requirement of an essay-style description of why you want to work there, what other commitments you have, what area you want to work in and even a police check on your background. (I find this very nice as it's just another way they show how much they care about the animals.)

I chose to work with the felines. Purely because I'm a dog lover and seeing all the wee pooches with their beautiful eyes looking at me was just heart breaking. Also, I have a cat already and knew I wouldn't be tempted to bring home another cat (she prefers being an only child I think!)

Once you get past this stage you are then invited to a 2 hour induction where they show you what exactly the volunteers do. If you're still keen you then go to a training course (1 day for felines, 2 for canines)

And after all that, if you're still keen you are given a roster, a very cool SPCA volunteer shirt (actually they request you make a donation for it) and then you're expected to show up on your roster days.

My first day
On my first day I was assigned to the cat ward. This is the thing about the SPCA; it's massive! The area that the public sees is about 1/5 of the size of the village, and you only see about 1/10 of the animals. The "cat ward" is the first port of call for all incoming cats, rabbits and guinea pigs. At this point they've only had a brief examination by a vet and are placed in the ward to await a proper examination. So, as you can imagine - you get all sorts in there!

And with so many animals it gets rather smelly. In fact, the smell of poo is almost overwhelming. And that's exactly what the volunteers spend a large amount of their time dealing with. Cleaning, that's the key activity for a volunteer. Everything gets cleaned - the cages, the floors, the food bowls, everything!

And to keep everything in order (and avoid cross contaminating sick animals with healthy ones) they have very strict protocols in place.

So, my first day involved cleaning. The cages, the bowls and then even a cat! The adult cat come in and was so malnourished and dirty that it looked like a kitten. Working with a lovely lady (who during the week is an accountant at a large FMCG company and is one of the longest serving SPCA volunteers) our first job (as directed by the vet) was to wash the cat!

I don't know if you've ever washed a cat but it's hard work! Man can they be difficult, he even poo’d on me. This wee fellow climbed and fidgeted his way out of the sink many a time but I have to say - he was so sweet! When we finally got him clean (and blow-dried) he was a very cute wee cat - if rather sick looking.

There was also a cute Maltese dog in the room where we were cleaning the cat, but he was so skinny that he had to wear a jacket to stay warm (even though it was really warm in the room)

After doing some more cage cleaning it was time for a coffee break then back to cleaning the floors ready for the next day.

The SPCA was understaffed that day so I also had to help clean the dog ward. Sweet! I thought. Until I saw the dogs in there. These poor dogs had experienced tough lives. Broken legs, welts...it was nasty. All I could think though was that it was so lucky that they were finally somewhere safe.

Once I'd helped feed them and clean the cages, plus washed down the floors, it was back to the cat ward to empty the rubbish bins. Then home time!

I found it very rewarding helping these animals. And absolutely sickening to see how some people treat them. But overall an experience I'd thoroughly recommend – especially if you want to give something back to society, do something meaningful and of course, help the animals.