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The RSPCA is coming under fire for an incident involving Booba, the 4-year-old cat who was found, then re-homed with another family. In an article in the UK Daily Mail, Marine Coucoulis recounts thrilled they were to find their lost cat had been found, then had the rug pulled out from beneath them when they further learned when arranging to pick him up, he was no longer in their custody.
The RSPCA informed the couple, who have had Booba from the time he was a kitten, the microchip information did not contain their personal information and, therefore, any information pertaining to the cat must remain confidential per data privacy laws. Additionally, Booba’s new family refuses to give up the cat. The organization then provided them with grief counseling materials.
Coucoulis said, ‘The RSPCA were awful, they had no compassion, they were disgusting. They don’t care about cats and owners, they just care about money. They made me feel like I was no one and that it was my fault because I couldn’t find my cat quicker.
It’s just terrible – you have all the proof on your side but you have to just give up.”
Data protection certainly has its place, but is seems something may be getting lost in the translation of the laws, and this is not the first time. A microchip company reportedly informed a family earlier in the month their cat had been found, but denied giving them any additional information due to privacy laws pertaining to data protection. Good news is, the new owners returned the cat to the family. However, another family had made arrangements with the RSPCA to pick up their cat, only to find he had been put down.
You can follow the story at Help Get Booba Back on Facebook.
