Absolute time waster. Rude staff judged us like slaves and made up all sorts of excuses to make us believe that we were not worthy of adopting an animal. But at the same tried their very best to talk us into their foster program. The woman at the front desk was very slacky and unwilling to help. She was also racially biased as we watched another white couple getting completely different treatment and service than us. My suggest is unless you are white and able to stand what ever the rubbish advices they throw at you, you may try to beg for the chance of buying an animal from them.

TERRBILE! I’ve had to deal the RSPCA Burwood on a 3 occasions in the last 4 months and EVERY time has been a complete waste! The first time was when I found two stray kittens in an industrial area and called Burwood RSPCA for advice. When asked if they could take on the kittens the lady on the phone simply said “Oh we don’t take cats’. Seriously?! If your employees are telling the public that you DON’T rescue animals then why do you even exist! When I offered to personally catch the kittens and drive them to Burwood the lady just simply repeated herself. I was later told by another employee that I may have been told that because they were inundated with cats at the time I called. I understand this but I would prefer she had told me that at the time and maybe suggest somewhere else that I could take them! The second time was when I called because my puppy got out and I wanted to leave my details with RSPCA in case someone handed her in. Obviously I was in a state of despair! When I rang the lady on the phone was completely unhelpful. There was no sense of urgency or warmth in her voice. Firstly she asked me if I had contacted the council or local vets to which I said no and then at the end of our excruciating conversation she ended it by saying “Have you contacted the council or local vets?”. REALLY?!She also asked me questions like “Is it a boy or a girl?”, “is it desexed” numerous times. Her computer froze halfway through and so I had to repeat all my details and she paused to think for more than a minute at the time. The whole time I was just thinking.. I could be looking for my dog right now!!! To top everything off I recently called because my turtle went missing (She’s a bit of an adventurer) so I called them to see if she had been handed in because she had been in the past. I sat on the phone for half an hour listening to an automated voice message saying “we apologize for the delay someone will attend to your call shortly” or some bullshit like that only to realize when I went on their website that they were closed and no one was going to answer! If you’re going to close your store then change your bloody voice message to say “WE ARE CLOSED!”. Time wasted. - Pissed off member of public.

Adopted my now four year old cat as a four month old kitten from RSPCA Burwood and they were fabulous, especially so when I took him in a week later for cat flu and they treated him free of charge. However, was not pleased when I found my now two year old as a seven week old kitten under my house. After caring for him a few days and seriously doubting he had a microchip I took him to the RSPCA to check for it only to be told rudely that they could only check for a microchip if I abandoned him to them, which I was not at all planning to do if he was well without a microchip (luckily my vet was happy to do so and look over him). I would've thought that the RSPCA would have supported someone willing to look after a cat and not give him up, rather than take him in? Utterly bizarre.

My 3 kids and i, after spending over an hour discussing and interacting with quite a few of the cats, found the ideal kitten to adopt at RSPCA Burwood but it was on hold for 24 hours so we drove up again the next day with my husband to buy this kitten that had not been claimed. We spoke to a different staff member (not the lovely tall guy from yesterday) who spoke to my husband while he was filling out the paperwork and asked to speak to me because apparently our stories were conflicting. So my husband stayed with our kids in the cattery while i spoke to this narky girl who grilled and belittled me at the front desk in front of everyone because we already had a 7 month old puppy – which she couldn't believe was an outside dog - and apparently my husband told her he had severe allergies so the kitten would not be inside full time (when in fact he told her he had mild allergies!) And apparently this dark tri-colour kitten (with no white except on its boots) was a high cancer risk and was indoor only - even though its information sheet said it was an indoor & outdoor cat. She then sent for her senior supervisor who sat my husband and i down to lecture us on the importance of keeping a kitten indoors and carefully introducing it to the dog etc. and even though we explained that we would do all those things and didn’t have a choice as there is a council curfew, she suggested another older cat that had already been exposed to dogs. We looked at it but it had no interest in my kids nor they in it. Out of principle we walked away because we were not only insulted and ridiculed but left feeling angry and hurt. This kitten was coming into a loving family home yet we were being scrutinized and treated like potential animal abusers. Ironically if we had lied and ticked all the right boxes that kitten would be sitting in my lap right now. We will not be going back, ever!

SHAMEFUL!! My partner and I had a stray cat living on (and under) our back porch for the past year. At fist she had been a little shy but soon she became very friendly and would run up to greet us as we arrived home with a meow and would happily receive a scratch and rub. We had given her some food and a place to sleep on the porch (covered). Approximately four months ago she had a litter of kittens (2). The kittens were adorable, curious and friendly, happily getting a scratch and trying to sneak into the house every time we opened the door. We had to move because our landlord wanted to build, so we needed to do something to ensure the cats' safety, we couldn't afford to take them in ourselves (as we already have two cats of our own) and they wouldn't be safe with the house getting knocked down. Previously we have re-homed stray cats with great success but we did not have the time to do so, and it had caused a major flea infestation with our long haired cat, which we couldn't afford to treat. As such we decided to take them in to the RSPCA at Burwood, wrongly believing that they would be humanely treated, and a new home would be found for them, specifically the kittens as they were only a few months old and very cute. So needless to say my partner was both shocked and truly heart-broken to find out when she called just two days later that both kittens had been put down because 'they weren't friendly'. As if the RSPCA could not comprehend that a wild kitten taken to a new place and separated from it's mother (we found out they did this just after receiving them) might take a few days to acclimatize to their new surroundings. Then a week later we called to check on the mother and were told that she was also put down because she hissed at a vet. I am furious that this organization, who takes public donations, and has the gall to project themselves as an organization that cares about animals would so heartlessly and carelessly murder these cats. I understand that they may receive a large number of animals and that some may not be able to be re homed, that is unfortunate but it is the world we live in. But these cats were not sick, not feral and were not even given the chance at finding a new home. I will never again donate to this organization and will actively campaign among my friends and colleagues to do the same. I implore anyone who comes across any stray or abandoned animals, or if you have pets you can no longer take care of, put them up in the local paper or on Gumtree as free to a good home and avoid this heartless organization at all costs!!