Feeding and caring for feral cats in Morningside, Rivonia, Bryanston, and Dunkeld - Johannesburg.
16/04/2025
The Emotional Impact of Rescue – What People Don’t Always See 💔🐾
Rescue work is often portrayed as inspiring—and it is. But behind every rescue is a weight that’s rarely spoken about.
Rescuers and carers often suffer quietly:
🌧️Compassion fatigue – constant exposure to suffering wears you down.
🌧️Burnout – the emotional cost of always being needed, of never being able to do enough.
🌧️ Witnessing trauma – seeing neglect, cruelty, abandonment.
🌧️Making impossible decisions – when you can’t save them all.
🌧️ No support system – many carers work alone, with no therapy, no backup, no rest.
And still—they show up. Every. Single. Day.
Some rescuers carry multiple responsibilities and that in itself is taxing.
A full-time job, household responsibilities, family obligations, owned pets - not including fosters. Rescue comes with many hats and there are many that don't just juggle one role.
We need to talk about the emotional toll of caring.
Because the truth is: saving animals often breaks the people doing the saving.
If you know someone doing rescue work—check on them. Help them. Listen.
They carry more than you realize. 🐾💕
In honor of National Animal Care & Control Appreciation Week and to all of the individuals involved in Animal Welfare, doing far more than anyone truly understands.
We see you... 💓
* Copied
