Help Me Get Shelters for Feral Cats Please

I take care of a feral and stray colony of eleven cats. I have a thread in Caring for Ferals and Strays titled Cats of Colonia de ls Rosas.

I want to place shelters for my cats on the grounds where I live. It is housing owned by the county of Los Angeles so there is a lot of bureaucracy to deal with. Their attitude right now is that the cats should not be here and should just be trapped and taken to animal control.

Animal control usually ends up euthanizing cats brought in trapped because they are "not adoptable" if they have to be trapped.

I'm asking cat site users to send emails letting all the levels of bureaucracy -- the site manager, the Housing Authority Executive Director, the county supervisor -- information on TNR that emphasizes the need for shelters after trapping and spay/neuter and return -- and that it is the best way to reduce the population of homeless cats.

My argument is that since TNR is the policy of the county that since this is county-owned land the Housing Authority should also follow that policy.

I have already trapped, spayed/neutered all my cats, so now I am asking permission to feed and shelter them according to TNR.

Unfortunately the man that called me about my letter to animal control didn't really understand what I wanted and didn't even seem familiar with TNR! Unfortunately I don't have an email address for him, only a general one for animal control -- which I will give you, if you PM me.

If you are willing to send emails backing me up please PM me for names and addresses.

You may want to get in touch with the people from this website, as they deal exclusively with feral issues and have legal info posted on their website.
http://www.alleycat.org/
Keep up the fight!

TNR laws are fairly vague and have basically been interpreted in most places as 'if you care for them, they are your cats and should be on your personal property' - not roaming or causing a nuisance, which they can easily claim.

Alleycats can certainly help you know where to start, also call your local legislators with facts about TNT laws in your area and ask them to do their job at upholding their laws

I guess I didn't explain myself very well, because I also got a PM like this.

I'm not saying that TNR is law -- only that it is policy. My landlord happens to be the County of L.A. and that is why I think they should follow the policy of the county animal control. I'm trying to convince the county (my landlord) that following TNR is the best way to reduce the feral and stray cat population on county property. There are no laws involving TNR that I know of.

Most of the people involved do not know what TNR is, or why it would be a better policy than either ignoring the cats or trapping them and taking them to animal control to be killed. That's why they need that information.

It is written in my lease that I cannot feed the cats because that is the policy of the housing authority. Basically they have just ignored my feeding the cats. However, when I have put up shelters, they have been picked up by yard maintenance and thrown away.

I'm trying to convince the county that since thier animal control endorses TNR so should their housing sites. Right now the two parts of the county are at odds.

To change their minds I'm asking for help with information on TNR generally, that all county agencies should follow it, and that I, specifically, should be allowed to put up shelters on the site where I live.

There are no laws involved. Only education, information, and attitudes.

My little cats really need shelters! The weather gets stranger every year! Two years ago we had the second wettest rainy season ever, then last year the driest ever. What's next?

I am a little confused, is that a PM from you or from someone to you, because it seems to be what you said.

Have you tried contacting any local organisations that TNR to work with the authority and media, there is one specifically for LA
http://www.feralcatcaretakers.org/

That's a good idea. I've contacted them for help before, but they never seemed to "get" my situation. I can try again though.