people and ferals

arlon · Nov 14, 2007

I was at a park over the weekend and ran across a large colony of feral cats there. probably 40+ cats. There are some locals trying to feed them but while I was there a car came by and they threw 3 more cats out the window and sped off.. I wish I'd gotten a picture of the car but I was too busy trying to get pictures of the cats. PICTURES HERE.
Any tips on where to get some help for these guy in the Houston area would be appreciated. Unfortunately they are an hr drive out of Houston in Columbus Texas and there doesn't seem to be any low cost help in that area.
I have one feral kitten at the vet today that's going to cost me $250 and two more to go. Any thoughts appreciated.

liza24 · Nov 14, 2007

send a letter to the paper, local news station, ASPCA, anything to gain attention should help!!!

ghosthunterbeck · Nov 14, 2007

I replied in caring for strays and ferals with a link that might help

kittkatt · Nov 14, 2007

I'm not even gonna look at the pics, b/c I'm only about an hour or so away from Houston, and I might take off to look at them all - and I know what will happen THEN!

I think there's a no-kill shelter in the Houston area, but I'm not sure.

Can you check the local phone book to find out??

~KK~

sham · Nov 14, 2007

If they are tame but dumped cats media attention is good because it will get people to try to find homes for them. If they are feral and not adoptable media attention is a double edged sword and depends on people's viewpoint in your area. Here it would likely get complaints from people about the number of cats and authorities would probably decide the solution to the problem was to euthanize any not adoptable ferals. Discussing it with a shelter to find volunteers for trapping and neutering as well as long term feeding might be a better solution if they are ferals. Potentially adoptable cats you can evaluate and either discuss with the shelter finding them a home or at least foster home and put up posters or fliers at vet offices and petstores about the cats needing a home. Posters are a great way to find homes for animals here.

arlon · Nov 14, 2007

Thanks for the ideas. Some of these cats are real "sweet hearts" that have learned that affection gets them more hand outs. Others are skittish. Some are dumped and some are totally wild. A few look to be in bad health and really need to be destroyed for the good of the colony. Some of the friendly ones could definately be adopted but I have 2 in the house and 3 feral kittens just showed up in the yard. Just got one feral fixed today and got a $275 bill to go with it and I have two more to go.. Once I get the ones in my yard taken care of I'll focus more attention on the Columbus colony..

KittKatt, don't look at this one!

kittkatt · Nov 15, 2007

Originally Posted by arlon

Thanks for the ideas. Some of these cats are real "sweet hearts" that have learned that affection gets them more hand outs. Others are skittish. Some are dumped and some are totally wild. A few look to be in bad health and really need to be destroyed for the good of the colony. Some of the friendly ones could definately be adopted but I have 2 in the house and 3 feral kittens just showed up in the yard. Just got one feral fixed today and got a $275 bill to go with it and I have two more to go.. Once I get the ones in my yard taken care of I'll focus more attention on the Columbus colony..

KittKatt, don't look at this one!

OMG! She's just gorgeous!!

You're mean, Arlon!!

I have 2 strays now that I want so badly to adopt, and today another one started to make him(her)self at home and I'm REALLY going nuts over THAT one!! S/he is a beautiful (or will be, with a bath & proper grooming!) semi long-furred white cat, with one green and one blue eye.

I just can't stand it!!

~KK~

ghosthunterbeck · Nov 15, 2007

KittKatt, I know how you're feeling. Face is beginning to come around when we're outside, and she's almost acting as though she knows we've taken in the other strays/ferals. She seems almost hurt that it wasn't her. I feel so terrible, and I'd *love* to have her, but it just isn't going to happen at any point. We're working on socializing her, having her vetted and spayed, and adopted, though!

kittkatt · Nov 15, 2007

Originally Posted by ghosthunterbeck

KittKatt, I know how you're feeling. Face is beginning to come around when we're outside, and she's almost acting as though she knows we've taken in the other strays/ferals. She seems almost hurt that it wasn't her. I feel so terrible, and I'd *love* to have her, but it just isn't going to happen at any point. We're working on socializing her, having her vetted and spayed, and adopted, though!

I know what you mean.

One of our strays, whom I call "Stubby" (b/c she has half a tail) gives me that sad, hurt, pathetic look, everytime I go out to feed her. She'll peek through the windows or the door when I open it, and will see my indoor furbabies. Then she'll give me a hurt look b/c I won't let her in, as if to say, "Why can't I come in, and they CAN??" It just breaks my heart!

But we just can't afford to take her right now, b/c we would have to have her tested by the vet first due to Geronimo & Winchester's FIP, in case she has any diseases. We just don't have the money, and we can't take a chance of letting her in till we're sure she's not sick or anything.

~KK~

ghosthunterbeck · Nov 15, 2007

Honestly, I think I'd take Face. I keep trying to convince myself that I wouldn't, but heck, I've got too big a heart. And DH didn't want to take Baloo until the cat rubbed all over him. Now look where we're at!

She's not socialized at all though, so I don't have to worry about it for awhile yet. She's in heat right now (I think, from her calls) and it looks as though she's been in a fight *since* we brought Baloo in -- which means another feral/stray in the neighborhood that I've never seen *sigh*.

kittkatt · Nov 16, 2007

Originally Posted by ghosthunterbeck

Honestly, I think I'd take Face. I keep trying to convince myself that I wouldn't, but heck, I've got too big a heart. And DH didn't want to take Baloo until the cat rubbed all over him. Now look where we're at!

I keep trying to convince myself that I'M not going to take in anymore strays, too!

But I know I'll break down, and so so eventually.

I've already given names to the two I plan on taking, but as I've mentioned before, we just can't do so till we know it's safe.

When you have FIP cats, you HAVE to take precautions. I never used to worry about taking strays in before - I just did it. But having FIP cats gives you a whole new perspective on adopting cats; if anything happened to Geronimo or Winchester b/c I wasn't cautious, I'd never be able to forgive myself

I wish it didn't have to be that way..

~KK~

momofmany · Nov 17, 2007

If you go to www.petfinder.com and do a search for animals in the 78934 zip code, you will find a list of pets from various shelters. You can click on a shelter name to find out how to contact them. Some of them might have feral TNR programs and may be able to help out these cats.

kittkatt · Nov 17, 2007

Originally Posted by Momofmany

If you go to www.petfinder.com and do a search for animals in the 78934 zip code, you will find a list of pets from various shelters. You can click on a shelter name to find out how to contact them. Some of them might have feral TNR programs and may be able to help out these cats.

Thanks for posting that link, Momofmany!

I just did a zipcode search, and found a couple places about 30 miles or so from where I'm at, and will be checking into them.

The closest place was actually only 12 miles from here, but I wouldn't take a dead animal there, much less a live one.

That place was closed down not too long ago for animal abuse

and I've still been hearing horror stories about them since they've been reopened.

I wouldn't even consider contacting them...

Thanks for the info! I hope I'll have some luck!!

~KK~

people and ferals

arlon

TCS Member

Thread starter

liza24

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ghosthunterbeck

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kittkatt

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sham

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arlon

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Thread starter

kittkatt

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ghosthunterbeck

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kittkatt

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ghosthunterbeck

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kittkatt

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momofmany

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kittkatt

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