OMG! I've Created A Cattery!

kittkatt

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I couldn't believe what I saw when I opened the back door this morning to feed the strays!
Not only were Stubby 1 (Indigo) and Sneakers waiting there for their breakfast, there was also Stubby 2, Jasper, Sissy, Pretty Boy, Pa Cat, and another cat who I've never seen before!
The only ones "missing" were Ma Cat, and PJ 1 & PJ 2. What have I done??
We're gonna have to buy stock in one of the cat food companies soon! Maybe we'll get a discount!


I've been trying to take pics of them all, so I can have my s/o take them to work to pin on the bulletin board in the hope of maybe finding homes for them (with the exception of Indigo & Pretty Boy, who I think I'll name Ricochet. Those two I'd really like to keep myself!
). I think I'll contact my former boss at work, and see if he'll donate some cat food to the cause: sometimes they'll donate food, to peeps who feed strays. It's worth a shot, anyway..


Do cats have their own private "party line", or what?!


~KK~
 

persi & alley

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Originally Posted by KittKatt

I couldn't believe what I saw when I opened the back door this morning to feed the strays!
Not only were Stubby 1 (Indigo) and Sneakers waiting there for their breakfast, there was also Stubby 2, Jasper, Sissy, Pretty Boy, Pa Cat, and another cat who I've never seen before!
The only ones "missing" were Ma Cat, and PJ 1 & PJ 2. What have I done??
We're gonna have to buy stock in one of the cat food companies soon! Maybe we'll get a discount!


I've been trying to take pics of them all, so I can have my s/o take them to work to pin on the bulletin board in the hope of maybe finding homes for them (with the exception of Indigo & Pretty Boy, who I think I'll name Ricochet. Those two I'd really like to keep myself!
). I think I'll contact my former boss at work, and see if he'll donate some cat food to the cause: sometimes they'll donate food, to peeps who feed strays. It's worth a shot, anyway..


Do cats have their own private "party line", or what?!


~KK~
Do you live in a city or in the country? Yes, I believe that cats most certainly do have a pipeline, just like ants where one ant is a designated scouter and when finds something communicates same to everybody. We have cats that come around here a lot but they do not want food, they just want to annoy our cats by peering in the window.
 

lillekat

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Well however they communicate, this could either be the start of something beautiful or they're going to take over the world starting with your place!!
Whatever the reason, the food is definitely appreciated at this end of the year
Thankyou for taking such good care of them.
 

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My mom always feeds her strays outside, and I noticed one day a couple years back that they had begun -Marking- her house!

So they were everywhere! I think the cats followed the smell or something because she literraly has a pride! We converted my old car in her garage as a kitty house! LOL One lil lady had kittens in there!!

Good luck, it sounds like you need some major cat food to feed that crowd!!
 

hissy

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cats use their urine to signal other cats about all types of things. if you feed and provide a safe yard for these cats, they will mark the bushes, trees and your home with a safe scent that travels over a mile. this scent reels in other cats scrambling to survive. this is why, unless you spay and neuter all cats on your property you should not feed them. having a food source prompts their territorial aggression which in turn signals the mating to begin. it also creates fights when the more aggressive males fight for dominance not only over the food but over the females in the area as well.
 
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kittkatt

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Originally Posted by Persi & Alley

Do you live in a city or in the country? Yes, I believe that cats most certainly do have a pipeline, just like ants where one ant is a designated scouter and when finds something communicates same to everybody. We have cats that come around here a lot but they do not want food, they just want to annoy our cats by peering in the window.
We live in the country, in what they call a subdivision. So it's not really in town, but there are other houses around us, which I believe is where all the strays are coming from - specifically the neighbors in back of us: they have dogs & cats, but don't take care of them properly - which is why most of them are coming over here. And yes - we've contacted the authorities: so far, nothing has been done about it..


~KK~
 

ldg

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Thank you for wanting to help these animals!


However, as an advisor in the "Caring for Strays and Ferals" forum, I always advise people never to feed strays or ferals unless you are planning to trap and neuter or spay them. Feeding animals without limiting their ability to procreate adds to the existing problem of the already 60 - 100 million homeless cats.


Please read about the problem here: http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/

If you feel that being able to trap - and more importantly - being able to afford to spay and neuter these animals - is beyond you/your family's ability to handle alone, please see if there is a TNR group near you that can help.


Here are some resources that may help you.

To search for low-cost spay/neuter services: http://www.savesamoa.org/html/spay_neuter.html

To search for TNR Groups in your area:

http://www.alleycat.org/orgs.html
http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/

To search for shelters, groups, or programs in your area that may help:
http://www.pets911.com/organizations/organizations.php

Please learn what you can about the problems of the homeless cats, and please help them in the way they need to be helped.


for caring,

Laurie
 
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kittkatt

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Originally Posted by hissy

cats use their urine to signal other cats about all types of things. if you feed and provide a safe yard for these cats, they will mark the bushes, trees and your home with a safe scent that travels over a mile. this scent reels in other cats scrambling to survive. this is why, unless you spay and neuter all cats on your property you should not feed them. having a food source prompts their territorial aggression which in turn signals the mating to begin. it also creates fights when the more aggressive males fight for dominance not only over the food but over the females in the area as well.
That's some interesting info, Hissy - I didn't know any of that. But unfortunately, I can't NOT feed them: I can't stand to see any animal go hungry..
And oddly enough, none of them really fight with each other: they're all actually pretty well behaved. They've all seemed to have learned the "rules" that I've set down for them..


We're doing the best we can, trying to find homes for them..


~KK~
 

ldg

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Originally Posted by KittKatt

That's some interesting info, Hissy - I didn't know any of that. But unfortunately, I can't NOT feed them: I can't stand to see any animal go hungry..
And oddly enough, none of them really fight with each other: they're all actually pretty well behaved. They've all seemed to have learned the "rules" that I've set down for them..


We're doing the best we can, trying to find homes for them..


~KK~
When you think about them going hungry and you feel bad, think about the 3 to 8 kittens each female is going to have at least once a year - if not twice or three times a year. Think about the 3 to 8 kittens each female in each litter is going to have one to three times a year.

At a minimum, PLEASE see if there are any TNR groups in your area that can trap, spay, neuter & release these cats so that you can continue to feed a colony that is NOT going to continue to reproduce.

I'm sorry, but to feed homeless animals without doing anything further for them is simply irresponsible. PLEASE think about all the homeless kittens these cats are going to create.

If you are not trapping, neutering, spaying - or seeking someone or some group to help you do this, you are not doing your best. You are doing what makes you feel good, not what is best for the cats.


Laurie
 
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kittkatt

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Originally Posted by LDG

Thank you for wanting to help these animals!


However, as an advisor in the "Caring for Strays and Ferals" forum, I always advise people never to feed strays or ferals unless you are planning to trap and neuter or spay them. Feeding animals without limiting their ability to procreate adds to the existing problem of the already 60 - 100 million homeless cats.


Please read about the problem here: http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/

If you feel that being able to trap - and more importantly - being able to afford to spay and neuter these animals - is beyond you/your family's ability to handle alone, please see if there is a TNR group near you that can help.


Here are some resources that may help you.

To search for low-cost spay/neuter services: http://www.savesamoa.org/html/spay_neuter.html

To search for TNR Groups in your area:

http://www.alleycat.org/orgs.html
http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/

To search for shelters, groups, or programs in your area that may help:
http://www.pets911.com/organizations/organizations.php

Please learn what you can about the problems of the homeless cats, and please help them in the way they need to be helped.


for caring,

Laurie
Thanks for posting those links, Laurie: I'll check them out.


So far, from what I've been able to learn, there aren't any no-kill shelters or low-cost spay/neuter programs in the immediate vicinity. The closet I've been able to find is in Houston, and that's about a hundred miles away - and we have no way to take all the strays that far, b/c my truck isn't running, and my s/o's car is in bad shape, too: it certainly isn't reliable enough to take a chance to drive to Houston & back. So we're kind of at a standstill for now..


If anyone else has any more advice, it would be appreciated!


~KK~
 

ldg

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Please check out the Best Friends Network link I posted. They have an e-mail address to contact them on one of the pages. It may take them a day or two to get back to you, but there may be someone that is part of the network in your area.

If you could PM me your zip code, I'd be happy to do some searching for you.

Laurie
 

ldg

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Also, have you tried calling around to local vet clinics? When we needed to help someone in TX find someone to trap a cat, we used on-line yellow pages to call around to local vets. We explained the situation to whoever answered the phone, and asked if they knew of any "crazy cat people" (the exact words we used) in the area that may be willing to help. If there's someone caring for a colony that regularly uses spay/neuter services, the vets will know!

We found someone. And the vet took our number, and passed it along to their "crazy cat person," she contacted us, and everything went from there.

Sometimes it takes time and you have to get creative. But help may be there.

Laurie
 

calico2222

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I know what you mean. Some of my MIL's barn cats have migrated down the road to our house for breakfast and dinner. It started out with two, and now we have anywhere from 6 to 10 waiting for their feeding! To top it all off, MIL's guinee hen comes down and tries to chase the cats away from their food, so I have to throw out food for her so the cats can eat.

I'm like you...I can't NOT feed a cat that is looking for food. And, I will say that in my opinion anyone that wouldn't feed a stray cat that is hungry is heartless.
 

ldg

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Originally Posted by calico2222

I know what you mean. Some of my MIL's barn cats have migrated down the road to our house for breakfast and dinner. It started out with two, and now we have anywhere from 6 to 10 waiting for their feeding! To top it all off, MIL's guinee hen comes down and tries to chase the cats away from their food, so I have to throw out food for her so the cats can eat.

I'm like you...I can't NOT feed a cat that is looking for food. And, I will say that in my opinion anyone that wouldn't feed a stray cat that is hungry is heartless.
Having a heart doesn't mean doing what makes you feel better. To me, it means doing what is right.

Feeding stray and feral cats without sterilizing them simply indicates a lack of education about the problem. In the end, feeding them without sterilizing them is far more heartless, because you are contributing to their ability to create more homeless animals.

I'm not advising anyone not to feed animals. I am advising everyone to take the next step, and not just follow your heart, but to use your brains and your resources, and your fingers - whether dialing a phone or using the Internet to find help to do the right thing if you don't have the resources to do it yourself. Talk to a local vet about a payment plan for spays and neuters - they may be willing to give a discount for the ferals. There are 10 vets within 30 miles of us, three of them give discounts for feral spay/neuter, and they're all willing to accept payment plans over time. ...And if there is no one to help, and you can't do it yourself, and you're living on so little you don't have anything to give up or sell to help pay for the spay/neuter over time, then do the right thing for the animals, and let your heart think about the dozens of animals that won't be born because you're not helping them be born.

We feed strays and ferals. But we also trap them, have them spayed and neutered, and trap them and get them to the vet when they've been attacked or hit by a car or turn up sick We are helping to solve the problem. We are not contributing to the problem.

I find your definition of heartless to be simply one of lack of education or effort (I wouldn't know which one).

Laurie
 

ldg

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In this thread, http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=153440 Marie-P pointed out:

Originally Posted by marie-p

I wouldn't call it heartless to feed strays without sterilizing them, because it stems from a feeling of compassion. The problem is that this compassion is misguided, therefore causing more harm than good.....
She's right. It isn't "heartless" to feed strays without working to TNR them, and I stand corrected. I do agree, however, that it is misguided.


Laurie
 
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kittkatt

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Originally Posted by LDG

I'm sorry, but to feed homeless animals without doing anything further for them is simply irresponsible. PLEASE think about all the homeless kittens these cats are going to create.

If you are not trapping, neutering, spaying - or seeking someone or some group to help you do this, you are not doing your best. You are doing what makes you feel good, not what is best for the cats.


Laurie
I am doing my best to do whatever I can - believe me. And it's not b/c I want to "feel good" about myself. I don't think that feeding a bunch of strays is going to make me a "better" person. I do it, b/c I don't want them to go hungry, and there sure as heck isn't anyone else around here who cares enough to do anything about it. I understand what it is that you're trying to say, and I agree to a point. But is it better to let them all starve to death?

As far as being "irresponsible" is concerned, I disagree. My furbabies are well provided for, and are taken to the vet when need be: I've gone into debt to make sure that they have the proper medical care when the need arises. Just recently, I even sold a ring that I had, in order to get Geronimo neutered, b/c it needed to be done and we didn't have the money. I also have two FIP cats (the dry form) who are on Interferon to help keep them in remission: they will need to be on it for the rest of their (hopefully long) lives. I don't think an irresponsible person would even bother to go to that extent, if they weren't responsible...



Originally Posted by LDG

Also, have you tried calling around to local vet clinics?

Laurie
Yes, I have. My vet will allow us to make
payments to a certain extent (usually half the amount due at the time of the visit, and the other half due the next pay period). Each office visit generally runs from a hundred to two hundred bucks - depending upon the circumstances. That's a lot of money to us. We certainly can't afford to take all those strays in to be treated. I've already talked to him about if whether or not he has some kind of deal for spaying/neutering strays, and he doesn't. And the other two vet clinics won't even see your pet, unless you pay them up front.

I checked a few of those places out that you posted a link to, and all I'm coming up with within a hundred mile radius is Houston. I'll gladly send you my zipcode in a PM: if you can come up with anything or find out any information that may help, I'm all ears!

~KK~
 

calico2222

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I understand what you are saying, and I do agree about population control, but not everyone has the resources that you have. The closest place that has any kind of neutering/spaying clinic here is a 2 hour drive away. And, no vets around here give any kind of discount for ferals...believe me, we asked. We don't know where the original poster lives or what is available to him/her.

Originally Posted by LDG

And if there is no one to help, and you can't do it yourself, and you're living on so little you don't have anything to give up or sell to help pay for the spay/neuter over time, then do the right thing for the animals, and let your heart think about the dozens of animals that won't be born because you're not helping them be born.Laurie
What I got from your post was if someone doesn't have the money to take every stray animal in that they feed to get it fixed, then they should just let them starve to death. Is that humane? Shouldn't we just collect them all and take them in to get euthanized to give them a painless death?

I don't want to be argurmentive here. Like I said , I understand what you are saying, but it's not always possible to follow though. I personally think it is great that she is feeding these cats. At least they are getting love and a good nights sleep.
 

ldg

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Originally Posted by KittKatt

I am doing my best to do whatever I can - believe me. And it's not b/c I want to "feel good" about myself. I don't think that feeding a bunch of strays is going to make me a "better" person. I do it, b/c I don't want them to go hungry, and there sure as heck isn't anyone else around here who cares enough to do anything about it. I understand what it is that you're trying to say, and I agree to a point. But is it better to let them all starve to death?
The harsh reality is that I do, in fact, think it is better to let them fend for themselves. Of course it isn't better for those individual cats, but it is better for the homeless cat population that will come to be. I understand the compassion that encourages people to want to feed the cats, but if you understand their ability to procreate, I don't understand the ability to continue feeding them once you have that knowledge.


The fact of the matter is you may not know if there's someone in the area TNRing cats, and if you weren't feeding them, they might find their way to that person. And if you don't help keep them healthy with food (and, apparently, medicine), they then can't procreate, creating even more homeless cats. Where will the colony be in 10 years when you keep feeding them? What happens in two years, when an extra 20 cats show up?

Originally Posted by KittKatt

As far as being "irresponsible" is concerned, I disagree. My furbabies are well provided for, and are taken to the vet when need be: I've gone into debt to make sure that they have the proper medical care when the need arises. Just recently, I even sold a ring that I had, in order to get Geronimo neutered, b/c it needed to be done and we didn't have the money.
I was under the impression you weren't having them spayed and neutered, and that was the basis of the discussion. If you're having them spayed and neutered, then I think that's fabulous!


Originally Posted by KittKatt

I also have two FIP cats (the dry form) who are on Interferon to help keep them in remission: they will need to be on it for the rest of their (hopefully long) lives. I don't think an irresponsible person would even bother to go to that extent, if they weren't responsible...
I assume these two are also spayed/neutered? Of course if they are, you are being ultimately responsible. My entire response was based on the assumption that the animals weren't spayed and neutered. And if the FIP cats aren't spayed and neutered, then I am in shock and don't even know what to say to this.

Originally Posted by KittKatt

Yes, I have. My vet will allow us to make
payments to a certain extent (usually half the amount due at the time of the visit, and the other half due the next pay period). Each office visit generally runs from a hundred to two hundred bucks - depending upon the circumstances. That's a lot of money to us. We certainly can't afford to take all those strays in to be treated. I've already talked to him about if whether or not he has some kind of deal for spaying/neutering strays, and he doesn't. And the other two vet clinics won't even see your pet, unless you pay them up front.
It IS a lot of money, which is why I wouldn't expect everyone to be able to afford to practice TNR - which is why I discourage people from feeding strays and ferals if they can't afford to do it properly.


However, there were 2 parts to calling vet clinics. The first was to call around to see if they're aware of anyone managing TNR colonies in the area that may be able to help.


Originally Posted by KittKatt

I checked a few of those places out that you posted a link to, and all I'm coming up with within a hundred mile radius is Houston. I'll gladly send you my zipcode in a PM: if you can come up with anything or find out any information that may help, I'm all ears!
If you haven't found any, I don't know that I can. But please PM your zip code and I'll see if anything turns up. Did you e-mail the Best Friends Network? If not, I'm happy to do that too.

...and I'm sorry about the way I reacted. I just reacted to the smilies and laughies in your response to hissy, and I tend to get very serious about TNR and rescue. I can't prevent people from feeding strays and ferals without TNRing, but I can try to help people think about the homeless cat population and not just the individual cats. I feel very strongly that that perspective is the more important one to the cat population in the long term.


Most importantly, thank you for caring.


Laurie
 

hissy

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the reality is that if the food dries up, the cats go away to find other sources of food. perhaps the next person down the road or over the other way can afford to TNR the homeless cats who show up. it has been a hard lesson i have learned about feeding cats and not neutering and releasing them. this lesson was learned when husband and i moved down from alaska and visited him mom for the first time. she was feeding all the strays in the neighborhood. when mom broke her hip not soon after, a friend and i went in to trap the cats. there were 158 cats and only 7 could be saved. many of the cats were wounded from fighting, or sick beyond repair. yet in the backyard, on the draining boards and on the floor of mom's house there were countless dishes of moldy food for the cats. her bathtub was also full of cat litter. those cats were being shown no sort of love because she didn't neuter. the whole clowder was so inbred that i wept for the kittens who never should have been.

i won't argue this point. as i said, it is a personal opinion. i know what happens when feeding strays turns into a virtual zoo and the person with all the good intentions in the world is going broke trying to feed every cat that is showing up. spaying and neutering is the only answer- even if you just do it one at a time. one is better than none.
 
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