Urgently need help in va

Moderators, please move if this is not right area to post.

There is a situation in NoVa. Leesburg area. I am cross posting the
plea for any assistance that I got. Feeders who will feed on rotation, volunteers of all stripes including people who can give a barn home to one or two or more of these kitties - and/or trapping assistance = can use it all...

Raspberry Falls up in Leesburg VA area (north of on Rt 15).

A lady had been feeding mama cats all summer long, letting them procreate, and just now called me to see if we could trap and spay/neuter. There are now about 20 or so cats out there, and the worst part?

She's moving to India on Tuesday.

She has made absolutely no provisions for the care of these cats, most of
whom are 4 month old kittens who aren't that skilled at hunting.
UNBELIEVABLE. They will slowly starve.

Anyway, I need everyone's help- if you can cross post widely I need barn
homes ASAP. These kittens were dependent on her for food and now it is
going to be a free for all. It is also out in a country club and golf
course, so those folks have a tendency to look unkindly on ferals. There is
certainly no long term solution for this, so they must be relocated. One of
them has an old injury on her back leg, and she for SURE will not be able to
hunt for a living.

Please ask around for spots for a couple of barn cats, or see if anyone has
room for a couple of back yard pets. PLEASE. I will drive them wherever
they need to go and they will be spayed and neutered, of course.





Thank you,

Sharon Nylec

703-967-3130

Opilot - I don't know if you're sharing this info, or if this is you - but have you contacted Alley Cat Allies?

Also, please PM TNR1 (or if she has her e-mail up, please e-mail her).

Laurie

Hey Laurie, thanks - I know all about Alley Cat allies, IMHO they are useless as far as practical help goes - I've had far more luck with the local rescue
groups.

AAC is more about policy and such, not really into the nuts n bolts of caring for and solving this huge problem on the ground. I don't much have a use for them. (Can you tell I have had dealings with them of less than satisfactory nature??)

Sharon is a card carrying member of Loudoun's small Humane Society. She
specializes in TNR operations - person you go to in this type of sitch.

Unfortunately our Humane Society is overstreched - loudoun maybe a rich county but folks act like idiots and are both ignorant and careless - rich people just want the problem to "go away" so they don't have to see it, rather than solve it. And sadly, yes we have a huge feral cat issue...

I feed 14 at my colony and back up feed for another colony near me,
and do TNR when I can. I'm always ready to lend a hand and go and
do things to help...

Sharon is trying real hard to TNR by the end of the week cause she
is off on vacation like me over labor day...

We need immediate help - places for these poor babies. I probably will
take injured girl if no one else can. Not that I want to, and I've a cat
with FIV peeing in my basement cause he's super agressive and wants
out, but hey, that's me. Sigh. And of course no one wants to give HIM
a home either or help me find him one - and FYI he's pretty tame.

So I know he had some
social contact with people from kitten hood up. But there's no place
for a cat like that, and no one to hellp me place - that's why I am on my own.

I really really hate this - as I look out the window I see Frodo under my
car, LOL. He meowed to come inside today -a first a Giant first for him.
When they start meowing at you, you know you're making progress!! If I didn't have the FIV boy I'd have room for Frodo's brother. Choices, choices.

I may even have to PTS as I can't have indoor only peeing in basement
cat. (He ruined a brand new sofa last night down there by peeing on it!!!)
For no good reason - he had a super clean box!!

Anyway, I'll say prayers and ask for vibes for help from the cat site.
All send vibes and remember us in prayers - we hope we can make
these cats successfully transfer elsewhere.

One day, my dream - a house on the hill with BF on the farm, with
an outdoor kitty enclosure will come true...



We really need to relo, since the person who let the cats on her
property has sold it etc. And not sure about new owner's fondness
for kitties etc.

I only have vibes to send. Have you posted this on the SOS side?

Originally Posted by opilot

Anyway, I'll say prayers and ask for vibes for help from the cat site.
All send vibes and remember us in prayers - we hope we can make
these cats successfully transfer elsewhere.

Click to expand...

I do not envy you or Sharon at all. I wish I DID know of some real resources "on the ground" for cats like these -- all of 'em. I will send all of the success vibes I can muster.

I just wanted to remind you of that Harris Poll, that shows that more people like neighborhood cats than don't. In situations like this it's not the right time to START going around and finding the local friends and people-who-oh-yeah-were-also-feeding-some-cats-last-year. On the other hand, there is hope that even some cats who do not get relocated, might find a friendlier new resident rather than a cat-hater moves in. In fact, my group helped someone in exactly that situation, a year ago. She moved in and realized there were cats virtually EVERYWHERE. She was not an owner, she rented the place. And she was NOT a Loudon county rich person, rather, she was in a low- to moderate-income range. And together with my group she worked VERY hard to get everyone TNRd, and to place a small number too!

I think you are right to put out a distress call at the highest pitch you can, and I also think that sometimes we can have pleasant surprises happen.

Is it a sure thing that if you were to make your case to any progressive local govt. types they would laugh in your faces? You could take the approach that, you forsee a terrible public outcry, and you would like to work with them to avoid that ..... (I do understand that sounds more like advocacy than grassroots direct action!!).

I've been discouraged too with the big national group; I think what is needed is BOTH the high level advocacy AND good networked local programs that are looking at best practices, and at local outreach to make TNR a regular part of the landscape. I wish there were not such a chasm now between the two.

I really don't know what might happen Linda. I just know that
they (the Rasberry Falls people) probably said "get rid of them"
as all too often happens. What is need is education and tolerance.

Most people have both. But, I had 2 outdoor cats of mine
disappear here 2 wks apart and I swear it was someone
trapping and making em disappear....

One was poisoned 6 months before she finally disappeared.
I was and remain heartbroken about her disappearance.

She was an abandoned stray in the hood. Grey intruder
in my basement is a stray/abonded cat, I am positive of it.

Frogita and Frodo? From my feral colony adopted at
4 mos age and now "tame" essentially...

Frodo the Snowshoe? Allowed to live outside in Dale City
until someone (neighbor) grew up set at cats pooping
in the sand boxes (like hey, get covers instead, much
cheaper!!)..... trapped em all and dumped em in shelter!

Frodo was one - he was slated to be PTS'd he was just
so scared is all. Now he lets me pet him, and if you
read my threads on him, he's a great cat!!!

People need to be educated of fixing cats, but it shouldn't
cost 200 dollars either as "low cost"!!! A 60 dollar spay/neuter and
rabies if that's all you do for your animal would
stop so much suffering!! Yet vets refuse to help with this
and the animal rescue groups here in "rich No Va" don't
do a thing to make low cost available to ALL
of NoVa. Richmond does better than us!!!

Do you know, the Fairfax folks said I COULD NOT
bring my animals from Loudoun to the low cost spay
clinic held there??!!!!! that was Allie Cat Allies for you.

I finally got help from FOA financially and got hooked up
with a local very very low profile group that did it for
cheap. But do you know how hard it was???

THAT is what is wrong....IMHO. I persisted for a year
fed the group of cats, and tried my heart out to get
em fixed. Managed to have 20 cats before they took
me serious, and helped me with traps etc. Finally
got 14 fixed and now have stable colony with only
4 kits this year!!

That is what is wrong..