need to know if i should be worried....

I mentioned how i havent seen one cat for a few weeks - now i havent seen my original 8 at all.

i need to know if this is normal. Ive been checking as often as possible to see if ANY of them are around. I just dont know if someone is hurting them - maybe poisoning them.....

Would they change their feeding schedule??? I havent... but they arent around like they usually were for that first month and i just dont get it!!

Originally Posted by m935

I mentioned how i havent seen one cat for a few weeks - now i havent seen my original 8 at all.

i need to know if this is normal. Ive been checking as often as possible to see if ANY of them are around. I just dont know if someone is hurting them - maybe poisoning them.....

Would they change their feeding schedule??? I havent... but they arent around like they usually were for that first month and i just dont get it!!

Click to expand...

Are they ferals? If not they would be best off indoors...

There could be a cat, dog, or other animal that has temporarily run them off... I sure hope they all come back safe and sound!

Yes, even another friendly person is possible, and thus they doubled / changed their living place.


So lets hope for the best although we know there are great dangers out there.

Their food was barely touched last night - usually its completely gone. At least I know they HAVE been eating up till last night - and since there was so much left that it hasnt been other animals eating it..... but im REALLY hating this.

i miss them..... actually i drove aroudn to the other street on the opposite side of the woods and I saw a freaking all white cat that Ive never seen before. Dont know if its a house cat - who knows if there are stupid people letting their house cats out knowing there are so many ferals about. Frustrating....

That does sound worrisome and bizzarre. We've had our ferals leave - but never all at once. Are you in a rural enough area that there are foxes? Has there been any change in weather? Either of those could cause cats to change their behavior. And Stefan's right - someone else feeding them could do that too.

But unfortunately there are horrible people in this world.

I'm sending vibes and prayers that there's a non-malicous reason for their change in behavior and that they're back soon!

Please keep us posted! I know how much work you've put into this - and how hard it can be.

Laurie

I live in between a large area of woods. Ive never seen wild animals - my bf saw what looked like a coyote - that was 2 years ago. I leave one bowl of food out every single night and if i put out too much its still there in the morning - so I know there arent other animals about - especially yesterday when all bowls were still filled in the morning. This morning however they were empty (doesnt mean its not another animal.... but it just doesnt seem so)

I DO know unfortunately that most neighbors hate these cats. THere was a woman feeding them prior to me but she stopped when I took over. So for hte most part if someone IS feeding them - i would have NO clue who. Thats why Im suspecting a bad situation here because everyone dislikes them so much..... I then start to feel guilty like I took too long moving them and someone decided to be evil - especially since our animal control officer wants to save them! Im getting really depressed.

Im trying now to go out there as much as possible to maybe catch a glimpse of the cats that I havent seen. I do see cats - theyre just not the ones Im looking for. And there are at LEAST 8....

Hang in there, and please keep us posted!



Laurie

I had 8 cats from my colony disappear all at once including my cat who was an indoor/outdoor former feral. And then 2 more and then the last one was over 2 months ago. I am almost positive that it is my next door neighbor.

From someone who has been where you are now, I know how you feel.... - I just wanted to send prayers and good vibes that they come home soon...

Oh I feel for you! Ferals are so misunderstood...

Drive around the neighborhood and look for traps, you said your neighbors don't like them... they may have called animal control and got them to set out traps. Then go door to door and ask if anyones has seen you cats (you may get info like if someone is trapping). You might not want to mention that they are feral though... people tend to think of them as rabid, pests, ect.

Well today i may have seen one of the eight. There are 2 that look very similar but this one I noticed today is much bigger -so I really think it was her!!! I know its only 1 - but that gives me hope the others may still be around too - right??????
Although I will say that she always had 2 black cats with her - there was a dark stripped one with her - i actually got excited because i thought at first he was totally black.... hopefully I will see them soon - just dont know why they werent with her.

The food is still being eaten as well.

PS my animal control officer works to save the ferals - which is one reason why im scared someone might take the situation into their own hands if their just sick and tired of the cats being around.

Thanks for the well wishes - i look for them every day....

:::: that the others show up soon!

I am glad that your animal control saves ferals..... ours is terrible- 80% of ALL animals (most that go in are lost pets and strays) that go into our animal control never come out (pts). *sigh*

Thats horrible and it makes me very angry and upset - especially if they are LOST!!!! Do they even try to find the owners first???

With the crap i have to deal with involving condo board members and neighbors - I am very lucky to have an A.C. officer who has a heart. (Sadly, I guess that is rare.) I have anxiety/depression and it probably would be too much for me if I had to deal with a situation like that.

I hope that changes soon! I dont know - do A.C.O ever change - they are not voted in - correct???

Don't know if they even try to put pets back with owners, just saw that statistic in our local newspaper earlier this year and I go soooo upset. I believe that animals with no tag or microchip are given 3 (or is it 7?) days... then their time is up. Not sure how AC is regulated... that is something I need to find out though, may be able to help in a small way.

The lady who was head hancho AC for several years stepped down due to controversy (don't remember what the issue was). I hope that whoever takes (or took) her place fixes the many issues with our AC. Several North Carolina pounds pts by gas chamber... I don't even want to know if any are local to me... just horrific.

Have you seen anymore of your original 8? Didn't you have another post that you saw one of your black cats? Hope they come home fast!

Gas chamber?????? Thats so barbaric. Hopefully things will change for you. Ive been reading a lot of websites and it sounds like things ARE getting a bit better for the animals - people just need to be informed. Most people dont look for the information they have to have thrown in their face for them to even be aware of whats happening around them. But if they know animals are being mistreated they will respond to it. Puppy Mills are closing as an example and hopefully if word gets out about situations like your shelter that will change too. Mine isnt that much better though. I just have a great ACO who knows to keep ferals away.

I just looked at the 2007 report for my local shelter and they gave a % of dogs/cats which LEFT that year. I thought - how great - then i looked farther down to see a large portion of that were euthanized. So "Left" definitely did not have the same meaning I thought. Very disappointed!! They claim to only euthanize as a last resort - but I think thats total bs compared to the numbers. HOwever we did just elect a new sheriff who wants a NO-kill. Hopefully that will come about very soon. Our shelter is only 4 years old anyway - even though thats a very very long time for too many innocent animals to die!

I did post elsewhere that I saw 2 of the 4 black cats. (because i had another question that i didnt want missed). That was great to see them - they are hanging out in a yard that they cant be though. So im picking up some coyote urine tomorrow.

i just found out they gas them at the shelter close to me! (30 miles) I just almost threw up! and to know they had an article in that towns paper, about a month ago, that said that the shelter was not going to adopt anymore!
and that they euathanized either 5 hundred or 7 hundred in the month of August! and then I found that out today about the gas chamber! I can't hardily stand that, I want to crawl out of my own skin cause I can't do anything about it!!!!!!!!!!!! That is not euathanization, that is just plain evil killing! how in the world do those people that do that to the animals go home and eat dinner? Sickos! and I hate them, and I don't hate anybody! How can they sleep at night? They said it was too expensive to give each one a shot, so they put a bunch in the gas chamber........makes me want to torch the shelter.... after i let the animals lose!! That is not a shelter, that is death row! sorry i went off there but I'm telling you, that girl should have not told me that!!! Something has got to be done, and I feel so helpless, and alone,
I don't know of any other cat passion person around here!
ok I will calm down sorry about that! I really hope all of yours are back and doing fine!!!!
Monique

I am going to start another thread about the gas chambers and pts rates...

Can I ask where you found the % for your shelter? I was trying to find mine... For 2007 for my city I *think* it was upwards of 10,000 animals for one year =(

Oh we have 2-3 no kills.... they stay packed though, they don't get much funding. THe city tryed their best to close our # 1 no kill shelter, saying the dog runs HAD to have rock bottoms, that the shelter HAD to increase its total size OR ELSE (it was going to be shut down). Some how the no kill found the $$$ to do it, but it cost soooo much-that money should have went towards vet care, food, and litter though.

Any more of your cats show up?

Believe me Monique - youre not hte only one who feels that way - of course we all feel like that here - but Im sure there are more people in your area who would be sickened as well. Maybe you could write an article about it??? or some how get the word out if people dont know its a gas chamber. I mean its enough for me to know they dont adopt and euthanize instead. HORRIBLE!!!

Katkisses - i found my percentages on the county website.

sorry - i was at work and couldnt finish my post....

But I JUST definitely found 1 of the lost - a black cat. i did write that i saw 2 a few days ago - but not up close. I now know for sure because i just trapped him again and he had his ear clipped. Annoying to trap him a 2nd time but glad to see him.

Caught my 2 for the week in the first yard - saw FOUR new cats yesterday so i thought that would be a good spot and it was GREAT. Just the neighbors worry me. plus dont know if i can release them there because then ill really hear it.

bought a deterrant yesterday which was horrible - didnt deter the cats but it sure made me sick....

thanks for reading.... I needed to vent again.

BUT also I am keeping in mind your situations too - hope you guys can get the word out about your shelters.
My hope with Obama is that since he is animal friendly that he will take important steps to better animal rights and hopefully at some point will trickle down to our shelters.... just a hope!

Oh, my heart goes out to you, m935! Prayers that you find the colony and that their change of habit was environment and temporary and not caused by any nasty neighbors.

Hang in there and good luck to you!

A.C.

that the rest show up SOON!