More cats than before

Hello. It has been several months since I last posted here. I received a lot of great advice from you all. Over the summer I neutered 6 cats--at my own expense--from around my apartment complex and also had 3 kittens adopted out. I stopped trapping in the fall and have been feeding what began as about 8 cats over the winter. I am feeding them in an abandoned truck cap full of straw at the back of the apartments. The problem now is that, over the winter, the word got out that there was food and a safe place to stay, so the cat colony has now grown to about 15 cats. The cats are pooping and peeing all over the property. I am dreading the spring when people will be opening their windows and playing on the grass. My apartment manager has been very lenient and understanding about the cat situation, but I am sure that will change now that there are so many more cats. The other people helping me feed the cats think we should just stop feeding them in the spring. That idea just sickens me as I have made them dependent on me and now would be abandoning them. I can move the truck cap to an area further down the hill so that they will at least not be directly on the property. I have been considering trying to find a barn to place them at--that is what my apartment manager would like. I have contacted the local shelters to see if there are any local barn cat programs, but no one knows of any. I will have to make other arrangements for any further neutering as the vet who did it for me last year has left the area. I could find another feeding area, further from the property, but am afraid of getting into trouble for feeding on someone elses property. I can see now that to continue to feed them will continue to attract more cats and that will anger neighbors and create more animosity. I don't know what I should do. This has got to be a very common problem seen on this list. I started out by trying to keep the population under control by neutering them, but now I have more cats than before!. A very common result, I am sure. I guess I just need some advice and support.

I know how you must feel. Around my city when we get an area colony spayed/neutered and the breeding cycle stopped, more cats show up!

We found that a man was letting his cat have kittens and then dumping the kittens with the feral colony. What we would like to do to him!

And yes, if there is food then they will come. Now that you have been putting food out you have taken responsibility for their survival.

I am presently searching for a place to relocate 12.

This group has great information www.barncats.org . You can contact them and ask advice.

For the spring coming up, it might be a good idea to move their shelter back some and then feed them farther away as well.

You have accomplished so much and their lives are better for it. Hang in there.

Hi. Thanks for the suggestion. I will contact them.