They Threw The Cats Out

Our neighbors decided it cost too much to care for their cats so they threw them out. These cats have never been out of the house. Now they're under my porch. I guess If I can catch them on a Saturday morning I could bring them up to a shelter in rural Maine. I cant take them because we have 4 purebred cats and 4 is just about enough for us. Six would be out of the question this house. Any thoughts?

First... please allow me to editorialize...



Whew! OK - I FEEL a little bit better. Man, my first thought would be to call the authorities on them. Abandonment is a crime in most places.

Next is to contact no-kill shelters and rescues to see if anyone can take them in. I would say to you - good luck - most are full to overflowing. Or you can call around to friends, family, coworkers, etc and see if you can rehome them.

If you can't take them in and if no one can take them right away, make some shelters for them so they have a safe, dry and comfortable place to sleep and get out of the elements. Search this section for advice.

And of course, give them food and water.

Poor babies must be TERRIFIED!!!!!

First of all, that is horrible. These people have no intention of doing ANYTHING for the cats? If this is the case, you really ought to report them for animal cruelty:

http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/html...-mt.html#Maine

Massachusetts
http://www.state.ma.us/legis/laws/mgl/272-77.htm
Mass. Gen LawsCh. 272-77 – Cruelty to Animals

http://www.state.ma.us/legis/laws/mgl/266-112.htm
Mass. Gen LawsCh. 266-112 – Malicious Killing of an Animal

Cruelty to animals is defined as: “overdrives, overloads, drives when overloaded, overworks, tortures, torments, deprives of necessary sustenance, cruelly beats, mutilates or kills an animal, or causes or procures such; and whoever uses in a cruel or inhuman manner in a race, game, or contest, or in training therefor, as lure or bait a live animal; inflicts unnecessary cruelty upon it, or unnecessarily fails to provide it with proper food, drink, shelter, sanitary environment, or protection from the weather, or cruelly drives or works it when unfit for labor, or willfully abandons it, or carries it or causes it to be carried in or upon a vehicle, or otherwise, in an unnecessarily cruel or inhuman; or knowingly and willfully authorizes or permits it to be subjected to unnecessary torture, suffering or cruelty of any kind.” This is a Misdemeanor with a fine up to $1000 and/or imprisonment up to 90 days.

Click to expand...

Emphasis added

People need to understand - this is not OK. A link to help you: http://www.pets911.com/services/animalcruelty/

In the meantime, do you have a bathroom, guest bedroom, or garage that is clean enough where you can keep them in until you find some place to take them? Is the porch screened? Can you afford to pay for boarding them somewhere until you find a place for them? Obviously it should not be your financial burden, but that's what we would do.

To find a place for them, I'd conduct an e-mail and phone campaign. It's kitten season, so it's not going to be easy. I'd explain the story, pretty much as you did here, but I'd skip the part about your kitties being purebred - that four is your limit is a good enough reason.

You can call around to local vets - see if they'll put up a poster if you provide them with one. (All the vets around here do stuff like that, and keep "adoption" books for people looking for animals to look through).

You can search here:

http://www.pets911.com/local-shelters-and-rescues

Here are some Boston-area cat rescues: http://www.jugglingcats.com/rescue/B...cat_rescue.htm

More: http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...ton+cat+rescue

You can also go to http://www.petfinder.com, and just type in "cat" and your zip code. Each cat listed for adoption has an organization associated with it - each organization has a contact page (or link to a website). You're looking for a shelter or foster network that can take them in.

Please bear in mind that most organizations are underfunded and under-staffed, and it is kitten season.

you can find someone to help these babies that should NOT be under your porch and are beyond terrified right now.

Laurie

If you want someone to create a poster to help you rehome them or to put out at vet practices or whatever, just let me know. You'll have to get pictures of them.

Laurie

I thought about it for a while and decided that if i call on them they might take the cats back and then give them a ride to an area where people might not be as "in the know" and I'll never get a chance to help. They'll be in more peril.
I think the reference to our cats being purebred is myself being in fear of our cats catching disease. I've run the gauntlet of vet bills that could by a teenager her or his first car. After being challenged about ownership of purebreds I donated enough money to a non funded shelter in a rural community where money is tight to even the score. Here's a pic of a couple of kittys having some roast chicken I brought along for one of my visits. I'll scoot them off to Maine if I can box them up at the end of this week.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...karma/ckkn.jpg

Originally Posted by Sailfish

I thought about it for a while and decided that if i call on them they might take the cats back and then give them a ride to an area where people might not be as "in the know" and I'll never get a chance to help. They'll be in more peril.
I think the reference to our cats being purebred is myself being in fear of our cats catching disease. I've run the gauntlet of vet bills that could by a teenager her or his first car. After being challenged about ownership of purebreds I donated enough money to a non funded shelter in a rural community where money is tight to even the score. Here's a pic of a couple of kittys having some roast chicken I brought along for one of my visits. I'll scoot them off to Maine if I can box them up at the end of this week.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...karma/ckkn.jpg

Click to expand...

Hmmmm. You have every right to own purebreds. There is no need to be defensive- especially here. But moggies can also catch diseases. Anyway - bless you for trying to help these guys. They look skinny to me.

Originally Posted by AddieBee

Hmmmm. You have every right to own purebreds. There is no need to be defensive- especially here. But moggies can also catch diseases.

.....

Click to expand...

Yup, didn't mean my comments in any way to make you feel defensive about your decision. ...Just having dealt with a lot of shelters, I felt the pertinent issue was that four is your limit, the purebred thing may have made them miss the message.

If the shelter you donated to will take them, then by all means, go for it.

Personally, I'd get the cats someplace and then inform on the neighbors. They may not end up getting fined, but they'd have to go through the interview. I'm sorry. Abandoning pets is simply not OK - though I do agree, doing the right thing by the cats is the priority.

Thank you for helping them.

Laurie

I'm sorry for being defensive. I shouldn't have gone there. We always took strays that came to our door for most of our lives. We brought them to the Vet too. We had one run off right after a check up at the vet after we decided to keep him. When the window arrived we collected our new clan. I was numb to the fact that we could have found other cats and was challenged. But anyway, I gave the two kids under the porch food and water. They ate drank and left. I bet they'll be back for more of the same. I'll continue feeding them till they trust me enough to catch. I'll report them once the cats are safe. The young couple across the street with a baby are not paying they're rent and are facing eviction. I feel bad for them but somehow I feel worse about the cats. Thanks everybody for your thoughts. I'll post back if they do get to take their 250 mile journey. Just noticed... What happened to Hope Hacker? I used to enjoy her posts.

Hope passed away Tuesday, March 17 and is missed by so many of us! http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=193690

Laurie

Sadly, it is kitten season. Many shelters are chock full of cats, and the economy being what it is more and more people are having to give up their pets. (although the way your neighbors did it is totally wrong.)

Good luck finding a place for them!