Mura Neko family outside my apartment

There is a family of feral/stray cats in my neighborhood. I know they're out there as someone gets into the trash almost everytime I put it out.

tommorrow is trash day and I sneak it out the night before (I am not a morning person). I think they were scoping out the trash scene.

There was a large un-neutered young male adult who froze just as I hit the bottom of the steps. (I am guessing young as other than being thin he seems healthy and no noticable fight scars). Then I saw the white one (I think its the same female I spotted last year with a half grown kitten). Then I saw the 2 kits dash out from under a car.

Frankly, I can't do much for the adults. They are semi-feral. I do not have room for more cats. And there are too many cats here that need homes. Animal control PTS 11,000 out of 12,500 strays turned in each year. These kittens are 2-3mo old. Old enough to run away from me but could be tamed and adopted?

I don't know how to trap, where to get a trap and what to do once I get them. I have no where to put them except the bathroom. I have less than 500sq. feet studio that is the size of a small to medium hotel suite. Aya is only vaccinated against RCP. And she's healthy and negative on FELV and FIV. (I passed on FELV vaccs as its only given as a 5 in one with chalmydia).

Also I don't know that I can get them good homes. My friend has a 6 mo old kitten that she rescued very young and has been unable to home her out (she offered her to me but I have Aya).

Should I feel terribly guilty about doing nothing?

Don't feel guilty. Can you financially provide food for them outside?

The alternative to living life as a well fed feral is a quick painless death by animal control. If you can't provide food for them, they are going to have to fight for food and ultimately die a painful starving, sick death on the street.

You have to decide what you can do, and what is best for them.

I've been in your position and it stinks.

Leslie

Also remember, if an outside cat is getting good food they tend to produce litters more offten. So its kinda a crapy thing, the cat lady next door feeds the strays, and the females tend to have way more litters. Before she moved in, no one in the area fed them and we had less kittens in the ally. We still had strays, they were just not as productive.

try to find a local rescue to trap/neuter/release them?

No, you should not feel bad doing nothing.

But Lyrajean, if you cannot afford to trap, spay and neuter, please don't feed them. It's a sad reality, but caring for them is not just providing food.

I searched for cat rescue in Okinawa - this is what came up:

http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...cue+in+Okinawa

It looks like there may be some resources that can help? I would at least call or e-mail around to ask. Perhaps one of the groups can at least help you locate low-cost spay/neuter services and traps. Is the bathroom large enough to hold a trap? Most males can be released pretty much right away, but the females (make SURE they use dissolving stitches!!!!!!!!) should spend 24 hours before being released to make sure they'll be OK.

Gary and I fostered kitties - but young kittens, and we live in an RV (38 feet long by 8 feet wide). We never fostered older strays/ferals - it would have been too disruptive, and it can be a long term commitment.

But if you can find a way to TNR them, or a group to help, I'd at least check around to see if it would be possible.

Laurie

Thanks for the advice. I have an email in to OOARS. I've tried them before with no luck. They are mostly American military and seam to deal with trying to keep the Armed Forces people from contributing to the problem rather than dealing with the already stray/feral population.

I'm not too worried about the adults. The male looks healthy, if thin and the female I've seen her last year and she seems to be a survivor. Probably completely feral and not adoptable (adult cats are not very adoptable here).

It's the kittens where I think that if only I could get them and tame them they might have a future other than being squished. The most common form of roadkill here is dead kitten. In fact that's how I know its been kitten season. There's usually a spring batch and a fall batch.

As for putting out food. I put out a small dish, just to lure them out and see who's there. The locals like to feed the mura neko, so they're not starving unless they're sick. There's a whole colony at a neighborhood park nearby (probably all relatives to my Aya) I see people putting out food, tuna and chicken bones. There are also a lot of older homes and and elderly people about. So its hard to tell who's a real stray or simply a cat that's kept outside (people still regard cats here as outdoor pets kinda like barn cats).

Good news is, I don't think people are eager to turn them in unless one becomes a nuisance to someone. If picked up by AC they have 5 days then gassed.

Originally Posted by Lyrajean

I'm not too worried about the adults. The male looks healthy, if thin and the female I've seen her last year and she seems to be a survivor. Probably completely feral and not adoptable (adult cats are not very adoptable here).

It's the kittens where I think that if only I could get them and tame them they might have a future other than being squished.

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The sad truth is that if you want to save kittens, you need to fix the adults, or the cycle will never stop. If you can rescue and socialize the kittens, that is absolutely outstanding, but if you can't find a way to fix the adults, the kittens you save today are only going to be replaced by more kittens in a few months.

I found a local vet that worked with me and charged me his cost for a spay/neuter (anywhere between $15 and $25). When a new cat showed up in the neighborhood, I caught them and had them fixed, no questions asked. My vet also lent me a trap until I eventually bought one myself.

Keep asking for help and you may stumble into someone or some organization to help you. It's so hard to do this on your own.

Originally Posted by Lyrajean

I'm not too worried about the adults. The male looks healthy, if thin and the female I've seen her last year and she seems to be a survivor. .

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Exactly. If they get neutered, they should do OK, especielly if they get some help. The adults are perfect candidates for an TNR.

As the civilians (=neighbours) there seems to be rather cat-friendly, you could perhaps with time organize a group working with TNR of the adults??


One extra advice. You tell you dont have much room to keep them in, f.eks. post surgery.
A big dog crate is often useful help if you dont have suitable place. Such crate you could have in places otherwise unsuitable for keeping a cat in...

Good luck!