Need major vibes for my colony

Hey guys, I've got a situation in my feral colony that I'm going to need major vibes to resolve.

As some of you already know, I was gone last week for a work related trip. I had several folks feeding while I was gone. One of the families on the street that likes cats has allowed me to put a feeding station and several shelters on their property. They have several pets of their own, include a large lab mix that they keep outside much of the time. They bring him in when it's cold and every night. It's not ideal, but the dog is otherwise well cared for and healthy. One of the women who was feeding for me rescues dogs and has reputation for being overzealous in efforts and creating problems. She confronted the family about the dog, really got in the husband's face and then reported them to our local SPCA for neglect. The SPCA visited the house, talked with the family and determined the situation was fine.

I learned about all this when I returned home Sun. night. The husband is still so angry that he's refusing to speak to me and has demanded that the feeding station and shelters be removed from the property. I asked if I could have till the weekend and am hoping that he calms down by then and has a change of heart. There's really no where else I can put everything. The folks that live on either side of them tolerate the cats, but just barely.

I'm beyond angry at the nerve and stupidity of the woman who called the SPCA. I've spoken to her and she feels she's does nothing wrong. She said she hopes I can sleep at night knowing about the dog and that a true animal rescue person cares about all animals. Of course, I care about the dog, but he's okay. Trust me, if he wasn't, I would have made the call myself long before now. What I've learned over the past four in managing this colony is how important it is to also have positive relationships with the people that live there. The neighborhood isn't the greatest and it's important not to be judgemental or confrontational. This woman doesn't get that. We had very heated telephone conversation and email exchange and suffice it to say she won't be going back there. Hopefully, this will also help pacify the husband. If I'd known this was going to happen, I never would have asked her to feed.

Sorry this is so long. I'm just very frustrated and worried about this situation. I'm hoping to sit down with the family on Sat. and see if there's any way I can fix this. If not, the cats in the colony (there's 8) are going to be without shelter and a reliable food source this winter.

Please send vibes I can get this resolved. Thanks!

Thanks for sharing this, Amy. Very helpful!

The dog has never been an issue with the colony. In fact, he's been around longer than any of the ferals, so they're used to him and I suspect he does keep predators away. He's a big guy and can be intimidating, but isn't a threat to anybody.

The woman in question is actually a dog person who is over-zealous and pushy in her rescue efforts. Unfortunately, in spite of efforts to explain things, she doesn't understand feral cats or colony management.

Fortunately, I was able to meet with the family today and make amends. I'm just glad they accepted my apology. The husband is still angry, but cares enough about the cats to move past this.

All is well so long as this woman doesn't return to the property or harass the family in the future. They've threatened to call the police if she comes back and I wouldn't blame them.

Thanks for the vibes and support, everybody!