feeding wild cats

I'm starting a new thread as suggested concerning feeding the other cats in the neighborhood.

There are some that are just strays but others are ferals. They are scared to death of everything. I put dry food out in the mornings for them. One of my neighbors does the same but she has actually trapped them and had them neutered and turned them lose.

So would it be best to not feed them if I am not going to follow through with adopting them or having them fixed? I love these animals but I just can't take it all on. There is never a shortage of them. I know they are not adoptable unless they have been tamed. Our shelter is always full anyway.

If I am harming them in any way by setting food out I will try to stop. It is so hard to see them hungry though. Especially during the winter when there is snow and ice on the ground and hunting is more difficult.

I will read up. The last thing I want to do is harm them. We had one old old guy that would stay under our truck when it rained waiting for food. My husband finally built him a little house and put it on the porch. He would come every night and sleep there. On really cold nights I would put hand warmers under his blanket. One day he stopped coming. We assume he went off and died somewhere. Believe me I have tried to help them but I just can't take it all on.

Thanks to all.
Peanut

Bumping this up.

I don't have experience with ferals, but there are a number of people here who do take care of feral colonies. Someone should be along soon to give you some help.

Are you and your neighbor working together to feed the colony or do you each just do what you can on your own?

I, and we all, do understand more than well how you are feeling, and why you are doing this.

But the truth is, if they are unneutered, they tend to multiply. So as long as you are "just" feeding - you are really contra-productive....

So the trick to try to solve this unsolvable problem is - to neuter. Preferably also foster and adopt, but this takes much time, place and effort.
So the practical compromise is to adopt only the obvious candidates for adoption (these who do seeks your help = usually strays or dumped, and kittens). The rest will make do with neutering.
The weakest of the dumped or astray are probably already gone before they even come to you. So these left are the tough and smart ones, the survivors.
And therefore, neutered, and with some help - they will do OK.

You cant do everything alone you say. Right. So next trick is to try NOT to do everything alone.
You yourself do mention your neighbour who IS already doing what we are discussing about: feeding, neutering (TNR-ing) and also even some adoption. Do cooperate with her! You can probably find some good rescue group nearby to cooperate with. If not - start your own group. You are already practically two. Find one or two more and you are already a small group.
Together are we strong. Better a group of concerned citizens than some a funny cat lady...


Im sure others will fill up with good advices, adresses, good internet links.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Good luck!

I agree with Stefan - talk to the neighbor! If she's TNRing the kitties and providing food - are they hungry? Maybe you can participate by offering to donate her food for the cats. Maybe you can help by transporting the trapped kitties?

As Stefan pointed out, the short answer is yes, you should stop feeding the kitties if you can't sterilize them.

Have you searched to see if there are rescue/TNR groups, or low-cost spay/neuter groups in your area?

I'm happy to help you search - you can PM me your zip code, or post your county and state.

Originally Posted by LDG

I agree with Stefan - talk to the neighbor! If she's TNRing the kitties and providing food - are they hungry? Maybe you can participate by offering to donate her food for the cats. Maybe you can help by transporting the trapped kitties?

As Stefan pointed out, the short answer is yes, you should stop feeding the kitties if you can't sterilize them.

Have you searched to see if there are rescue/TNR groups, or low-cost spay/neuter groups in your area?

I'm happy to help you search - you can PM me your zip code, or post your county and state.

Click to expand...

Very well put...

I will also say if your neighbor is not TNRing and you want too in order to help this situation... Contact the local shelters, vets and private rescues.... For me I was able to fix 20 plus kittens this way

Are you harming these cats by just feeding them and not having them fixed - no. The individual cats are not harmed by this. The harm is more indirect. It's to the ultimate goal which is to reduce the number of cats out there. Fed cats tend to be healthier and therefore they procreate more and when they aren't fixed this becomes a huge problem. I would definitely not recommend that you stop feeding them though. I would recommend that you start planning to have them fixed. You do not have to intend to adopt any of them. Feeding without intentions to adopt is not harmful. Nobody would expect you to take all the cats in. If we all could do that TNR wouldn't exist but unfortunately there are more cats than there are homes.

You don't have to start trapping and fixing the cats next week. As long as you have plans to do it and are working towards it I think you should continue to feed the cats and provide them shelter. Feeing them good food is especially important in the winter.
There are organizations that help with the cost of spay/neuter and others that will trap and fix the cats for you. If none are in your area you can do fundraising to get the cats fixed. If there is a will there is a way. You don't have to get all the cats fixed at once. You can do one or two at a time.
I'd recommend that you get in touch with other cat lovers and animal welfare volunteers/workers in your area for help. They may be able to help you with raising the funds or have other ideas of how to get the cats fixed. It will take a bit of work and some time but it is doable and you clearly care and want to help. That's all you really need to start.

Good luck and thanks for caring about these little guys that have nobody else to care for them.

Well said, Ziggy´s Mom! Just so.


I may add, one useful cooperation partner is a helpful vet / vet clinic.
Ie not "just cheap" - but preferably also helpful.

And this "raising of such a crop" does take some time. LDG here above had several times colorfully described her "raising" and fruitful cooperation with such a vet clinic. Gold worth if this is succesful.

Hey, I have the same situation going on at an abandoned house next door. I trapped five cats three weeks ago. I am fostering two feral 7 month old kittens and having some good luck. Released two adults back out and feed them daily and built an outdoor heated shelter.

Now, over the last few days there are a couple of new cats. I think they are all related though. I believe in feeding them, especially in the winter months, but you have to have a plan for TNR. It is very over-whelming and I know what you are going through. I was so shocked to see these new cats coming around and was hoping I was done with the trappings. I just think when you remove a few cats from the territory, others move in to take their place. You are doing the right thing, and I agree with the other's, get some help from your neighbor. You can work together.

I live in a very rural area. The shelter we have is about 20 miles away and is full all the time. There is another place called paws. They only take cats but they will only take cats from the shelter. They are always full as well. Living in a rural area makes it very hard to find enough services.

I agree with all of the advice here. I just do not have the funds to fix very many cats.

Although this may sound harsh to many I do not want to be responsible for trapping them and taking them to the vet. I'm older now and have health problems. I'm also trying to make my life easier so I can spend more time with other family members who are aging. Pets are a big responsibility. I love animals and want to do the right thing but admit I am limited in what I can do.

My two cats are enough for me. If only other people would quit getting pets they do not want to be responsible for. I almost wish there were some kind of reprocussions for people who get them and then abandon them. I hate rules and regulations but if you had to have a liscense or something to own a pet maybe that would help. I don't know what the answers are but it is so hard to see them cold and hungry.

The neighbor who traps them occasionally does so on her own. We just started talking one day and realized we were both feeding some of the same cats and she told me she has trapped some and had them fixed. She lives alone and started caring for them many years ago. What she does is wonderful and I would donate to her cause when I could but as I said before my funds are limited.

I appreciate all of the advice and as I stated before I do not want to harm the animals anymore than they already are. It is very hard to see them hungry so I have been feeding a few. There is only one wild cat that comes everyday. A couple of others come off and on.

I also feed the cat that belongs on the back road where the cat, (that I adopted), came from. She is hungry and loves attention but I'm sure it has shelter. I keep hoping that lady will wake up and start caring for the cat.

I will talk with the neighbor and see if I could offer some help. A ltttle help would be better than none.

Thanks to all.
Peanut

Hi again. I feel your pain in this situation. It is a big responsibility and expense to trap and neuter a colony of ferals. And then when you release them back out they seem even more dependent on you for care and feeding because once those hormones are gone they tend to stick around closer to their territory and not roam away like before when they were intact.

I have two released back outside and I feel a daily responsibility to them. So that means if I take a vacation I need to get them fed too .. It sounds like this is too much for you to handle at this point in time. Can you talk with the neighbor and see if she is regularly feeding the same cats? If so, maybe donate food to her on a regular basis and tell her you are going to stop putting food out for these cats and just help her with food costs. Also these cats do start to rely on their caretaker and expect food each day at the same time and will come and wait even if you don't see them, they are there waiting. So in other words, if you are not able to commit to feeding each day and have this neighbor who does, then stop feeding after you have talked with your neighbor to see if she could just keep doing it if you donate food to the cause. The cats will soon learn to just go to her house. But. If there are too many I would worry about if the neighbor can put enough out to feed everyone.

I know this is hard but it is hard on these poor strays too. You have a good heart and I wish you luck with this situation. It is a commitment on the feeders part for sure. Good vibes

I started a similar way. An old lady in the neighborhood had been feeding cats for years and they kept reproducing. She decided to move and you can guess the rest. I have two left to trap - females. I can't do it in the snow and this temperature but will try again with them when it warms up.

GOOD luck. You're doing a good thing.

I, too, appreciate the feedback here. I just started feeding & sheltering some (?) stray(s) - I'm not really sure how many are dining, though only one seems to have taken up residence in the shelter I put out for cold weather.

My plan is to contact a local TNR group and have them help me out. I've not done it yet - I've only been feeding for about 2 weeks, but it is helpful to know I'm on the right track. Just hate to see these poor little animals trying to fend in really cold weather.