Another 'stop feeding the cats' note from my complex

The manager of my apartment complex has called a few times regarding the ferals that we feed. First, he requested that I take the winter shelter that I made for them off my porch. I said that I would, but then just turned it toward the wall so the entrance can't be seen (it's just a brown rubbermaid container with a hole in the side...I stuck some plants on top so that it looks like a table). Then he asked me to stop feeding them because they're trying to trap them. I said great, they need to be trapped. It makes me sad to think of the fact that they would surely be taken to the pound and be put down, but there are at least 3 unneutered adult males, 1 unspayed female, her two kittens who are not spayed (one is definitely a male, one we're not sure), and one neutered male (TNR...he has the clipped ear).

I think it's better for the unneutered ones to be put down (or, ideally, find a home, but I doubt this will happen because they are definitely feral) than to starve, be abused, be in the freezing cold, fight constantly (and they do), and keep making babies. Also, I'm pretty sure the majority of them are FIV+ because the one that I took in tested positive, and the vet said that the whole colony likely is. If someone's pet gets outside and gets in a fight with one of the males, they could transfer the FIV.

So I was happy that he said they were going to try to do this. But after about a month of not seeing any traps anywhere, I figured that he was probably lying in order to get me to stop feeding them. So I started again. It broke my heart how they come on my porch and just stare at us, wanting food . I tried to only keep the food out at night when people couldn't see, but sometimes I forget to take it in.

So today we got another strongly worded note on our door about not feeding the cats. It just pisses me off. This is just part of the problems we've had with this complex, and I'll be so glad to move. But in the meantime, it will be really hard not to feed them when they come and cry at the door. And even harder to get my husband to not feed them.

I really feel that the cats are their responsibility to deal with. It's their complex. Do they really think that we can starve the cats out of here? They'll find food somewhere. And someone is always going to feed them. There are hundreds of people in this complex.

I've tried to catch the male kitten who I think could be tamed, but he's too skittish to get close. I've also thought of taking in the neutered male, but I can't really afford to have another cat myself, and it would be nearly impossible to find a home for a FIV positive cat who will need some patience (he's friendly and allows you to pet him, but he's fearful, too).


So this just sucks . There are no good solutions, though I do think I will send the manager an email that says "I will stop feeding them, but you need to start trapping them".
My husband is also entertaining revenge fantasies about going on an apartment review site after we move out, and say that we would've liked the apartment if it wasn't for the terrible bedbug problem they have in this complex .

We aren't trapping and neutering them ourselves, and we can't afford to do it, unfortunately. The manager actually said that he has a few ferals that he took in himself. He isn't really a jerk, but I do think that he isn't doing what he should for these cats. He also would not be supportive about the idea of TNR because he just wants them out of the complex.

I doubt that any rescue organization could or would take them, but I will try. I did talk to one lady in the area who does cat rescue and she felt it would be nearly impossible to get people to take them .

I do realize that it's best to stop feeding the unneutered ones. I do worry that if we stop feeding, the ones that sleep in the box on my porch(mother and two kittens) will start going elsewhere, and there are some sickos out there. The cat that I took in has half a tail because someone wrapped a wire hanger around it, causing it to fall off (a neighbor told me about it after I moved in). At least the kittens are big enough now that they can fend for themselves more, and they're not as friendly as the one that I took in, so they're unlikely to get close enough to someone for that to happen.


I just wish there was a perfect solution, but I know there's not. My neighbor told me that several of these cats were house pets that were dumped when people moved .

(Also- there are definitely other people who have been feeding the cats, but the last time I talked to the manager, he mentioned that the grounds crew was going around and making a note of everyone who had food on their porches . So maybe they've gotten notes, too, and will stop feeding as well).