Sad situation - need vibes

You all are doing SUCH an amazing job!!!!! MEGA VIBES for trapping success tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great updates! Hope it continues to be good news for all cats.

Thanks guys. We did trap two Thurs. evening - both females, one black and the other calico. Would you believe, they'd already been fixed! They also tested neg. Anyway, our clinic director took them to their new farm home yesterday. Got an email from her last night that she's very conflicted about the situation. Said the owner is nice, but definitely has the farm attitude that cats and other animals are not pets, but there to do a job. We knew this going into the situation. The other cats are well cared for, although one, an older kitten isn't fixed yet and farm owner isn't convinced she needs to be. What's making the decision to let these two go was that although they kept their distance from me at the house, they turned out to be tame and very sweet, just shy. It's not a bad situation and they're better of than they were, but I'm feeling very guilty that we singled these two out to go to the farm. We did microchip them and will checking in on them. Also trying to remind myself that the rescue just doesn't have room for all of them and that we still have 4 cats left at the house to find placement for.  Like I said, just feeling really guilty about this.

We had placement lined up for the FeLV mama and kittens at a sanctuary out of state, but have heard from a local no-kill shelter that takes in leukemia cats they'll be able to take them after the holidays, so are planning on that instead. Our clinic director is going to foster them in her garage until then. Meanwhile, we anticipate having room at the rescue for two more of the cats in a couple of weeks - probably the brown tabby/white and Siamese mix who are the most friendly. The original plan was to just leave them both at the house until then, but yesterday one of the neighbors (who's been very vocal in complaining about the cats) told me he'd been trying to find a home for the Siamese (ie "sell"), so I'm going to grab her today and stick her in my spare room till there's space at the rescue. This delays my plans to bring in the fixed neighborhood stray I've been feeding/socializing, but he's in a much better situation than these cats and will be fine for now.

Hope all that makes sense. What a complicated situation! We've also learned more about the former residents of the house - apparently they were elderly, disabled and barely able to care for themselves, let alone all the cats. We've had conflicting stories about what happened to them. Sad situation all around.

It does all make sense, and I am sorry you're all faced with these difficult decisions. But as you point out, ultimately the two you trapped will be better off than they were, and that's what counts. GREAT news on the FeLV kitties!

Were you able to bring the siamese kitty home? :cross:

Thanks, Laurie. Life as barn cat is certainly better than what these cats were leading, and when I think of how well socialized and cared for the others at the farm were (the woman's granddaughters apparently love to come over and play with and hold the cats), I know these two will have a good life.

The Siamese mix, named Ursula, is with me now. Turns out she had already been spayed too, along with testing negative. She's very affectionate and vocal young lady. That leaves three cats still at the house: the very friendly brown tabby/white (pretty sure a neutered male), orange/white who's still skittish, but will sniff my hand, and a big tabby/white unaltered male who's such a lover boy. We're hoping to get them all into the rescue by the end of next week since we have a good number of adoptions lately.

Oh more good news! :bigthumb: WONDERFUL there have been adoptions - and you're down to just three at the site! :heart3: You guys are just AMAZING!!!!!!!! What a great rescue/shelter, Eileen, really!

So.... when will we get pictures of the new visitor?

Continued for the babies on the site. :rub:

AW Ursula!! Wonderful to hear she is doing well and at your house at the moment. :cross: for the three other kitties. It is hard NOT to feel a sense of helplessness (guilt) over these kitties. But you are doing everything possible to help them and they are definitely better off now than before you . Your outside kitty will get his chance, but right now these other cat's need you a little bit more. Our outside feral's have a pretty good life under our care :nod:. Many, many more vibes coming your way for these kitties !!! And good news about the FeLK mama and kittens being fostered at the director's garage. Hopefully they will go to the sanctuary after the holidays :cross: It is all sorting itself out, little by little, these cat's are all getting rescued :bigthumb:

Figured it was about time for another update and to again thank you guys for the vibes and prayers. I also need to request more. One of the three cats still at the house, a sweet, but rather shy, orange/white boy, seems to have disappeared. I haven't seen him since Mon. evening. It took a little time for him to warm up to me, so at first I wasn't too concerned, but he was at the point that he'd appear pretty quickly when I arrived to feed. On Monday morning, one of the neighbors, who'd been very angry about the presence of the cats, complained about this fellow in particular. I assured her that the plan was to hopefully remove the cats by the end of this week and she seemed to accept that. I don't really believe that she'd do anything to harm the cat, but it seems like more than a coincidence that he's now missing. Please send major vibes and prayers that he shows up safe and soon. There's a spot at the rescue waiting for him. 

Meanwhile, I got a hold of the smaller tabby/white guy/gal last night and he/she is now at our clinic. I can usually tell the sex, but am honestly not sure if this one's a female or neutered male. The bigger tabby/white, who's definitely male, wasn't there this morning, but that's not unusual. Next time I see him, it's his turn at the spay/neuter clinic. 

Some great news, and quite a surprise, the mama and kittens have retested negative! We'll like test them one more time to be sure, but looks like this adorable little family will have a healthy, happy future after all. The kittens are still very small for their age and need some socialization, but that's just a matter of time. Also heard from the woman who adopted the two barn cats. They're doing well and still in a cage in the barn as they gradually adjust to their new home. She said they are eating well and seem fine around the other animals. She mentioned what beautiful cats they are too. I find that very reassuring. It does seem like she cares about them. 

Oh no! I'm sure it's just a coincidence, but sending the friendly orange/white boy comes "home" soon!!!!!!! :heart3:

And GREAT news on momma and the babies!

You'll have to let us know whether the tabby is male or female. :lol3:

LDG said:

Oh no! I'm sure it's just a coincidence, but sending

the friendly orange/white boy comes "home" soon!!!!!!!

And GREAT news on momma and the babies!

You'll have to let us know whether the tabby is male or female.

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Thanks, Laurie.

Just got the news from our director. The tabby is male. Had already been neutered. Tested neg.

on the Mama and kittens :bigthumb: This is just absolutely great news and they WILL have a wonderful future now :heart3:

hno: for Roger Bacon the orange/white boy to return quickly

AND fantastic news too about the Tabby Boy

Thanks, guys. As you may have seem in Roger Bacon's other thread, he did make an appearance when I went to the house Sat. afternoon. Big tabby boy, now named Xavier, was also there, so I got them both in carriers and a fellow rescuer kept them in his garage over the weekend. Both boys went to our spay/neuter clinic yesterday. Turns out Bacon was already fixed. Xavier wasn't, but is now. They both tested neg. 

That's all of the cats that were originally at the house. Appears our work isn't done yet, though. In the process of feeding these guys, two more neighborhood cats started coming around. I've seen them several times over a two-week period. Neither of them comes close and they bolt if I speak to them. Talked to the mail carrier who originally alerted us to this situation and he said there's a huge stray cat problem in the neighborhood. He actually puts out food at an abandoned house within the same block and a couple of other neighbors also feed. They live about 6-8 houses from where I'd been feeding. Mail carrier said the folks are at a loss as to what to do. If they're interested, we can help with trapping the cats if necessary, getting them fixed and returning them to the neighborhood. The neighbors will need to be willing to do their part. Plan to talk to them when I'm off work on Fri. too determine where and when they feed, how many cats we're dealing with and if friendly or feral. 

That said, I'm wrestling with the decision to stop feeding at the original house. We've had the owner's permission to feed for the past several weeks as we rounded up the abandoned cats, but the house is just about ready for occupancy with a "for rent" sign in the yard. The owner doesn't want cats around and chances are the new tenant won't either. There are other food sources and the two I've seen at the house periodically were fine before I came along and will be fine now. We do plan on trying to TNR them in the next couple of weeks. Director of our spay/neuter clinic seems pretty confident that we'll be able to get them regardless of whether I continue to feed. I feel so guilty for stopping, but it was only supposed to be temporary and, as I said, they do have food sources elsewhere. I'm so not cut out for this!