I feel so bad right now!!!

As many of you who read in this board know, I have been TNR the feral colony in my neighborhood for some time now... The ferals are then given to my vets farmer friends to keep vermin down on the farm.  Well, I've had no luck the past couple of weeks.  The ferals left are clever.  So I thought I would desensitize them to the traps and free feed for a week or so.  It did not work.   So I have been trying to think of another way to get them?   Any day now, my cruel redneck neighbor will get tired of waiting on me!!! 

Well, anyway, last weekend a couple of kids came with a poster asking if I'd seen their cat.... It was one of the one's I trapped... I know it!!  I told the parents so they can tell the kid what happened.  The parents were grateful that the redneck had not gotten to him!  I asked them why, if they know about him, did they allow their cat out?  "Oh, cats need to be outside!!"  Up until then, I was going to take them to my vet so they could adopt a kitten.  But I decided not to even mention it... If the kitten would not be inside, it would be out... It would meet the same fate the others do. 

Did I do the right thing?  I just feel bad.  The kids cried when they found out the kitty wasn't coming back!!!

I think you did the right thing for the kitten. No doubt another cat/kitten would also be allowed to roam the neighborhood and who knows what could happen. Hopefully the kittens will find good indoor only homes. And, there are a lot of cats/kittens available for adoption should the family decide they have to have another one.

I agree - and it's sad to lose a cat, but even sadder, in my opinion, to find out that something dreadful has happened. Nothing worse than seeing your cat dead alongside the road or finding out that someone has poisoned/killed him/her.

You have my support!

Thanks catmom5, here in my neighborhood... It's not so much cars or even coyotes I worry about... But it's my cruel redneck neighbor.  He traps and shoots cats without even asking if they belong to anyone.  So he hides his traps in others yards and picks them up early in the morning and kills whatever is in the trap... Sport to him.  He doesn't care. That was what they had thought happened to their cat.  But I told them what I had been doing to keep the cats from meeting the shotgun fate.  They were grateful their cat is not dead but disappointed he wouldn't be coming back as he is already on his new farm home. 

I don't know, I just didn't even mention adopting a kitten from my vet to them when I saw what he had been eating (Kittankaboodle).... No wonder he took the food from my trap and he was "whole" so God only knows how many kittens he sired. 

But we do have coyotes and a busy highway nearby... However, sadly most meet the fate of my cruel redneck neighbor!

AWW hun, you did the right thing and how were you to know in the first place. I believe if those people know about this cruel, cat hating neighbor and still let their cat outside, then they were being irresponsible. I am sorry about the kids, but I think the cat is safer now. :nod:

I too think you absolutely did the right thing. I would have done the same!

The unfortunate thing is I'm sure they'll find another cat/kitten somewhere...
 

Kailie said:

The unfortunate thing is I'm sure they'll find another cat/kitten somewhere...

 

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I think they already did... Could have sworn I saw the little girl last evening with a kitten in her arms?!

P3 and The King said:

I think they already did... Could have sworn I saw the little girl last evening with a kitten in her arms?! :doh3:

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OH for goodness sakes ...... that poor kitten and I would worry about it's fate now too.

Sure enough!!  The little girl and boy proudly showed off their TWO NEW KITTENS to me just a few minutes ago!!!  They said the parents are keeping the kittens indoors for now... Whew.  And that they can only hold them while outside, not to put them down!  Still though... Geesh.  Who needs a feral colony when I have idiot neighbors to contribute to the problem?  It's a vicious and heartbreaking cycle!  All I can hope for is that they learned something and will keep them indoors and maybe feed better food.

Any way to make sure these kittens are at least neutered/spayed and vetted? Low cost spay/neuter clinics in your area? Hope these folks have learned their lesson and will keep these kittens indoors.
 

catmom5 said:

Any way to make sure these kittens are at least neutered/spayed and vetted? Low cost spay/neuter clinics in your area? Hope these folks have learned their lesson and will keep these kittens indoors.
 

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Honestly, no.  It is not really my place.  Missouri is very behind on animal welfare and rights so I can't call anyone and make them make these people do right by the kittens.  I just have to hope for the best. 

But, I did find out they were adopted at a shelter.  I called the shelter to warn them about adopting cats out to this neighborhood and why.  Turns out, the people lied a lot to get the kittens.  They said they had their last cat spayed... Not true.  Every cat I brought in was "whole".  I know she was one of them because my vet took pics of each cat for their files.  One was definitely her.  Ironically, it is the cute and sweet cat that the farmers wife decided to keep as a pet... So she is inside.  Look back at my updates to find out about her.  Anyway, they told the shelter that she accidentally escaped and got ran over.  Not true... They had her outside all the time and she got trapped by me, spayed and released elsewhere.  They didn't tell them anything about the cruel redneck neighbor... This horrified the shelter.  So they have it written down to check and make sure every home that comes in within a certain range will be exclusively indoor homes from now on.  It makes me sad they lied to get the kittens... Luckily they are neutered, both of them.  I can only hope they will keep their word and keep them indoors because they promised the shelter they would... But at the end of the day, promises don't mean squat! 

Unfortunately, at the end of the day, there isn't a lot I can do without it being viewed as harrassment.  I can only hope for the best!

I think you did the right thing by contacting the shelter. Now they know about the cat-hating neighbor and this family is also on their radar. 

I wasn't suggesting that you DO anything, but perhaps education and information would convince the family about better cat care.

I think you did the right thing. Sorry, but MHO, it is the cat lives they are messing up that matter. Some people (like my own sister) have this attitude that animals are just disposable (cuts me to the quick!). I ALWAYS try to discourage her form getting any new pets (because they all get ruined in some fashion or other, in so much as, they end up as yard dogs with little to no human interaction, unhouse trained, neglected, or they get passed off to whomever will take them next for not being house broken, when it's her own fault for not taking the time, no the animal's fault!)..Ggggrr! She bought my niece a new puppy for X-mas *sighs/rolls eyes*..so, I said I would watch it. I took that pup, and house trained it within a week!! It was a good smart puppy, and beautiful. *sighs* Only to have her take it home, and now it is an outside yard dog! *sighs*..I'm so ticked! (And tired of how she treats animals as a disposable revolving door!) As far as your neighbors go. If you can find a Vet that is willing to spay/neuter for free or at a discount, I would just politely tell them, hey, as you know I work to save the local feral cats. There is this Vet who spay/neuters for free (or a discount) and I just thought you should know, so you can save some $$. *winks* If you pass it off as a "deal" for them or get something for free, I bet they won't be offended and would be willing to. You could say you're going to take some of yours so if they want you would be happy to take theirs when you go, and bring them back, they don't have to do anything, so why wouldn't they? And if not, at least you know you tried your best. Some people are just have stupid animal attitudes! And you can't fix stupid (I know, I've been trying w/my sister for years. *chuckles*)..

catmom5 said:

I wasn't suggesting that you DO anything, but perhaps education and information would convince the family about better cat care.

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I did try.  When I told them what happened to their other cat, I tried to educate them on how dangerous and unneccessary it is for them to be outside, not only do we have the idiot redneck neighbors trapping and shooting (I found out their's more than one!!)  but we have wooded area where lots of wild animals frequently visit our neighborhood... Coyotes included.  They just looked at me like I was some kind of nut job so I am not sure I got threw to them?  But, I hope something got threw.  I guess it remains to be seen.  Usually people like this, (as stated by curiosityscat) see animals as disposable and lower beings without emotions or feelings.  So change rarely happens.  They may do good for a short time but go back to their old ways when the newness wears off.

Let's just hope that you were able to get through to them and that the "newness" will turn to love, care and concern so that they will keep those kittens safe. AND thank goodness you called that shelter! Being pro-active is exactly what you are doing !!! and wonderful to hear that the kittens are already fixed .. :nod:

The cruel redneck neighbor is at it again... Except this time, he is free shooting and not bothering with traps.  Turns out he's been keeping tabs on my traps to see if I've caught anything and since I haven't... He's gone on a rampage... It started this morning about 5 am!!!  He got several cats and someones dog that was tied up!!  They called the Sherriff.  He was taken in for unlawful use of a weapon in a residental neighborhood or something like that.  Nothing to do with his cruelty to animals.  I buried the 3 ferals.  And I helped the people bury their dog.  They were inconsolable.  When will people start listening to me and keep all their pets indoors?  This man is a lunatic with no conscience and no heart.  Pet or not, he doesn't care... He'll shoot them one and all!

OMG OMG This is SOOOOOOOO very tragic. I am so enraged to hear that he actually shot a tied up dog too along with those three poor kitties nfire: I DO hope now that people and the sheriff will take notice of this psycho. I am so very, very sad to hear about those cats that you buried today. OMG bless you, hun, for what you did for them. I am SOOOOO sorry you are dealing with this nightmare next door :sobbing: Loads and loads of hugs and vibes to you tonight for fighting to save all the cats in your neighborhood.

The Sherriff dept knows about him.  They have talked to him several times.  He doesn't listen. He doesn't stop.  But this is the first time he's ever free shot ever.  One of the cats I am sure was nursing kittens.  I am still looking around places where a feral might hide babies to see if I can find them.  Wish me luck, please!

Your redneck neighbor's actions make me furious!    If I were the neighbor whose tied-up dog (not that I would tie up a dog) he shot, I would be pressing whatever charges I could.

Not to add to your worry, but it honestly wouldn't surprise me if your redneck neighbor ends up killing someone (human) at some point.

TX_Kat said:

Your redneck neighbor's actions make me furious! 

  If I were the neighbor whose tied-up dog (not that I would tie up a dog) he shot, I would be pressing whatever charges I could.

Not to add to your worry, but it honestly wouldn't surprise me if your redneck neighbor ends up killing someone (human) at some point.

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You and me both!!! 

As for the people who's dog was shot, they say they are pressing charges?  I'm not sure what will come of it but I know that's not what they originally took him in for.

As far as I know, shooting someone else's dog on their property and under their control is a felony is just about every state.