Stray cats on my temp house, how can I help? UNIQUE SITUATION

metouma

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So here's the deal. My wife and I recently moved temporarily (10 months) to a remote town in East Borneo, Indonesia. Even though pets are somewhat common here, stray cats are EVERYWHERE (and smaller than cats in the US! Maybe the lack of food gives that impression?). My house has a small front yard, filled with bushes and grass that grow fast and furious. I recently realized that at least three kittens hang out there, playing around, being adorable. They are not aware of my presence, and when they are they are usually scared and they jump the fence and go away. There is a cat with them, I suppose their mother, and I think one or two more cats that sometimes drop by to visit the kitten's crib. (I guess I'm invading their house here). 

Anyway... I am a little bit far out there, so a trip to the vet is not a possibility. I do not know if the kittens are carrying deceases, if their health is ok, or if their nutrition is ok. I am pretty sure that they feed, if not mainly, most of the times on garbage. Maybe they are also predators?

I also have not tried to feed them, because I don't know if that would be a good idea: I don't want to create a dependency if I'll leave in 10 months. But I do want to approach them, and pet them, and take care of them as much as I can without compromising their future.

So my question is this: how can I help them? Is there anything I can do to make sure they are ok without the vet part? Would it be a mistake to feed them? How can I get close to them? Or approaching them and trying to create a connection would be wrong and dangerous for them?

I've never had a cat as a pet before, so I'm not really aware of their behaviour. Any info will help.

Thanks!
 

jennyr

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Very difficult, without a vet. I faced a similar problem when I lived in Sarajevo. I used to rescue some of the tamer kittens, socialise them and get them homes. But I am sure you have the same problem that most people simply regard the cats as vermin and will not have them indoors. The ideal is a TNR program but for that you need a vet. I finally arranged for a vet from the university to come out to my place a few times a year to neuter and spay kittens and I got as many as I could together prior to his visits (anything up to 20!). That was not too expensive and he did it because he cared about the cat problem that was always getting worse. Every garbage bin had its own colony and some of them were obviously sick. There was no Animal Control and no refuges.

Sometimes you can get a vet to give you antibiotics to put in food, but it is very difficult to target the sick ones. I used to have faourites that I would feed apart from the others, five of whom eventually became my house pets and four of them still live with me in France now, but it is an impossible situation for an animal lover. In Sarajevo we had an even worse problem with dogs after the war, many of whom were dangerous, and I had a friend who rescued what puppies she could. An awful scene for eveybody.
 

feralvr

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Welcome to the site and bless your heart for caring and seeking advice on what to do. :hugs: Seriously, if there are that many and you start feeding them, they will become dependent on you and then when you leave, it will break your heart. I have NO idea at all as to how to advise you since you are in Indonesia and have no clue on how cats are viewed in that country. The best thing that could be done would be to get all of the cats spayed/neutered to stop the breeding. That may very well be impossible without the help with a vet who is an advocate for feral cats. It is most definitely a heart wrenching thing to witness (so many feral cats) as an animal lover. :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 

StefanZ

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Some thoughs.

You cant help them all. But you can usually help some.  For these it will be real help.

And a neutering programme is what you can do with any luck and will be a lasting help for these individuals.

A adoption programme can also be useful, esp of kittens and easy fostered adults.

So you practically dont have a vet ah so necessary for spaying?.

Btw, talk with these animal owners who ARE there, ask them what they do!

One solution is something like JennyRansome did.

Another possiblility and my tip is, there are almost surely local "animal doctors".  Ie practicioners without university degree as a real vet has, but hopefully good enough.  At least, in their specialities.

Neutering males is no big deal, so for neutering of toms you will surely find someone.

Spaying females is more difficult, but you will perhaps will find somebody anyway.

(I had heard on car radio the other day: In some part of Africa they do have such trained laymen ( trained by real doctors I think) specialized in 1-3 of surgical operations each.  They did compared the "field obstetricians"  with results at the hospitals.  No worse, rather even somewhat better).

You ask about possible diseases.   There in your place are surely also a lot of predator animals, so the problem with sick cats is probably not so high as you could imagine....  :(

Anyway, concentrate on spaying programme, let the sick be.  In critical situations with very limited resources you must use triage.  Save them who can be saved.

Although, there is ONE big plus with trying to save the wounded or sick (as long as it is not contagous disease):  A wounded shy semiferale, who do gets help and recognizes he is helped and saved,  do get simultaneously socialized and is thus fairly easily turned into a home pet. MUCH easier than otherwise.

If you can get people interested of having cats as home pets, you can try to catch and foster the kittens. And other cats who you see are very good candidates for fostering.

You can talk with people around you do have access to, and perhaps find other interested people to cooperate with.  Start a Cat helper club, sort of.  All doesnt must be active rescuer, it is more than enough if some members are "just" positive attitude, supporters.

And yes, I do completely agree with you, dont start extra feeding or such, unless you do have a plan with it. TNR or taking in for fostering and adoption.

Best is if you can try and combine several of these ideas...

I hope you have at least some use of ours ideas and suggestions.

Warmth welcome to our Forums!

Good luck!

ps.   This passus about african specialist field surgeons is a nice example on what can be done even when resources are small. Although it is hardly representative for 98% of the traditional "animal doctor" or "wise guy" oh so common in many traditional rural peasant milieus into our time.

Still many of them may be decently good, if you have luck to find one or two.. Your difficulty is not to find such one - there are surely many who claim themselves so -  but to find a good surgeon specialist on obstetrics, especially spaying of females.

Another possibility may be you can perhaps find a human doctor with surgeon skills who can be talked over into helping with cats.  If he is a cat friend.  Long shot, easier to find a decent "animal doctor".

Something like that.   :)
 
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