In need of reassurance

irinasak

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Hello TCS,

I am in need of some advice and reassurance.

This April I came across a colony of cats, three females and two kittens. All the females were pregnant and the two kittens were sick. I have seen one male, too, but he doesn't hang with them much.

One of the cats (Meka) was pregnant and she had two kittens (or at least these two survived) at the end of April. I have tried to catch her several times before she gave birth, no success. She kept her kittens hidden until they were 8 weeks old.

During these 8 weeks (when I decided I should not try to trap Meka because she was nursing her kittens), I trapped with a humane trap and neutered a second female (Verde) and I took in her two 3 months kittens that were already there. Although I initially wanted to find homes for Harley and Amelie (both had herpes virus, Harley was worse), I have decided to adopt them myself so now they have a home here with me.

Jonny, the third female also had one kitten. I have found a foster for her kitten but I can not trap her - she doesn't go in the trap, she doesn't let me touch her.

But now my biggest issue is regarding Meka: I have finally trapped her last night and she is hospitalized for neutering and recovering after the surgery. Meka is the sweetest cat possible. Verde and Jonny are semi-ferals or ferals, but Meka is searching for affection. She is more the one petting me when I put down the food. I am 100% sure she could be someone's perfect cat.

BUT:

- it breaks my heart, but I can not take her in too. Initially I wanted to adopt her, but in the mean time I got Harley and Amelie. Please don't judge too rough, I know many of you have 8-9-11 cats, but I am restricted by my circumstances to have these three (my first cat and these kittens I took from the colony). If I were alone, I would take all the colony in. But I am not and life is a compromise, I guess.

- please understand that Romania just started to figure out the TNR thing. We have a couple associations which I contacted already, they are all full and can not take any more cats in, less alone an adult. We do not have cat shelters or sanctuaries, we have some volunteers that take fosters in. I do not have where to search a home for her through official means. I will post her picture and her story everywhere online in .ro sites in hope of finding her a home, but I can only buy her as much time as my vet is willing to keep her in his office.. and after that she has to go back on the street.

This thought (the returning part of TNR) breaks my heart. I knew Verde could never be someone's pet, she is a feral and is doing good on the streets three months after her spaying. But Meka could do so well in a home. She was a wonderful mother for her kittens, she took such good care of them and are both healthy.

So long story short, what is the average life expectancy for a stray cat? In your experience, how much did they live, having some hideout places and constant food? Do you have snow in winter? Did they make it through having an enclosed but not heated space?

Thank you.
 

franksmom

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I am not sure your living circumstances but if you have access to a backyard you could build her an outside enclosure or a cat fence to keep her safe. You can put a little house in there for her to protect her from the elements. 

Here is an example of a simple cat fence using piping:



Unfortunately outdoor cats live about half the length of indoor cats. I guess it is also dependant of where you live if there are a lot of predators and lots of cars. As you are feeding her she does probably have an advantage from other feral cats.

It is really a wonderful thing you are doing fixing and feeding this colony! 
 

StefanZ

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You talk about shelters and sanctuaries.  Or rather, the lack of them.

My reaction is you try to find her a home on your own! Your neigbours, your relatives, your co-workers, your ex-school camrades....

It not easy to find home for a semiferale, but as she is possible to pet, even seeking attention...

With a little guidance anyone could be her human.

Go for it, find her home yourself.  If you do have someone near you - husband, friend, who is good at talking with people, let this person help you too...

Who knows, with a little luck you may find more adoption homes?

Remind them, if a new be to ex-semiferales, it is easier if you do already have a friendly cat.

AND having two cats is often easier than having just one cat.

So, press on these who do already have ONE cat.   :)

Good luck!
 
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irinasak

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Thank you for your replies. Of course I will do my best to find her a home!

If I had a backyard, I would have all the cats there. Unfortunately, I live in a rented apartment (living room and one bedroom) in an apartment building. This colony is located in a 5 minutes walking distance from my home, in a filthy garage that belongs to a restaurant. The owners of the restaurant don't like the cats being there but I don't think they will harm them, I have talked to them several times and they allowed me to go in this garage (which they use as a storage deposit and hardly ever enter) to set the traps.

The outside of this garage is in the parking lot of a supermarket - there are cars there but being a parking lot, they have to drive slowly. The cats coexist with some stray dogs for months now, so I don't think those particular dogs are a danger to them. I think the biggest predators around there are the humans. However, there are at least another two people who feed them, so starvation is not a problem.
 

I know I'm probably boring with all those details, I guess I am just trying to reassure myself that that is not the worse place they could live in.

I hope I am allowed to post photos here, I would like you to see what I am talking about.

Here is the colony before I took the kittens in, Harley and Amelie (who now live with me, my bf and my other cat):


And here is Meka before giving birth in April:


I find their situation so sad
Doing your best for ferals is so heart breaking.
 

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Thanks for trying to help these cats.  I know it is hard not to be able to take them all in but at least you are doing the best you can.  Good luck on finding someone to take Meka in.  Even if you have to put her back out temporarily, you could catch her again if you found someone to take her in.  With regard to some of your questions,  at my old house, I had some ferals that a neighbor and I took care of and she allowed them to go in her garage for shelter (not heated but plenty of stuff to climb onto and she put some old blankets in there).  Two of them are about 8 years old now and very healthy.  We lost a couple over the years.  One of my favorites just quit showing up after a particularly bad cold spell.  My vet said that sometimes when it is really cold, it can cause some cats to go into renal failure?  When it gets cold, try to make sure they have water and plenty of food.  They also need something to shelter them from wind (if you have much wind) because windchill can be a big factor. 
 
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irinasak

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Thank you for your replies.

Meka went through surgery ok. The vet said she was one month and a half pregnant (her previous kittens are now three and a half months, so it is an important wake up call of how often they can give birth). I would really try to avoid the ethical issues of her being pregnant and spayed, but if it comes to a discussion about this I will post more photos of this growing colony and in particular of my Harley, born in the colony, who has a permanent damaged eye because of herpes virus. His mother is a carrier of the virus and would have had all of her kittens infected (she was spayed in May).

Anyway, Meka is not eating. The vet gave her some vitamin shots and some medicines for appetite improvement, but I think it is stress related. She is staying in a cage and is surrounded by total strange things and strangers. I do not think I will keep her there longer than Friday.

In the meantime, I had her photo and her story shared on facebook, a lot of people helped me share, but that is all. We have so many strays and ferals kittens that an adult cat rarely has a chance to be adopted. 
 

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I am sorry Meka isn't feeling well.  I am sure this has all been very stressful for her.  Even if you have to release her back outside, at least you know she is no longer contributing to the stray cat population and her chances of survival are better if she isn't continually having kittens.  I am sure it is hard to try to do something to help stray cats when you are in a place that is just starting to humanely address the issue.  You can only do your best with the resources that you have at your disposal.  In my opinion, it is better to at least try than to look the other way because you know you can't completely fix everything.  I think too many people try to ignore things that are problematic because they hope it will just go away or someone else will deal with it.  The world would be a better place if there were more people like you in it! 
 

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You are a beautiful person for giving all the assistance you can to this colony, and for taking in Harley and Amelie. I hope that they are both keeping well and not too many problems from the herpes virus. (I too have a young cat (now 2 1/2) with herpes, as do many others on the site).  You are helping Meka in every way you can and opening your heart to her which is precious. I hope you are able to find a comfortable future for her that you feel happy with, but even if you can't manage that - know that you have done everything you can to give her a better and healthier life than she has had before. 
 
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irinasak

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Thank you very much for your thoughts.

I had to take the hard decision last night and return her to the colony. She seemed happy to be there. All the cats recognized her within seconds, no smell issues or anything (I was afraid she smelled different and they won't recognize her). Within minutes she was eating and drinking. She jumped on some fences and roofs, so she seems to have recovered well after the surgery.
 

As it breaks my heart to return her there, she was obviously stressed out by being at the vet, hiding in a corner of her cage and not eating. It was not a money related decision returning her, because we are lucky enough to have decent vet bills and they have all sort of discounts for strays. For example, my vet did not charge me anything for the nights she stayed there. I just felt she would be better in the colony than in a cage.

361 people (among these some volunteer associations and NGO's) shared her photo and her story on facebook. Not even a single person took interest in adopting her. We are full of kittens. I come on a daily basis across people saying "I found 11 newborn kittens in a bag, help" so, as I said, an adult is no priority. By the way, she is almost two years old.

If one day she will not be there, I will blame myself but I really don't know what more I can do for her now. I will keep trying to find her a home, temporary or permanent and I will also focus on getting the other female and the two kittens spayed as soon as possible. We still have 3 months of autumn, so maybe I will find a better solution until winter comes...
 

ritz

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It is heart breaking to return an adoptable  (formerly owned, but dumped-abandoned) cat to a feral colony, I've done it a few times.

And it is heart breaking when one of your favorite cats disappears.

But that is the nature of taking care of stray/feral/abandoned cat colonies.  (My colony is located in an apartment complex, surrounded by other apartment complexes and single family dwellings.  High turnover/foreclosure rate.  People move out and leave their cats behind.)

I tell myself that:  I have giving the cats the best shot of surviving in the outdoors--they are TNRd, fed regularly.

I would keep on feeding the stray cats, and meanwhile keep on looking for anyone who would like to adopt a cat.  People's circumstances/situations change; they might not be able to adopt a cat now, but maybe later.

Good luck, and thank you so much for caring.
 

shadowsrescue

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It is so hard to make the decision to return them back outside.  I have TNR'd 4 cats.  Two are currently living on my/around my deck, 1 I did move inside and the other never returned after I released him.  I have been heartbroken since.  He was just the sweetest cat.  I had been trying to trap him for a year without luck.  He must have been very angry with me to not return to his food/shelter source.  I neutered him in March and he was spotted in late May by my brother in the neighborhood close to mine.  He must have moved on.  I still hold out hope he will return some day.  My boys that live on my deck are wonderful.  Yet, I hate it when winter comes.  I have a great shelter with many heat pads for them, but I still worry each and ever night.  I constantly rethink the decisions I have made and wish I had done more or done things differently too.  I try to remember that given the circumstance I did the best I could and I am giving them a better life than they would have had without me.  I realize I cannot save them all, but I try to do what I can.

You did a wonderful thing in caring for her, spaying her, loving her and giving her a chance at life.  Hopefully you can trap some of the others to have spayed/neutered as well.
 
 

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.............................

You did a wonderful thing in caring for her, spaying her, loving her and giving her a chance at life.  Hopefully you can trap some of the others to have spayed/neutered as well.
 
      You offered her something no one else did, and have done everything you can with your heart wide open.  And what is more you are giving her 2 babies a chance of a loving home for life.  You       have given Meka everything you can and by caring for her kittens you are continuing to care for her. 
 
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irinasak

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Thank you for your replies. She is doing well, eating and drinking. I really hope she gains some weight, she was 3.8 kg (8.37 pounds) pregnant.

I have one female and two kittens left to spay. I want to do it now, as we still have nice weather. The female will be a challenge, as she is the most feral of the bunch. My only hope is with a humane trap, as she does not allow me to touch her. The kittens are quite tamed, I can pet them while they eat so I will make my move on them this week. I have shared their photos to some associations and they said they can not take the kittens in as "we are full of cats and these kittens look too common so they have slim chances of getting adopted". They are, as my Harley and Amelie, mackerel tabbies.

I will keep looking for a home for Meka, she is an amazing cat. After all I have done to her (trapped her, took her to a strange place where she hurt - being spayed, kept her in a cage and then returned her to the street) she still comes and asks me to pet her. It makes me cry how much she trusts humans and begs for attention, but it really makes me mad that she comes so close to humans - you never know who can harm her. I would much rather like to see her wary and scared of humans, as a feral should be to protect herself.
 
 
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irinasak

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For two-three days one of the two kittens in the colony was missing. Yesterday evening I went to feed them and Lolo came. He was barely moving and he sort of crashed. I ran home, took the carrier and came back. I rushed him to the vet. He had IV fluids and all sort of shots. Doctor suspected a colitis that, because of diarrhea and vomit, had him severely dehydrated. I had him admitted there and was supposed to come back today to discuss more with the vet about his treatment.

Lolo died last night. I am at loss. He was born on the 28th of April and I couldn't find a solution for him, a home. I was going to neuter him soon and I just gave him his name. He never knew a good life. 4 months and all he knew was life on the street. When I noticed he is not coming for food I hoped someone took him home. But he was dying. Last night I petted him and held him for an hour or so at the vet and when I left him there I thought the worse had passed. I thought that because he came out of his hiding place and I was able to catch him and take him to the vet he would survive.  
 
 
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ondine

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Oh, sweetheart.  I am so sorry to hear about Lolo.  He knew he could trust you to help him, didn't he?  Even though he didn't make it, you did absolutely everything you could.  He's at peace now.
 

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I am so sorry to hear about Lolo. Please keep strong and keep reminding yourself that if it wasn't for your unconditional love and efforts, all these cats would be much worse off. Lolo may not have had a full life, but what he did have is a human to love him and hold him in the end. If only all cats could die like this, in the arms of someone who loves them and who will cry for them!

You are doing an amazing job. We cannot save every cat. I've been involved in cat and dog rescue for as long as I can remember. We can not save everyone. We cannot. Some losses will be had. BUT for those we DO save, it's one heck of a feeling and one heck of an act. You have to balance these things in your mind, otherwise the pain of those you cannot help will crush you and you will burn out. We cannot save them all, but we can save some, maybe most. You're looking good at saving most, which is way more than most people accomplish. You are a good person and you are doing everything in your power. The world would be a much better place if even half its inhabitants were like you. Keep up the good work!
 

krz

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I am so sorry for your loss. Caring for feral colonies and outside cats has much reward and much heartbreak. At least you were able to help him and comfort him. This season in particular the group I volunteer with has seen a very high incident in kitten deaths. It is very sad, but makes our mission to TNR even stronger. Keep up the good work you are doing.
 

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I am sorry for your loss.  I am glad you were there for him in the end.  You were his angel who gave him some comfort at the end.  I think he could sense what a good person you are and that is why he came to you even though he was doing so poorly. 
 

Norachan

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I've been reading your posts about the colony you care for and I think you're doing an amazing job with them all. I'm taking care of a colony of cats too and it can be heartbreaking. In the past three years I've only been able to re-home 1 kitten and I've taken in 14 myself. Some of them aren't with me any more and, in spite of all my efforts, I've lost members of the colony too. Even in a rural area with plenty of barns and empty houses to hide in, as well as nice neighbours who help me feed them, not all of the cats survive.

You've done so well to help as many of them as you have. I feel the same way as you do, I blame myself when ever one of them dies or disappears. We just have to accept that we can't save them all and do our best to help those we can.

You've made a HUGE difference to the cats in your colony, thanks to you their lives are much better than they would have been if just left to fend for themselves. I'd like to give you a big hug to say thank you for everything you're doing.

 
 

shadowsrescue

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You are in my thoughts during this time of sadness.  Lolo knew he could trust you and allowed you to help in the end.  He is at peace now and you were his wonderful angel helping him along his journey.  You gave him love when he needed it most.
 
 
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