Brother Was a Cat Hoarder...

My younger brother had a large number of cats. I say had because he was in a car accident and broke his neck and has a long recovery time ahead of him. He will be fine, but I am taking care of his cats temporarily. In reality, he just let his first two have a litter and never got rid of them. I have taken them on for the time being, but I can't keep them because I have my own pets and my room mates/land lord aren't happy with me having so many animals - I love animals, but 8 cats and a dog are simply too much.

I am willing to keep his two first cats, he's really attached to them, but we are trying to find good homes for the remaining 6. I have been on craigslist for a month practically giving them away which I'm not happy about because I'm afraid of them going to a less than happy home and I'm just not getting any real interest from the populous - everyone wants kittens. I have taken animals to the pound before and it was a terribly heart-breaking experience and I really don't want to have to do that again. I've even considered driving to different counties and giving one cat to an SPCA in each one but I still feel badly about that.

Really, I'd just like your opinions/suggestions on how to get rid of these animals. Does anyone have any good ideas/suggestions?

Thank you!!

Hi Raemhild.

That's heartbreaking. I'm so sorry for your brother and for you. Could you let us know which part of the world you are in and then someone who knows your area could suggest something?

I am so sorry about your brother's accident, but glad he will recover.  That is really a difficult situation for all of you.....the kitties included.   If your area has any non-profit animal rescue organizations/no kill shelters, that would be a possible place to discuss the situation....in our area, we have several  non-profit/no kill shelters and some of them try really hard to accept (even if on a temporary basis) cats and dogs from difficult situations ....one has an agreement with the local Domestic Violence Shelter where they will house a domestic violence victim's pets while they are at the shelter with the understanding that they'll take the pets back when they are situated in a safe location... most of them will also take pets temporarily after disasters like tornadoes, fires, etc.  So, I think if you have non-profits, they would at least be willing to talk to you about possible options....maybe help find a foster home for them until your brother is able to take them back or you can find suitable homes.   Good luck! 

Thank you both for your thoughts.

I am in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex and there are a few non-profits but they have flat out rejected me due to their own overflowing kennels. I understand their situation fully and harbor no ill-will towards them but that still leaves me in a bind.

Your situation is very difficult.  What about the Humane Society or ASPCA?  They are usually no kill.  Our humane society will take possession of animals for a $10 fee.  As long as the cats are healthy and sociable they will be considered for adoption. 

If you are listing on Craigs List, be sure to not offer them for free.  You just don't know what people will do with the cats.  There are actually people out there who use free cats for horrible things (ie feeding it to animals).  So if you offer them for a fee, it helps to weed out some of the crazies. 

When you call the rescues organizations or humane society or other places, plead your case.  Tell them your story and ask them to point you in the direction of help.  Have you tried Facebook?  Maybe there are some friends out there who would want a cat or know someone to help.  Just be sure to meet those who are adopting and go with your gut.

I hope the best for you and the 6 kitties.

You could try calling pet stores and vets around your area and ask if they have any suggestions for you. Some mom and pop pet stores might even be willing to take some of the cats themselves. When I was looking to re-home my turtle in short notice I called quite a few places, and most of them were very helpful and offered useful suggestions. After they turned me down, I just asked if they had any advice or suggestions on where else I could try. For each place I called, I got a phone number from them to call another shelter or facility. Facebook is also a good idea if you haven't tried that already. That's actually how I got my second cat.

You might also contact some of your brother's friends and see if any of them would be willing to foster one or more of his cats until he get better.  Does he belong to any organizations, like a church or AA or NA or any other kind of groups?  Networking would be the best way.  And while he's recovering, be sure to get the unneutered ones fixed asap so they don't continue to multiply.  Yes, there's a rescue on Facebook called RescueMe.org where you can list the cats for free.  Craigs list is the worst possible place, be sure to add a rehoming fee of at least $10 because that's how much a rat costs at most pet stores and people feed live rats to large snakes -- ugh!   You can advertise them free in ebayclassifieds.com, and I've heart that overstock.com is now posting animal ads, but really, your best bet is to find temporary fosters to start with, and then work at finding new good homes.  I would not call having 8 cats being a hoarder, but if they continue to breed, that could turn into a lot more cats very quickly.