Cat hanging in my yard

terestrife

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I have a neighbor that for years has cared for the neighborhood cats. Before i adopted my own cat, i would call her the neighborhood cat lady. lol She just lets the cats breed for years now, and she feeds them.


Anyway, in my home we have 3 dogs and a cat. I cannot adopt anymore cats. I am at least feeding this cat a can of food daily, i think she even shares it with another cat that doesnt stay in my yard all day, this other cat just comes by, eats and leaves.

But one cat (i call her Gatica) is around my yard all day. She was so thin the first day that her stomach had deep hollows in them. My mom checked her and it seems to be a girl. We are considering having her spayed. But i dont know if we would have to bring her in while she heals? We dont have much space to separate her from the other animals. And I cant risk my indoor cat Kitty, especially if this cat doesnt have shots.

Im really confused on how to handle this situation. Any advice would be appreciated.

I live in MIA, Fl, in case that info is relevant?
 

ondine

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Definitely have her spayed.  When they spay her, they can give her shots as well.  She will need a quiet place for just a couple of days.  Do you have a large dog crate (or can you borrow one)?  You can put the dog crate in a garage or shed for protection - or a basement if you have one.

Cover the crate with a blanket - it will help keep her calm.  You can put a carrier or a blanket and a small potty in the crate.  Again, she only needs a couple of days recuperation, so you shouldn't have a problem with keeping her from your other animals.

Spaying her will be beneficial for you both.  If you don't, she will eventually bring her kittens to your house because it looks like she's claimed your yard as her territory.  Once she is spayed, she can be your yard cat.  Providing her with a small house, in addition to feeding her, will be a kind and generous thing to do.
 

ziggy'smom

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Yes, please get this girl spayed as soon as you can. Since you live in a warm climate the cats will be breeding all year long and with her not being in the best health it would be devastating if she got pregnant.

The other cats in the neighborhood need to be fixed too. It's work but it's so necessary to make sure your neighborhood don't become overrun with cats and the cats suffer and die. Life for a stray cat is brutal and many kittens don't see their first birthday. The good news is that in Miami-Dade the county provides FREE TNR for all county cats that needs it so you and your neighbors don't have to pay anything to get this female cat and the others fixed. You also don't have to house the cats while they heal. All you have to do is trap the cats and bring them to the county Animal Service Department and they will get them fixed and bring them back to the community once ready to be released. They have traps too. Here is more info about that program: http://www.miamidade.gov/animals/trap-neuter-return.asp

Maybe you can present this to your neighbor to see if she's willing to work with you to get them all TNR'd. There may also be some local groups that have volunteers that can help.

If feeding the stray cat canned food gets too expensive dry food will do just fine and is much cheaper. A big bag of Purina Cat Chow is only about $13 and should last a couple of months for one cat.

Once you get kitty fixed and vaccinated maybe you could get some good pictures of her and try to find her a home.

Good luck!
 
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terestrife

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Yes, please get this girl spayed as soon as you can. Since you live in a warm climate the cats will be breeding all year long and with her not being in the best health it would be devastating if she got pregnant.

The other cats in the neighborhood need to be fixed too. It's work but it's so necessary to make sure your neighborhood don't become overrun with cats and the cats suffer and die. Life for a stray cat is brutal and many kittens don't see their first birthday. The good news is that in Miami-Dade the county provides FREE TNR for all county cats that needs it so you and your neighbors don't have to pay anything to get this female cat and the others fixed. You also don't have to house the cats while they heal. All you have to do is trap the cats and bring them to the county Animal Service Department and they will get them fixed and bring them back to the community once ready to be released. They have traps too. Here is more info about that program: http://www.miamidade.gov/animals/trap-neuter-return.asp

Maybe you can present this to your neighbor to see if she's willing to work with you to get them all TNR'd. There may also be some local groups that have volunteers that can help.

If feeding the stray cat canned food gets too expensive dry food will do just fine and is much cheaper. A big bag of Purina Cat Chow is only about $13 and should last a couple of months for one cat.

Once you get kitty fixed and vaccinated maybe you could get some good pictures of her and try to find her a home.

Good luck!
Thanks! I ended up taking her today to the Miami Dade Animal Serv. department. I have to say, i felt so bad leaving her there.
There were so many cats there, it made me realize that what i was doing, really is for the best. I still feel awful about it though/
 

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I very much disagree with your decision. TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) is the best, most humane solution. I am very sad to know this kitty will now be euthanized, and you may find that cats will continue to come into your yard. You can take them all in to be euthanized, that is your choice. But more cats will likely come. As you have noted, there is a steady food source in the area. The best thing would be to get all of them spayed and neutered and let the colony stabilize. Studies have shown that TNR is a more effective method of lowering the outdoor cat population as opposed to trap-and-euthanize. Plus, it is a lot less sad. I hope you reach out to your neighbor and offer to help get the colony TNR'd, especially since you live in a city with such a good program.
 
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terestrife

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I very much disagree with your decision. TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) is the best, most humane solution. I am very sad to know this kitty will now be euthanized, and you may find that cats will continue to come into your yard. You can take them all in to be euthanized, that is your choice. But more cats will likely come. As you have noted, there is a steady food source in the area. The best thing would be to get all of them spayed and neutered and let the colony stabilize. Studies have shown that TNR is a more effective method of lowering the outdoor cat population as opposed to trap-and-euthanize. Plus, it is a lot less sad. I hope you reach out to your neighbor and offer to help get the colony TNR'd, especially since you live in a city with such a good program.
No, i was replying to the above response that told me to take this cat to Miami dade Animal services, they offer free TNR there. I meant i felt bad leaving her there because i knew she was getting spayed, and she was going to be all by herself. I knew she was scared, and i felt bad. I would never take an animal to a shelter, knowing most of them will be put down. We have all grown attached to her, and have even named her Elsa. If it wasnt for us having 3 dogs and a cat, i would gladly bring her inside.
i will keep feeding her outside though.

Edit: another neighbor of mine has also spayed the cat thats in her yard. Ill keep seeing about taking the cats whenever i can. Its tough though, some of them are so untrusting.
 
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ondine

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So good to know this kitty will have a chance.  And kudos to you and your neighbor for getting them help.  Many of us have found that once a colony gets established, the frequency of other cats coming into the area slows.  The cats seem to know just how far the resources can go.

Thanks for the update!
 
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terestrife

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So good to know this kitty will have a chance.  And kudos to you and your neighbor for getting them help.  Many of us have found that once a colony gets established, the frequency of other cats coming into the area slows.  The cats seem to know just how far the resources can go.

Thanks for the update!
I am picking her up tomorrow. The man there told me to keep her in a crate for a few hours and then release her.

But wont she still be in pain? I dont have a garage, basement, or attic, where i can keep her. My house is basically, bedrooms, and bathrooms. And the dogs have the run of the house. lol

I was wondering if she would be okay in my yard? Or if i should figure out a way to bring her in?
 

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I have the same issue right now with a feral TNR I had spayed yesterday.  Like you, I have no place to keep her so I had to release her right away.  It is not ideal but sometimes you really don't have another option. You are doing the best you can and made the right decision to have her spayed so do not doubt yourself.  More than likely they gave her a time release pain shot that will last for around 3 days and an extra antibiotic shot.  Cats are very tough and surprise me everyday.  I have been keeping an eye on my new one and she seems to be doing ok. Coming over and eating and then going back to the barn where she lives.  Just make sure your kitty has a warm, clean place to sleep and try to monitor her behavior as best as you can.  She may think this sucks right now, but it is way better than going through the pain of heat and unwanted kittens. Kudos to you and your neighbor on helping take care of the ferals. They are magnificent and brave creatures that need our help. Good luck!! 
 
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taurinecat

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Oh! I apologize for misunderstanding. I volunteer on the phones for my local TNR clinic and I am very used to hearing people want to just bring cats to animal services so they don't have to think about or see them anymore. I am glad I was wrong!
 
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terestrife

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I have the same issue right now with a feral TNR I had spayed yesterday.  Like you, I have no place to keep her so I had to release her right away.  It is not ideal but sometimes you really don't have another option. You are doing the best you can and made the right decision to have her spayed so do not doubt yourself.  More than likely they gave her a time release pain shot that will last for around 3 days and an extra antibiotic shot.  Cats are very tough and surprise me everyday.  I have been keeping an eye on my new one and she seems to be doing ok. Coming over and eating and then going back to the barn where she lives.  Just make sure your kitty has a warm, clean place to sleep and try to monitor her behavior as best as you can.  She may think this sucks right now, but it is way better than going through the pain of heat and unwanted kittens. Kudos to you and your neighbor on helping take care of the ferals. They are magnificent and brave creatures that need our help. Good luck!! 
This is good advice, thanks! We will keep an eye on her. I wish i had a barn for her. =( All i have is a plastic container that i built for her to sleep in, to keep her out of the rain.
 
Oh! I apologize for misunderstanding. I volunteer on the phones for my local TNR clinic and I am very used to hearing people want to just bring cats to animal services so they don't have to think about or see them anymore. I am glad I was wrong!
Its okay, i cant fault you for caring for these animals, when most people dont. I recently read this article about a woman that took an old dying dog to an animal shelter, because she didnt want to deal with the expense. And yet it says in the article that she adopted a new animal that same day, a new puppy.
 
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terestrife

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How long can a cat go without using the bathroom? We let her out to pee and hang out from 2-8pm. Then my mom put her inside in a crate, because its very cold outside. she said she is leaving her in the crate overnight, because its cold outside today. which is rare for florida.

will she last the entire night without needing to pee? my mom says that if she wakes up early and its not cold out, that she'll let her out earlier.

I saw her using the bathroom after lunch, which was at 2pm. I dont know if she used it after that.
 

ondine

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Sorry this took so long - probably too late now. But a small litter box in the rate would have solved the problem. If she absolutely had to go, she would have. It would have just had to be cleaned up. Hope she came through the night OK.
 
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