What is your life story as an owner of "lost" cats?

simbanalapepper · Jun 8, 2015

P.S. This is my second thread so I do apologize if I posted in the wrong section. Also, this thread is intended for owners of cats that were once strays or ferals but feel free to tell me yours

The purpose of this thread is just for me to gain new insights from users who has had a first-hand experience regarding stray and feral cats. I know people in this site are dedicated animal lovers and I want to know how you started acting on it and how you have maintained it up to this day. Just a brief description would do just fine. And same as my last thread, here are some questions of what I want to know about your story/experience:

Preparing for the journey:

How did you convince your family members to agree and help you with taking care of stray cats?
What did you do to make your home be able accomodate animals?
Was deciding to rehabilitate stray cats a conscious choice or a spur of the moment?

Running the day-to-day activities:

Starting out, how did managing to let family members spend money on vet check-ups, supplies, meds, and spay/neuter go?
How did you deal with the added financial costs of taking care of the animals? (i.e. Vet bills, litter box, litter, etc)
May you outline your daily routine from early feeding the cats until before the next day? (i.e. cleaning the litter boxes, socializing at " " )
On average, how much are you spending on supplies? ( e.g. do you buy re-stock weekly, monthly, etc?)

Learning what works:

What is the cheapest yet effective way to keep your cats healthy? (both indoor and outdoor cats)
In you opinion, Is it important to have cats develop self-immunity against germs or keep them protected by vaccines?
For you, what is the best way to maintain the cleanliness of the litter box area ( indoor and outdoor ) and feeding area?
In retrospect, does rescuing cats fulfill something in you? What is your primary motivation in helping take care of cats?

I am already well informed about the importance of spaying/neutering so I didn't include it in the list of questions. In summary, this thread actually asks the question "How do you effectively take care of cats that were once strays/ferals?" I have much to ask but I want keeping your replies as short as possible. If you're wondering why I am asking such things, it is because I'm also planning to take this caring-for-animals thing as a possible career path apart from learning firsthand on what it would take to raise them. A warmth response would be appreciated. Thank you!

shadowsrescue · Jun 8, 2015

I don't have time right now to answer all of your questions, but I did want to reply and state that before you go any further in the care of your cats, they all need to be spayed/neutered. If not, you are going to have a HUGE problem on your hand. Being a responsible pet owner is the very first step in caring for ferals/strays or pets. If you are allowing unspayed or unneutered pets to be outside, that is not being a responsible owner. It is being a part of a huge problem throughout the world. If you cannot afford to have them spayed/neutered then you need to find them homes where people can afford to spay/neuter and/or keep them inside. The cost of caring for a few pets is still expensive. Spaying, neutering and shots are the least of the expense. Cats need proper vet care each year as well as food and shelter. All of which is expensive. The more pets you have, the more expensive. If you start with two cats that are not spayed and neutered right before your very eyes you will have more cats than you know what do with.

Caring for animals takes love and compassion, yet it also takes finances. Maybe there is a rescue organization in your area that can help you.

So before you jump ahead, you need to get your cat spayed/neutered ASAP. Then you can start to think about the rest. Yet I will be very honest, caring for cats is not cheap. It is unfair to keep so many pets if you cannot afford to do so. That is how they end up on the streets where they continue to breed. It is so very very sad. I have had 10 stray/feral cats on my property the past 5 years. Not a one of them was neutered. They all were abandoned. They then became my responsibility. It is not cheap and the care is each and every single day. You cannot decide one day to just not care for them. It takes time and dedication and it is not a career where you make money. You only spend it! You can make a career out of caring for animals but rescuing cats is purely volunteer unless you work for a vet or humane society.

I wish you well on your quest. You have lots of determination.

msaimee · Jun 8, 2015

I live alone so I don't need to worry about accommodating other family members or relying upon them for financial help.

I have 5 rescued cats indoors and 1 feral outdoors. In my home I have a large cat tree for them in a spare room, and toys upstairs and downstairs, and litter boxes and free standing food stations on both floors so they feel they have enough space and food.

I've always tried to help cats and other animals in need. For the past 15 years I've lived on a dead end suburban street with some woods around us and people sometimes dump off their unwanted cats--so my neighbors and I have been in the cat rescue business for a while. I never set out to have 6 cats to take care of, it's just where I'm at right now.

Finances are tough. I do without some things for myself in order to take care of the cats. I buy food and litter in bulk at Petsmart--buying in bulk is more economical. Certain cats I take to the Humane Society rabies vaccination clinics--that saves money on vet visits, and the past year I've started to use FishMox for antibiotic treatment for minor infections instead of trips to the vet. I buy Frontline on Amazon at a third of the market price. My vet prescribes my one cat's thyroid medication and I have it filled at a local supermarket, which is much cheaper than if I'd purchased it from the vet office. I use coupons for food treats. I bought the cat tree from ebay.

When not at work, I wake up at sunrise to feed my feral, then spend a half hour putting out fresh food/water and cleaning the litter boxes of my indoor cats, and giving the one cat his medication. I repeat this routine at night. During the day I change water and clean litter at least 3-4 additional times.

In order to keep the cats healthy, I feed a good premium brand of cat food (no Meow Mix or cheap brands). I feed Purina One Smart Blend, which isn't the top grade, but a good grade of food, also Fancy Feast wet food. which I buy in bulk. I give them Greenie food treats for their teeth. I comb their fur, trim their nails, and keep up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations. I play with them. I provide a warm pet house for my outdoor feral in the winter time on my porch. They all get attention and love and proper veterinary care when needed.

It's time consuming and at times stressful to care for rescued cats, and many of them at least initially have some social issues--but they are loving little friends and I'm happy to share my home with them.

ondine · Jun 8, 2015

In summary, this thread actually asks the question "How do you effectively take care of cats that were once strays/ferals?" I have much to ask but I want keeping your replies as short as possible. If you're wondering why I am asking such things, it is because I'm also planning to take this caring-for-animals thing as a possible career path apart from learning firsthand on what it would take to raise them. A warmth response would be appreciated. Thank you!

I started out when we found an abandoened litter of kittens ten years ago. Mom was a feral who lived near my workplace. An office mate took two kittens and I took the other two. Six months later, another feral cat brought her two kittens to our back yard. Shortly after that, two other strays showed up, bringing our total to six. (The feral mom was TNR'd).

In between, I found homes for 54 other neighborhood strays. This illustrates the importance of spaying and neutering as 43 of those 54 were from ONE cat that a neighbor refused to spay. She eventually died and thankfully, he decided not to keep any of the offspring.

Things settled for a bit but two years ago, another two strays showed up - one is definitely related to that neighbor's cat - they all have round faces and destinctlive voices. These two are in a new enclosure as we had no more room inside. Two of our inside cats are also related to the neighbor's cat

I often say our cats don't live in a house - we live in a sanctuary. Our house is pretty cat centered - we have seven trees and five large litter boxes (actually 30 gallon totes) scattered throughout the house. More cat toys than PerSmart! We scoop litter boxes daily. I won't say our lives revolve around them but I made them a promise I would make their lives as peaceful as possible, so we do a lot to keep things calm and routine.

A career path helping animals is really admirable. I hope you are able to pursue that goal.

simbanalapepper · Jun 10, 2015

ShadowsRescue said:
I don't have time right now to answer all of your questions, but I did want to reply and state that before you go any further in the care of your cats, they all need to be spayed/neutered. If not, you are going to have a HUGE problem on your hand. Being a responsible pet owner is the very first step in caring for ferals/strays or pets. If you are allowing unspayed or unneutered pets to be outside, that is not being a responsible owner. It is being a part of a huge problem throughout the world. If you cannot afford to have them spayed/neutered then you need to find them homes where people can afford to spay/neuter and/or keep them inside. The cost of caring for a few pets is still expensive. Spaying, neutering and shots are the least of the expense. Cats need proper vet care each year as well as food and shelter. All of which is expensive. The more pets you have, the more expensive. If you start with two cats that are not spayed and neutered right before your very eyes you will have more cats than you know what do with.

Caring for animals takes love and compassion, yet it also takes finances. Maybe there is a rescue organization in your area that can help you.

So before you jump ahead, you need to get your cat spayed/neutered ASAP. Then you can start to think about the rest. Yet I will be very honest, caring for cats is not cheap. It is unfair to keep so many pets if you cannot afford to do so. That is how they end up on the streets where they continue to breed. It is so very very sad. I have had 10 stray/feral cats on my property the past 5 years. Not a one of them was neutered. They all were abandoned. They then became my responsibility. It is not cheap and the care is each and every single day. You cannot decide one day to just not care for them. It takes time and dedication and it is not a career where you make money. You only spend it! You can make a career out of caring for animals but rescuing cats is purely volunteer unless you work for a vet or humane society.

I wish you well on your quest. You have lots of determination.

Yes you're right about spaying/neutering. I used to be ignorant of the benefits of that. Then, having come across articles about the importance of spaying/neutering along with the combination of shelter stories, I am more than convinced that it is the way to help promote responsibility in taking care of animals. That is why right now I am prioritizing to get them all spayed and my other male kitten neutered as school is about to start where I live in otherwise it will be harder for me to take them to the vet. To be honest, I'm not really after work to earn money. I've realized that doing a public service for the benefit of others is much more fulfilling and makes life more bearable, and working closely with the rehabilitation of animals serves just that interest of mine. I do realize it would take more energy and lesser salary but the payoff is great right! Humanely speaking that is.

simbanalapepper · Jun 26, 2015

MsAimee said:
I live alone so I don't need to worry about accommodating other family members or relying upon them for financial help.

I have 5 rescued cats indoors and 1 feral outdoors. In my home I have a large cat tree for them in a spare room, and toys upstairs and downstairs, and litter boxes and free standing food stations on both floors so they feel they have enough space and food.

I've always tried to help cats and other animals in need. For the past 15 years I've lived on a dead end suburban street with some woods around us and people sometimes dump off their unwanted cats--so my neighbors and I have been in the cat rescue business for a while. I never set out to have 6 cats to take care of, it's just where I'm at right now.

Finances are tough. I do without some things for myself in order to take care of the cats. I buy food and litter in bulk at Petsmart--buying in bulk is more economical. Certain cats I take to the Humane Society rabies vaccination clinics--that saves money on vet visits, and the past year I've started to use FishMox for antibiotic treatment for minor infections instead of trips to the vet. I buy Frontline on Amazon at a third of the market price. My vet prescribes my one cat's thyroid medication and I have it filled at a local supermarket, which is much cheaper than if I'd purchased it from the vet office. I use coupons for food treats. I bought the cat tree from ebay.

When not at work, I wake up at sunrise to feed my feral, then spend a half hour putting out fresh food/water and cleaning the litter boxes of my indoor cats, and giving the one cat his medication. I repeat this routine at night. During the day I change water and clean litter at least 3-4 additional times.

In order to keep the cats healthy, I feed a good premium brand of cat food (no Meow Mix or cheap brands). I feed Purina One Smart Blend, which isn't the top grade, but a good grade of food, also Fancy Feast wet food. which I buy in bulk. I give them Greenie food treats for their teeth. I comb their fur, trim their nails, and keep up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations. I play with them. I provide a warm pet house for my outdoor feral in the winter time on my porch. They all get attention and love and proper veterinary care when needed.

It's time consuming and at times stressful to care for rescued cats, and many of them at least initially have some social issues--but they are loving little friends and I'm happy to share my home with them.

Wow. And you do all these by yourself? That's amazing. My cats are rather leaning on the lazy side because they rarely play with their toys but other than that they are fine and eating well. It's good that your neighbours are supportive of the cat rescue thing. Mine doesn't really care about taking care of the strays, let alone do TNRs.That's why there's the constant problem of uneutered tomcats hanging around our property (hence my unspayed cat getting pregnant). Also, our neighborhouod doesn't have s strong awareness about the stray population so there's little to do about the "loose" cats. Anyway, it's nice that you have access to cheap medication/supplements for your cats. Still waiting for the day when they can start shipping in my country. In the meantime, I am scouting for alternatives in one of our pet markets here. Hopefully it doesn't cost twice as much. I agree with you that buying in bulk is economical and not to mention, cheaper. Your routine is closely similar to mine. I'm glad I'm not the only one who does all the taking care from litter box cleaning to feeding/ grooming.( Though you live alone and I don't) Thanks for the story! Got to know some really good information

What is your life story as an owner of "lost" cats?

simbanalapepper

TCS Member

Thread starter

Preparing for the journey:

Running the day-to-day activities:

Learning what works:

shadowsrescue

TCS Member

msaimee

TCS Member

ondine

TCS Member

simbanalapepper

TCS Member

Thread starter

simbanalapepper

TCS Member

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