A potentially bad situation

Found out last night that a colleague of mine who's been very active in rescue work and TNR has gotten in way over her head. Apparently she now has dozens of cats in her home and the place is filthy creating a health hazard for her and the kitties. Rather than trying to find homes for the cats, she's been keeping them. Some people in the local cat community think it may a hoarding situation and several of her friends are trying to figure out what to do that will be best for her and the cats.

Please send good vibes this way for everybody involved. This is a very caring lady, well-intentioned woman who has just taken on more than she can handle. Thanks.

Been there, done that have the tee-shirt! For me it was 23 cats (I lost eight that year). I lost them because I had over-extended what I did and taken on to many and lost track of them individually. They were cleaning out a mobile home park in town and trapping cats right and left- they had no room for them anywhere else, and I kept saying to myself- "what's one more?" Well, I learned what happened to "what's one more." Hopefully, this woman will also come to her senses. As sad as it is to say, you simply cannot save them all. So you put the ones down that are so sickly or ill and you concentrate on those you can save.

I have a friend in a similiar situation...she does TNK (trap, neuter, keep). The problem is she is up to 40 cats in her house. When I tried to suggest a few might be better in homes..she had excuses like "this one pees all over" (well..imagine trying to compete with 39 other cats for a few litter boxes) and "this one is really scared"...well, if you don't get a chance to socialize them because you have so many, the cat doesn't get a chance to become more friendly. What I suggested to her was to reach out to see about finding temporarily foster homes for a few of the cats so that they can get more individual attention and a better chance to find a forever home.

Katie

P.S. They are all spayed/neutered.

Please update us on how the lady and her cats are doing. Thanks!

Originally Posted by Beckiboo

Please update us on how the lady and her cats are doing. Thanks!

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From what I've heard, several of her friends have approached her with their concerns. She's willing to admit there's a problem. Now it's just a matter of logistics - what to do with all the cats. Our local shelters are full, so there's a search on for good foster homes.

thats so sad. and whats even sadder is that there are so many cats in need that she is able to save and keep so many.

Poor woman, i really feel for her. it mst be hard to know when there really isnt room for 'just one more'

That is sad. I hope some people can help her out. It is a scary thought for many people in rescue, to get overwhelmed! For her sake, and the kitties, I hope it works out.

Once you get involved with rescue work it can happen easier than some would think. The problem is of course there are so many homeless cats and not enough people willing to care for them. So we wind up getting overwhelmed with the expense and the sheer work. Just my two cents here.

That is the reason why i wont keep fosters, i prefer to save the limited funds i have for if an exceptionally needy cat comes along. I have a friend who started helping with TNR a year ago, she had one cat at the time. She now has about 15 (she loses count on a regular basis) and says that any cat she takes in that struggles to get homed can stay with her!! I really hope she never gets in the situation above. I did get told by a local rescue that it is quite common with independent rescues, as they dont have the funds a branch of a large shelter will, nor can they fundraise unless they register as a charity.