animal control trapped cats Help!

My daughter just came by and the animal control told her she had to get rid of her outside cats. She is crying and I don't know what to do. She has them inside now, but she has 6 cats already. Everyone in her neighborhood has outside cats. They are coming today in 2 hours. Even the ones that complained about the cats have an outside cat. Can they do this? Please help fast

I don't know if they can do that or not, I hope someone can help you with that.

Someone had to complain about the cats before AC will get involved, usually they don't bother with outside, Perhaps you have one or two nuisance complaints against the group or a neighbor who has been making a pest of himself over the phone because he hates cats. Are these cats outside 24/7?

Oh i know how she feels. But if there is a way to make sure they are spade/nurtured they shouldn't take them? Well….thats how it works her in California? Much luck to you and hugs to your daughter.

yes her neighbor lady was feeding them and she was put in a nursing home so they went to my daughters house and she told the lady she would take care of them. She was having them neutered next week. Her neighbor said they were messing in their yard and walked all over their car. They have a cat too.

Originally Posted by Darla S

yes her neighbor lady was feeding them and she was put in a nursing home so they went to my daughters house and she told the lady she would take care of them. She was having them neutered next week. Her neighbor said they were messing in their yard and walked all over their car. They have a cat too.

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Has your daughter tried talking to these neighbors about her plans to TNR these cats. Also...if they are going into the neighbors yard, is there a way that your daughter can confine them in her yard, either with an enclosure or with cat fencing??

Katie

When neighbors complain about ferals and start calling animal control
Question from a member:
There are stray cats living in the woods across the street from my house. I wanted to try to catch them, spay/neuter and release them back. My neighbors are against this. One says they are urinating on her porch and the other says they are using her garden as a litter box and killing birds at her feeder. What do you do when your neighbors won't wait to give you time to show TNR works, or find alternatives, and call animal control that euthanizes the cats? The cats are being euthanized immediately so I don't have time to do much.
Response from Nathan:
As an animal control facility, we field neighbor "nuisance" complaints on a daily basis - both sides, the neighbor doing the complaining and the person who is the subject of the complaint. My first question is ALWAYS, "Have you sat down and talked to your neighbor yet?" I am amazed at how often the answer is No. They are your neighbors. You have to live next to each other. So we need to go over, knock on the door, bring a cup of coffee, and sit down and talk. Sometimes our neighbors are nut jobs and that isn't possible. That is the extreme. Once again, we cannot let extreme scenarios dictate policies for groups.

So with neighbors, it is important to listen closely and ask questions. In one case, a neighbor demanded, without explanation, that a caregiver stop feeding cats in the neighborhood! After asking several questions, she discovered the neighbor was upset because he didn't like cat footprints on his new car. To keep the peace, the caregiver bought her neighbor a car cover and he never complained again. By asking questions and offering solutions, it becomes possible to focus on the person's specific concerns rather than their generalized objections to feral cats.

Sit down and talk. Calmly share your concerns with the goal of amicably resolving the problem. It can be a good idea to prepare a small packet of written materials in support of caring for feral cats. If relations are seriously strained, community mediation services may be beneficial.

Offer concrete solutions! Once you have determined what the person's specific complaints are, you can address them. If you haven't had the cats neutered yet, do so, and let your neighbor know how much it will improve the cats' behavior while gradually decreasing the size of the colony. Offer to keep litter boxes in your backyard for cats to use, or put a cat fence around your yard.

Explain the value of TNR. TNR is the most humane and effective way to control feral cat populations and minimize the most common concerns people raise about feral cats. Be sure to explain the ramifications of trapping the cats and taking them to an animal shelter: most will be killed since feral cats are not candidates for adoption. In addition, more cats-probably unneutered-will move back into the area starting the cycle all over again.

Here are suggestions for more specific concerns:

Wild animals: Feed cats during the day and pick up any leftover food once the cats have eaten. Other humane deterrents are described in our fact sheets on "Living with Wildlife".

Kittens: Spay/neuter will prevent more kittens from being born. In some cases, feral kittens can be socialized and adopted.

Spraying, fighting, howling: Neutering quickly reduces or eliminates these behaviors. Regular and sufficient feeding will also prevent fighting.

Cats using yard as a litter box: Caregivers can place covered, sand-filled litter boxes in their yards, and/or offer to periodically clean the neighbor's yard.

I am really surprised about this. If you call Animal Control here in Tucson with a feral cat problem, they will talk to you, but they never, never come out.

We called in a complaint about a neighbor not taking care of their puppy. Myself and another neighbor had to check it a couple of times a day to make sure the little one had food and water. We couldn't get Animal Control to come out.

Where in Oklahoma do you live? Did animal control tell her anything else? Like is there a law about how many cats she can have? Must she get their shots in order to get the cats released?

The law is It shall be unlawful for any dog, cat or other animal owned, harbored or possessed by any person to run or be at large within the city, regardless or where the owner may reside or otherwise keep such animal. Any animal at large shall be taken by the animal control officer to the city animal shelter and confined in a humane manner for a period of not less than 72 hours and thereafter be disposed of in a humane manner if not claimed by its owner or requested for adoption. Even if she gets the cats back if she does not keep them inside they will capture them and fine her.

is there any way she can build an outside enclosure or put up a fence that a cat can't get through? I know when we finally got our enclosure finished the neighbors cheered. We couldn't stop the cats from getting on cars, locked in sheds, barns or garages while they roamed free. Now they have a large safe place to hang out and no more complaints from neighbors are coming in.

Her husband just finished the wood fence for her dogs. They just don't have the money. I wish I could help them. How much does it cost? Just a simple one. We are broke too. I wanted to ask you how long does it usually take the organizations to get the vouchers for spaying and neutering? It has been 3 weeks and I haven't heard anything.

Originally Posted by Darla S

Her husband just finished the wood fence for her dogs. They just don't have the money. I wish I could help them. How much does it cost? Just a simple one. We are broke too. I wanted to ask you how long does it usually take the organizations to get the vouchers for spaying and neutering? It has been 3 weeks and I haven't heard anything.

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Scroll down until you come to the "thrifty style"....it cost the person $20 to make:

http://www.animalnetwork.com/cats/enclosure.asp

Here is another person who built an enclosure:

http://www.brushyland.com/cats/enclose.htm

Here is another one:

http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/P...enclosure.html

Another one:

http://www.xmission.com/~emailbox/catrun.htm

As far as the spaying/neutering certificates...I would contact them again and ask about how long it takes.

Katie

We have that law here too. They call it a leash law. Cats have to be on a leash. Dogs have to be on a leash. Then we get mean dogs running all over the streets and they take it out on the cats. I've never been attacked by a pack of wild cats.

As far as the 72 hours, isn't it to check for diseases? If they have shots it's my understanding she can get them back out. If they dont' have shots it's my understanding that she has to pay $50 per animal to get them out, and she gets that back whenever she brings back proof of shots. Probably neutering also.

I'm not a legal expert, and don't even know if your animal control is the same as mine. I do know most of our vets here have half price shots one afternoon each week.

Originally Posted by Kathylou

We have that law here too. They call it a leash law. Cats have to be on a leash. Dogs have to be on a leash. Then we get mean dogs running all over the streets and they take it out on the cats. I've never been attacked by a pack of wild cats.

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You are 100% right about the foolishness of this law! Common sense says that cats are not dogs and there are no packs of wild cats running amok and causing havoc anywhere in this country, yet somehow local officials think that imposing leash laws for cats is a great and necessary idea. It's mind boggling.

As for specifics, though, if the cats are friendly then they need to be brought indoors.

If they are not, they need to be very well fed. This means special treats like tuna, cooked chicken, Fancy Feast, etc. This will make them much less interested in Animal Control's traps.

Then, of course, it is essential that they are spayed/neutered and vaccinated. If they ever are impounded by animal control then having their vet records will count as proof of ownership to get them out of the shelter. Plus if they are not spayed/neutered they will just keep reproducing and it is a whole lot cheaper in the long run to spay and neuter a couple of cats now rather than try to keep up with endless litters of kittens each year. So really it's an investment, even if it is costly up front.

Also, your daughter needs to find out exactly what the neighbors' issues are with the cats and do what is necessary to resolve the issue. Few people are so petty that they think that just seeing a cat out their back window is a horrible intrusion on their rights. Usually there is a specific complaint, for example if the cats are using the garden as a litterbox, or if cat food is being left out at all hours and attracting vermin, or if they are having litters of kittens under their porch, etc. Whatever the problem, there is almost always a real solution.

Animal control said they have lady that takes all the male cats to her farm to be mousers and that is what they decided to do. My daughter is meeting with her to make sure this will happen. It is not fair, because most of her neighbors have cats outside. My daughter said 2 of them are so loving and need attention. It took her almost a year to get them to let her pet them. One is still very scared, but still eats with the others. All 3 of the cats are males. The neighbor that turned them in is in drugs and she can't really talk with them. Her husband works until almost 3 in the morning so I am afraid of what they would do to her if she makes a fuss. She said there is no reasoning with them. I tell my kids every day. Life is not fair and most laws only apply to the poor. She just can't keep the cats in. She has 2 German Shepherd-lab mix dogs, a rabbit and 6 cats already. The only solution to keep all 3 of them together is to let the lady keep them. She is meeting her today. I will let you know how it goes

Originally Posted by Darla S

Animal control said they have lady that takes all the male cats to her farm to be mousers and that is what they decided to do. My daughter is meeting with her to make sure this will happen. It is not fair, because most of her neighbors have cats outside. My daughter said 2 of them are so loving and need attention. It took her almost a year to get them to let her pet them. One is still very scared, but still eats with the others. All 3 of the cats are males. The neighbor that turned them in is in drugs and she can't really talk with them. Her husband works until almost 3 in the morning so I am afraid of what they would do to her if she makes a fuss. She said there is no reasoning with them. I tell my kids every day. Life is not fair and most laws only apply to the poor. She just can't keep the cats in. She has 2 German Shepherd-lab mix dogs, a rabbit and 6 cats already. The only solution to keep all 3 of them together is to let the lady keep them. She is meeting her today. I will let you know how it goes

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At least Animal Control has given your daughter an option rather than euthanizing the cats.

Katie

Will the cats get neutered and get their shots before being released? I sure hope so.

Although it is sad that your daughter is losing her ferals, how nice that they will have a place to go! It is very nice of that lady to take ferals from the shelter so they do not get euthanized. I just wonder at her only taking males, maybe they don't get neutered first?

I hope this situation works out for the best of all involved, cats and people.

I am sorry I haven't gotten back to you on this,but my daughter-in-law is in the hospital. She is pregnant and they think she has appendicitis. She is doing fine, but they don't want to operate. It is kinda scary. Anyway my daughter and I went to the animal shelter and waited an hour for the lady to take her cats. We wanted to see her and talk with her and find out if they would be cared for and if she even liked cats. We are afraid they will never get petted or even doctored if needed. She didn't show up so we had them call her. She had never even said she would pick them up.It wasnt the animal shelters fault. It was the control officer. I don't like him. The lady told my daughter they will be put to sleep tomorrow, which is today now, if you don't take them. The little one was still in the cat trap.No food or water or litter box. When we first got there I asked if we could put them in with the other buddies of his. He was so scared. All scrunched in the back of the trap. When we got him in the cage with his orange friends they all curled up together. That is just a horrible place. This is Miami, Okla. The ones that volunteer are trying to do all they can, but no help from the City. They said the officers only buy ol-roy dog food for the cats and the dogs. Plus they make them put them down quicker because the police in Miami don't like to check on the animals at night and weekends. They were having to water out the cages on weekends. They said the police refused to clean after cats. If they can't clean a cat cage, I would hate to see them in any other situation. Lazy, Lazy uncaring people. The people that work the animal shelter are doing everything they can against the odds. I asked if we could make a website so people could view the animals and the lady was so sad. She said by the time anyone saw the animals they were already gone. So I am seeing all the faces of the cats and dogs I saw and thinking they don't deserve this. If we had not went to check this out the cats would have been put down and we would have thought they got a home. I know that is what the officer wanted us to think too. I wanted to walk up and call him a liar. I noticed when we arrived he wouldn't even look at us and then he walked in the back room and I never saw him again. We put the scared, confused cats back in her house. The lady that was supposed to get them told her to keep them and she would find someone to take care of them. I really don't know what to do. She is thinking of the cat fence again, but my daughter is confused too. This would not help this situation, but she wants to buy a house in the country. It hurt her because she talked to these neighbors a lot that turned her in. I am sorry this is so jumbled, but I am typing early and trying not to wake up my little girl. Thanks everyone and I will let you know