I have been feeding a stray cat, and im putting up a flyer advertising it for adoption for a week. Now if im unable to find someone who wants it, I will be unable to feed it anymore, thus I have to stop feeding it. It makes me very sad but also the problem is in bad weather like snow, I wont even be able to get to the cats location to feed it anyway, its hard to acess in snow, and no cars are allowed in the area. So I wanted to know the best way to stop feeding it. I was thinking 2 days before stopping, each day give it a more than normal amount of food. Before I even started feeding it a can a day it wasnt skin and bones, and plus there are other strays and ferals around, so it has company. I just want to know that it wont die due to me stopping the food? So all in all it has put on some weight and is stronger now, and healthier meaning if it has to it will hunt better, apparently it seems to be the "leader" of the colony, yet it is the smallest, go figure? Also I cant even set upa shlter for it because it's town property, and I already found out even after asking I still cant do it. Ok so enough talking, even though I dont like my idea about stopping the food, will the cat be able to survive?
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Help with stray cat.
- Thread starter keith p
- Start Date
I don't think it's fair to stop feeding him.
First of all, you have gotten him used to trusting humans, and then he's going to trust the wrong person. Maybe the next time someone calls him it won't be you and it will be some sadist or something.
Second, he's probably gotten lazier and thinks he doesn't have to hunt so much because you are going to come save him.
I guess if you HAVE to stop feeding him, maybe you could gradually reduce the amount and frequency. Like for a week give him half what he is used to every day. Then for another week give him the same half but every other day. and so forth.
I really think it's too bad it has to be this way in the winter. I doubt if his chances are very good.
Are you sure it's only him you have been feeding? Maybe the whole colony has become dependent on you.
First of all, you have gotten him used to trusting humans, and then he's going to trust the wrong person. Maybe the next time someone calls him it won't be you and it will be some sadist or something.
Second, he's probably gotten lazier and thinks he doesn't have to hunt so much because you are going to come save him.
I guess if you HAVE to stop feeding him, maybe you could gradually reduce the amount and frequency. Like for a week give him half what he is used to every day. Then for another week give him the same half but every other day. and so forth.
I really think it's too bad it has to be this way in the winter. I doubt if his chances are very good.
Are you sure it's only him you have been feeding? Maybe the whole colony has become dependent on you.
I would contact a feral cat organization....I know you do not like returning these cats back to where they came from...but a feral cat organization can at least get these cats fixed and then return them and hopefully find someone who will become a caretaker for this colony. That is better for the colony then simply leaving them and not having them desexed.
Katie
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If you can find a sheltered area, you can feed him all winter and not make many trips out to the location. Otherwise, you are leaving him to have a really hard winter because he has gotten used to at least being able to find food. It is not fair to just stop feeding him now and he should be trapped and neutered first and foremost and then turned back out to the location. He will have better odds at surviving that way.
You make a feral feeder- you need a 30 plus gallon trashcan with tight fitting lid. You take and cut a hole about the size of a golfball on the side of the can near the bottom. Then you take some duct tape and cardboard and make a temporary plug. Buy several bags of dry food and fill the can up. Cap the lid and put the trashcan in the sheltered location, out of the snow and the elements. Take a cookie sheet and place it under the hole in the can, then uncap the hole. The food will spill through. When the food is packed in the hole, the cat will reach in with his paw and spill it out. You can always duct tape the lid as well just in case a larger animal might knock it over.
You make a feral feeder- you need a 30 plus gallon trashcan with tight fitting lid. You take and cut a hole about the size of a golfball on the side of the can near the bottom. Then you take some duct tape and cardboard and make a temporary plug. Buy several bags of dry food and fill the can up. Cap the lid and put the trashcan in the sheltered location, out of the snow and the elements. Take a cookie sheet and place it under the hole in the can, then uncap the hole. The food will spill through. When the food is packed in the hole, the cat will reach in with his paw and spill it out. You can always duct tape the lid as well just in case a larger animal might knock it over.
Contact Alley Cat Allies about your situation:
http://www.alleycat.org/contact.html
Again Keith....most important thing is that this cat is spayed/neutered and provided some shelter and food. This cat deserves those things..whether it is indoors or outdoors.
Katie
http://www.alleycat.org/contact.html
Again Keith....most important thing is that this cat is spayed/neutered and provided some shelter and food. This cat deserves those things..whether it is indoors or outdoors.
Katie
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
TNR I have already contacted them months ago on email and voicemail, and I have gotten no reply from. Also I have already said I cant afford to get it fixed TNR1, please accept that I Cant afford it! Second im not allowed to set up a shelter at this location, so forget that also, im not breaking the law over this. The only thing I remotely have a chance of doing is catching the cat, set up a large dog crate in my garage, and keep the cat in that, litterbox,food, a towl, and toys included, its large enough to fit a german shephard in! Now the first bad idea with that is I cant let the cat out to walk around, my garage is ful of poisons and chemicals, so I would possibly put its life in danger if I let it walk around in there. Second, I cant actually keep it as a pet, and if I cant find a home for it I would just have to let it go back in the wild again, so keeping it in the cage would be more stress than it should have have to got through if I end up not finding it a home.I know it deserves some care but when you have no money to care for something than thats out of your control,especially if nobody is willing to help pay the bill! If I kept it in a cage wouldnt that be animal abuse, I dont want to abuse it.
If that were a permanent situation...that would not be good for the cat....having them in a cage to "temporarily" take care of it and socialize it would not be. One thing you do not currently know is whether this cat is a stray and simply scared or whether this cat is truly feral.
Did you contact your local vet offices and find out whether there is anyone in your county who is currently conducting TNR in your county. Many times these individuals do not have an official organization but they do TNR through some of the local vets.
Katie
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #8
Yeah I personally emailed a vet that works the next town over from me, and he only deals with strays and ferals. He gave me some places, but none do TNR, and he just has a clinic for spay/neutering, and vaccinations, but they are very expensive not what you would call "low cost." I am thinking of first catching the cat to find its sex and make sure its not pregnant or currently nursing. When I capture it I will see if it even has a chance that an average person can keep it as a pet. If it seems nice I will put up the flyers, and POSSIBLY be able to bring it to Last hope so they can evaluate it and see if it can be put up for adoption at there rescue center. The only problem with that is they'll only look if I get it fixed at there clinic, so I must first come up with the money somehow. Well actually let me start by finding out what gender it is and it's temperment, then take it from there. I cant predict the future and see if will be nice or not.
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