Problem colony

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lucinda

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I have been taking care of several colony's for many years. Most of them I managed to get the people where they are located at to take care of them.
The man who had been taking care of one of them for 5 years got a new job and I am back taking care of it.
Of course, some new cats had shown up. DAMN! second night I trap and I get a tame cat who has some kind of neurological thing going on with his hind quarters. I am beside myself over this because this colony had always been a problem with two or three injured cats being dumped there every summer. Very difficult place to "police" because of the amount of traffic there. It is a glass business and there is a bowling ally and laundramat near plus a Goodwill where people bring things at night and leave so other people come to see what they can get.
I just do not have the money to take care of these injured guys. I am having enough trouble taking care of the guys I have now. This is a colony of the feral cat orginization that I work with, but they have changed so much (pretty much from a TTVR orginization to one where the people bring the cats to them 3 times a month to get them tested, vaccinated and desexed. The woman who started it quit because she said they have lost their heart) I don't think they are gonna be much help beyond the desexing and providing food.
The cat is sweet and at the vets now. I pick him up in the AM (ok, later in the AM). She did not find any broken bones in the initial exam, but he has lost muscle tone in his hindquarters. She is gonna test him for diabetes and do a more thorough exam of him when he is out to be neutered. He really needs to be Xrayed, but...
 
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Originally Posted by Lucinda

I have been taking care of several colony's for many years. Most of them I managed to get the people where they are located at to take care of them.
The man who had been taking care of one of them for 5 years got a new job and I am back taking care of it.
Of course, some new cats had shown up. DAMN! second night I trap and I get a tame cat who has some kind of neurological thing going on with his hind quarters. I am beside myself over this because this colony had always been a problem with two or three injured cats being dumped there every summer. Very difficult place to "police" because of the amount of traffic there. It is a glass business and there is a bowling ally and laundramat near plus a Goodwill where people bring things at night and leave so other people come to see what they can get.
I just do not have the money to take care of these injured guys. I am having enough trouble taking care of the guys I have now. This is a colony of the feral cat orginization that I work with, but they have changed so much (pretty much from a TTVR orginization to one where the people bring the cats to them 3 times a month to get them tested, vaccinated and desexed. The woman who started it quit because she said they have lost their heart) I don't think they are gonna be much help beyond the desexing and providing food.
The cat is sweet and at the vets now. I pick him up in the AM (ok, later in the AM). She did not find any broken bones in the initial exam, but he has lost muscle tone in his hindquarters. She is gonna test him for diabetes and do a more thorough exam of him when he is out to be neutered. He really needs to be Xrayed, but...
Click to expand...
Lucinda...sometimes you can only do so much for a colony. Perhaps the best thing for this particuliar guy is to humanely euthanize him. You can also post on this yahoo group and see if anyone has suggestions:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/feral_cats/

They have many members and one may be near you and offer assistance.

Katie
 
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Aw Lucinda, I really feel for you. You're good hearted (and why do we have to have our hearts broken being caregivers..it is probably balanced by seeing some happy endings though) and doing as much as possible. I really understand because in caring for ferals I see sometimes injured cats that have either been dumped or somehow found shelter with the others. Last year we got a very sick one that now is ours, that is a happy story, and another time we re-homed a FIV+. But it's tough with the freaked out beyond
adopting out, they have to be euthanized and as ethical as it is..well
If you can please join the yahooferals group, I'm in it and it is incredible how much one can learn, it is a fantastic group.
Thank-you for caring so

Marta
 
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lucinda

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Originally Posted by TNR1

Lucinda...sometimes you can only do so much for a colony. Perhaps the best thing for this particuliar guy is to humanely euthanize him. You can also post on this yahoo group and see if anyone has suggestions:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/feral_cats/

They have many members and one may be near you and offer assistance.

Katie
Click to expand...
Ya know, the main reason I chose to be in this group oh so many years ago was because they had a no kill policy and did everything they could to help the injured ones. I will check out the feral cat group, thanx.
 
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lucinda

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Originally Posted by zinc

Aw Lucinda, I really feel for you. You're good hearted (and why do we have to have our hearts broken being caregivers..it is probably balanced by seeing some happy endings though) and doing as much as possible. I really understand because in caring for ferals I see sometimes injured cats that have either been dumped or somehow found shelter with the others. Last year we got a very sick one that now is ours, that is a happy story, and another time we re-homed a FIV+. But it's tough with the freaked out beyond
adopting out, they have to be euthanized and as ethical as it is..well
If you can please join the yahooferals group, I'm in it and it is incredible how much one can learn, it is a fantastic group.
Thank-you for caring so

Marta
Click to expand...
It is a wonderful/heart breaking thing taking care of feral/wild cats. As my friend says, "we all have little cat shaped cookie cutter holes in our hearts for every one we lose or just find a new home for"
My first real colony was at a fish packing plant that closed down. 75 cats! All of the kittens had 104 fevers and everyone was malnourished. The feral group I was/kind of still am with stepped up to the plate and helped all of these guys (AND we adopted out 35 kittens and 15 adult cats.) When we got the feral mom with the slash across her face and one eye, they stepped up and fixed her face and removed her eye ('course I had to put the drops in her eye, boy was that fun!). On and on and on. Who helps these guys now?
Ok, enough sniveling. I wll check out the feral group. Thanx for your support.

REMEMBER: We CAN save our own little corner of the world.
 
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lucinda

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Should anybody care (seems no one is reading this thread), the boy goes in on Tuesday for a check up. Last night I was petting him and I guess he moved wrong 'cause he growled and hissed and bit me. It was obvious that he was in pa9in for about 1/2 hour after that too.
Lucinda
 
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lucinda

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Originally Posted by TNR1

Lucinda...sometimes you can only do so much for a colony. Perhaps the best thing for this particuliar guy is to humanely euthanize him. You can also post on this yahoo group and see if anyone has suggestions:

They have many members and one may be near you and offer assistance.

Katie
Click to expand...
Did join the group a couple days ago. So far no one has replied to my post or even acknowledged the new member.

Lots about the pet limit laws and microchipping.
 
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lucinda

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Originally Posted by valanhb

I hope the little guy does well on his check up. Poor thing, to be in such pain.
You're a wonderful person to care for him so much and doing so much to help him.
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What else ya gonna do? I am really upset about getting this guy 'cause I know there will be more and how am I gonna help them? I would "give my eye teeth" to find out who is injuring and dumping these guys. Least they are being dumped in a place where someone will at least try to help them.

"THE STARFISH STORY".

Little boy is walking down the beach picking up the starfish that have been washed up by the tide and throwing them back into the ocean. A man asks the boy what he is doing. Boy answers "I am throwing them back into the ocean because if I don't they will die." The man looks up and down the beach and sees millions of starfish "There are millions, you can't possibly make a difference" the little boy thinks a minute picks up another one and throws it back into the ocean "It made a difference to that one"
 
tnr1

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Originally Posted by Lucinda

Did join the group a couple days ago. So far no one has replied to my post or even acknowledged the new member.

Lots about the pet limit laws and microchipping.
Click to expand...
Lucinda...I've seen that....I would recommend that you repost your request for assistance. Perhaps give it a title of "looking for assistance in California with a colony".

Katie
 
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Well, I took Norman (friend named him, now I will have to keep the bathroom door closed when I take a shower...) to the vet. Both rear hips are dislocated and he has a healing break in one of the legs near his hip.
He is on Metacam (meloxacam) and is doing great as long as he does not move wrong. Time will tell if he heals properly or gets worse.
I trapped ANOTHER tame cat from this site!!! This guy is also in bad shape, but not as bad as Norman. Sores behind both ears from scratching the ear mites, a scar over his left eye, missing patches of hair and something wrong with his mouth as he keeps his tongue sticking out. He is scared to death, but a nice guy. He goes in in AM to be desexed. Least Forgotten Felines will give him a check up.
There is an Abby mix there that is SOOO smart. The first time we saw her she watched the car, looked all around the traps and left. Tonight she saw the traps, looked at me in the truck, walked over to the dumpsters, came around and walked right up to the truck faceing me all the time! She then sauntered over to some bushes and peed on them then went and rolled on a shirt someone had left there. Hate/admire smart cats like that. No ear tip and either she is PG or is taking really good care of herself.
 
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Lucinda..this may be helpful:

June 12-16
Gonna Get me that Kitty!
Having trouble getting that last cat in the feral colony in to the
vet? Or what if you only see that one wary stray every 3 days?
Meredith Weiss, Field Director for NYC Feral Cat Initiative, offers
tips on humanely trapping the untrappable!

Meredith Weiss will be responding to comments/questions June 12-16

Taking questions & comments now! To participate, please visit the
Special Guests section of the No More Homeless Pets community on the
Best Friends Network.

Copy and paste the link below into a new browser:


http://network.bestfriends.org/Blogs/Detail.aspx?
b=475&g=3042316787ce4a6e8eb13f7e1c31758d

Or go to:

http://network.bestfriends.org/

Click on Communities click on No More Homeless Pets click on blogs and click on the Special Guests tab.

Katie
 
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Lucinda, kudos on giving Norman the chance that he deserves. It is such a shame that in California cats still are sent out to suffer & starve like that! You might try contacting ICARE (www.inyopets.org) and ask them about Marin County shelters. I know that they have worked with Marin area shelters to take in the surplus dogs & cats from our area & that has resulted in 91% decrease in local euthanasias. Perhaps someone in Marin Co. will know of local resources to help you out, too.
Meanwhile, I send {{{prayers and vibes}}} for Norman's recovery & rehoming; for the new guy's treatment & that the smart kitty isn't PG, or that you can get her caught & altered before she gets too far along; and I send LOTS & LOTS of prayers for encouragement & assistance for you. You are truly a guardian angel for those cats!!
Maybe I can talk my hubby into a Santa Rosa trip someday, and if I can get him to go golfing, I could come by for an hour or two & help you out. He's getting used to the idea of my visiting cat shelters - I get great pleasure from it (yes,it's hard to leave those lovely kitties behind, but if visiting them gives them even a few minutes of comfort & pleasure, it's worth the heartache to me. And I read their names & pray for them - so far as I know, it's worked twice that a cat I prayed for did get adopted very soon thereafter!
) Please keep us updated on Norman's progress! Hugs, Susan
P.S. I, too, get discouraged when I see all the responses to threads like "Tom Cruise's baby", etc., which is why if I have only a few minutes to cruise TCS, I visit Cats SOS & Crossing the Bridge first!
 
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Thanx Susan, I will contact ICARE. I am truly thankfull to Kitty connection for her (is only one lady) help with Norman and she is going to help the other guy too. On top of everything else, he has a URI! Least Forgotten Felines treated his earmites and fleas while he was at the clinic getting desexed. The last cat I got that looked as bad as him had a neurological condition, hyperestesia to flea bites so bad that it gave her convulsions, and the iris of her eyes had adheared to the cornia. She did great and lived to be 8 years old tho I will never ever know how she survived for a year in the wild.
Thank you too Katie, I will check out Gonna get me that Kitty. Been traping for 14 years now but there is always someone somewhere who has an idea that I have not thought of.
 
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