Advice Needed

[Cindy77]

Hello, We moved into a home about 3 years ago that has a good bit of land but it is part of a POA. Soon after we started seeing cats and being animal lovers we did not turn them away we started feeding them and taking care of them and of course over the years it has grown, they've had kittens and other cats have joined them. We love them all we treat them all the same. I have just recently started to get all of the females fixed. But to day I received a phone call from the president of our POA and she says we are only allowed to have 3 cats so they are going to catch them in cages and take them away. I'm sure that is what the rules say I did not read that part because at that point we didn't have cats it was not a big deal to us. But I do have somewhere to take them I run 2 mobile home parks and there are already cats out there so we were going to try to take them out there. My concern is, is their behavior going to change because they are now in a different place and there's gonna be different cats running around I'm just concerned of how they will react to a different environment. Is this something I should be worried about? I am really upset about this because my kids are out of the house and my grand kids are out of the house so when I come home I sit down, talk to them and pet them, they help me relax. So I really don't know what the best thing to do is right now.

 

[Jcatbird]

There is a process to help the kitties adjust to a move. It involves confining them to a shelter of some sort where they are able to see outside until they settle down. They need time to adjust to the new surroundings. You can erect a shelter that closes off for now and when they are acclimatized you start letting them come out. That gives the resident cats time to get to know them too. I know this is upsetting. POA’s all have similar rules. I don’t know where you live but in some states, no one can bother a feral. That is rare and the POA May be able to get around that anyway. I would tell them that you are more than willing to work with them and ask that they cooperate as it will take a little time. Let them know that these cats were abandoned there and you did not go out and get that many yourself but you are happy to assist them in solving the problem to make it as neat and efficient as possible.
I would also suggest you do a google search for feral and rescue groups in your area. I would call and explain the situation to them to see if they can offer help or suggestions. You might get some volunteers. Especially if they know you have a place to take them. They may even have a shelter that can be transported to use for the adjustment or know someone who can help you to get one. The feral and rescue group here has one shelter that they use for that purpose and when they remove it they provide multiple small shelters.
I’m very glad you wrote in. Everyone here is behind you in this kind of rescue. Thank you for what you have been doing and are working towards. Don’t give up! If you run into issues, please post back here. This is the perfect place to get support, advice and information. There are also programs to help with the Spay/neuter and immunizations. Do a google search on that too with county, city and state. Please keep updating here. I really want to know how you and the kitties are doing.

 

[walli]

Yes I agree, call all the rescues and seek out help
The males should be neutered also, can you ask the POA for more time to deal with the situation? just knowing you are dealing with this might help them understand.