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- Jun 12, 2013
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Hi, my name is Renee, and I'm a cat hoarder. I don't want to be, but there it is.
My husband and I have 5 indoor cats. That population has been stable for 7 years now, and I have no desire to add to the group. They don't go outside, they are all fixed and healthy, and they are all loved and wanted.
In April, we performed a TNR on three ferals kitties roaming our neighborhood. First Simon, a mostly white cat with orange patches, started coming to our back door. The back of our house drops down into a wild ravine, which is our property, so the cats can come and go with a degree of privacy. Simon led two other cats to us. Those felines are likely brother and sister, just under a year old. We call her Esther, him Brighton. Lovely animals - she is a grey tabby with green eyes, he is orange with a white bib and nose piece, white socks, and the same green eyes.
When we trapped them in April, we thought we had shut down the breeding and there would be no more. Silly me. April was too late. Esther had already had a litter, though we didn't see signs of it and the vet who fixed her said nothing. They must have been at least a month old, or they wouldn't have survived without mom for the two days she was gone.
She has begun to bring them up for dinner, but usually only one at a time. We have seen a little one with Esther's coloring, but the white bib, nose piece, and socks of Brighton - he's likely her father. We have also gotten a good look at a solid orange kit - probably a boy. There's one more, but it hasn't come close enough for us to see it yet.
So if we do a TNR for the kittens, we'll be feeding a total of 11 cats. Esther alone can eat three times a day, and at least a can of food at a time. We feed only wet food, as I'm all too aware of the health consequences of kibble for cats.
My house is not large enough, particularly with our own 5 cats, to try to socialize the kittens, but if I chose to try, what would I do? My goal would be to prepare them for adoption elsewhere - I have no room for them. Suggestions?
My husband and I have 5 indoor cats. That population has been stable for 7 years now, and I have no desire to add to the group. They don't go outside, they are all fixed and healthy, and they are all loved and wanted.
In April, we performed a TNR on three ferals kitties roaming our neighborhood. First Simon, a mostly white cat with orange patches, started coming to our back door. The back of our house drops down into a wild ravine, which is our property, so the cats can come and go with a degree of privacy. Simon led two other cats to us. Those felines are likely brother and sister, just under a year old. We call her Esther, him Brighton. Lovely animals - she is a grey tabby with green eyes, he is orange with a white bib and nose piece, white socks, and the same green eyes.
When we trapped them in April, we thought we had shut down the breeding and there would be no more. Silly me. April was too late. Esther had already had a litter, though we didn't see signs of it and the vet who fixed her said nothing. They must have been at least a month old, or they wouldn't have survived without mom for the two days she was gone.
She has begun to bring them up for dinner, but usually only one at a time. We have seen a little one with Esther's coloring, but the white bib, nose piece, and socks of Brighton - he's likely her father. We have also gotten a good look at a solid orange kit - probably a boy. There's one more, but it hasn't come close enough for us to see it yet.
So if we do a TNR for the kittens, we'll be feeding a total of 11 cats. Esther alone can eat three times a day, and at least a can of food at a time. We feed only wet food, as I'm all too aware of the health consequences of kibble for cats.
My house is not large enough, particularly with our own 5 cats, to try to socialize the kittens, but if I chose to try, what would I do? My goal would be to prepare them for adoption elsewhere - I have no room for them. Suggestions?