Financial help for ferals

[herbiemakow]

I have become the caretaker for about 40 feral cats, most of which I cannot catch. Of the ones I can catch, some of them need vet care for watery eyes, snotty noses, etc. I am 72 years old and live on social security. I have at least 4 that are pregnant. Is there any financial assistance in my neck of the woods to help me? I live in Hartwell, Georgia 30643 . There are 2000 acres of woods behind me and surrounding me, and these cats are growing in numbers.

 

[fionasmom]

PALS Atlanta - Pets are Loving Support!
Atlanta based group that may work with seniors
Financial Aid for Pets
general resources for financial aid
Financial Resources for Cats
national organization who works exclusively with ferals
Feral Friends Network® Connect
Register for this in your area. Explain your situation and ask for help with managing this. Send the request to nearby areas as well so that as many read it as possible within Alley Cat Allies
Second Hand Animals Make First Class Pets
Hart County GA
Log into Facebook
might only do small animals but might have connections
Pet Adoptions | Hart County Humane Society | United States
local animal shelter/they may or may not be helpful. I don't know if they would come and trap to euthanize or not, so proceed with caution.

Sometimes in these situations, you have to make a lot of calls and keep asking if someone knows someone else who can help. It is a lot of networking.
How did you become the caretaker of so many cats? Do you have a vet who might have connections to a rescue. This is a large scale operation given the number of cats and you need assistance. Do you have neighbors who can help or people in the area who would join in to help get these cats fixed?

Thank you for trying to help these cats.

 

[herbiemakow]

Thank you for this information. The humane society and Hart County Animal Rescue both have offered no help because they are too overcrowded and they are small organizations with small budgets. We don't have an animal shelter because we are a very small town. I have no close neighbors. I live on a farm with 30 acres of land. I inherited these cats when a woman who lives down the road from me died and nobody bothered to do anything about her cats. They came through the woods to my house looking for food since I was the nearest neighbor. Most of them were pregnant and wild by the time they arrived on my doorstep, but she obviously had been feeding them. I've spayed and neutered the ones I can catch, but providing them with proper vet care is too expensive for my budget. I am also spending an exorbitant amount for cat food.

The current pregnant ones will have their babies in the woods, and the babies that survive will show up looking for food. Because of the sheer number of cats, it's drawing the coyotes to my farm in record numbers.

Something has to give... probably me! I have my own indoor cats, and they can't even go outside any more... too dangerous.

I have spay certificates from a group, but it's the cost of food I need help with. Plus I need help catching them and getting them to the vet. Only 2 vets in my town accept the spay certificates, but they are booked 3 months out on spay and neuter appointments. I can't always catch them on an appointed day, so I need a vet to work with me as I catch the cats. I can't always plan it in advance.

Woe is me.

 

[fionasmom]

Do you have Nextdoor in your area? nextdoor.com Try the Alley Cat Allies Feral Friends network. Even if you don't use Facebook, it might be worth checking contacts there. There may be people who are local enough to be of assistance. I wonder if going to a large chain store like Petsmart might be of any use in trying to get food at a reduced rate. What do they do with expired bags?

Cat Food
Free cat food can be a great help to colony caregivers and an incentive to attract volunteer participation. Plus, money saved on food is money a caregiver can use for spay/neuter or medical care for the cats.

How to get free cat food:

• Hold cat food drives - ask your members to donate to the feral cat cause.
• Approach local pet supply stores and ask if you can set up a bin for customers to donate cat food purchased at the store.
• Ask grocery stores, pet supply companies, and pet food manufacturers for donations. One group was able to get ten pallets of pet food donated by a distributor. All the group had to do was supply a truck to pick it up.
• Check with your local community food bank. If they receive more pet food donations than they need, they may be willing to share the extra with your organization.

The above is from Maddie's Fund.

Animal Food Bank Directory

Scroll down this list as some groups in GA are listed.

Financial Assistance for Cats | beingstray.com
Need Help With Vet Bills or Pet Food? There ARE Resources Available! - The Dogington Post