Help & Advice Urgently requested for displaced Feral Colony

[pilotcat]

All, I am a long time care taker (7 years of my life spent on this!) for a cat colony in NoVa area.  For 5 years I with the help of many scattered groups and individuals in my local area have TNR'd and fed, and provided shelters for 20 plus cats.  29 cats were TNR'd, 27 kittens picked up from this colony and variously adopted out, 2 are my personal cats now....

So lots was done to help stop breeding.  In April of this year, the last remaining breeding female that I knew of, was trapped and fixed, and her kittens all "rescued".  so alot of good was done at the site.  The numbers were leveled off at 23 eating with me on a regular basis, some of which about 8 to 10 were friendly with me...

2 years ago, the colony site's new manager (a hotel area), was appointed.  She hated the cats, the mess etc etc.  After this past winter, I was told not to feed (we won't go into clean site vs, dirty or anything like that, this is just the outlines of the story).  I was told to stop feeding.  

I found another way to feed OFF the property on what I considered to be the spillway / ditch / drainage area behind a local school.  (Yes, you see where this is going...).  For 6 months no troubles, but then a fox cub showed up and was sighted because he didn't seem to be afraid enough of people.  (Likely he thought he was cat,  )... 

Anyway long short, one of my cats was trapped in a leg trap put out for the fox.  I found out, and the school found out about the cats...the school had a hissy fit about the cats and the fox, and hired a professional trapper to catch the fox.  This means baaad things for the remaining cats that hang around there.

So, I made the very very difficult decision to remove and rescue the ones that I could.  The school says its hiring a professional trapper - which means they will likely use more leg traps and maybe poisioned baits to get this poor fox.  Either way, it will be highly dangerous for the cats.

They may even euthanize any that they are able to catch!!

And they will certainly starve or go into traps if they are starving.

Keep in mind I had 48 hours or less to remove the cats shelters from the woods, clean site of all trash and stop feeding cats all done solo without help -- and also do that while trapping for the cats!!  

Because I was working the weekend when the word came down to me I was not able to spare more than the evening hours trapping - and 2 of the days were stormy after work, so there was nothing I could do.

I was at the site till 12 midnight cleaning and up till 2 am with setting up the crates for 2 or three days.  Buying, transporting and creating the containment area for the cats - it was a huge job and very expensive - the crates are about 80 to 100 dollars each.  With a small car it wasn't made any easier.

I was not able to get it all done in 48 hrs, and I begged for and got 1 to 2 days more grace obtained so I could try to at least trap.  I have 20 cats at the site, but the game warden said they only saw 5 eating with the fox. Ha. ha..there are 20 I can assure you that as I nose counted every day I fed, and possible there are more because I would (bad bad mistake) leave out food, so the ones who didn't come when I was there could eat.  

I was most frantic because 1 was a disabled cat I'd been trying to catch in the parking lot of the hotel for a long time, but she was very uncooperative.  I called her Mama Bob bob as she had a bob tail and a bad hind leg (vet had seen it said was congenital), and was sheltering at the hotel.  However, the hotel would not let me feed and has since take steps to secure ALL outdoor hidey holes (under tractor trailers, under the old shed where many were born etc etc).  So she would not surive without being either indoors only, or in a place where she could be indoor/outdoor and get regular food.  She's older too.

This time, because I fed in a back field/lot area with no humans around for the last 6 months, the cats were more relaxed and after 3 days of light feeding/no food, Mama Bob bob went into drop trap....

I had trained them to come to a dog whistle noise, for feeding - to avoid having them hanging out when I wasn't present.  This helped, because I was able to secure a drop trap, and get the disabled cat, THANK GOD.  As well as several of the others.

So far I trapped 8 of the long term cats that were most friendly to me.  That is, ones I might be able to pet or that were in some cases tame enough to be picked up.  I have 2-4 remaing to trap, focusing my efforts on the older, tamer or vulnerable cats, and I have to say while I am not supposed to go on the property, I might do it from the border on the other side (the hotel which is all for me trapping if I am removing!!)

During the 72 hours past, not only have I done all that, plus worked full schedule, I've also managed to set up 5 giant dog cages bunged together in a basement bed room to house the cats.  whew.  What a heck of alot of work ... (I need to pat myself on the back because other wise I'll collapse from the sadness, from extreme worry about what happens to the left behinds, and from exhaustion.)

Now comes the very hardest part:  Finding good homes.    Because I am NOT part of any organized group, I don't have any way to publicize.  I want to post far and wide on website/pages where the type of people I want to adopt these kitties go:

Metro Ferals is about the only local group I know of here though!  Can you all suggest more places?  I am willing to go national with this...I have 3 who might with the right understanding person become house cats.  I have 2 who are beautiful but wild ferals (long haired and georgeous), I have 1 with a bad eye who needs a barn home where he can eat steady meals since he might get to keep the bad eye), I have a pair who let me pick up and pet who are currently in a catatonic state of fear and hiding in their carriers in their doggie crate...I am so hoping they will "recover" and come around, but the cages are freaking these formerly free kitties out.

I need to ask for help - barn homes here are riduculously hard to find.  

I am willing to drive up to 24 hrs to place these cats, and I'm willing to throw myself on the mercy of the followers of the CatSite - and ask for help find homes, for support and for suggestions of where to post, how to post, what groups to contact that are local or regional or not even regional...(I only know of I or two).

I've put out feelers to everyone I know and I ask for everyone to pray for me, because I am desperate to place these 10 kitties into good safe places where they can enjoy being the cats they are.  Since I have 6 of my own personal cats, you can see that I am a bit overwhelmed.

I would take more out of the site, but I have no place to PUT them.  I was hoping someone here local would have a piece of property they could go to, where I could construct a proper feeding platform/structure that is coon proof, a small shed with pet door and "platforms" high up for shelter and safety, and where I'd be allowed to come and go for feeding and caretaking.  

Anyway, I know these things happen everywhere but few people actually go to the lengths I have to keep them safe.  But after 7 years of really hard work, daily feeding in all weather, trapping fixing and adopting.. I can't stand to see these poor guys just abandoned...especially not with the school hating them so much...

 

[catwoman707]

You are a true hero to these cats! I do know first hand what amount of work and time and emotional strain it puts on you for caring like you do.

For ferals and semi-ferals who are unadoptable that come to me/my group, once they are fixed and ready I post to craigslist for barn homes, indoor/outdoor mouser homes, etc.

The biggest catch for people is that you are willing to continue caring for them, so no expense involved, plus they will have free rodent control.

Why not acclimate them to your yard until you do find placement for them?

 

[ondine]

If the school uses leg traps to get the cats, I would argue this is animal cruelty.  Contact the local animal control person and see.

You might also try asking your vet (or others) to post flyers for barn cats.  I would also try to hook up with local rescue groups - this is a lot to do by yourself. 

Thank you for helping them.  It is a daunting task.

 

[pilotcat]

Thanks all.  It is a huge and daunting task that I have ahead of me.  Sadly getting support from groups here is tough, as despite our great reputation for affulence - there is a huge feral abandoned unfixed cat problem in my town/area, and not many resources to deal with it, as we are still relatively small in population as a county compared to our huge nearby counties....

Because I  live in a townhome with no real yard and with HOA restrictions on pets - I cannot keep in my backyard they must be kept indoors in my basement room (and I already have 2 cats that live in the other basement room, with an outdoor enclosure under the deck.  One is FIV positive so I won't introduce other cats to his area.)

Because of these factors I am  looking for a land owner with land where I can put them and CONTINUE to care for until homes maybe found.

I appreciate the suggestions - I think the best method is to get on website for cat groups that do rescue - and this is what I am trying to do.  I need to get good photos done, for each cat.  Oliver, Caliburn, and Cloud can be placed in a home I think.  Tweety is great cat, but grabs and claws at you and nips as he was not ever taught to inhibit himself.  He'd be good with a person who would deal with his grabby paws and mouthy nature positively and not mind it.  

I need to post Petfinder of course.  I'd like to post as courtesy on other group's websites.  That's what I'm trying to identify now.   Any suggestions for groups I can contact in the DC Metro Area would be fantastic.

At least 3 of the cats could be with a little understanding and a good owner pet quality cats - that is not barn kitties.  I don't care if the owner lets indoor/outdoor,  so long as they take a good long time to bond with them indoors and establish trust before introducing to the outdoors.  I want owners who don't "expect" the cats to be something they are not, but are willing to enjoy them for what they are.  Nothing as special as winning a ferals love and heart...

 All my former ferals that I own were managed this way, and are all happy and healthy - come when I call, use their pet door and basically are very friendly with me.   With other people they disappear and outdoors are not approachable - which keeps them safe)

The professional trapper has leeway the animal control officer and game warden do not.  The fox is considered dangerous because it lack proper fear of humans.  Go figure.  And the cats?  Well, a "feral" cat got into a school in anne arundel county in MD and this freaked out the school officials here in my county when they heard about on the news.  Then the fact the cats were "behind" the school made them worried.

I wish they would stop to consider there is a herd of 10 deer on "their" property that poops on the "their" playing fields, that there are multiple racoons, possums and likely more than 1 fox on that property.  All of which are a heck of alot more problem I'd think than cats that don't poop on your playing fields, that are scarcely ever seen, and never try to get into your buildings!!

Oh, and the rabies thing?  I had started in April when the cats were kicked off the hotel property to re-trap and re-rabies, but because I did not get a drop trap, and because the cats were so scared for the first few months, the trapping was less than successful.  However, 5 were done and released back...

I had an advocate talk to the school, the game warden, the town, and all interested parties to no avail.  The cats had to stop being fed, so they would "disband".  Or they could be removed from the property which I am trying for.  At least for the oldest/most vulnerable/friendliest of the lot.

As far as stopping breeding - I got one male that was not fixed that had come into the colony to eat (orange cat and none of mine were orange ever, so must have been dump off or wandered in), I got the last female and her kittens out, (no breeding!).  

So, at least that stands as something good - no more breeding going on, until of course more cats move in to fill the vacancy and they of course are not being monitored or fixed, so yeah, the situation will just repeat itself.  If I'd had the ability to build a proper feeding structure etc etc, things would have been much different, but I walked in with a backpack across the schools playing fields every night to feed, rain shine or snow.  So, it wasn't like I didn't want to do the right things - more a matter of not being ABLE to do it, and yet still finding a way.  

I had bad experiences with groups, but I put up with being looked down on, so that I could get these animals fixed for cheap, and rabied.

If groups would support feral feeders more, this might not be an issue, but it is very very hard to get that kind of support out of rescues who are overwhelmed with the "tame" cats, much less the strays/abandoned and ferals....

Once I place my 10 cats that I managed to salvage from the site, I will never drive by that site again, because I will be too upset.

If I could have moved the feeding location anywhere else nearby I would have, but the place I chose was the best - and really to me, not school property but a simple wooded spillway lot that was "trash land -- " un occupied and un-used by anyone for anything and likely to stay that way.  And as it turns out  full of shelter and food for, birds, mice, rodents, wood chucks, deer and now it seems foxes.  

Our county is rural and rapidly getting developed and this means the animals are getting compressed into smaller and smaller areas of undeveloped land, due to housing being built and sprawling development.     And the cats at the hotel predated my arrival.  I was the one who decided to try to remediate the situation by fixing, trapping and feeding/maintaining.  The hotel benefited greatly from rodent control, as did the school and I am really hoping with a vengence that the rodents rise up in a huge wave and invade the school/hotel, now that the cats have been driven off the site...it would be a sort of poetic justice.  

Not of course that the powers that be will connect the 2 events - if they even REMEMBER the cats that they had removed.  

 

[ritz]

Thank you for doing all you do.
Have you contaced Alley Cat Allies (headquarters are in Bethesda)? P.A.W.S.?

 

[ritz]

I know a person who has a barn/farm and needs cats in the Northern Virginia area. (I live in Annapolis but work in DC.)
Will be PMing you with more info./ questions.

 

[pilotcat]

Does anyone know a good lawyer?  I am being threatened with being sued by the school where the cats were located (the spillway property behind the school which they claim as their property, (town vs county issue).  I have complied with ALL their requirements as best I can.  They insist someone is feeding - I know its not me on that property.

I have not set food across their property to feed or trap, removed everything I could feasibly do in the time given me to remove shelters and "trash". in the time I was granted (less than 48 hrs).

The school says I'm still feeding - I am feeding to trap BUT not regularly feeding a colony and I am feeding on the property adjacent to the school p the hotel property.   I have room to pull 4 more cats, and I'm being selective using a drop trap.  

I have been trapping on the hotel side of the school boundry (5 ft from the spillway side) so that  won't be feeding on the school spillway or property or even setting food there.

FYI, you can't trap if the cats are there to be feed, so every other day feeding is needed while trapping.  also I can only take 3 cats per trapping session - as I've a small car stuffed full of crap, and that is all I can do in one session,.  Drop trapping takes time, maybe a couple of hours before I get the cat I want...or more.  

After that there will be another 12 left there with no where to go.  I am desperately looking for barn homes etc.  I'm doing this despite the fact I've been revileved for not maintaining the colony "to specs"....

well excuse me, but I'd probably have done alot better if all those "we want to help the cats" people had taken time to come by and give me feeding breaks (365 days a year in all weather my friends, and where were those people who could help out ??)  

No, everyone was very very quick to condem me for my efforts not being up to par or specs or this that or the other.  But in reality very few really wanted to help.  Give a feeder back up so they can go on holiday without worry or have a weekend "off", help by doing and a feeding break, help with clean up once a month or days and times the feeder cannot come by during the day to see what's going on with the cats, stuff like that.

anyway, I need the lawyer because the school is ape **** but the hotel just wants the cats gone and feeding gone, they want me to trap and aren't complaining about it.  Its the school who has cameras up (on the hotel side no less) who are ape ****.  

I am NOT setting foot across the line, so... where do they get off?

Plus, I strongly feel that someone else is feeding somewhere else nearby on the property perhaps even at the school since a number look very plump and I've not been feeding regularly.  

So, anyone have a suggest for how to find a lawyer that can handle this type of issue?  I can't see trespass charges - I'm not trespassing on their side of the field.  I can't see feeding - I am not doing it daily or with any "regularity and I trap when I do".  I can not see littering, I'm not leaving anything behind.  ... so, am I missing something here?  Also, I think in the state of VA it is not illegal to feed ferals cats.  

Nonetheless if it does get ugly I'd like to be prepared.  So any help or advice would be grand.  I know I won't be at it much longer (trapping to get my 4) maybe 1 more week or even if I could this weekend knock it out?  Hard to trap when daylight is dying and I get out of work so late...

 

[gpenwarden]

I think what your doing is amazing where are u from
I think what they are doing is disgusting and I don't think they will sue they are prob trying to scare u I would call every news station and tell your story somebody will listen
Good luck
I'm in my pleasant (outside brantford)ont Canada if I that's near u

 

[pilotcat]

Well, the problem appears to be

1)  no one is communicating directly with me nicely or kindly -- all anyone has to do is be polite and request I do something, listen to me, and give me adquate time, not ridiculous deadlines.  I get all this stuff 2nd hand from people who are talking to people -- not once have the game control guy or animal control officer talked to me to tell me how things are or if I need to do more.... hello?

2) the school wants  a measly 3 items out of this field, without telling me I can go get, and not communicating that to me and not listening when I tell them I can do by a specific date (reasonable accomodations anyone?  goes both ways)  Hello, gotta get a truck cause these are ant infested and I anin't putting in no car of mine!!

3) the game warden/animal control person isn't communicating with me (hey he visited in person to work last time to tell me what I needed to do - on a Saturday I was working which just proves they KNOW where I live and work AND they have my phone number and I assume if he isn't getting back to me, we're good!!!.

4) the fact  I'm actually trying to get these cats out has the groups looking bad because what the hey, I'm actually DOING something good for the animals, and actually trying to comply with requests to make the animals go away..which these groups are not doing because yes, they ARE also overwhelmed  ... BUT they are getting too deep in to the politics and bull **** of it all....making judgements about me and letting that get in the way of doing something good for the cats.  I hate politics like that.  Sadly that's part of the problem here.

5) the principal is a jerk and *ahat* who has real bully issues and obviously NO IDEA what he's asking me to do nor does he really care about who is doing what.  Would it kill him to be pleasant and kind about things rather than an *ahole with attitude and bluster and bully points*??  Just make the problem go away is his attitude.  And this is the kind of person we have in charge of our kids education and our teachers?  NO wonder its so bad in the education system...would it make him less of a manager, or less effective if he called me and said nicely here's what you need to do, WHEN can you do it, and worked with me?? Dunh.

6) I am doing this pretty much solo.  LIke now for example I'm working till 9 pm, its dark and going to get the trash - not possible.  Only time I can go?  When school is not in session say 6 or 7 after work - so maybe I'll do it tomorrow...maybe not. The other time is on a weekend when the schools not in use and I can drive over and pick up the stuff.  Lord love a duck the stuff isn't even VISIBLE from the school play grounds, or buildings.  You have to really go looking to see it.

7) When you work SOLO without a group, you do so at your own risk.  But at the least you will deal directly with people, and not have to deal with the *crap* that groups accumulate.  This is all a bunch of *bullcrap* to make people feel important.  In the end, it accomplishes zero, antagonizes everyone, and leads to nothing really substantative happening.

8) I still need a lawyer, JIC

9) don't ever do this again is the lesson I am learning , very very painfully.  I will still have to leave behind 10 cats - even if I can place the 9 I have...

 

[ritz]

I am sorry you're having even more problems.
Alley Cat Allies' attorneys are:


Will Gomaa, Esq., Associate Director, Law & Policy
Liz Holtz, Esq., Staff Attorney

http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=246

 

[pilotcat]

Thanks Ritz.  I do not know if it will come to that it may be the principal is getting headed because the

group is saying I'm not a member therefore they have no legal responsibility to clean up, while I do.

Then she hasn't been able to contact me nor understood I'm working solo, and of course, even IF

she did, she probably wouldn't care (to me she sounds throughly disagreeable type of bullying personality).

I sent her a very polite email today from my (also county email just like hers is a school email address)

describing the "trash" I would remove, and telling her I would

do it after school on Friday this week.  (after 5 pm to be exact because I am working - and even then

I might take the day off from work, use my leave and go trapping).

The only other person she has talked to from the group,

she hasn't gotten info from because THEY haven't talked to me to follow up on

what's going on AT ALL.  Not with placeing, trapping or clean up.  

So she has no ideathat one person is handling it solo with no support from anyone else while also

helping remove one of the school systems chief issues - the cats.  Because you know, a cat

got into a school in Anne Arundel Co, and oh boy, what a tempest in a teapot that was!!  Hence all

cats shall be banned from the property (does she know how crazy that sounds?)

So I certainly hope it doesn't come to the suing part.  

Part of the issue is that I have no group I am affliated with, thus no friends to come out and help me out.  The group here that I do know has

taken soo much flack about this from the schools that they feel that I've submarined their efforts to help create a

feral cat group in my county.  

I don't of course believe that at all, I think they are getting a strong dose of reality,

about how feral feeders, caretakers and trappers are dealt with in our area and that they are suddenly facing reality, not their

"ideas" of what reality is for feral cats and caretakers here in this very rich area.  Welcome to my world I say.  I've been dealing with it a long time.

I think they are also seeing what needs to be done BESIDES insisting on "clean feral feeding sites" is SUPPORT for the

feeder (back ups, people to help out, clean up etec) and that this is something my situation completely illustrates.  Had they helped out,

even if not obligated to do so, they'd have gotten me to come on board with my support for them.

As it is, since they are treating

ME as this huge "issue" I'm not inclined to lend any support to them - and when I get my own drop trap, I'll be trapping to help

those who assisted me (like the lady who took 3 of my rescues from a drive in bank where they'd been living in the sewers.  turned out

they were tame btw just strays that tried to find shelter).

The also refused to help with the rabies vaccines or medical on the 2 disabled - despite getting funds from county and state

for that very purpose... another way to say... WE DON'T WANT YOU and DON"T APPROVE OF YOU.  Makes me rather

ill and upset, as I like all 

I am still desperately waiting to hear about barn homes, 9 at home, and 4 more I can pull if I can find places.  One friend

might take 4-5 in Howard Co.  pray please pray she does?  I would then be able to get the rest with luck into the big

barn if the owner let me.  6-8 is all I need placement for there.  Then we'd have reduced 20-25 cats to a handful at the

former site, and those sadly would be on their own until they could drift into new colonies or find food sources.

Not my choice, I'd get them all if I could only find places.  But, I can be glad that 5 of the more friendlies are out, 

2 disabled are out, and 2 feral ones are out.  That is a GOOD thing to know at night.  They may hate the cages

and hate me, but its not for good or permanent.  The sooner I can scare homes up for 6-8, the sooner I am done.

Thank you for letting me vent and listening.  It is a huge help to have an understanding soul to unload on.

Most people think I am quite insane...