Need Advice And Maybe Just A Word Of Support For Taking Care Of My Cats

[lprad]

Hi guys,
Haven't been on here in quite a while.
I am currently taking care of thirteen cats. Ten that I've taken care of for the last few years and someone dropped off a female cat just when the weather got really cold here. I'm sure it is a female and not fixed and she has attracted two toms. I know this isn't a lot compared to what some people take card of, but for me on a limited income and a husband complaining about the ones we have. I've tried to find someone to take her or at the very least help with getting her fixed. When I phoned the spay and neuter clinic I've used in the past they have raised their rates, are backed up until June and now have a pay when the appointment is made and have a no-refund policy. I've called around to some of the rescue places and the one that bothered to get back to me said they are not into helping individuals with strays. It looks like if I'm going to have this cat fixed I'm going to have to take her to a regular vet. As far as I can tell this will be somewhere between $100 and $200. Much more than I can afford on our limited budget.
Unfortunately, I am becoming very depressed about taking care of these cats. I can't go anywhere for more then half a day, they take up way to much of our limited budget and I don't really have anyone to turn to for help or support.
Anyway, I've been wondering if it I would be stupid to try setting up a go fund me account and if I would get any results for such a small colony? I would not be interested in getting a lot, just enough to get this cat and any others that show up in the future fixed and maybe a little help with the food cost.
Mostly i just need to vent a little with some people that might understand the frustration trying to take care of some cats, especially in this area where no one appears to be willing to help.
Thank you for letting be vent,
Linda

 

[orange&white]

Bless you for helping so many kitties!

It’s maddening that some people think, “Oh, that person has a lot of cats. I’ll just dump this cat I don’t want there to be cared for.”

At some point, we all have a limit for how many cats we can care for so that the each cat gets good care and the human care takers are not financially or emotionally stressed.

I think a GoFundMe for the costs of getting the newly abandoned cat spayed and vaccinated is a good idea. If people donate extra, that’s good to help with your general cat food and care costs for the entire colony in the short run. In the long run, you know you have the ongoing monthly expenses for your colony.

It seems to me that you need to focus on trying to get a rescue group to take not only the new cat, but some of the existing colony to a relocated territory. You and your husband should pick a number of cats you can comfortably afford to feed and care for, and try to find some experienced feral groups who can help to move the rest. If your colony is aging, perhaps nature and time is all that’s needed to get you to a manageable number of cats.

I know sometimes that can be a tall order to get outside help, and I understand you called resources to get the new cat spayed. Also, I’m sure that you are attached to each and every cat in your existing colony. It’s a really tough position to be in. At the end of the day, you and your husband should not be arguing over cats though. I hope you can decide on a number of cats to keep your marriage healthy.

Perhaps some of the members here who work/volunteer with feral groups can help with some resources in you area, or perhaps there's an assistance program that is more statewide or national.

 

[houseofnine]

@ lprad, where are you located?
Others on this site have recommended looking at the Alley Cat Allies web site to find local resources to help.
I agree with the suggestion above that maybe doing a GoFundMe may help, if you can't find a rescue to actually take the cat(s). We have 12 indoor cats, 8 of whom have come from our yard. There is a local rescue lady who has trapped our yard cats and lets us piggyback on her hefty discount, but I pay the bill directly to the vet. The vet has been good about allowing us to do that when we first get the cats. They know we are total kitty lovers who will end up keeping the rescues, and they charge us regular "pet" rates once the kitties have been fixed/vacc/tested.
Bless you for doing all you have! Best of luck with this--we're here to listen!

 

[trudy1]

IMO you need to call area vets and shelters. They know who is into rescue, tnr, etc. These are the people who will know about any discounts, cheap s/n and such. You may be suffering from TMC (too many cats) such that they damage your marriage, life style and budget. I would google no kill shelters in your close area. Call them, yes they will be full, but they may have a waiting list you can get on or set a future date with them. The heartbreaking part is going through your babies and picking who stays and who goes.
I have never had to do this (7 inside currently and a wife on two different inhalers a day for cat allergies) but in a town we used to live there was a woman who people knew would take in rescues. Even though she would go without food for herself to care for them. She would get up to 40 rescues and about once a year she would have to go through her house and select who stayed and who went to the shelter. We cried together many times over this. Heartbreaking. But necessary.
You have to decide what’s best for you as well as your cat family.
The go fund is a great idea anyway. I would state it as eloquently as you have above regarding the need, amount of funds, etc.
Please keep us posted on what happens as many of us have gone through or are going through what you have.