I need help. I want to do something about the strays in my area and I'm working on getting information about starting a non profit organization. I know this is going to be difficult, but I already take in a lot of them right now. In the past year me and my sister has rescued and found good homes for over 100 hundred cats. (includes kittens, momma kitties, feral and stray males, and abandoned and dropped off young cats and kittens.) NO ONE in my area seems to care about them except us, and now recently my sister has wanted to focus more on her life and doesn't do much to help if anything. We still have around ten stray males that I feed and water everyday. Only two that I know of are feral. The people in my area are actually pretty mean to them and see them only as pests. Since they found out we take care of them it's been a never ending line of cats in our house. I love cats and always have, that's why I want to do what I can to help. I don't really believe in TNR because the cats here are already tortured enough by the kids and adults, at least the ones that were friendly enough to come close. Which in turn makes them scared and harder for me to get them. At present we only have one female running around due to our efforts of making sure we get the females so we don't have any more litters.
My main question comes from a discovery I made yesterday. While in the car as my mom was taking my other sister to work I saw two kittens playing VERY close to the highway road and had her stop.
I went back to look for them and of course they ran away from me. There is a little patch of woods behind an apartment complex and a movie theater where they are hiding. At first I thought they were alone. I came back after taking my sister to work with a little ham not twenty minutes later and they were still there, but my mom noticed the mother. I left the ham for them because I knew they were terrified and werent' going to come close. I went back today and it was gone, of course!
I took a pack of skinless boneless salmon and some dry cat food and put it in the same place as the ham so they would know it was me. One major problem is that we only have one animal control officer and she doesn't pick up or try to capture cats, only dogs, which is why I do the best I can. I know over time I could gain their trust, but I don't want to take too much time, it could be too late. The kittens are about three months, probably a little less and beautiful long haired. While the mother wasn't there the first time I got about five feet from the gray and white kitten and the black and white one stayed behind it ready to bolt. It actually started coming towards me but thought better of it and turned around. I'm not going to take one without the other, or leave the mother without the kittens. I'd never get her because without a reason to stay she'd leave. I don't know what to do.
I've never tried to trap a cat before, and not so far from where I live. We only have two shelters, one which is always full and euthanizes hundreds of healthy animals daily and the other which has fallen apart and they're trying to fix it. The pet stores here are very snotty and I doubt I would get any help from them in any way. What should I do? Does anyone have any advice? Does anyone know how to start a non-profit organization, or at the very least get some kind of donations for food, litter, and vet visists for shots and spay/neuter? I want to do more than I am now. I have always loved cats and always will. I want to do the best that I can in helping them. I have a lot of ideas to promote a non-profit for strays and what it should do. My older sister is good with graphic arts and could help tremendously in that way. But I don't know how to get it started, or what legal tape I have to go through. I can't find the information I'm looking for anywhere! Please if anyone has any info on either of my questions write back to me. I need all the advice I can get on both areas and am doing my best to search for answers.
Trying to do more in Ohio
My main question comes from a discovery I made yesterday. While in the car as my mom was taking my other sister to work I saw two kittens playing VERY close to the highway road and had her stop.
I've never tried to trap a cat before, and not so far from where I live. We only have two shelters, one which is always full and euthanizes hundreds of healthy animals daily and the other which has fallen apart and they're trying to fix it. The pet stores here are very snotty and I doubt I would get any help from them in any way. What should I do? Does anyone have any advice? Does anyone know how to start a non-profit organization, or at the very least get some kind of donations for food, litter, and vet visists for shots and spay/neuter? I want to do more than I am now. I have always loved cats and always will. I want to do the best that I can in helping them. I have a lot of ideas to promote a non-profit for strays and what it should do. My older sister is good with graphic arts and could help tremendously in that way. But I don't know how to get it started, or what legal tape I have to go through. I can't find the information I'm looking for anywhere! Please if anyone has any info on either of my questions write back to me. I need all the advice I can get on both areas and am doing my best to search for answers.
Trying to do more in Ohio