update on feral cat and questions

[catwoman707]

they believe in the biblical quote: "Do to others as you would have them do to you."   and since i would never want to be trapped an neutered, i dont know what to say.

they say that animals dont necessarily follow the higher rules such as this but animals try their best and we should respect that.

While I respect your parent's choice and beliefs, I can't help but wonder if they might rethink this if they were aware of the other side of this, we as humans make the choices to reproduce or not, cats do not, acting on instincts alone. The endless amount of suffering all over the world, the homeless cat population, the fear they live with day in and day out of predators, surviving, territories, the fights, the illnesses from vicious unneutered males fighting, (the majority of fiv and felv (leukemia) transfers are from male cat fights and mating) the babies born to moms who contracted felv, who will die, or even faster, by being eaten alive by predators, the endless amount of cats and kittens who are euthanized daily is literally just tragic, unspeakable, and so on.

It is for his safety, his future and well being, it will prevent so much pain and fear, allowing him to live his life out, many, many more years than if he is not neutered. 

Humans do not have all of the same risks, not anything like an outdoor feral cat does. 

If he does not get trapped and neutered, he will wander, to make babies, and they will be killed, the moms get pregnant time after time after time, depleting all of their intenal resources which produces weak unhealthy babies.

It's taken a very long time for TNR to be acknowledged as an excellent way to stop the vicious cycle once and for all, but it has gotten so out of control up until it's recognition, that it will take many years of diligent work to put a big enough dent in the homeless feral population, but is truly the answer.

I loved it when you wrote that the cat seemed to do a happy jump after finding the tuna can, that is too cute!!    Wow!! TUNA!!!   

 

[ondine]

they believe in the biblical quote: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." and since i would never want to be trapped an neutered, i dont know what to say. they say that animals dont necessarily follow the higher rules such as this but animals try their best and we should respect that.

Mike - if that is true, perhaps you can help them realize that by not taking this cat to the vet, they are basically leaving one of God's creatures helpless and vulnerable when they could help it.

Ask them how they might feel if someone could help them but refused to do so for any reason ...

Animals are not like humans, as CatWoman points out.  They have fewer choices in this world.  We humans were given stewardship over animals (according to the Bible).  I see that stewardship as being responsible, not just using them for our own enjoyment or food. 

 

[dahlia]

I agree with ondine and catwoman.  The frame of reference between humans being sterilized and a cat being neutered isn't really the same.  A simple procedure can would prolong the cat's life and reduce their chance of injuries and disease.  I am not intending to insult your parents' but do they live that out in all other ways of their life?  It is easy to throw phrases around like that selectively, harder to actually live out all the time.

 

[2 dozen]

The thought that occurred to me when I read "do unto others etc,,," was that you would want someone help you not have innumeral children brought into a harsh world filled with disease and predators, little or no food/shelter. Sadly that is the case in too many parts of the world. But doing unto others as you would have them do unto you is not valid, at least in this case, trans species. .As mentioned above, we are stewards, doing our best for the animals welfare. And you have been a caring steward of this cat though you don't think he is so cute. Your parents are being tolerant of your excursions even though they fear Lyme disease. You and your family are kind hearted people who can't help but care.

Anyway, I wanted to mention a group that does low cost spay/neutering in Middletown, NY, if you are near there. They are known as TARA, the animal rights alliance, if I remember correctly. Some people had vouchers they rec'd from vets or Humane Societies, if you want I can give you phone number, or you can google them for info.

Karen

 

[msaimee]

If you trapped the cat, would you be setting the trap where he comes out to eat each morning? If that area isn't on your parents' property, then why do you need their permission to trap and neuter the cat? There may be another option for you. There is an animal hospital in my area that is open 24/7. When I trap a feral, I am able to bring them directly to the clinic without having to keep them in the cage overnight in my place. They board the cats free of charge, and they allow them to stay there a few days free of charge to recover. I don't have to make an appointment ahead of time. The vets do spaying and  neutering of ferals during down time on the overnite shift.  I am charged the normal charge for spaying cats since this is not a low cost spay/neuter clinic per see. If there is an animal hospital nearby you, you might call and see if you could bring a trapped feral cat directly to their clinic with the same sort of arrangement I have with mine.  That way it would not involve caring for the cat on your parents' property.

I will say that trapping, spaying, and then deciding to adopt my beautiful feral, Mia, last summer likely saved her life, and has resulted in an incredibly happier life for her. She was in heat when I trapped her, but not yet pregnant. The veterinarian noticed something wrong with her leg and took an xray. I learned that someone had shot her with a gun in her pelvis when she was just a kitten, a few months prior to my trapping her. The bullet broke the leg and the leg healed, but in an odd way so she has a slow gait. The bullet is still in her pelvis. She was malnourished, anemic, and mentally slow the first few months I had her. There's no way she would have survived pregnancy and caring for kittens during this winter. My outdoor feral, Muffin, brought her to me to care for, or she would be dead by now.  She is a very happy, healthy cat now--a bit plump--can run (awkwardly) and loves to play. Whenever I open my front door and she feels the cold, she runs upstairs. If I had asked her 6 months ago "Do you want to be trapped and spayed?" she would have said "No," but the cats are like children, incapable of making such decisions, so I made the decision for her and she is a very happy cat now, sleeping on my legs in bed at night.

I wanted to add that cats do tend to get more skittish and anxious in the very cold weather. My Muffin is more skittish around me when he's stressed from the cold. When the weather is warm, I can sit right next to him and he'll yawn and make eye contact, but when he's stressed from the weather, he is more easily bothered and fearful. I think you do care a lot about this cat, and it's not just about the exercise--your loyalty in walking a quarter mile and feeding him each day despite the weather is a clear expression of love. I understand completely, because every day for the past two and a half years, I've awakened pre-dawn to feed Muffin on my porch--that's a long time to not have been able to sleep in, lol.

 

[Norachan]

Hello Mike,

Thank you for continuing to care for this cat. I think you and your parents are nice people.

As others have said, getting a cat neutered isn't the same as getting a person neutered. The cat isn't thinking about meeting a nice girl some day and settling down to raise a few kittens. He's thinking about his survival and by getting him neutered you will make it much easier for him to survive. He'll be at less risk of getting injured in fights and catching a disease, roaming into unknown territory and getting hit by cars or attacked by predators.

Actually I managed to trap the last of spring 2013 kittens this morning and have just dropped him off at the vets to be neutered. I know that for him the worst part of the whole experience will be the car ride, in a few days he will have forgotten all about that and he'll spend the rest of his life as part of the colony I care for, being fed twice a day and given a safe place to sleep at night. The male cats I neutered last year and the year before all live happily together. There is one tom cat that I've been trying to trap since June and I haven't been able to so far. I saw him yesterday and he looks terrible. He's only coming to eat about twice a week as he is off looking for girls, so he's lost a lot of weight. He's been in a fight too, His ear is torn and bloody and he's covered in mud. It breaks my heart to see him like that but unless I trap him there is nothing I can do to help him.

Please think about what "your" cats life will be like if you don't get him neutered.

One way to make friends with this cat is to get him used to your smell. When you feed him, put his dish down on something that smells of you, a t-shirt you've been sleeping in or some sports wear works well.

Good luck, I hope you're able to get this cat into a safer situation before camp starts again.