I know that there are several of you out there who are avid animal lovers. I consider myself to be one as well and truly admire those of you who volunteer at your local animals shelters. You guys are awesome. I was hoping maybe some of you could give me some advice. In the alley behind our house, there are tons of stray cats. They keep getting pregnant and having more babies. There are always kittens around. My neighbors and I feed the cats. If we didn't feed them, I am not sure how they would eat. We would all love to catch them, but there are two problems with that. One, I don't know where to take them once we do catch one. I would keep them all, but Justin is deathly allergic to cats, so they can't live at my house. And second, they are very wild. They will not let you get close to them at all. I feel like the only way to catch them would be with some kind of trap, which I know nothing about. They let us get closer to them now than they did a month or so ago, but still no where near being able to touch them. I am totally in love with this one all black kitten. That is beside the point though. Last night, there were 12 cats and kittens eating at the same time. Three of the females are definitely pregnant. How can we stop this? I know many people say "don't feed the cats!" Well, that is easier said than done when you dearly love animals and there are 12 super skinny kitties meowing loudly. I don't want them to starve, but they have to stop having more babies. HELP!!
Friday, August 04, 2006
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7 comments:
Kittens can actually be "tamed" around the 3-4 week mark with human contact. Much bryons that, it is a difficult task. I would call a no-kill shelter in your area and see what they might suggest. Yes, feeding the cats will cause them to come back and you will end up with more and more as time passes. I know it is hard not to feed the cats.
I know of a couple of cat rescue places here, but they are local and unfortunately I'm in California. They are non-profit companies that will come and trap the cats and take them with them. They'll get the cats their shots, spay and neuter them, and clean them. If the cats are able to be adopted out they have people that will foster the cats until they get adopted (I'm guessing especially the kittens). Maybe you can search online for one in your area, or ask your local pet shop if they know of any cat rescue companies in your area.
The best way to deal with ferral cats is to have them spayed. In NC they clip the ear of a cat once it is spayed so they will know they are taken care of. The best thing would be to call your animal shelter and have them fix all of the cats...if they are willing. If they are left as is then it will just exacerbate the terrible pet overpopulation problem we already have.
It breaks my heart seeing so many animals at the shelter. I was just there yesterday and I am always amazed that people don't fix their animals. There should not be so many animals at the shelter. One of my passions in life is to find a way to finance no-cost spay/neauter programs. Currently there are low cost programs that charge $20 for low income families. But I want it to be free...we are going to pay in the end anyway when all of these animals end up at the shelter.
I would never take in a ferral cat...they are not domesticated and really should not be pets...esp when a new baby will be joining you before too long!
This doesnt exactly classify as a comment...more like a paper!
It's all been said, but I agree, call your no-kill shelter and ask for help. We got one of our cats from someone who trapped them on the grounds at work and got them spayed... he was a beautiful sweet kitten, must be he wasn't 'feral' yet. Anyway, there's definitely people who can help. :-)
Hi Kelly,
Someone just offered me a kitten yesterday but I knew that my hubby would not approve. When I lived in Toronto there was a Feral Cat Society that was volunteer based. They were overworked and it took awhile (and some regular feeding from moi) and happened immediately after I made a donation. That way everyone wins.
Good luck with your kitty dilemma.
Hi Kelly,
Someone just offered me a kitten yesterday but I knew that my hubby would not approve. When I lived in Toronto there was a Feral Cat Society that was volunteer based. They were overworked and it took awhile (and some regular feeding from moi) and happened immediately after I made a donation. That way everyone wins.
Good luck with your kitty dilemma.
I think that you should call the shelter because the sooner the new kittens get human contact, the more likly they are to get good homes instead of euthenised becase they are feral. Having said that I would feed them in the meantime even if they keep coming back, because that is what God would do. Good luck and those animals are lucky to have found someone so caring to help them. :)
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