I've somehow managed to become embroiled in a controversy at my apartment complex regarding the presence of feral cats. I rarely see the cats, myself, as they tend to hang out around a specific area of the complex where a woman named K. puts food out on her porch for them.
Unfortunately, K. has not successfully trapped and neutered enough of the cats to prevent the colony from growing. Her neighbor, M., has 3 dogs and has become incensed about the presence of feral cats which spray on her window (she's on the ground floor) and car. She also believes the feral cats could pose health risks to her dogs. She believes K. has not tried hard enough (if at all) to trap and neuter the cats she feeds.
M. (who is a friend/ acquaintance) visited K. the other day and told her that K. had two weeks to take care of the cats. After that, she would start trapping them herself and taking them to animal control to be euthanized.
K. came to me to complain about M. and to enlist my help in coming up with a solution for these cats. (This is how I got involved - groan). I talked to M. about us doing a TNR program with the cats but she is resolutely against this. If we released the neutered cats, M. said, it would have to be in an area other than the apartment complex, as M. will continue to trap them and take them to animal control. She firmly believes they are a hazard to her dogs and will not be convinced otherwise.
So, I don't know what to do. I wish K. would get the traps, herself, and set them up on her porch (since they go to feed there), but I think she's a bit clueless as to what to do from there because
1) neither of us can foster the cats when they are recovering from neutering/spaying surgery as we both have cats, ourselves, and live in very small one-bedroom apartments and
2) neither of us know where we would release the kitties that can't be socialized.
I'm not sure K. has even investigated low-cost places to get the kitties spayed and neutered.
Any advice here would be very much appreciated!
P.S. Trying to convince M. that a TNR program is better than her plan is futile. She is highly opinionated and highly emotional on this subject and just wants to have the cats put down. In her opinion, this is the most humane thing to do.
Unfortunately, K. has not successfully trapped and neutered enough of the cats to prevent the colony from growing. Her neighbor, M., has 3 dogs and has become incensed about the presence of feral cats which spray on her window (she's on the ground floor) and car. She also believes the feral cats could pose health risks to her dogs. She believes K. has not tried hard enough (if at all) to trap and neuter the cats she feeds.
M. (who is a friend/ acquaintance) visited K. the other day and told her that K. had two weeks to take care of the cats. After that, she would start trapping them herself and taking them to animal control to be euthanized.
K. came to me to complain about M. and to enlist my help in coming up with a solution for these cats. (This is how I got involved - groan). I talked to M. about us doing a TNR program with the cats but she is resolutely against this. If we released the neutered cats, M. said, it would have to be in an area other than the apartment complex, as M. will continue to trap them and take them to animal control. She firmly believes they are a hazard to her dogs and will not be convinced otherwise.
So, I don't know what to do. I wish K. would get the traps, herself, and set them up on her porch (since they go to feed there), but I think she's a bit clueless as to what to do from there because
1) neither of us can foster the cats when they are recovering from neutering/spaying surgery as we both have cats, ourselves, and live in very small one-bedroom apartments and
2) neither of us know where we would release the kitties that can't be socialized.
I'm not sure K. has even investigated low-cost places to get the kitties spayed and neutered.
Any advice here would be very much appreciated!
P.S. Trying to convince M. that a TNR program is better than her plan is futile. She is highly opinionated and highly emotional on this subject and just wants to have the cats put down. In her opinion, this is the most humane thing to do.