At my Wit's End with being attacked over feeding cats

moxiewild

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Question - will your landlord allow you to foster one or two at a time?

If you can foster, a rescue will be significantly more willing to sponsor you (pay for essentials) and help with adoption placement.

Your landlord may agree to a long term plan like this, especially if you can get the first few adopted in a timely manner as a show of good faith.

You could start with those that are already friendly. Then, work on socializing the others while you foster - lots of us here can help you with that!

And find them homes one-by-one.

Those that don’t socialize well can perhaps find placement in the sanctuary.

As far as the other neighbor who wants the cats to stay - tough titties! She doesn’t own them. Either she needs to take adequate responsibility for all of them (food, shelter, TNR, vet care, etc), or she needs to allow you to find homes or rescue placement for most of them.

Do you know which ones are “hers”? Would it be possible to avoid her “favorites” and work on fostering and placing the others? Ideally, you could have a conversation about this, but it seems like communication is strained right now if I understand correctly?

You might be able to call around to rescues to request an advocate to help you speak to them about this and convince her to agree or otherwise find a compromise.

Barring that - like I said - she doesn’t own them. You can foster or take them to the sanctuary if you want. You do not need her permission to do this. Just try your best to avoid the ones that were originally “hers” as to reduce conflict.

Also, she is sending you empty legal threats. Unless there is more to the story you aren’t sharing, she’s got nothing.Don’t pay them any mind.

You are doing right by these cats, and TCS is here for support and encouragement anytime you need it.
 

moxiewild

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She keeps screaming at me in her emails that they are feral cats and should NOT be removed from the streets
I also want to highlight this part of your comment above.

Have you told her that people are harassing and physically threatening the cats?

What she says is true, but this rule does not apply when their current location becomes dangerous. And human threats are among the most dangerous any colony or caretaker will ever deal with.

Do you know if she is being harassed as well?

(Again though - none of this actually matters. She does not own the community cats and you do not need her permission to find homes/rescue placement for them. I cannot stress that enough)
 
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Whenallhellbreakslose

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Question - will your landlord allow you to foster one or two at a time?

If you can foster, a rescue will be significantly more willing to sponsor you (pay for essentials) and help with adoption placement.

Your landlord may agree to a long term plan like this, especially if you can get the first few adopted in a timely manner as a show of good faith.

You could start with those that are already friendly. Then, work on socializing the others while you foster - lots of us here can help you with that!

And find them homes one-by-one.

Those that don’t socialize well can perhaps find placement in the sanctuary.

As far as the other neighbor who wants the cats to stay - tough titties! She doesn’t own them. Either she needs to take adequate responsibility for all of them (food, shelter, TNR, vet care, etc), or she needs to allow you to find homes or rescue placement for most of them.

Do you know which ones are “hers”? Would it be possible to avoid her “favorites” and work on fostering and placing the others? Ideally, you could have a conversation about this, but it seems like communication is strained right now if I understand correctly?

You might be able to call around to rescues to request an advocate to help you speak to them about this and convince her to agree or otherwise find a compromise.

Barring that - like I said - she doesn’t own them. You can foster or take them to the sanctuary if you want. You do not need her permission to do this. Just try your best to avoid the ones that were originally “hers” as to reduce conflict.

Also, she is sending you empty legal threats. Unless there is more to the story you aren’t sharing, she’s got nothing.Don’t pay them any mind.

You are doing right by these cats, and TCS is here for support and encouragement anytime you need it.
 
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Whenallhellbreakslose

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Thanks for your reply. Things are getting nastier, she has been bad mouthing me to a local tnr group that helped us some years ago. She told them that the email I sent them 2 weeks ago looking for help was a lie (note: I never said anything bad about her in it, just that I think she may be overwhelmed and that's why more and more of her cats were coming to me.) I told the tnr group today that she is not honest about the situation and I shooed her cats many times yet they still come back hungry and crying. It just breaks my heart.💔 She has the telltale signs of a hoarder. I say with cat feeding you always have to be honest with yourself and know your limitations and seek help if it is more than you can handle. She wouldn't acknowledge there is a problem and if I find a safe place for these cats or even just bring a cat feeder on the block--She will go berserk. Probally send me a letter to Cease by a lawyer. 🙄Meanwhile, I have plenty of evidence to prove my case that these cats hang in front of my house for hours on end waiting for food, on top of numberous emails that prove that she lied about a quite a number of things. She needs to get help. Why can't she see that these cats will suffer if we are not honest here?

I am trying to sort out the other issues you mentioned. I will not turn my back on these cats. If I could, I would have taken some of the cats in the house. They are sweet to me and I think they could be adopted. However, at this stage, as mentioned before, that lady would go beserk. She screamed at me in her last email, "Leave them alone, they are feral and belong on the streets" "Stop feeding the cats and they will go away." Uggghhh! If they were getting adequate meals from her they wouldn't becoming to me crying for food, not to mention they hang in for hours in front of my house.

I am going to focus on the cats and try my darnest to get them through winter and I don't care who tries to get in the way, I can't let them suffer.

Thanks for your reply. Have a good evening.
😊
 
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Whenallhellbreakslose

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This is what most animal hoarders do.

We deal with them constantly where I work, and it’s hard on everyone involved, human, hoarder, rescuer, and animal alike.

They collect, collect, collect, and then become overwhelmed or are forced out by landlords/authorities/social pressure, so they abandon the house and animals (many hoarders hoard their animals outdoors).

But because the underlying disease is never addressed and our legal system has no clue how to handle animal hoarding, they simply move somewhere else and start again. Every 5 years, every 10 years, again and again throughout their lives.

Virtually all hoarders essentially dump their animals on others, whether it’s kind neighbors, or rescues (if we’re lucky enough to get there before they die, that is).
Yup, you know the deal! Someone close to this woman must tell her she has a problem. But honestly, she will say either they are the problem or they are crazy for even saying she has a problem. All of sudden I want to watch that tv show about horders and interventions. I might learn a thing or two. Thanks for your reply.
 

moxiewild

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Thanks for your reply. Things are getting nastier, she has been bad mouthing me to a local tnr group that helped us some years ago. She told them that the email I sent them 2 weeks ago looking for help was a lie (note: I never said anything bad about her in it, just that I think she may be overwhelmed and that's why more and more of her cats were coming to me.) I told the tnr group today that she is not honest about the situation and I shooed her cats many times yet they still come back hungry and crying. It just breaks my heart.💔 She has the telltale signs of a hoarder. I say with cat feeding you always have to be honest with yourself and know your limitations and seek help if it is more than you can handle. She wouldn't acknowledge there is a problem and if I find a safe place for these cats or even just bring a cat feeder on the block--She will go berserk. Probally send me a letter to Cease by a lawyer. 🙄Meanwhile, I have plenty of evidence to prove my case that these cats hang in front of my house for hours on end waiting for food, on top of numberous emails that prove that she lied about a quite a number of things. She needs to get help. Why can't she see that these cats will suffer if we are not honest here?

I am trying to sort out the other issues you mentioned. I will not turn my back on these cats. If I could, I would have taken some of the cats in the house. They are sweet to me and I think they could be adopted. However, at this stage, as mentioned before, that lady would go beserk. She screamed at me in her last email, "Leave them alone, they are feral and belong on the streets" "Stop feeding the cats and they will go away." Uggghhh! If they were getting adequate meals from her they wouldn't becoming to me crying for food, not to mention they hang in for hours in front of my house.

I am going to focus on the cats and try my darnest to get them through winter and I don't care who tries to get in the way, I can't let them suffer.

Thanks for your reply. Have a good evening.
😊
Get to documenting! Take videos of the cats at your house and how much they’re eating. Take videos of this periodically to demonstrate that this is a regular thing.

Send this and anything else you might think is relevant that you can send to the rescue to support your side of this.

Legally, she honestly can’t do anything. Even if you had local laws that were not feral/caretaker friendly, she can’t/won’t report you since she’s guilty of the same and has at least some attachment to the cats.

What is it that you’re afraid she’ll do? These are ferals, if one disappears, well... they’re outside, and ferals disappear all the time. How is she going to prove it was you or that you had anything to do with it?

Even if she could prove it, again, these animals are not her property. She has no claim to them and therefore no legal recourse.

Keep your head up!
 
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Whenallhellbreakslose

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Get to documenting! Take videos of the cats at your house and how much they’re eating. Take videos of this periodically to demonstrate that this is a regular thing.

Send this and anything else you might think is relevant that you can send to the rescue to support your side of this.

Legally, she honestly can’t do anything. Even if you had local laws that were not feral/caretaker friendly, she can’t/won’t report you since she’s guilty of the same and has at least some attachment to the cats.

What is it that you’re afraid she’ll do? These are ferals, if one disappears, well... they’re outside, and ferals disappear all the time. How is she going to prove it was you or that you had anything to do with it?

Even if she could prove it, again, these animals are not her property. She has no claim to them and therefore no legal recourse.

Keep your head up!
Thank you for your reply. I am sorting things out right now. Winter is not far off, so I got to get moving on on it. I have plenty of videos of the cats lining up at my door. Today the owner of the house shooed them away numerous times and still they came back and I was finally able to give them their dinner. After all that bitchin the other feeder did in her last email, they still camp out in front of my house for food. My case is well proven. She better think twice about bad mouthing me to others. Thanks again for your advice. Have a good night.
 

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Whenallhellbreakslose

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Thank you. I have made up winter shelters before, but am always open to new ideas. The problem is with the owner of the house forbade me to put out winter shelters on her property for the front stoop kitties. She allows it for the backyard cats because they been around for awhile and they are a small group I have been feeding for quite awhile. Although she is not too happy with that either. She doesn't want a horde of new cats on her property. So the bigger problem is where are the shelters going to be placed?

I will check out the links you sent me. Thank you very much.🙂
 
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Whenallhellbreakslose

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Ughhh!!! The other feeder still sicking people on me. Making me look "problematic". Does these people realize that there may be cat hoarding going on?The neighbors are not happy and if Animal Contol is called in-- game over!!! So I guess I am the bad guy because i am worried this may happen? The group she sicking on me are leaning on her side. I am very disappointed in them. Plus I had some weird thing happen that I won't get into here. I really wish I could just move away before things get worse. Ofcourse, save the kitties first.
 
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Whenallhellbreakslose

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If you have the chance, could you read my latest entry on my post. Now she has another person from that group I mentioned before talking to me about my issue with that cat feeder, it seems they are siding with her. I feel unfairly treated and ganged up on. I felt like screaming," Excuse me for being poor and overwelmed by having her cats coming my way. I feed who I can and can't take on anymore." SMH at this, they should have been a little more understanding. Not fair.😟
 

tabbytom

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If you have the chance, could you read my latest entry on my post. Now she has another person from that group I mentioned before talking to me about my issue with that cat feeder, it seems they are siding with her. I feel unfairly treated and ganged up on. I felt like screaming," Excuse me for being poor and overwelmed by having her cats coming my way. I feed who I can and can't take on anymore." SMH at this, they should have been a little more understanding. Not fair.😟
Keep your records and emails as evidence and if there's a chance, keep the phone camera rolling while engaging them (the woman and the group that sides her) and also have a webcam outside you house to record that the cats actually come over to your side their own ad not that you called them over.

Cats go to wherever food is available. If they are not well fed at one place, they'll go to another place to fill up till they're full. This woman doesn't understand cats and probably with an unstable mind but also it is true that some who have been feeding streets cats take it as they wholly own the cats and therefore gets mad when someone else tries to feed them. But first, this woman needs to be educated and then maybe its easier after that. But keep your evidence so that she cannot fault you should the TNR group or the authorities step in.

Don't give her a chance to jump on you and she'll have no case against you.
 
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Whenallhellbreakslose

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Keep your records and emails as evidence and if there's a chance, keep the phone camera rolling while engaging them (the woman and the group that sides her) and also have a webcam outside you house to record that the cats actually come over to your side their own ad not that you called them over.

Cats go to wherever food is available. If they are not well fed at one place, they'll go to another place to fill up till they're full. This woman doesn't understand cats and probably with an unstable mind but also it is true that some who have been feeding streets cats take it as they wholly own the cats and therefore gets mad when someone else tries to feed them. But first, this woman needs to be educated and then maybe its easier after that. But keep your evidence so that she cannot fault you should the TNR group or the authorities step in.

Don't give her a chance to jump on you and she'll have no case against you.
I have been doing that. These cats wait in front of my house for hours to be feed. If they wait that long, then they are probably not getting adequate feedings elsewhere.

I am so disappointed with the lady i spoke to today, I thought she would treat me more fairly based on her past encounters with me. Instead it seems she thinks i am out of line for addressing this problem and seeking help. SMH😕
 

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I have been doing that. These cats wait in front of my house for hours to be feed. If they wait that long, then they are probably not getting adequate feedings elsewhere.

I am so disappointed with the lady i spoke to today, I thought she would treat me more fairly based on her past encounters with me. Instead it seems she thinks i am out of line for addressing this problem and seeking help. SMH😕
No point arguing with her. Just do what you think it's right. Once she does not have a sparring partner, she may just let it be. The more you engage her, the more out of tune she'll be.
 
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OMG. I hope I am wrong about this, but I can't find any of my backyard kitties. A feeding was missed, that normally the cats go to. One of them was sick and on medicine. I was looking for a discount vet for him to take him today. The last I saw him, he was in his shelter on my deck last night. No sign of them any where. If I don't find them in the next while, this is highly suspect to me. A big red flag is up. 😡 If what I think happened here, this is going too far. I pray that they show up soon
 
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OMG. I hope I am wrong about this, but I can't find any of my backyard kitties. A feeding was missed, that normally the cats go to. One of them was sick and on medicine. I was looking for a discount vet for him to take him today. The last I saw him, he was in his shelter on my deck last night. No sign of them any where. If I don't find them in the next while, this is highly suspect to me. A big red flag is up. 😡 If what I think happened here, this is going too far. I pray that they show up soon
Okay, one of my kitties came crying for food and attention. Now I look for the others. I fear the sick cat may have wandered by the railroad, which has a semi-forested area next to it with a fence restricting access. I went in their once looking for another cat, it is a very rough area. I nearly killed myself tripping over a fallen branch I didn't see. It was on a slope. I was all bloodied up. I am going to keep looking around. Hopefully, I find him and the other. Sorry for the drama, but I have a crazy situation going on, so you tend to get paranoid.
 

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Absolutely document everything. Anecdotal evidence can be very strong as it is not something that can me made up overnight. The fact that you can produce it when and if asked for it carries a lot of weight. Look out for yourself as well; if you are injured then all hope is lost for any who might be able to be rescued.
 
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Absolutely document everything. Anecdotal evidence can be very strong as it is not something that can me made up overnight. The fact that you can produce it when and if asked for it carries a lot of weight. Look out for yourself as well; if you are injured then all hope is lost for any who might be able to be rescued.
Okay now 3 of my kitties are out back eating. They laid very low today. The sick one is gone, I think he may have went to the place mentioned previously and passed away. He was 4 years old, his daddy-- that both of the other feeders fed looked the same way last year and then I never seen him on the block sense. Must of been something genetic. My guess was thyroid and kidney issues. I gave him supplements to help him, but I guess the condition ran it's course on him. 😢😢😢 I am curious. What is the average age of the cats in your colony you feed? Have any of them made it to 10 years old? I really wish they live longer. The other backyard kitties seem fine. So I hope they are around for awhile.
 

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In your situation, you will probably have to accept/face how much of this is out of your control and realize how much you have tried to do. With ferals, that is a big part of what goes with it. Not the same as your indoor pet and you were not able to help it in its time of need. I did have a ginger boy make it to 10 and there is a neigborhood feral who might be older than that; however, with the true feral who will live outdoors only the life expectancy is not the same as an indoor pet. I am sure that there are a lot of exceptions to this and others can chime in with their experiences.

Of the wild feral who will only be trapped once for TNR, the average age for me has been about 3. Ginger boy lived closer to the house and used the shelter that we provided.

I have had ferals who passed away at a young age from what I believed was a genetic component.
 
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