Don't Know What To Do!

Cat20mom

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I've posted before about my neighbor not being happy about the colony I care for in my yard-well, 3 of them seem to have disappeared in the last 2 weeks (my favorite wasn't there to eat this morning) and I fear this neighbor, or someone he has gotten to help him, is doing something with them again (2 years ago he encouraged another neighbor to trap, and I think kill, 9 of my colony at that time). I literally do not know what to do!! : (
Talking to this man does absolutely no good. He will accept no less than me getting rid of the cats since there is nothing I can do to keep them off of his property. I can't go to the police or humane officer because 1) I can't prove he is doing something with them and 2) I risk a $150 fine per cat for allowing them to roam onto others' property per our city ordinance or 3) I will be forced to get rid of all of them.

I don't know of any farmers who would take them and actually care for them-it seems cruel to give them to a farmer who would expect them to live solely on mice, etc that they catch.

The only option I see is to take them to an animal shelter 40 minutes away that will accept strays. They are NOT a no kill shelter and I understand that-they don't have unlimited space and they get the strays for several counties around. So they will be traumatized by being thrown into a shelter with MANY other strays and then they will highly likely eventually be euthanized.

It isn't possible to turn my yard into a huge catio for them and essentially keep them penned in-I just don't have the funds to do that plus my husband would never go for it.

I could just sit and cry all day over this!! These are my babies that have been raised, cared for and fed in my yard since birth. All but 3 are neutered. I have made multiple attempts to re-home the friendly ones (which is most of them by now) to no avail.
I am totally heartbroken.
 

catsknowme

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Do you have a fenced back yard that you could put barriers up? What methods have you tried for rehoming? This sounds critical because mean neighbors can be so heartless; they will complain about cats yet do not support TNR efforts. @surya might have some ideas! Maybe you could do a crowdfunding campaign to pay for some sort of cat fence. Hang in there - it may take time, but you have a whole international community of cat people on your side! :soldier:
 

kittychick

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I'm so sorry - - I remember your situation (and know I told you I definitely empathize with you!). And it sounds like you've done alot of what I (and I'm sure others) suggested. Don't give up hope yet.....I'm going to reach out to a friend of mine who lives in a town with ordinances like yours, AND a neighbor like yours. :argh: I'll see if I can find out specifics on what she and her husband did. I'll let you know asap! Try to hang in there! You've done SO much already - - -you've made such a difference in so many kitties' lives. Hopefully between all of us we can come up with some more options!!!
 

kittychick

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I left out something I meant to mention -- I totally understand your worry about barns/barncats. They're completely founded in reality. But there ARE programs out there that work with people who understand the value of having barn cats/work place cats. These programs vet people carefully, making sure that (1) they understand the cats need to be contained (there's a better word out there - - but it's late and my brain's much) so that they won't run off, (2) the cats cannot be expected to exist only on mice, and must have proper food and clean water available at all times, (3) proper shelter must be provided, and (4) most of these programs also make the adopters of barn cats/workplace cats agree to "spot checks" - where someone from the program can basically pop in unannounced and make sure the adopters are doing everything they promised.

More and more shelters have these programs - - and I think it would be very likely to go to your local shelter(s) and talk to them about something like that. Most shelter workers want their kitties (all kitties!) to find a good, safe, home - - - and often if you visit a shelter (vs call them), someone there (besides the person who answers phones) may know of a program near you, even if their shelter doesn't have a program like that. I'll check around and see if I can find anything in your area.
 

dragonlady2

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Just a suggestion....you are probably paying a fair amount for food, etc. Is it possible to advertise for someone that is looking for barn cats or someone who has the property/space to take the cats that would be willing to partner with you for the care of them? You would have control of vetting the potential space and monitoring the cats.
 

kittychick

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Wanted you to know I do have calls in to two people near me (that I mentioned in my notes above) - - and as soon as I hear from them, I'll let you know. I know every minute seems like a day when you've got a problem with your kitties - - particularly when it involves hate and possible retribution against them (and you!). I Just wanted to reassure you that you're on my mind and I'm actively trying!

I think I might have mentioned this in your last post too - - but just in case - - - you're right to be concerned about taking them to a shelter that's NOT no kill as it would generally be hard for them to find a home as shelters can be rough for even very socialized cats. I've been involved in shelters all my life - - so I'm not being nasty about them in any way. I currently am very involved with a wonderful no kill shelter in my area, and much as we tried, neither me nor my hubby could bring ourselves to take to our shelter the small portion of the neighborhood colony that permanently calls our yard/garage home. So don't beat yourself up on that - or ANY Of it!!! - you're doing SO much. You've saved MANY lives already!.

I did think of a flyer I've seen on the Alley Cat Allies that might be at least one prong in your ongoing effort to help your furry kids (I might have mentioned them in your original post (obviously thecatsite.com is always where I go first for info and support, with its amazing network of knowledgable people!!!!!). It's a page all about cats and the law - - while it might not solve things, you might find something on the pages that helps you at least know your and your cats' rights as we keep working to find a way for you to solve this! Cats and the Law: Finding and Understanding Your Laws

And I'll keep you posted - - meanwhile know you're a good person, doing a wonderful thing - - so you keep us posted too!
 

KittyCat Angel

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I see 'killing cat's ' and immediately think that is against the law where I live.
 

tnrmakessense

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I've posted before about my neighbor not being happy about the colony I care for in my yard-well, 3 of them seem to have disappeared in the last 2 weeks (my favorite wasn't there to eat this morning) and I fear this neighbor, or someone he has gotten to help him, is doing something with them again (2 years ago he encouraged another neighbor to trap, and I think kill, 9 of my colony at that time). I literally do not know what to do!! : (
Talking to this man does absolutely no good. He will accept no less than me getting rid of the cats since there is nothing I can do to keep them off of his property. I can't go to the police or humane officer because 1) I can't prove he is doing something with them and 2) I risk a $150 fine per cat for allowing them to roam onto others' property per our city ordinance or 3) I will be forced to get rid of all of them.

I don't know of any farmers who would take them and actually care for them-it seems cruel to give them to a farmer who would expect them to live solely on mice, etc that they catch.

The only option I see is to take them to an animal shelter 40 minutes away that will accept strays. They are NOT a no kill shelter and I understand that-they don't have unlimited space and they get the strays for several counties around. So they will be traumatized by being thrown into a shelter with MANY other strays and then they will highly likely eventually be euthanized.

It isn't possible to turn my yard into a huge catio for them and essentially keep them penned in-I just don't have the funds to do that plus my husband would never go for it.

I could just sit and cry all day over this!! These are my babies that have been raised, cared for and fed in my yard since birth. All but 3 are neutered. I have made multiple attempts to re-home the friendly ones (which is most of them by now) to no avail.
I am totally heartbroken.
Have you reached out to Alley Cat Allies to see if they have "feral friends" near you ? They also have good info. about what to do when local officials get nasty.

It's easy for me to say as a lifetime a single person (and one of the reasons I'm single) but if your husband won't go for a catio, dump HIM, not the cats. The worst behaved animal is 1/100th the angst of any human I've ever been in a relationship with.

One more thing. A town can impose fines, but they can also forgive them. There was a nut in a nearby neighborhood that had a yard full of junk which he argued was "art". He drove to the hearing with a giant paper mache rear end on his truck. He'd amassed thousands of dollars in fines. They forgave them when he cleaned up. It got a lot of publicity. You might consider going to the local or not so local paper, especially if you've T/N/R'd the cats.
 
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