Feeling like a heel..

[TooManyFelines]

So we have 7 indoor cats (4 strays who have adopted us since we moved here and 3 cats (was 4, but one passed away) who belong to a relative who is incarcerated and we were the only option except animal control) and another stray has shown up. Appears to be female, brown/tiger striped with a lion's mane, huge paws and a big floofy tail. She approached my husband when he was putting bird seed out and begged for food. She does not belong to any of the neighbors and there are two other cats with the same physical characteristics but different colors (one gray, one calico) who are roaming the neighborhood, but have not tried to interact with us.

We've fed her for the past week and set up a shelter under our porch. But we are entering a cold snap and it is going to be 25 tonight and I feel so damn guilty being in our warm house and this poor cat is outdoors. She is very affectionate and loves to lap-sit (we go out to spend time with her) and comes to the backdoor and just sits there and stares, hoping someone will come out or let her in. She has interacted with the indoor kitties through the screen door and there has been lots of hissing, yowling, growling, spitting, etc. But she doesn't react to it, she just sits there and looks at them. I know we are overextended and cannot possibly take in any more, especially since the 2 males don't get along and we have to keep them separated at all times, which makes it difficult already. But it is breaking my heart that she is stuck outside We also plan to move within a couple years, which makes it worse.

I am going to call our local animal shelter so she can be scanned for a chip, plus we can make sure she is spayed. They don't take in any animals, they rescue however many they can from animal control. But if we take her to animal control, she will get euthanized if they shelter is unable to take her. The other shelters are hopeless, we tried to place our relative's 3 cats and had zero luck. This is the South, so not a great place for animals, especially cats. Many people don't even bother to spay/neuter or surrender to shelters, they just dump. It freaking sucks, why are there so many irresponsible, heartless a-holes out there, and those of us who care have to pick up the pieces, time and time again??

 

[fionasmom]

It is not just in the South, believe me. Los Angeles is full of urban cat assistance groups and most of them are swamped as well. Cats tend to be throw away animals, even more than dogs, and are seen as expendable or inconsequential.

Can you set up any kind of an outdoor shelter for her with a source of heat...not necessarily from electricity....in the meantime?

 

[BellaGooch]

Hello!
Yes, it is very unfortunate that so many people are so heartless when it comes to animals. I'm so glad, though, that there are people like you who are willing to help them.
If you haven't already check this out, I definitely recommend this article about How To Help Feral Cats Stay Safe & Warm During Winter – TheCatSite Articles.
Don't feel guilty about not being able to take these cats inside- You have changed your 7 cats lives and are already helping this kitty.
Respect to you

 

[TooManyFelines]

Fiona’s Mom, I believe it! For some reason, too many stupid people see cats as disposable. I wish there were laws that would make a difference.

We’ve set up a shelter with lots of blankets and small enough to trap body heat, but we don’t have a heat source to add. It doesn’t stay cold consistently, it warms up to the 50’s and 60’s during the day. But mid-20’s at night is worrisome. Husband thinks she’ll be fine with all the blankets and her thick coat.

Bella, thank you for the kind words and the link. I kind of wish she was feral, that way she wouldn’t want to come in the house.

 

[Babypaws]

So we have 7 indoor cats (4 strays who have adopted us since we moved here and 3 cats (was 4, but one passed away) who belong to a relative who is incarcerated and we were the only option except animal control) and another stray has shown up. Appears to be female, brown/tiger striped with a lion's mane, huge paws and a big floofy tail. She approached my husband when he was putting bird seed out and begged for food. She does not belong to any of the neighbors and there are two other cats with the same physical characteristics but different colors (one gray, one calico) who are roaming the neighborhood, but have not tried to interact with us.

We've fed her for the past week and set up a shelter under our porch. But we are entering a cold snap and it is going to be 25 tonight and I feel so damn guilty being in our warm house and this poor cat is outdoors. She is very affectionate and loves to lap-sit (we go out to spend time with her) and comes to the backdoor and just sits there and stares, hoping someone will come out or let her in. She has interacted with the indoor kitties through the screen door and there has been lots of hissing, yowling, growling, spitting, etc. But she doesn't react to it, she just sits there and looks at them. I know we are overextended and cannot possibly take in any more, especially since the 2 males don't get along and we have to keep them separated at all times, which makes it difficult already. But it is breaking my heart that she is stuck outside We also plan to move within a couple years, which makes it worse.

I am going to call our local animal shelter so she can be scanned for a chip, plus we can make sure she is spayed. They don't take in any animals, they rescue however many they can from animal control. But if we take her to animal control, she will get euthanized if they shelter is unable to take her. The other shelters are hopeless, we tried to place our relative's 3 cats and had zero luck. This is the South, so not a great place for animals, especially cats. Many people don't even bother to spay/neuter or surrender to shelters, they just dump. It freaking sucks, why are there so many irresponsible, heartless a-holes out there, and those of us who care have to pick up the pieces, time and time again??

I totally agree with you and how you feel about the heartless people who abuse cats or any animal, they should get a taste of their own medicine.
I have 12 indoor cats and one feral cat that I have on our inclosed porch.
Trying to keep her inside for the winter. She had a second litter of 5 kittens in August and I couldn’t care for them so I called and they trapped them along with the mom. I left so bad when they took them (5-6weeks old).I wish I could have kept them.
But I asked them to return the mother cat to me . I had been feeding her for months and had taken in her first litter of 3.

 

[TooManyFelines]

We had 11 indoor cats 20 years ago when we first moved here. Because we had six kitties who moved with us and then ended up with 5 who desperately needed help shortly after moving here. One of them is still with us, she is almost 20 now. Altogether, we took in 7 kitties and a dog since we moved here. I wish we were still young so we could do as much as we used to.

 

[Babypaws]

Lol I wish I was younger too. It is time consuming but makes me feel better knowing I’m giving them a safe place to live. They all have their own personalities, I couldn’t part with any of them. That’s amazing you have a 20 year old. My oldest is 16 years old.

 

[TooManyFelines]

We had one who lived to almost 21. But he had CRF and needed daily fluids for the last year or so. The current ones are 19, 14, 12, 8, 7, 6, 3. Of course, most of the ages are vet guestimates. But we rescued the almost 20 year old along with her mother and her sister, and both kittens were assumed to be about 3 months old, but once the vet got a closer look he said they were about 6 months old but very small because of being malnourished. So she was born in March of 2001.

 

[moxiewild]

Where I’m the south (generally) are you, if you don’t mind sharing?

 

[TooManyFelines]

Where I’m the south (generally) are you, if you don’t mind sharing?

We are in Central TX.