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Thank you,and my cats thank you!
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- Thread starter Anne
- Start Date
I think you've done a wonderful job @Vallhalla
I lost a lot of cats when I first started doing TNR too. It's heartbreaking to lose a cat just because you were too late or too inexperienced and didn't know what to do. These are very painful lessons, but you've managed to save four! That's awesome.
I lost a lot of cats when I first started doing TNR too. It's heartbreaking to lose a cat just because you were too late or too inexperienced and didn't know what to do. These are very painful lessons, but you've managed to save four! That's awesome.
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I know much more now,and it is still sad that I was unable to care for the feral cat colony we had.
I had to break the law to do so.
I had to stop others from trapping cats as if it were a sport.
I had to watch my kids cry as a mommy cat and her kittens were taken away,and put down by a person who trapped them and took them right to a kill shelter.
Oh,the stories I could tell...and none of them are pretty.
Knowing what I know now,I am able to educate others,so that the mistakes I made through lack of knowledge maybe can help them.
I had to break the law to do so.
I had to stop others from trapping cats as if it were a sport.
I had to watch my kids cry as a mommy cat and her kittens were taken away,and put down by a person who trapped them and took them right to a kill shelter.
Oh,the stories I could tell...and none of them are pretty.
Knowing what I know now,I am able to educate others,so that the mistakes I made through lack of knowledge maybe can help them.
You did the best you could. Those cats know you cared and wanted to help them. There are some awful people in the world BUT we cannot really appreciate the great ones if we don't have something to compare them to.
I didn't know there were places that outlawed caring for feral colonies. Such a crime these animals have committed by being born!
Oh yes. There sure are- as if that will do anything to control the population.
My HOA sends around a monthly newsletter and in it, they print this: "Do not feed the Ferrels". Every time I see that, I want to call them up and ask them, "What is Will Ferrell's family doing running loose here in Florida and since when can they not afford to feed themselves?"
Gosh, I hate misspellings. I noticed a local nail salon today offering eyelash EXTENTIONS.
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Yes,my village,and my HOA both have made feeding feral cats a crime.
I have spoken to the ASPCA,and Alley Cat Allies,and neither organization can help me there.They DID ask me for money....
Something like this would need to be a grass roots effort to change the laws.
What is more infuriating is that the next town over ( about a mile away) has no such law.
I would love to get the ball rolling here,but I know I am doomed to fail,since my neighbors would need to be involved...
My next door neighbor told me that she thought feral cats should be shot.
I offered her the use of a rifle,and she declined,suddenly horrified.
We have never spoken again,and that suits me just fine.
I have broken every law on the books to care for feral cats,and I will continue to do so-I am not deterred by harassment by my neighbors,or fines,or police,or jail.
Stubborn old fart that I am,I am an animal lover,and I see nothing wrong with what I have done.
My compassion for humans has gone down a few notches over the years..I cant respect these people.
I have spoken to the ASPCA,and Alley Cat Allies,and neither organization can help me there.They DID ask me for money....
Something like this would need to be a grass roots effort to change the laws.
What is more infuriating is that the next town over ( about a mile away) has no such law.
I would love to get the ball rolling here,but I know I am doomed to fail,since my neighbors would need to be involved...
My next door neighbor told me that she thought feral cats should be shot.
I offered her the use of a rifle,and she declined,suddenly horrified.
We have never spoken again,and that suits me just fine.
I have broken every law on the books to care for feral cats,and I will continue to do so-I am not deterred by harassment by my neighbors,or fines,or police,or jail.
Stubborn old fart that I am,I am an animal lover,and I see nothing wrong with what I have done.
My compassion for humans has gone down a few notches over the years..I cant respect these people.
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Do not feed the Ferrels?
I would think that Will Ferrel has enough money to care for his family!
I wish i qualified for this... my stepmom and dad used to live in an area with a lot of feral cats, and i helped them a lot with them. especially when we went feral kitten hunting.
They built a few shelters in their yard and modifying the existing ones, making them better. the most clever of these i thought they did was using plant bed warmers in them =D also my dad is very handyman and made some things and altered others. he built the huge storage shed they had and it was fancy. he also altered an old dresser into a catpalace after getting inspired by a hoard of kittens in one of their neighbours sheds. the kittens had made a shelter of an old dresser in there.
the owner gave us permission to go in his shed and catch them, so my stepmom, dad, me and my sister went feral kitten hunting with garden gloves and put them in carriers. some of them got away though, and so we just put some insulating things like an old coat, some crumpled newspapers, and a blanket into the drawers for if they cam back, and they did, but the still moved over to my dad's place cuz he built them a better one!! XD lol...
my stepmom was good learning where the ferals are and used me and my sister and dad to help her catch them and take them to shelters or to her brothers ranch depending on age of them (kittens are adoptable, they go to shelters, feral cats less so, they go to the ranch)
most of this is all her though, but i got diarhea poo all over me once in getting a cat once (it was dog poo and the carrier was put in it and wasnt realized till i put the carrier with the kitten in my lap then when i got up i had it ALL over my lap and was on the bottom of the carrier) and i should get a badge for suffering!!! XD lol... nah but really i was a helper to the main helper. i did what i could when i was able.wish i could give my dad and stepmom a badge but mostly im just very knowledgeable from them about cat shelters... and catching ferals. i helped catch them and make the shelters but dunno if thats enough to qualify me myself.
note: after reading more i saw getting them spayed/nuetered came up, we didnt do that but her brother when they got sent to the ranch did. he has uncountable amount of cats. they live in the barn with the horses (they raise race horses) but have their own area, he feeds them and gives them water, but they are outdoor cats. still quite feral. a few moved to the house though not many.
They built a few shelters in their yard and modifying the existing ones, making them better. the most clever of these i thought they did was using plant bed warmers in them =D also my dad is very handyman and made some things and altered others. he built the huge storage shed they had and it was fancy. he also altered an old dresser into a catpalace after getting inspired by a hoard of kittens in one of their neighbours sheds. the kittens had made a shelter of an old dresser in there.
the owner gave us permission to go in his shed and catch them, so my stepmom, dad, me and my sister went feral kitten hunting with garden gloves and put them in carriers. some of them got away though, and so we just put some insulating things like an old coat, some crumpled newspapers, and a blanket into the drawers for if they cam back, and they did, but the still moved over to my dad's place cuz he built them a better one!! XD lol...
my stepmom was good learning where the ferals are and used me and my sister and dad to help her catch them and take them to shelters or to her brothers ranch depending on age of them (kittens are adoptable, they go to shelters, feral cats less so, they go to the ranch)
most of this is all her though, but i got diarhea poo all over me once in getting a cat once (it was dog poo and the carrier was put in it and wasnt realized till i put the carrier with the kitten in my lap then when i got up i had it ALL over my lap and was on the bottom of the carrier) and i should get a badge for suffering!!! XD lol... nah but really i was a helper to the main helper. i did what i could when i was able.wish i could give my dad and stepmom a badge but mostly im just very knowledgeable from them about cat shelters... and catching ferals. i helped catch them and make the shelters but dunno if thats enough to qualify me myself.
note: after reading more i saw getting them spayed/nuetered came up, we didnt do that but her brother when they got sent to the ranch did. he has uncountable amount of cats. they live in the barn with the horses (they raise race horses) but have their own area, he feeds them and gives them water, but they are outdoor cats. still quite feral. a few moved to the house though not many.
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@Ruire your intentions are great and you obviously care a great deal about the welfare of ferals. It's great that they ended up spayed or neutered.. the shelters will have done that and your mother's brother looked after the ones at the ranch, so all is good.
Here are a couple of articles that give excellent advice on looking after ferals. Hopefully you can continue to follow your Dad and Stepmom's example and continue to help them.
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/saving-feral-cats
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/9-practical-ways-for-you-to-help-feral-cats
Here are a couple of articles that give excellent advice on looking after ferals. Hopefully you can continue to follow your Dad and Stepmom's example and continue to help them.
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/saving-feral-cats
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/9-practical-ways-for-you-to-help-feral-cats
Hi, I don't do near as much as many people here but I do try to help. I have 3 indoor cats that I rescued from a litter. The mom was adopted, as well as the other 2 of the litter.
I had a fereal living in my yard, with a warm home and food, I named her Daisy. She was the best cat EVER! unfortunately she died last year.
soon after another female started coming up onto my balcony. I named her Lily. she was pregnant. I had her TNRd. Thanks to the advise on this site!!!!
now a male is also eating and sleeping on the balcony. When I can afford it I will take him in for TNR as well.
One thing that works great for an outdoor bed is the bottom shelf of a plastic hot house like this. They like to be able to see out . I keep one side open at the bottom to get in.
AND I am so happy that Lily started to talk to me this week!! When I come home and she wants food she meows!!!
I had a fereal living in my yard, with a warm home and food, I named her Daisy. She was the best cat EVER! unfortunately she died last year.
soon after another female started coming up onto my balcony. I named her Lily. she was pregnant. I had her TNRd. Thanks to the advise on this site!!!!
now a male is also eating and sleeping on the balcony. When I can afford it I will take him in for TNR as well.
One thing that works great for an outdoor bed is the bottom shelf of a plastic hot house like this. They like to be able to see out . I keep one side open at the bottom to get in.
AND I am so happy that Lily started to talk to me this week!! When I come home and she wants food she meows!!!
Hi @ann marie. So good to hear you're helping the ferals.. of course neutering/spaying is the big thing. I hope your boy is done soon so you can relax about him.
Badge awarded!
And 'snap' on the greenhouse idea. This is my cat enclosure with Sundar and Nilah and their three leveled little house.
Badge awarded!
And 'snap' on the greenhouse idea. This is my cat enclosure with Sundar and Nilah and their three leveled little house.
In 2001 I moved to Israel. I was immediately embraced, by a street cat. It was bizzar, but this cat ran and jumped onto a tall trash dumpster stood on its hind legs and reach out to hug me. Well it didn't take long to learn Israel is loaded with street cats, some feral and some abandoned and some just look for a better place than they currently have. Within 6 monthes I was supporting 35 cats with approximately 50% of their needs and they hunted for the rest. They were all healthy looking, active and playful. My rabbi's kids came to watch feeding time and they counted the 35. The kids were joyous that the kittens came to them and sat in their laps.
I have move many times each time I take with me about 10 cats and then more find me. I always end up with about 30 cats. Usually half live in the apartment with me. I purchase Advantage flea control for a 40 kg. dog and I use a syringe to measure the appropriate dose for each cat and I keep a record of treatments on my computer. I've spayed and neutered more than 100 cats over the years. I am a veterinary technician and my boss is an MD. He prescribes antibiotics for me and I cut the pills and give them to cats suffering from bites and abcesses. I cook meat and fish for cats with auto-immune gingivitis. A meaty diet usually prevents the problem. The cats get dental care from my local vet who is very sympathetic to my expenses and gives me very reduced prices. When cats are suffering and not curable, I am able to euthanize them myself. I work in medical research and this puts a lot of products at my fingertips than others don't have: syringes, needles, IV bags, medications.
My inky-stinky got hit by a car and injured her lower spine. Luckily the x-rays showed nothing misaligned and all she needed was time to heal. Three weeks later she was 6 months old and she was spayed. She is a small cat but the best rat catcher I have. Before I moved into this house it was rat infested, one week later all rats were gone.
Big guy came to my yard 3 years ago to die. He saw I had food that was different from the chow other people provide. When eating he screamed in pain. I knew from experience he had auto-immune gingivitis. I started giving him cooked chicken and fish and occasionally some raw ground beef. He is a huge healthy cat for 3 years now.
AJ now 13 years old and Munchky age 4 were dropped off on my doorstep when they were kittens. Munchky had sever diahrea from rotten baby teeth that didn't fall out. A little dentistry and a week of antibiotics was all she needed. I've had a blind cat too. But most are healthy and just need good food, clean water, a clean dry place to call home, and most of them want love. In the winter 9 cats sleep with me, then 6 more on the sofa, a few on blankets in the living room and a few on blankets in the laundry room. More sleep in the garden shed. All the cats are free to come and go outside through a cat door in the laundry room.
My kitties: AJ, Punch, Cutie, Curly, Inky-stinky, Gonzo, Piggy, Red, Blondy, Noisy, Big Guy, Tripper, Freeloader, Pretty boy, Swishy, Damuchy, Mommy, Batzy, Blacky, Friendly, 2 new male kittens and about 5 more unnamed adults.
I have move many times each time I take with me about 10 cats and then more find me. I always end up with about 30 cats. Usually half live in the apartment with me. I purchase Advantage flea control for a 40 kg. dog and I use a syringe to measure the appropriate dose for each cat and I keep a record of treatments on my computer. I've spayed and neutered more than 100 cats over the years. I am a veterinary technician and my boss is an MD. He prescribes antibiotics for me and I cut the pills and give them to cats suffering from bites and abcesses. I cook meat and fish for cats with auto-immune gingivitis. A meaty diet usually prevents the problem. The cats get dental care from my local vet who is very sympathetic to my expenses and gives me very reduced prices. When cats are suffering and not curable, I am able to euthanize them myself. I work in medical research and this puts a lot of products at my fingertips than others don't have: syringes, needles, IV bags, medications.
My inky-stinky got hit by a car and injured her lower spine. Luckily the x-rays showed nothing misaligned and all she needed was time to heal. Three weeks later she was 6 months old and she was spayed. She is a small cat but the best rat catcher I have. Before I moved into this house it was rat infested, one week later all rats were gone.
Big guy came to my yard 3 years ago to die. He saw I had food that was different from the chow other people provide. When eating he screamed in pain. I knew from experience he had auto-immune gingivitis. I started giving him cooked chicken and fish and occasionally some raw ground beef. He is a huge healthy cat for 3 years now.
AJ now 13 years old and Munchky age 4 were dropped off on my doorstep when they were kittens. Munchky had sever diahrea from rotten baby teeth that didn't fall out. A little dentistry and a week of antibiotics was all she needed. I've had a blind cat too. But most are healthy and just need good food, clean water, a clean dry place to call home, and most of them want love. In the winter 9 cats sleep with me, then 6 more on the sofa, a few on blankets in the living room and a few on blankets in the laundry room. More sleep in the garden shed. All the cats are free to come and go outside through a cat door in the laundry room.
My kitties: AJ, Punch, Cutie, Curly, Inky-stinky, Gonzo, Piggy, Red, Blondy, Noisy, Big Guy, Tripper, Freeloader, Pretty boy, Swishy, Damuchy, Mommy, Batzy, Blacky, Friendly, 2 new male kittens and about 5 more unnamed adults.
I currently help out my mom capture cats and do TNR operations with her all the time. We have fixed many cats this previous year and even found homes for some. Right now, I take care of two ferals that basically live in our backyard -Felix and Pico-, I also have one indoor kitty named Hazel who is 6 months old. I have been feeding Felix and Pico for 3 years now and a couple of cats have passed through which we cared for also. My grandma also takes care of ferals, and were she lives ferals are far more common, and there are about 6 cats living around her home. She lives in a home with a big section of land around her house prefect for all the cats to hang out in. We visit frequently to help her take care of them and we have captured and fixed each and every one! Many just pass through and we have manged to fix and feed quite a few of them too. My Grandma's colony consists of Rosy, Eniy, Sylvester, Zoey, Bella, and Milo. Some love to hang out on the porch and the rest relax in her huge backyard. They all get along very well -Eniy and Milo have some skirmishes but that's all-, and all of them are healthy and content. I am so grateful to be able to be feeding and helping all these cats. I started getting involved with TNR operations with my mom about 2 and a half years ago, and there have been a couple a deaths (RIP Sparkles and Toby both had to be put down) and some sad times along they way, but I love what I do and will never regret it. My mom also participates in the Humane Society Volunteer program (I'm not old enough to join sadly). I feel that I have made a special bond with ferals and when I become an adult, I hope to have my own colony and make a positive difference in many feline lives.
This is Felix
This is Bella
This is Felix
This is Bella
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Wow, give this lady a badge!
Albeit she moved to England five years ago, I used to help my mum and the Cat Protection organisation in NW Scotland to trap and neuter ferals, strays, and occasionally irresponsible owners' cats who were repeated breeding offenders. We did this not only to control the feral & stray populations, which suffer a miserable existence in highland Scotland, freezing to death, starving, and being caught in animal snares (yes, 'people' do lay deadly snares to maim & kill small animals), and to reduce the glut of village & country kittens needing rehoming, but also to prevent interbreeding with Scottish wildcats. The wildcats were virtually extinct on our peninsular when we moved there in 1991. I was fortunate enough to see two in the wild in the years we lived there, most people, including the experts, have never seen one. The main reason for their near extinction is interbreeding with feral cats, resulting in hybridisation. Over the years the wildcat population picked up a wee bit but it's now thought that there are as low as 35 pure wildcats left in existence, although counting numbers is nigh on impossible due to the terrain. I feel terrible that we 'abandoned' the wildcats by leaving highland Scotland as I know that there is a desperate need to continue neutering feral cats, and my mum's contribution alone made a huge impact. But Scottish wildcats aside, I believe in neutering roaming strays and feral colonies for population and disease control. I'm also a vociferous advocate for the neutering of domestic cats and pets in general, as I believe they are happier when not distracted by pesky hormones, and there are simply too many abandoned cats in rescue centres.
I'm making a distinction here between feral and stray cats. This is because feral cats cannot be domesticated and need understanding landowners to accommodate controlled colonies; whereas the dozens of tatty, scared strays that have rocked up on my doorstep over the years that I've gradually encouraged inside, then neutered and either rehoused or taken into the fold, can
I'm new to this site. I'm actually new to any forum and have never ever posted in an online discussion until I came across this wonderful site. I feel at home here. I like joining in. And if I can help lesser experienced cat people in any small way then that makes me extremely happy. Thank you all, you are a marvellous community, or should that be colony
I'm making a distinction here between feral and stray cats. This is because feral cats cannot be domesticated and need understanding landowners to accommodate controlled colonies; whereas the dozens of tatty, scared strays that have rocked up on my doorstep over the years that I've gradually encouraged inside, then neutered and either rehoused or taken into the fold, can
I'm new to this site. I'm actually new to any forum and have never ever posted in an online discussion until I came across this wonderful site. I feel at home here. I like joining in. And if I can help lesser experienced cat people in any small way then that makes me extremely happy. Thank you all, you are a marvellous community, or should that be colony
, and thank you for your TNR efforts. Badge awarded.
Wow, only 35 pure Scottish wildcats? That's frightening. We've got European wildcats in Germany, and the population fortunately is increasing. They do interbreed with ferals, however. We've ended up with something strange in the immediate area - black wildcats - as a result.
Wow, only 35 pure Scottish wildcats? That's frightening. We've got European wildcats in Germany, and the population fortunately is increasing. They do interbreed with ferals, however. We've ended up with something strange in the immediate area - black wildcats - as a result.
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