Sorry about the delay! Your badge has been awarded. Thank you so much for helping the cats. In this weather, you are simply a lifesaver for them!
All my kitties are rescued strays or ferals. We live in a rural area (although not quite so rural any more) where it is common for people to dump cats and/or kittens. We usually adopt most of them that find their way to our yard. We also have a shelter out in our back yard where strays are welcome to stay. There is always food and liquid water, even in the winter when temps can hit zero. It is sheltered from the wind and weather, and has warm bedding. Right now there are 3 kitties eating the food, and one cat is sleeping in the bed, although I don't know when because no one is ever there when I check each day to freshen things up. He or she must come and go during the night and early morning, but I can tell the bed is used by the leaves and sand in it.
We believe two of these cats have been abandoned by people who moved and left them behind. Actually, three cats we have right now were acquired that way. It just breaks our hearts.
Thank you very much! Our outdoor shelter has been very busy the last several days, as temps have hit 5 degrees, wind chills of -15, and last night an inch of snow, with 3-4 more inches expected tonight. We see paw tracks criss-crossing the back yard, so we know the kitties have been visiting.
Sorry about the delay! Your badge has been awarded. Thank you so much for helping the cats. In this weather, you are simply a lifesaver for them!
They are! I only wish a couple of these weren't so completely wild. I do believe they would be untamable. I have only had 2 cats in my life that I could never tame. Made me pretty sad, but they were wild at heart, and there was no taming them without destroying their spirit. I guess they prove that old saying: "I would rather live a short, free life than a long life as a slave". No matter how well they are treated, some animals just want to be "free" ..
They are simply amazing aren't they? So resilient and resourceful. I see tracks near a couple of my shelters, and one they took lid off and lay in during the day when the sun is hitting it! (My colony is under a loading dock at my job)
That's such a great idea. I'm sure that money will be put to good use.
I live in farm country,so there are always strays and ferals around here. We put out little "houses" with straw in them under our deck and close to the house with heated water bowls and food available every day all winter long. My local vet helps with the neutering and spaying thru a foundation she set up. We donate money to it every year to help with the cost. Actually,my daughter recently married in September,and instead of wedding gifts,they asked all money towards gifts be given to the foundation instead. They split the money between the foundation and the local humane society-each received 15 thousand dollars each
Your daughter and new son-in-law rock!
I live in farm country,so there are always strays and ferals around here. We put out little "houses" with straw in them under our deck and close to the house with heated water bowls and food available every day all winter long. My local vet helps with the neutering and spaying thru a foundation she set up. We donate money to it every year to help with the cost. Actually,my daughter recently married in September,and instead of wedding gifts,they asked all money towards gifts be given to the foundation instead. They split the money between the foundation and the local humane society-each received 15 thousand dollars each
Have you considered spaying the Mom now? If she's not showing her pregnancy she may not be pregnant yet and you could just avoid an unwanted litter. I hope you can get all of them spayed and neutered asap, or you could soon have more than six to feed there.That cute kit is lil gray. He is about 4 months old.
This is our gray mom. We think she is ppregnant but not sure.
TTH others pictures aren't showing up
Thank you,and thank you Anne also. They actually are in a Golden retriever rescue group also right now
Your daughter and new son-in-law rock!
Badge awarded! You have two badges right now!
Both of my cats were rescues and Fawkes for sure was a stray, we found her and turned her in to the SPCA in pretty rough shape. When her owner couldn't be found my Fiance and I adopted her. I have also successfully trapped and fostered five cats I believe were feral judging on their distrust towards humans. They ran around in a group in my old neighborhood stealing from the trash. No one wanted to touch them so I decided to do something about them myself. I trapped them one by one and worked on gently introducing them to humans which took months per each cat. I managed to gain their trust and show their new owners how to do it as well. They were made to be spayed and nurtured before going to their new homes. We had to wait for one though as she was pregnant. I offered to take them back if any problems arose, as far as I know they're all still in happy homes.
Wow, what a story. Can't social services do something about that lady? If she's mentally ill she needs help and probably shouldn't stay in the house (let alone be allowed to keep a gun).
My mom and I have always taken in strays- some friendly, some not- since I can remember. There was a point where we had 16 cats in our home. Several years ago I moved to Fall River- a relatively small city as cities go, but with a terrible feral problem. Animal Control estimates over 150,000. On my way home from work one night, I noticed a yard teeming with cats and kittens. I spoke to the woman who lived there-this crazy artist lady- and asked if I could help her with the cats ie: feeding, TNR, etc.. and we became friends. For over 2 years we split the cost of dry food and I would trap and pay for altering as many cats as I could as well as wet food and medications. ( I didn't have a problem with the 'T' and the 'N' but I had a real hard time with the'R' part. I wound up keeping 6 of them!) Last fall we got into a bit of a tiff- she had some sort of psychotic break and accused me of poisoning "her" cats and went completely nuts screaming at me and such. So I coaxed the colony across the street in the backyard of a vacant house, after getting permission from Animal Control and the local PD, and fed and trapped them there. One month later, while setting a trap, the lady came out of her house screaming like a banshee, brandishing a gun, yelling that she was going to shoot me. I hid behind my car and quickly phoned the police who arrested her -even though she denied having a gun. I obtained a restraining order on advice from Animal Control, which, unfortunately, was quashed in court because if I still go there to feed the cats how scared could I really be? What choice do I have? They have to eat! Would a cop refuse to enter a seedy neighborhood for fear of his own safety?? Would a social worker refuse to remove an abused child from the home for fear of retribution?? Tell me, what is the difference?! Anyhow, crazy lady is taking the case to trial. Perhaps this will raise more awareness of the feral problem in this city. I'm hoping something good comes out of this. In the meantime, I'll continue to help those that can't help themselves.
-Mehtevas ("save them"-backwards) Mindy
I love the feral cat stories people share in this thread. I'm honored to award the badge to you! Thank you so much for everything that you do for the cats!
I'm applying for the Friend of Ferals Badge. Hope I'm in the right place. I belong to Alley Cat Allies, and donate on a regular basis. Have since 1994. At that time I was caring for a colony that lived under my house. There were about 16. I'm not a hoarder, did not go out and collect these cats, they just saw the mark and moved in. I have feral houses under the house and heat that feeds off the main house system. I had my little colony all S/N as soon as I captured them. They lived a comfy life until they passed away from normal cat diseases in their late teens. Surely I put my vet's children through college. Then Josie moved in. She is the wildest little girl I have ever had. She had 3 litters before I could trap her. Her first is J.C. who was brought in at an early age, 2nd litter is WIndSong who Josie had and left in the field during Super Storm Sandy. When I found her she had eye and respiratory infections. Was rushed to emergency vet and put on antibiotics and twice daily eye washings for 2 weeks. She is fine and now a house cat. 3rd litter is Blackstone and Grayson. They take after Josie in wildness. They clawed me well getting them to the vet and then bit a vet tech and had to be quarantined for 2 weeks. They are now neutered and have shots, but still not happy in the house so just come in to eat then have to go back out. One good thing about Josie is she had small litters. The vet thinks there were others she probably had in the woods and fields and I never found them. I can't deal with that thought. Feral cats are so spunky and clever. I love my ferals.