Helping a friend who has ferals...

psychocat0604

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My friend Tom, who is my baby girl Kalis' 'cat daddy' has about 9 feral cats... Kali was one of the litters last year (born may, the rest of the litter was killed by an aggressive male who didn't like any offspring that were not his). After Tom rescued Kali Baby and I adopted her in July he found another litter. 

He has been able to tnr 3, of course all males. 1 time did he actually come close to getting a female he couldn't get her in the carrier and got himself pretty scratched/bit up... 

I tried to get him to socialize the 6 kittens so they could be adopted out... I was able to find homes for 2 of them... that was last oct-nov. I keep telling Tom he needs to try to get the other kittens as they will most likely be able to mate (real soon)... he tries to just say ohh he will ... in the spring... in a few weeks... etc. I told him today when I saw one of the male kittens and could CLEARLY see he was male that he needed to act soon... I cannot touch any of the kittens now, they run if they see you. Tom feeds the cats and can OCCASIONALLY touch maybe 1 of the cats while it is distracted eating. Of course it is one of the males already tnr'd

I tried googling feral cat help for western ny and couldn't find hardly anything. I told Tom he needs to get a have'a'heart trap instead of trying to use a regular carrier because he cannot grab the cats to get them in there and if you move most of the time they run. The kittens are pretty much all feral now because they were not socialized enough and the adult cats were 'teaching' them not to trust people basically.

I know at least one of the kittens is female as it is a calico, and at least 2 of the adult cats are females. now that is going to produce A LOT of kittens if I can't get him to trap these guys...

Does anyone know of any place in western NY (Albion NY to be exact) that helps? I know Tom is rather frugal moneywise and I don't know if I can persuade him to buy a have'a'heart trap... even though he likely spends just as much on buying food for them all... and we know of a place that will do a slightly cheaper spay/neuter for ferals but they don't help with like traps or ideas of trapping

I don't know I just don't want more kitties that end up not having a good home and ferals have such short lives and so many things happen to them. I was so lucky to be able to help Kali. You could never tell she was born of a feral momma

here is a picture of one of the kittens last sept.


 

amandaaca

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Oh my goodness, that is an adorable kitten!  You're definitely right - gotta act quickly to prevent multiple litters this spring!  And 'Kitten Season' is right around the corner... if it hasn't already started!

While some trappers and caregivers have used a regular carrier, it is always best to use a humane trap when catching feral cats.  It's safer for the cats and safer for the person trapping them, plus it's a lot easier for clinic staff if the cat comes in in a trap.  Basically, a trap is easier and safer for everyone involved in TNR.

As far as finding resources go, I have a great resource that will hopefully help you, your friend Tom, and anyone else who reads this thread!  This resources is Alley Cat Allies' Feral Friends Network.  The Feral Friends Network is a nation-wide list of individuals, TNR groups, spay/neuter clinics, and private veterinary practices who can offer support and advice for the TNR process.  This is a really cool resource because you can search by zip code!

The link to the Feral Friends Network is this: www.alleycat.org/response, and then click the middle blue button. You'll have to enter some information, including the zip code where you want to search, and a radius of how far away from that zip code you want to search.

For those of you reading who are interested in joining the Feral Friends Network, go here!

I did a quick search to see what TNR and feral cat resources are available near Albion, NY, and came up with a few that look really great!  They're a little farther away (~38 miles), but I think the drive is worth is to be able to borrow traps, have access to low-cost spay/neuter, and to get those cats TNRed!!  Here are the groups that I think will be just the ticket:

     1. Feral Cat Focus - http://feralcatfocus.org/

              - here is information on what help they offer for caregivers: http://feralcatfocus.org/programs-for-caregivers/

              - and here is information on spay/neuter resources: http://feralcatfocus.org/spayneuter-general-information/

     2. Operation Pets - http://www.operationpets.org/

              - this is a spay/neuter clinic that supports TNR and will see feral cats

     3. Habitat for Cats - http://www.habitatforcats.com/

              - and this is another great looking group that supports TNR and offers resources for caregivers!

There were a few others on the Feral Friends list, but hopefully those three will get you (and Tom!) started.  It's important to remember that you're not alone in caring for and about feral cats, and there are resources to help.  Hopefully the Feral Friends Network can point you in the right direction and help get all those cats spayed/neutered!

Thank you for caring about the cats, and for working to help Tom get them all sterilized.  :)

-Amanda
 
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psychocat0604

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Ohh gosh... I gave my friend the info and he hasn't done anything... I guess I have to do something now... This picture is from today... we believe there are 6... this is just wooonnndeeerrrrfulll .... I am so frustrated that he is not trying to do anything to prevent this... uuuuugggghhhhh :( :( :( I really need to try to be around the kittens as they grow to keep them a little social but that is so hard that I am not near them and can't go over everyday... and the last litter the mother kept moving them
 

Norachan

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Oh dear, I think you are going to have to step in and organise the trapping yourself. Did any of the places that Amanda recommended seem able to help you?

I think your friend probably needs someone to take charge, otherwise he is just going to be over run with cats. If he'll let you help maybe you could organise borrowing the traps and getting the mothers spayed.

Are the new kittens indoors now? If you can keep them some place that the mother can't move them from they'll be safe while she is away being spayed and it will be much easier to socialise and spay or neuter when they get older. How does Tom feel about helping you socialise the kittens? Is he willing to spend a bit of time with them every day?

Hope it all works out for you.

 
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