Moving homes while feeding stray cats

[Juizyjas]

So, I have been feeding these cats for years that were in my backyard since they were kittens, they literally stay around my home at all times and would follow me everywhere I go (there’s about 7 of them). I’m only 20 and live with my parents and we recently moved but still own our other home while it’s being rented. I have a gated backyard in my new home so I tried multiple times to try to get the cats in cages and bring them with me but they were way too scared so I gave up and just started putting a bag of food every 3 days in my old backyard. I’ve been doing this for 2 months now and the people renting really don’t like it, they’ve thrown away all the food bowls I put plus the dog house and blankets I had for them and ignore me every time I ring their door bell to explain. So I’ve been putting their food on the side walk for now but that never lasts because it rains a lot around here. I have no idea what to do so any suggestions would be great

Also I live 30 minutes away so driving back and forth to feed them is really being a hassle if anyone has any ideas how to get them to come with me

 

[gilmargl]

You can do with some help here, and I don't mean just advice! You'll need someone on your side to physically help remove the cats from A, your old home, to take them to B and to keep them confined until they accept their new surroundings. Will your parents help? Or have you got some sympathetic friends? Not knowing your location, I can only suggest you look up all your local, and not so local, cat protection organisations and shelters. They may lend you traps. But, even if you manage to transport the cats, you will still have the problem of keeping them enclosed. They won't automatically stay where you live, unless you can keep them indoors for at least 3 weeks. They will try to get back to their old neighbourhood. Being outdoor cats that will be no problem for them but could be dangerous.

If the new residents in your old home ignore you, I would write a friendly letter to them, explaining that you are looking for ways of removing the cats from their premises. You must try to get these people to help you. Once you set up traps, you will need someone to inform you when a cat is caught and to put a blanket over the trap to stop the cat from panicking until you arrive. If you can show them that you are serious about removing the animals and won't continue feeding them in their backyard, they may help you.

Good luck in your search for assistance - once you have some help, the battle is half won! However, even if you succeed in trapping the cats, the next challenge will be to keep the cats confined in a new environment. Can you manage this at your new home? If not, it maybe better to trap the cats and take them to a non-kill shelter who have more experience dealing with strays. At least then these poor animals will not be left to fend for themselves on the streets.

 

[12tiannas]

Oh! That sounds like an awful thing that you are going through (throwing out the food and blankets when you are just trying to help and trying to put it on the sidewalk for it to wash away). I wonder if there is anyone else in your neighborhood that could take over the feeding responsibilities. In my area there are lots of strays and houses on the street. When I first moved there was a stray only getting fed sporadically a few houses down. Now I am the main source of food, he hangs at my house all day. It was a pretty easy transition getting him to rely on me instead. Is there anyone else around your house that is good with cats and won't mind feeding them? You could at the very least limit how often you drive by, offering to dropping off food as incentive for them to keep feeding.