Hi everyone,
I live in New Hampshire and I very much want to start rescue work of ferals. I live in the country, on an acre and a half and have yet, in the almost 2 yrs I've lived in this town, seen a stray/feral cat.
I have many questions.. so here's a start:
1) Since I have yet to see a stray.. what would your suggestions be about attracting any? Do I put traps out elsewhere? How do I know where to put them where I'm not trapping a pet? Should I call the local humane society and ask them if they know of any ferals in the area?
2) Should I really be bringing them back to my home if there are roads nearby? I live near a highway type of road (40mph but everyone does 50) and I'm part of a 'development'. I'm at the beginning of it so I have woods around me (and a waterfall behind) but to the right of my house is the highway, and front and left are side roads. I know it's hard to explain but I'm such an advocate for indoor cats, I have a hard time bringing a cat to my home where they could just as easily get hurt by a car. Across the highway is a ski mountain where obviously a lot of wild animals live. To give you an idea-the highway is only maybe a 1/5 of a mile (1/4 max) from my house, if the woods weren't there.
3) What would you say are the major things to keep in mind when handling ferals and making sure your pets stay healthy? Of course wash hands immediately. What diseases could my indoor cats be vulnerable to that I need to be aware of?
4) I know this can get expensive. What kind of financial commitment would you say this type of rescue work takes?
I'm sure there are many and I apologize if this has already been asked a million times over in other threads. Also apologize for what may be stupid questions to others- I just really want to make sure I do all my homework on this.
Thanks in advance!
I live in New Hampshire and I very much want to start rescue work of ferals. I live in the country, on an acre and a half and have yet, in the almost 2 yrs I've lived in this town, seen a stray/feral cat.
I have many questions.. so here's a start:
1) Since I have yet to see a stray.. what would your suggestions be about attracting any? Do I put traps out elsewhere? How do I know where to put them where I'm not trapping a pet? Should I call the local humane society and ask them if they know of any ferals in the area?
2) Should I really be bringing them back to my home if there are roads nearby? I live near a highway type of road (40mph but everyone does 50) and I'm part of a 'development'. I'm at the beginning of it so I have woods around me (and a waterfall behind) but to the right of my house is the highway, and front and left are side roads. I know it's hard to explain but I'm such an advocate for indoor cats, I have a hard time bringing a cat to my home where they could just as easily get hurt by a car. Across the highway is a ski mountain where obviously a lot of wild animals live. To give you an idea-the highway is only maybe a 1/5 of a mile (1/4 max) from my house, if the woods weren't there.
3) What would you say are the major things to keep in mind when handling ferals and making sure your pets stay healthy? Of course wash hands immediately. What diseases could my indoor cats be vulnerable to that I need to be aware of?
4) I know this can get expensive. What kind of financial commitment would you say this type of rescue work takes?
I'm sure there are many and I apologize if this has already been asked a million times over in other threads. Also apologize for what may be stupid questions to others- I just really want to make sure I do all my homework on this.
Thanks in advance!