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- Jan 1, 2020
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My family has a dilemma and we hope someone has some recommendations.
My 80-year-old mother lived in an apartment triplex for over 10 years during which time she fed feral cats. Last year, a new management company evicted her for feeding these cats after a new, and extremely mean tenant, not only pestered them, the HSUS, and the police, but terrorized my mom and the neighbors. Before Mom was evicted, a local veterinary college was able to trap and spay/neuter all the un-fixed feral cats, a population of 15.
A year after the eviction, my mom has continued feeding the feral cats in the condo complex next door to the triplex with the permission of the complex owner (but the crazy tenant still accosts my mother and throws away all the cat dishes each day). Whenever condo renters complain to or threaten my mom, the owner notifies the tenants that he has given my mom full permission to feed the cats.
The problem is that the condo owner sold the complex at the end of February. Since my mom has been banned from the apartment triplex and will no longer have access to the condos, the only place to feed the cats is on the sidewalks. There is nothing to stop residents of the complexes from threatening my mom or calling the police, which has happened in the past.
We do not want to abandon the cats, and my mom continues driving a mile at 3AM and 4PM each day to feed them, but if my mom is prevented from feeding them, we do not know what to do.
A sympathetic tenant is moving out of the triplex in two weeks. For the past year, she has allowed 6 of the ferals to sleep on her porch. Now that she is leaving, she and my mom have decided to trap the 6 cats and bring them to my mom's new apartment complex (which abounds in cats and is the reason we placed her there). So, I have two questions for you:
1. The complex is set back among a number of small to large complexes on a cul-de-sac. How should she acclimate the cats to the area so they don't run off (My mom has already and firmly decided on the move because the 6 cats are now less feral and if left behind, the mean lady or the management company will likely do something to them.)
2. What about moving the whole colony? I don't like this idea because colonies are supposed to stay put and I think some of the ferals may just come for extra meals each day and have stable caregivers where they are already fed. I wouldn't want to take cats away from their homes. The problem is that Mom cannot continue her daily commutes for much longer, and I live too far to feed them. If we moved them to her complex, she wouldn't have to commute AND we could easily trap them when they needed medical care (which we can't now except on public sidewalks, and which calls even more attention to my mom's activities). If something happened to Mom in the future, I could trap the remaining cats and bring them to my cat-fenced backyard (I can't now because I have taken her feral queens and kittens over the years, and I have about 6 left. But, in the future, I could).
I would appreciate any insights or suggestions.
Kevin
Thanks,
My 80-year-old mother lived in an apartment triplex for over 10 years during which time she fed feral cats. Last year, a new management company evicted her for feeding these cats after a new, and extremely mean tenant, not only pestered them, the HSUS, and the police, but terrorized my mom and the neighbors. Before Mom was evicted, a local veterinary college was able to trap and spay/neuter all the un-fixed feral cats, a population of 15.
A year after the eviction, my mom has continued feeding the feral cats in the condo complex next door to the triplex with the permission of the complex owner (but the crazy tenant still accosts my mother and throws away all the cat dishes each day). Whenever condo renters complain to or threaten my mom, the owner notifies the tenants that he has given my mom full permission to feed the cats.
The problem is that the condo owner sold the complex at the end of February. Since my mom has been banned from the apartment triplex and will no longer have access to the condos, the only place to feed the cats is on the sidewalks. There is nothing to stop residents of the complexes from threatening my mom or calling the police, which has happened in the past.
We do not want to abandon the cats, and my mom continues driving a mile at 3AM and 4PM each day to feed them, but if my mom is prevented from feeding them, we do not know what to do.
A sympathetic tenant is moving out of the triplex in two weeks. For the past year, she has allowed 6 of the ferals to sleep on her porch. Now that she is leaving, she and my mom have decided to trap the 6 cats and bring them to my mom's new apartment complex (which abounds in cats and is the reason we placed her there). So, I have two questions for you:
1. The complex is set back among a number of small to large complexes on a cul-de-sac. How should she acclimate the cats to the area so they don't run off (My mom has already and firmly decided on the move because the 6 cats are now less feral and if left behind, the mean lady or the management company will likely do something to them.)
2. What about moving the whole colony? I don't like this idea because colonies are supposed to stay put and I think some of the ferals may just come for extra meals each day and have stable caregivers where they are already fed. I wouldn't want to take cats away from their homes. The problem is that Mom cannot continue her daily commutes for much longer, and I live too far to feed them. If we moved them to her complex, she wouldn't have to commute AND we could easily trap them when they needed medical care (which we can't now except on public sidewalks, and which calls even more attention to my mom's activities). If something happened to Mom in the future, I could trap the remaining cats and bring them to my cat-fenced backyard (I can't now because I have taken her feral queens and kittens over the years, and I have about 6 left. But, in the future, I could).
I would appreciate any insights or suggestions.
Kevin
Thanks,