Unexpectedly Having to Feed Feral Cats in Neighborhood

havecats

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Hi Everyone, Haven't posted in here awhile. Three years ago I was posting about challenges I was having with a feral cat I had taken in. He's still here, things are okay. He's still having to be separate from the other cats but he is able to be out and about in the house in the evening when the cats are in another room napping and he hangs out with me and runs around for a few hours while I do my chores. He's a character, that's for sure!

Now I'm in another situation because of a cat colony in the neighborhood that had been abandoned when their caregiver passed away recently. Part of the reason I noticed something was up is that I have a senior feral cat that is in our back yard and I have a really nice set up for her. We haven't had any intruders for quite awhile.

Awhile back I was noticing that my feral cat was eating more dry food than normal which seemed odd but her appetite does vary at times so at first I didn't think anything of it. After awhile, though, it became more glaring and I was wondering why so much dry food was going missing. She has a fairly large bowl of dry food (and she gets canned in the evening) that I replenish as needed. It became clear that another cat was coming into our yard at night and helping himself to her food.

I didn't know about this other colony yet and felt that I had to start feeding this other cat something because when he let me see him one day, he was clearly starving. Very thin and he was very desperate enough to come into our yard to take the other cats food. I started putting food out for him in another area to try to keep him from bothering my senior kitty in the back. This situation continued with him still eating her food in the back even after I put food out in front for him. Well, I finally figured out that there were other cats coming to eat the food in the front and he felt more comfortable eating her food in the back. She still has enough food and is able to eat all her canned food but this is starting to get out of hand.

In the last week I have noticed five (or six?) other cats that are coming to eat in the front. I am feeling really nervous about this because they have to cross the street to get to the food, and the neighbors are not supportive of me feeding the cats. My husband was upset as well, but he is starting to come round. The only reason I found out about the colony is that I posted on nextdoor about the situation with the cats and asked if someone knew about what was going on. This was when I thought there were only three at the most coming by and now their numbers are increasing. I don't know how much food to put out now and I'm having to feed them from my inside cats food and how much more will they need? I have started to put more out but will that encourage more to come by even if they already have a food source?

There was an elderly woman that had been feeding the cats for years and for a couple of months she had been in the hospital and then had passed away about a week ago. I don't know what her routine was, what and how much she was feeding them, or exactly where she was feeding them. Someone suggested contacting a local group about TNR which I did and am waiting to hear back. Also, there is another lady across the street from me that was feeding some cats (the three I had seen around) but then she stopped. She doesn't speak much english but I thought my husband and I could go over there tomorrow and ask if another neighbor could interpret to see if I could find out anything. Perhaps she could start feeding them again and I could contribute some food? She had a nice set up there for them, it's safer and more convenient.

When I was taking the food out tonight I could hear one cat fighting with another to prevent them from going across the street to eat. I do not want any of the cats to get injured crossing the street, or from fighting over the food. But they have to be fed, a few of them did look like they were literally starving and they have managed to cross safely before so I'll check tomorrow into seeing if other arrangements can be made. Someone on nextdoor said I would need to find others that would also be advocates for the cats. Hope that doesn't take too long! Thanks for listening to my rant.
 

Jcatbird

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I think you are a wonderful person!! Definitely see if the person across the street will allow feeding there if you help with food. Explain the safety issues of the street. The thing about feeding a colony is that spayed and neutered are important too. You don’t want the colony to increase in size. It’s so sad they lady who loved them passed away. I know she would be very grateful to you for carrying on so the kitties can survive without suffering. There are groups that assist with colony care and hopefully some that are near to who can help. Organizing a group is also a possibility. Don’t let one neighbor who does not approve stop you. I am very late getting on site tonight but I will be back. I am hoping you and the person who previously fed kitties can join together as friends and cat guardians. I await your update about that. Sending purrs and good vibes! :vibes::redheartpump::purr:
 

fionasmom

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You are right in the middle of an extremely difficult situation and need help from others around you and from any cat rescue/TNR group available. Many of these groups can be impacted with their own rescues, but if I were you I would not back down in requesting help or leads for help. You did not cause this and have been trying to stand between these cats and starvation. In this case, I agree with using a less expensive food for the strays; now is not the time to worry about providing excellent nutrition.

Alley Cat Allies has their Friends of Ferals or something like that listed on their site where you can find local people who might help. I do have to warn that I originally came here because the local people in my area never responded to me, but it does not mean that those in your area might not.
 
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havecats

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Thanks for all your replies and suggestions, they are really appreciated! It's nice to know there are wonderful people out there who understand. About the food, we actually do use the big bag of chicken and rice from Costco for our own cats and we've been using it for these guys too. I was able to meet with someone who does TNR and has connections to the Animal Defense League. I found her name and phone number on a TNR post for our neighborhood. She was great, met with me and made suggestions and also gave support which is much needed and appreciated. I think I do want to wait a little bit before they are trapped because of their frail physical condition. They need to put on a little more weight before they can undergo surgery. She did suggest that I talk to the neighbors to find out what they know about the cats and their situation. We do know that the elderly lady across the street used to feed them and we think she stopped because so many other cats started coming by her house. She speaks no english though, and we don't speak spanish. We did contact someone who used to live in the neighborhood about what he knew about cats being fed. I don't know if they were part of this small group of cats, though. We did find out how they were being fed and what time and where. We were told that the person who did it went by there really early in the morning, about 5am, and would dump food over a fence in a field on the ground. I don't know if these cats were part of that colony or not. We'll try again to connect with the lady across the street. The neighbor next to her is bilingual and we will have to talk to her first. She works long hours so hopefully we can find a time soon. I'm also feeding the cats one bigger bowl with more food which does seem to discourage more visitors than the group I'm focusing on. When one is eating, there might be another waiting nearby. It has helped to decrease the amount of traffic. Some of the cats looked pretty healthy and were possibly from homes in the neighborhood that let their cats roam. Thanks again for your comments and support! I will update as I find out more information.
 

JamesCalifornia

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~ If the cats are coming in your yard often be mindful that some neighbors may complain to the city. When stray cats wander some folks get upset if they use their yard for a bathroom. Not everyone is compassionate about animals.
Best wishes to you and kitty cats ... 🐱
 
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havecats

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Unfortunately, there has been some conflict in the neighborhood about the feeding of feral cats. Especially about a larger colony that has been maintained by someone for years who does TNR and feeds them daily. I spoke to this person once and she told me people had threatened her and tried to poison the cats, etc. But she still continued to care for them. She has done a great job of doing TNR which has kept the number of cats from increasing and the cats are fairly healthy, too. My husband is expressing concern about the cats he sees in the yard (at feeding time) and is concerned about the neighbor's reaction about all this. So far no one has said anything but it is concerning.

I'm feeling overwhelmed about all this. The last time I TNR'ed was several years ago and it was for two cats and the cost was minimal. Now the person I'm working with wants to start with six traps and there is a fee of $25 for each. Plus, I don't know if any of the females are pregnant and I don't want to risk losing them. Isn't it risky to have a pregnant cat spayed? I just don't feel right about doing that. But I know that once you take them in, they just abort them and that's the way it is. And then they have to be let go after their surgery. I wish there was a better solution. I just worry about them out there.... :-(
 

JamesCalifornia

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Isn't it risky to have a pregnant cat spayed? I just don't feel right about doing that.
~ I have several cats aborted when spayed. Two must have been early and did not even appear pregnant. With stray cats it is the humane thing to do to reduce the population. Mostly the kittens in womb will not survive the anesthesia when mother has surgery - they simply sleep away peacefully .
 

danteshuman

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Is there a local community cat group that can help? Your neighbor’s need to be educated that they are not your cats. Plus TNR will stop the problem from growing. (Plus you may not be able to afford 3 more cats!!!) They May be able to make them barn cats or help with food.

⭐If others are talking to your neighbor’s about community cats then it holds more weight then from being from the ‘crazy cat person’ ..... it isn’t fair but is true.

:goodluck:
 
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havecats

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I have been talking to someone who works with the ADL and another person on nextdoor. Still haven't had a chance to talk to the other gal across the street yet. Also, I had noticed on nextdoor that people were wondering about where all these cats are coming from lately. So when I took a bike ride last night I went by the large colony mentioned previously to check their feeding station. And, it looks like there isn't one. I was shocked. There were cats running around when they saw me approach. In the past they never did that. No food or water bowls out where previously there were always food and water dishes. There was usually some food left in the dishes as I recall. I saw someone I know in the neighborhood and when I asked him about it he said the person who maintained the colony went to California for a few days, he wasn't sure. I'm thinking - what?!? And after I got home that night and went to do the feral cats food, there were a few more cats than usual and my husband said something to me about it. So, apparently a few of those found out that there is another feeding station nearby and thought they'd pay a visit. I'm not sure what's going on with all this. Maybe she isn't leaving the food dishes out any longer? Or if she is even around anymore? Or did the neighbors there drive her away? I wish there was some kind of network in the neighborhood that listed who is feeding what cats where so we would know who to contact when we see something amiss. But I can't feed all those cats at my house and I don't know where to go from here. This is getting to be a bit much.
 
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havecats

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I am still putting out food and water for the ones by my house. A few of the cats from the bigger colony nearby have come by to eat as well I think. It's not too terribly far...wish I knew what was going on down there. I hope they just moved the food but I can't know for sure. I really hope they didn't stop feeding them. I'll have to ask more questions to find out. Thank you for your concern about all this.
 
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havecats

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Sad news to report. One of the cats was found dead in the neighbor's yard. She came over to ask if it was ours and to tell us. Her husband had told her it looked like there was a dead cat in the yard. She said they would see it every once in awhile and that it would sleep on a bench in their yard sometimes. I appreciated her coming by to let us know. The kitty was really sweet. Wasn't afraid to approach but wouldn't let you pet her. When they found her, they said it looked like she had been poisoned. Her body looked fine, but she had blood coming out of her mouth. Now I'm afraid to put the food out. I'm not sure where to feed them now. I was thinking I could open the garage door slightly and have them come inside to eat. I don't think they'd be safe any other way. I could see a few waiting when we got home. The one cat looked so distressed because I usually feed them sooner. :-(
 
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havecats

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I did follow up with Dead Animal Pick Up about the deceased cat and someone there looked at and examined the cat and said it didn't appear that it had been poisoned. Perhaps it was sick because it didn't look like it had been hit by a car and was found by the house and not in the road. No way to know now because a necropsy was not performed. :-(

I am still feeding the kitties and waiting to be contacted about TNR. Does it usually take weeks before the traps are available? The person I'm working with said they have been checking but have not heard anything.
I think a few of these cats are strays and the young females are adoptable. How would I go about finding placement for them in rescue? Tonight when I went to do their feeding a couple of them were coming up to the door and trying to come in. I hate that they have to be outside but I don't have any other solution for them right now. Also, when they came by the door a couple of big vehicles were driving by and slowed down and looked. Arrrgggghhhh. I do monitor activity outside so it looks like I'll be doing more tonight again.
 

Jcatbird

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I just wanted to offer you some support. I know it seems overwhelming because I have been in your shoes. I was feeding and doing TNR in a place that was far more aggressive and against what I was doing. I spent time educating those who would listen about the benefits of having free roaming cats. They control mouse and rat populations as well as other pests. For a little food and water they are pest control and guardians of your neighborhood! They even control snake populations that come close to homes and humans. “Barn cats” are now sought out as helpers for such things. Is there a “Barn cat” program in your area? Have you contacted Alley cat allies, Bestfriends.org or the Feral cat coalition? Perhaps they can help or give you information to help educate your neighbors. When I started with the last colony I worked with, I felt truly overwhelmed after taking a count of well over 100 cats. I just kept working through the colony as I could. One cat at a time. Yes, some females were pregnant. Unless they were very near delivery, they got spayed. If close to delivering, I kept them and the kittens were born with human contact, socialized and adopted out. I actually socialized and got 78 cats, of all ages adopted! I never dreamed I could get ferals to be tame AND adopted! There were days when I was very worried. The end is the thing though. It all worked out. I persisted in calling, emailing and texting groups ( repeated messages to the same groups until they answered and I started getting positive replies) Letting the kitties slip inside a safe garage to eat can help prevent the neighbors from complaining about seeing feeding stations but getting TNR accomplished will stop the breeding and an increase in numbers. None of us likes sending a pregnant cat to be spayed but when you see a mother struggling to survive after many pregnancies and losing kittens in a difficult way, you begin to understand that you are stopping suffering by getting the Spay done. Just today I responded to a phone call where the babies were in a bad way. The Mom could not help them. I am hoping the human that called me will be able to catch the mom and stop the endless cycle so she can finally have a calm and safe life. Time to just lay on a porch,watch the sunshine and wash her paws. Time to be able to purr. My heart and the hearts of many rescuers are with you. You are doing a great thing. If you are a kitty guardian, you are a kitty hero. I applaud you. Don’t give up.
Right W walli ?
 
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havecats

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Thanks for your support. I appreciate it! Due to the virus, my appt. to TNR isn't for another month. These cats are so sweet. I'm glad I can help them.
 
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