Please help with Stray cats? Serious, compassionate animal lovers.?

Question

Hi,

I have a stray cat dilemma. Last year, my yard became a tiny home for some stray cats. They were pretty feral so I couldn't catch any of them, only feed them and provide shelter. Since then, most have dispersed but 2 female have had kittens so I have 2 female cats and 4 kittens! The kittens are somewhat tame-able. 1 is completely tame. I would like to catch and donate them somewhere where they will not be killed and will be cared for. No kill shelters are always full! I've been trying for a year. Is there a farm perhaps? Anyone please send links if possible. I really need help before they procreate even more. Help is needed, no lectures please. I don't want them harmed.

Answer 1

It’s a dilemma for many cat-lovers: who want to rescue homeless and abandoned cats, but you can’t always keep the strays that you want to help. Here are some tips to help you find a good adoptive home for a stray cat.

Don’t just assume that a wandering animal is homeless, or that she has an uncaring owner. Even careful and loving owners sometimes lose a pet. If the stray willingly comes to you and seems social, it may be someone’s missing pet. Most cats don’t stray far, so ask neighbors whether they recognize the cat. Call local shelters and ask whether a similar animal has been reported missing. Check the Lost and Found ads. Have the animal checked for a microchip ID.

http://www.spotsociety.org

If the cat’s owner cannot be found, your next task is to find her a new home.

http://www.catsunlimited.org/

The first priority is to keep both the stray cat and your pets safe until a new home is found. If you have other pets, keep the stray apart from them to avoid potentially transmitting parasites or disease. Perhaps you can keep the stray in a small room or a bathroom. Do not allow your pets to share the stray’s dishes or litter box. If you cannot keep the cat for a few days, ask a friend to foster the cat for you, or board the cat (be sure to ask whether there’s a discount for rescued strays).

If catching them is a problem ask the animal shelter is they will loan you a couple of traps. This should not be a problem, just follow the shelters advise about seting the traps.

Find out if any group in your area already has a humane T-N-R (trap-neuter-return) program. They may be able to help you. If not: You will need to implement a TNR program yourself. They can provide materials and all the information you will need to help you get started.

It will be easier to place the strays if you can have them checked by a vet and tested for FIV (Feline Aids) and FeLV (Feline Leukemia). If the cat hasn’t been spayed or neutered, consider having that done; there are low-cost spay/neuter programs that can help with the cost. You should also consider getting the cats vaccinated and dewormed for intestinal parasites. Socialize the strays as much as possible; visit and play with them, and get them used to being petted and brushed. If the cats are healthy, negative for feline leukemia and FIV and dewormed you can consider mixing him or her with your own cats.

http://www.catclinicofroswell.net/upload...

Print a flier with a picture of the cats and your contact information. Tell a little about the cats and kittens (she’s playful, she’s quiet, she likes children, she doesn’t like dogs, etc.), provide any medical information you have (they been spayed, they been vaccinated, etc.), and why you need to place them.

Place an AD in local NEWSPAPER, including the small weekly news sheets; many offer free “found” ads. POST SIGNS in your NEIGHBOREHOOD. Put a NOTICE in your neighborhood NEWSLETTER. Ask to place a FLIER in VETS’ offices and PET SUPPLY STORE. Post a NOTICE on the BULLETIN BOARD at your OFFICE, your GYMN, your CHURCH, and anywhere else you can think of. MANY PEOPLE PREFER TO ADAPT cats out of private homes rather than from shelters, but you need to reach them!

TALK TO FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS,FAMILY MEMBERS, CO-WORKERS, THE CLERK AT THE GROCERY STORE, and so on. The more people you talk to, the better the chances that you’ll find someone who will provide a great home for the cat.

Keep a couple of fliers with you at all times so you can give one to anybody who expresses interest.

You may be tempted to give the stray to the first person who calls – but please don’t! Carefully screen the callers until you’re sure that you’ve found a good home. Remember: the cat’s life depends on your decision. It is better to mistakenly turn down a good home than to put the cat into a bad home. You need to make sure that the person is willing and able to take on the expense and responsibility of owning a cat.

Ask to see where the cat will be living. Check the condition of other animals in the home to verify that they are well cared-for. Ask what happened to the person’s previous pets. Does the potential adopter have a vet? Does the person understand the necessity of vaccines and annual exams? Will the cat be fed a high-quality diet? Will she be kept safely indoors? Does the prospective owner understand the dangers of declawing? (See our Adoption Application for ideas.)

DO NOT GIVE AWAY FOR FREE. People who are willing to pay something for a pet are more likely to be serious about caring for it. Sad to say, there are also people out there who gather free animals for medical experiments, or worse.

Contact the NO-KILL SHELTERS AND RESUE ORIGANIZATION in your area, and ask whether they can accept the stray. It is important to verify that it is a no-kill shelter, meaning that they will keep the stray UNTIL THEY ARE adopted. (Other shelters will usually euthanize an animal within a few days.) No-kill shelters are usually full, and you may have to place your stray on a waiting list.

You can find the names and phone numbers of local shelters in the phone book, often under the name of the county where you live.

There is lots of information on the Internet about shelters and rescue organizations. Refer to the Resources section below. Please remember that Web site addresses may change. Try using a search engine to locate shelters in your area.

Keep in mind that there are far too many homeless pets and too few people willing to help place them. If you don’t immediately get a return call from a rescue organization, try again. These hard-working animal-lovers are doing their best, but there are only so many hours in a day!

Many organizations run weekend adoption events at stores such as PETSMART. There may be a waiting list to get your stray into one of these adoption events. Many of these organizations need volunteers; perhaps you can offer to help staff an adoption event in exchange for bringing your stray cat for adoption.

Don’t give up

It takes time and effort to place a stray cat into a new home, and it rarely happens in a single day. There are just too many homeless animals and too few homes. Keep at it until the cat has a suitable forever-home.

And if you decide you can squeeze one more stray into your home and your heart, so much the better! That leaves a potential home for another stray kitty! Contact our clinic for free advice on how to integrate the new cat into your household, or download information from our Web site.

GOOD LUCK AND GOD SPEED

Answer 2

Some agencies will take in feral cats, spay/neuter them, and return them to their "colony".  This ensures that the cats don't reproduce, but lets them live out their wild lives, since feral cats are difficult to introduce into home environments, if they ever get adopted at all.  

Removing the cats now just allows more to come into the colony... that's the only tip i can give you.

Answer 3

By half-caring for feral cats as you have, the world has become a worse place.  How do you live with yourself?

Answer 4

There are many agencies that will spay feral cats so they will not have more kittens.  Start with the local ASPCA, and see what they recommend.  There may be a small fee, but you have basically taken these cats in already.  As far as getting rid of the kittens, take them in, letting them be with their mother to nurse only.  But get them trained to be indoor cats.  Then, put them on a site like Craigslist as free to a good home.  You just may find a home for most, if not all of them.  That way they can be cared for, and you can sleep soundly knowing you didn't have them killed.

Answer 5

As many have said, start with your local ASPCA or vet's office, ask about low-cost spay programs for situations like yours. You should be able to find a low-cost way to get them all spayed/neutered, but if not you may have to pay out of pocket for it.

Ask your local friends and see if anyone has a barn or farm and possibly needs barn cats, most farms are happy to take in cats since they do an excellent job of keeping rodents and other bothersome critters (like snakes, coons, possums and skunks) out of hen roosts and barns. They may not all get to go together but you should be able to find them places to go and be useful.

Answer 6

contact Alley Cat Allies.  They will help you find a feral cat s/n clinic in your area and perhaps volunteers to help you with the trapping.  the longer you let this go, the more kitties you are going to have.  We all wish there was some magical farm that would take in the ferals and care for them but that is just not how it works.  good luck to you.

Elena Johnson

[e-mail]

Emily Facet

[e-mail]

Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator

7920 Norfolk Ave. Suite 600

Bethesda, MD 20814-2525

Phone: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

alleycat.org

Answer 7

Look around to see if there is a feral cat TNR (trap, neuter, release) program in your area.  Alley Cat Allies (www.alleycat.org) is an excellent resource for information.  If you have the cats fixed, can you allow them to stay where they are?  It's hard to relocate ferals.  If not, talk to any animal rescues in your area and see if they're willing to help you find people looking for barn or farm cats.  The tame kitten should be fairly easy to find a home for.  Best Friends (www.bestfriends.org) has tips for finding homes for pets.

Answer 8

good for you for trying! you could at least capture the kittens and keep them in a room in your house to make sure they don't become feral! contact your local vet and see if they can help you get the grown up kitties fixed and then re release them. you are doing a good job so far. keep it up and continue!

Answer 9

Where are you located hun?

I know what you mean. All of our local no kill shelters never have any spare places, they also have a waiting list if you want to give up an animal and you also have to pay. (a girl who is 6 that lives down teh road had to give up her poodle because her parents wouldnt look after it while she was at school, and she wanted it to go to a good home so she asked at lots of no kill shelters and there was a waiting list of +6months! her horrid parents ended up paying £200 to get the dog euthanized. Those people have no heart)

I suggest putting up flyers and basically giving them away for free. Make sure to put on the flyer "possible homes will be inspected" This is to deter those horrible people who burn cats, film it, and then broadcast it to our sick nation. OR to deter it from those sick chav that buy pit bulls and raise them to kill everything on command.

This will however mean you will be keeping the kittens for a while, and trust me, you will want to keep one if you are looking after them. Especially if you get attached to animals as quickly as i do! =D

Another thing. I know its hard, but your going to hve to stop feeding and providing shelter to these stray cats! The longer you do this for, the more stability teh cats think they have, and the more litters they are bound to produce. Any cat by nature will not have kittens unless forced to, or unless they feel they have accomodation that is safe for bringing up kittens. The longer you feed and shelter these strays, the longer they will keep coming back and producing off-spring :S

I know it will be hard to stop it, because i used to do this until the someone reported what i thought was kindness to the rspca who came to my house and told me why i shouldnt be feeding strays.

I live in the uk, and im not sure if you live over here, but i cannot for teh life of me find anywhere that has any space for some kittens. I think your going to have just make flyers, and ask shops to put these flyers in windows. super markets arethe best places because many families are walking in and out of these every day, and you never know, 4 of these families may be looking for a pet :)

Hope i helped!