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Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,890
Registered: ‎09-04-2010

Should I be feeding a feral cat???

I have left over food from kitty when he passed and I hear a cat outside about once a month. I heard him/her the other night and decided to put out some food on the porch. The food was gone in the morning but wasn't sure who ate it.

Last night a cat was back meowing when she spotted the food. I had already put more food out there with some water. I heard the cat and went to peek out the door. A beautiful white cat with spots was eating but moved away when she saw me. I went outside and called but she wouldn't come to me and ran off. This morning the food was gone again.

I am pretty sure this is one of three cats I saw running down the street in the freezing weather this winter, so there were two others at the time.

There is no way I could take the cat in because of medical reasons and having my dog still, so I don't know if I should continue feeding her. I can't capture her and do all that goes with it so should I stop while I am ahead. I don't want to make it worse? She looks pretty darn healthy so she is eating and may belong to someone but I seriously doubt it.

Super Contributor
Posts: 293
Registered: ‎08-20-2012

Re: Should I be feeding a feral cat???

Experts say "no" ... but my heart always said "yes."

I ended up with a total of 25 cats/kittens just from feeding a few. My neighbors were not appreciative of this as well, and I had to respect their wishes.

Bless you for caring for our feline friends.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,008
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Should I be feeding a feral cat???

I say the H**l with those so called "experts" {#emotions_dlg.angry}and "Yes"...you should continue to feed this precious kitty who is clearly in desperate need.

Even though you can't give her a forever home, at least you're providing her with much needed food and God Bless your kind heart for doing that.Smile

I'm "mommy" to five kitties, all of them rescues.

------------------------------------------------------

All of my children have paws =^..^= {#emotions_dlg.wub}

Super Contributor
Posts: 486
Registered: ‎09-23-2013

Re: Should I be feeding a feral cat???

The experts don't say no.

www.indyferal.org

I'm not sure if you have a group like IndyFeral where you live, but they are called community cats here. If you have a feral group in your area, they can provide you with a humane trap so it can be fixed and returned.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 25,929
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Should I be feeding a feral cat???

It is against the law to feed feral cats or any other wild animals where I live. Generally speaking it is not appreciated by the neighbors who do not want the cats and the rodents the food attracts in their back yards. We are not even allowed to feed birds here. I don't know if it is a local law or a county law but we were told when we moved here it is definitely against the law and the fines are heavy - I have been told $1000.

Frequent Contributor
Posts: 98
Registered: ‎03-18-2010

Re: Should I be feeding a feral cat???

Yes, please continue to feed the cat. It is not their fault they are stray or feral. It is human fault and the least everyone can do is provide food, water and if possible some type of shelter. Of course getting them spayed and neutered would be wonderful. I feed anything and everything. Birds, Deer, Squirrels, Turkeys, etc. and cats. I have brought 20 stray cats to our no-kill shelter over the past few years and all were adopted into wonderful homes. I will always feed and provide shelter for animals. I have eight rescue cats in my home and they are all wonderful. I try to do everything I can for animals and always will!!

Please feed the cat! Thank you.

Valued Contributor
Posts: 588
Registered: ‎04-06-2010

Re: Should I be feeding a feral cat???

I have a feral that I have been feeding since last August. She lives under my mobile home and comes out daily to be fed and she allows me to pet her and love on her if I am sitting on my porch. She knows my voice and will come when I call. She is still skittish when I am standing up, if I try to pet her while standing over her she will smack me but if I am sitting she does not feel threatened. She craves the attention and even when there is food, she prefers to be petted over eating. Once she has her fill of lovins, she will go off the steps and eat. I can't not feed her. I am too attached. I do try to make sure she eats while I am there and watching and then bring in the food at night as the wild critters like to come and eat it.

Super Contributor
Posts: 323
Registered: ‎04-12-2010

Re: Should I be feeding a feral cat???

Feed the cat, please do. They are dependent on humans, even though they might be feral.it is human 's fault that this kitty is homeless. And I don't give a sh** what fines or what the neighbors say. God will see your kindness to one of his creatures.
Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,890
Registered: ‎09-04-2010

Re: Should I be feeding a feral cat???

It is starting to rain now but I have an overhang over my long front porch. I catch myself waiting for the meow and haven't heard it tonight. I really hope the cat belongs to someone but I will continue to put food out, I have a lot left over. Kitty is eating the science diet prescription food I had, so she must be hungry. LOL

We don't have any city issues to deal with and I could care less about the neighbors. There are two families moving this year anyway and the issues they have that I deal with are much worse. I have seniority because I have lived here the longest. Smile

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,567
Registered: ‎03-14-2010

Re: Should I be feeding a feral cat???

[ Edited ]

DH and I LOVE animals...however, we don't appreciate neighbors who are inconsiderate of others.

I will try and condense the story...it all started rather "innocently"...

A couple of years ago in early Spring, our neighbor across the street had a single cat living/sleeping in it's evergreen bushes. Within a month...there were 2 which mated. They started to make regular treks across the street to our neighbors next door on the east side of us.

It was easy to add 2 and 2 together. Those neighbors have their own cats which are 'indoor' cats. Our guess is the cats just happened to be passing by their yard and then started feeding them.

By mid summer, there were 7 cats...yep, the 2 adults and 5 from the 1st litter. Wanna guess where their litter box was located? Anywhere and everywhere in our backyard...gardens, lawn...AGH!!! How did we know? We have security cameras around the house...and then there is the evidence...{#emotions_dlg.blink}

Now it's one thing to clean up after one's own animals...but someone else's on a daily basis? AND several of them?

Well, we tried talking/reasoning with our neighbors that fed them. They thought we just h*ted animals. That couldn't be further from the truth! So, in the scheme of things, were we supposed to just "put up" with this?

The neighbor across the street didn't mind...no p*op at their home/yards...same with the neighbors that were getting the 'joy' from their furry visitors. So, of coarse we would be the awful neighbors to even think about complaining...how inconsiderate of us! {#emotions_dlg.rolleyes}

So by late October, there were now 13 cats (the adult cats had a 2nd litter) and 2 possums...ALL 13 cats used our backyard/gardens for their litterbox and there were now 2 possums that must be eating from the food left out for the cats too.

That was the last straw! We took matters into our own hands...trapped every last feral cat and BOTH possums. The local humane society picked up every single one...relocating the possums and bringing the cats to the shelter.

So, when would this insanity end if we didn't do this? How many cats would there have been by the following Spring? With at least 5-7 feral females in heat? Do the math...{#emotions_dlg.scared}

Our neighbors have nothing to do with us and we have nothing to do with them...no forgiveness on either party's part in the matter.

THEN, our neighbors to the west side of us have a mini pincher dog...what we call a 'yippie' dog. When it barks, it's high pitch. The dog would be left outside for hours. I'd be working in our gardens and I would start shaking from it going straight to my nerves after just 10 minutes.

I had to call the humane society on them too! After several written warnings, the neighbors just felt it is their dog and we are to just 'deal with it'.

So we did. DH set up a video camera with sound showing the dog barking...literally for hours (barely even taking a breath or for water) and we wound up bringing those neighbors to court...and we won! Either they were to put a no-bark collar on the dog, or to give up the dog.

So again, we are the inconsiderate neighbors who just don't like animals! {#emotions_dlg.rolleyes}

What happened to ethics? Being considerate of others...neighborly? Basic common sense?

If we had a neighbor that complained of an animal we had/or were taking care of, we certainly wouldn't be ignorant of others like what we have had to put up with...

We have common sense, and consideration for others and always try to be neighborly. We may be of a now rare breed {#emotions_dlg.blink}

DH and I hope to have pets someday...but not in this neighborhood! We'll wait til we can move to a place with 20 acres...where we can't see neighbors in any direction