topic Re: No organization will take a stray cat.......... in Community Chat

No organization will take a stray cat..........

CrazyKittyLvr2 — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 21:07:45 GMT

I put this here hoping more eyes would see it than in the pet forum.

DD & I feed some stray cats and have for years. A couple have been getting a meal here for that long and they all get along except for an occasional paw on the head if one nudges someone over at mealtime.

2 weeks ago another male showed up and he fights with our regulars. Otherwise he is not aggresive to us and I don't want him hungry but he is being a jerk.

DD has called 5 different places to see if we can take him there but no one wants him.

If we get one and can get hold of it without losinng a pound of flesh we take it for shots and spaying or neutering. Some, even after months, don't want to be picked up. We have found homes for some.

If he behaved and didn't terrorize the other cats he would be welcome too. Yes, I am a crazy cat lady. lol

Any ideas or thoughts?

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

halfpint1 — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 21:27:18 GMT

Is he a black cat? I read the shelters can not get them adopted. A few years ago a mostly black cat would come down and see me at a mall parking lot. My son helped me take her home. She is so sweet--has some white down her chest and paws.

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

SahmIam — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 21:32:49 GMT

@CrazyKittyLvr2 In my area, you call Animal Control or go the pound. Both are not non-kill and they'll tell you up front how long the animal will be kept before they euthanize it.

Due to an explosion of kittens, there is no foster facility available in my county for strays. A good friend of mine has been trying to home 2 sisters (9 months) that a neighbor left behind when she moved (evil!!) and is now looking at out of state foster homes; it's crazy! She already has 2 cats and that's enough for her at this time. She's feeding, grooming and caring for them but she needs to find them a home.

I wish I could help you but other than the local shelters and foster homes, I have no idea where you can go to re-home him.

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

CrazyKittyLvr2 — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 21:37:11 GMT

@halfpint1 No he's not black, he's kind of brown/gray striped. We do have a couple black ones though. One female is short haired with the shinest coat and she's a wonderfully sweet cat and wants to be with whoever is on the porch.

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

mousiegirl — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 21:50:26 GMT

@CrazyKittyLvr2 wrote:
@halfpint1 No he's not black, he's kind of brown/gray striped. We do have a couple black ones though. One female is short haired with the shinest coat and she's a wonderfully sweet cat and wants to be with whoever is on the porch.

@CrazyKittyLvr2 They won't accept ferals as they are not adoptable. I have tamed a few in my life, but it isn't easy, and there came a point when I had to refuse to take another one into my home, though if one had entered my garden, as the others did, I would take care of it as I love cats.

If you can catch him and have him neutered, this may help with his behavior, but usually it is instinctual as even neutered males are territorial, in fact, I had more problems with females, spayed, the males here got along. I was in rescue for many years, but the black cats were never adopted, so I kept them.

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

Scooby Doo — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 21:54:12 GMT

I have a colony of feral cats that I take care of. I couldn't get any agency to take them either. Best Friends did pay for spaying and neutering, but they were brought back to the neighborhood. I had one like that. I advertised in a local paper and got him adopted as a barn cat.

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

meem120 — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 21:58:44 GMT

All our local shelters are full. They cant take anymore. They are just inundated with kittens and cats.

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

CrazyKittyLvr2 — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 22:00:40 GMT

@mousiegirl We have never had one that did not play nice with the rest. DD talked about trying to get him to wear we can nab him and get him neutered. Most show up at 7:30 am for breakfast and then dinner about 6:00 in the evening. They do their own thing during the day.

During the winter our glass top table gets a canvas cover to the floor and we put plastic on the floor under it with old blankets and quilts and cat beds so they have a warm/dry place. Bedding gets tossed in the spring. The porch has a roof and a gate so they are safe. DD buys cat milk in the winter and mixes a little warm water so they get something warm in their bellies. Yes, we are pathetic with them. don't want them cold or hungry.

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

sidsmom — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 22:18:14 GMT

“Some, even after months, don’t want to be picked up”

Translation...they are being fed & breeding at will.

OK.

Here’s a little Animal Reproductive lesson.

”...feed some stray cats & have for years”

That action, while from the outside appears very generous,

is hurting the cat population. These cats need to be neutered

before feeding.

”...male...he fights with our regulars..”

He is wanting to gain dominance & breed...that’s the aggression.

Again, he & the others need to be neutered before feeding.

”...being a jerk...”

No he’s being an unneutered cat.

Having unneutered cats roaming the neighborhood is not good.

It hurts them in the long run...with fighting, biting, aggressiveness,

spreading diseases. The responsible person would get Animal Control

deal with it. Work with them to see if they could given you trap cages to make their job easier. Continually feeding an unneutered Animal

is not cool.

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

spiderw — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 22:15:33 GMT

Retired legal Secretary

I wish I had answers for you. My sister took care of stray cats and tried to trap and have them neutered. She was successful with some but not with all. However, she fed them and put much time, effort and money into caring for them. She also had cats of her own and took some of the strays in.

I must say I admire and respect you and my sister and all organizations who do what they can to help strays. It is so uplifting to know people care about those without voices despite how difficult their quest may be. They are my heroes, each and everyone, I wish you the best for these acts of compassion and kindness, may you be rewarded with blessings and the deep gratitude for all animal advocates. Thank you!!!!

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

Anonymous032819 — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 22:24:51 GMT

Ask your local animal shelter if you can borrow a cat trap.

They look like this.

You bait the back of the trap with cat food, and when he steps on a metal plate, the door closes behind him, preventing him from getting out.

You then drape a towel or blanket over the trap, so that he can't see what's happening.

There is a handle on top to carry the trap, so you don't have to get your hands near claws.

You then take the trap to a vet who will give him his shots and neuter him.

When you pick him up from the vet's, he will be back in the trap, and you return him to your neighborhood to set him free.

It's called TNR.

Trap

Neuter.

Return.

No, he isn't adoptable.

He is a wild animal, just like a raccoon is a wild animal.

You have to accept the fact that his home is the streets, and always will be.

He will never be a cuddly indoor lap cat.

The time to try and get a feral off the street, and in to homes and have them become a house cat, is when they are kittens.

He's well past that age.

Good luck!

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

SilleeMee — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 22:44:40 GMT

Here in my city there is a subdivision where feral cats have been allowed to roam free and multiply without being bothered by animal control people. If you live there and get caught messing with the cats then you will be fined by the city. Honestly, I think people are turning a blind eye when people do mess with those cats. They are fed up. I can't remember the name of that program but it started way back in the 1940s as a means to control the high numbers of mice in the area. Today the program is still in existence even though there is no mice problem and now the area is overrun with cats. My friend lives in that area and has had her vegetable garden ruined with cat poop several years running. She finally had to build a greenhouse to keep the cats out. It's a serious health problem having all those cats around. I don't have a solution for that one.

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

kitcat51 — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 22:45:58 GMT

Do you have a Pet Smart? Our local store has pet adoptions on the weekend & the animals are brought in by volunteers that foster them...you could talk to volunteers to see if one could take your stray. The organizations in our area are full too & aren't accepting any cats, sadly that means many unwanted pets are being dumped along the road & end up getting hit by cars, killed by other animals or shot. I live in the country so lots of feral cats, they flee when they see people & I never leave food out...it's not a good idea. Good luck @CrazyKittyLvr2 wish I had more ideas to share.

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

butterfly123 — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 23:27:08 GMT

@beastielove

Do have any suggestions for @CrazyKittyLvr2 please?

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

Drythe — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 01:08:25 GMT

@CrazyKittyLvr2

I’m sorry you are having so many issues at this time.

Please look in your local directory for a Trap Neuter Return program / group / society.

There are communities of TNR cats living in harmony all over the world. This cat may very well be able to join yours if you give him a chance.

The very likely reason your local shelter is not taking strays now is because this is HIGH KITTEN SEASON. The season for Kitten births. Many shelters are overflowing with kittens and are looking for kitten fosters. That is the case with all the shelters in my area.

I hope you will call them.

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

CrazyDaisy — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 01:15:41 GMT

Every place is full of kittens right now, not much chance of anyone wanting an unadoptable feral cat.

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

mintedrose — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 01:28:35 GMT

Depends where you are, if youre you in BC vancouver, theres a wonderful team of people with an organization called Tiny Kittens who do some amazing work with ferals and help them adopt. The woman who runs is Shelly Roche and is really good. They also help trap pregnant moms, provide full vet care, feed them and take really good care of them 24/7 and their kittens and help them get adopted to wonderful forever homes.

If not then Maybe look up some places like that where you live. You may just call up TK and see if they can direct you somewhere. Its worth a try. Hopefully those precious cats will stay safe and happy. I love cats myself. )

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

SXMGirl — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 02:21:34 GMT

@CrazyKittyLvr2 First, thank you for taking care of the strays as they have no one else. I also feed strays and take as many as I can to our vet for shots and, if necessary, neutering/spaying.

If you have a rescue in your area dedicated to cats, give them a call. Your vet probably knows people who can help you get this male cat in for a checkup and anything else that needs to be done. In my area, we have Forgotten Cats, but you can also contact Alley Cats Rescue as they are a national organization. I feel certain that they will have a solution for you.

Please keep feeding him, even if it means feeding him separately from the rest.

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

Sooner — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 02:06:29 GMT

It is hurting animals that nobody will discuss some sort of measures to put a lid on the feral animal population. It grows by leaps and bounds and what are you going to do?

Specific breeds of dogs are out of favor now, and most animal shelters are simply swamped with pit bull mixes--and they are not popular pet choices.

Not talking about OP, but I am sure all of you know people who because of the popularity of rescue adoptions have adopted dogs that are not suited to the person's lifestyle, shelters are full, so the dogs wind up from home to home or on the street (although NO I do not know anyone specifically who has done this but I'll bet my bottom dollar it happens).

So when are we going to look at the root of the problem and admit we can't save all the feral animals? It hurts me to see this problem and I think it will reach a tipping point at some time--and I fear that.

Re: No organization will take a stray cat..........

Drythe — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 03:08:12 GMT

@Sooner wrote:
It is hurting animals that nobody will discuss some sort of measures to put a lid on the feral animal population. It grows by leaps and bounds and what are you going to do?

Specific breeds of dogs are out of favor now, and most animal shelters are simply swamped with pit bull mixes--and they are not popular pet choices.

Not talking about OP, but I am sure all of you know people who because of the popularity of rescue adoptions have adopted dogs that are not suited to the person's lifestyle, shelters are full, so the dogs wind up from home to home or on the street (although NO I do not know anyone specifically who has done this but I'll bet my bottom dollar it happens).

So when are we going to look at the root of the problem and admit we can't save all the feral animals? It hurts me to see this problem and I think it will reach a tipping point at some time--and I fear that.

@Sooner

Wow! I must say that I feel you are approaching this issue from the wrong end.

If you have been to your local Animal Shelter you will see that there are many 'designer' and breed specific dogs & cats. I was there yesterday and there are Real Siamese, Labradors, a Malamute, and a Bichon that I saw just walking through. I also know that there is a Bengal Hybrid there.

Last year at Christmas I rescued 4 'breed' doggies who had been dumped by a breeder because they didn't sell for Christmas gifts. Recently we gave a home to a designer Puggle (Pug + Begle)

The problem is not the shelters, they are a temporary solution. The problem is not neutering animals, allowing them to roam around intact, and over breeding. The resulting homeless animals are picked up by shelters in an attempt to save innocent lives.

Just to be clear. The solution I suggested to the OP was to call a TNR group.

*Trap feral cats

*Neuter them and give them their vaccinations

*Release them back to where they were found, or to another area where people volunteer to feed them regularly.

These cats are no longer able to reproduce, don't spread disease, don't fight in season, and can live out their lives in relatively order.

Neutering is the Solution to this problem. The Problem is over population.

I DO discuss it every opportunity I have.

I hope other animal lovers do too.