Community Chat

[IEscapedLosAngeles]

If you truly love cats, and I mean even feral cats please don't feed them.

Last night I got in my car backed out of the space I was in behind my apartment building and saw four kittens eyes open and barely old enough to walk. I got out of my car and moved them expecting the feral mother to come for them. Nothing. I was perplexed and concerned. They were not weaned yet but had eyes open and could walk with a wabble.

We have two feral cats in the parking lot behind the building so I doubted they could just be someone's drop off. I borrowed a neighbors flashlight as they were crawling away under someone elses car. Got two of them in a box. They were so young as to not be completely feral yet. The feral mother came and grabbed one and ran. I couldn't see the orange one. I couldn't leave these animals out there for the colony to get larger. The mother cats eldest kitten from her last batch of kittens is the likely father of these kittens. Yes it happens.

Looked about under my car and under the car parked next to me. Couldn't see the orange kitten. I figured the mother had grabbed it and ran it back to her nest as well.

I was wrong. I got in my car and prepared to take the kittens to the local shelter.

It was then I felt it. The tire ran over a soft lump. I had accidentally ran over the Orange kitten. I felt my stomach drop and was sick at heart. I got out, put the little body in a plastic shopping bag and took it to be desposed of by the shelter as well.

The cat colony of two was being fed by a well meaning but somewhat ignorant lady who doesn't know its illegal in California to feed or trap feral cats.

Please, don't promote a cat colony in your neighborhood. According the the Los Angeles County Animal Shelter they a are natural Migrating species and can survive on Mice / Bugs/ Worms etc and will move on to another area if not fed. Then in our county several organizations licensed to do so will trap neuter and release.

They will not starve. This isn't harsh, its kind.

Even euthanasia as horrible as it is is preferable to being squashed by a car. They merely sleep not to wake up.

I had to unload ladies as this really bothers me. Sorry if I offend anyone. I lost a much loved Cat a year ago in October. I'd had her four 13 of the 14 years of her life and the thought of accidentally running over a cat is really horrifying much less actually doing it.

Please, don't feed feral cats.

Thank you.