Community Chat

[Sooner]

@Drythe Well, I look at the shelters websites around here,  and often it's overwhelmingly Pit Bull mixes.

I am just saying that basically we have made it a trend to adopt shelter animals and a lot of people are getting in on the trend--sometimes not thinking so much about what kind of animal they could care for or IF they could care for one.

And we aren't starting enough times at the beginning by neutering programs.  We are putting most efforts into finding homes rather than more into keeping excess animals off the streets in the first place. I think at some point you have to address the genesis of this issue. 

I see all this "adopt a pet" programs but not enough geared toward donating for spay and neuter programs or volunteering to help trap and release cats, set up clinics for people in lower income areas to get pets neutered etc.  

So I think we are on the same page basically.  

[Ms tyrion2]

I have quite a bit of experience with feral cats. It sounds like you have an established colony and another male is trying to come in to claim it.

Contact your local feral cat rescue. They will provide you with a cage to trap this guy. You cannot take him to a regular vet. The feral rescue will have someone who will do the neuter.  Then release him and see what happens.  While you're at it, all your strays should be neutered. This effectively closes the colony so it can't continue to grow.

My two girl cats were born feral. I got them very young and was able to make them house cats.  It is very difficult to tame an adult feral.

In  my old neighborhood , I and my neighbors worked to get our feral cat population neutered. We fed them and provided shelter. Because they were all fixed, we didnt have damage, noise and spraying. They just gradually died off. Ferals in the wild often do not live very long.

[hullie]

Retired legal secretary, thank you and bless you for your honorable efforts! I too am a strong advocate of TNR for feral cats as the most reasonable method to handle this sad problem. Thank you again to all you angels that care about our fellow creatures on this planet!

[Foolywooly11]

Animal Control should lend cat traps.  My next-door neighbor began feeding a handful of ferals. Now, 25 years later, they have multiplied in unbelievable numbers. You say they come for meals, then "do their thing"  in between. What they do is take over other people's yards. They don't poop & pee where they eat. They ruin yards, fight, kill other wildlife, & take over every space they can gain access to. Over the years, the cats don't look as "normal" either. Some have obvious deformities. They carry disease. I know it's fun for my neighbor, (who lives alone), to feed them, & have them gathered around her at feeding time. But not for the rest of us who have to live nearby.  It 's become quite a burden on the neighborhood, & the cats are winning the batlle. They simply multiply faster than they can be trapped, "fixed", etc. 

A few cats can become alot of cats in a relatively short period of time. I love animals, including cats, but have lived both sides of the equation. Good luck to you.

[Shorty2U]

Same here (and its pathetic) if you find a cat. Example; Neighbor found kittens in the sewer and the people in the neighborhood rescued them (including my husband).. Humane Society and ARL said to bring them in they wouldn't come out! ARL is the official animal no kill in our county now too. So the neighbor took the kittens to them! PS It is ILLEGAL here in our county in PA to feed feral cats. You're not allowed to. You CAN cage them and bring them in to get spayed/neutered etc and then they get taken back and let out where you found them!. We had a different feral cat 2X here out back a few years ago and we did not feed it because its against the law (which wasn't easy as we have indoor only pet cats ourselves).

[cbrite]

@CrazyKittyLvr2 Oh dear....Well, if you have FB, (I do not) I've seen a lot of great things come from there when an animal is in need.....one person tells another and another and the word gets out you need help and most importantly, KITTY NEEDS HELP.

It's be focused in your area (s).....Bless the ferals who have no voice 

[Drythe]

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@Sooner wrote:

@Drythe Well, I look at the shelters websites around here,  and often it's overwhelmingly Pit Bull mixes.

I am just saying that basically we have made it a trend to adopt shelter animals and a lot of people are getting in on the trend--sometimes not thinking so much about what kind of animal they could care for or IF they could care for one.

And we aren't starting enough times at the beginning by neutering programs.  We are putting most efforts into finding homes rather than more into keeping excess animals off the streets in the first place. I think at some point you have to address the genesis of this issue. 

I see all this "adopt a pet" programs but not enough geared toward donating for spay and neuter programs or volunteering to help trap and release cats, set up clinics for people in lower income areas to get pets neutered etc.  

So I think we are on the same page basically.  

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@Sooner 

Brief note in response, thank you for your thoughtful response.

I know my experience does not cover the whole world, but every rescue organization I have ever been involved with (including some international ones) require spaying Before an animal can be adopted.

There are fund raising programs for local, or county shelters for spay neuter, low cost vaccines, and TNR programs, could be some in your area.  If you are able and have time I hope you can volunteer.  

Yes, I agree we are both talking about over population.  I think we see potential solutions differently.

Happy Tails!

[Susan Louise]

I'll share a story...

For those who don't like long posts, just skip over this...it's impossible condense into a paragraph or two.

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

Anyway, it all started rather "innocently"...

About 8 years ago in early Spring, our neighbor across the street had a single cat living/sleeping in their 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...
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!
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...
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!
What happened to ethics? Being considerate of others...neighborly? Basic common sense?
If we had an animal we 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
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

[CrazyKittyLvr2]

@Foolywooly11   These cats don't go in peoples yards. This is a very rural area. The 1 guy next door has junk cars and equipment all over and several dogs so neatness is hardly a concern for him. The other "neighbors are a half mile in either direction. The cats head to a wooded area near the house.  I have never seen them go in our yard. 

We have gotten 4 of the current 6 or 7 fixed and others have been fixed over the years.  If we hadn't fed them, and gotten some to the point of being able to handle them & get them to a vet there would be a lot more cats around.

[nun ya]

In my county they have a homeless cat organization, they TNR. which at least stops the cycle. Its amazing the amount of kittens born every year. People often dump pregnant cats and let someone else deal with it. One unaltered female can have 4 litters a year, starting at 4 months old. 

As for the new male, I'd trap, neuter and release him. thats about all you can do. Unless you know someone who needs a barn cat. Thanks for looking out for them all, most people complain but do nothing to stop it.