Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Pets > Cats
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 03-04-2018, 05:00 PM
 
6,224 posts, read 6,528,944 times
Reputation: 4489

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by Catgirl64 View Post
I do know, as I have met such cats. There are very few things that make me sadder or more angry than the sight of a pet that has been betrayed in this way, by just dumping it. I try not to hate anyone, but it seems appropriate in this situation.
Clearly you are in the RIGHT re this! Kudos!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-04-2018, 06:01 PM
 
21,108 posts, read 13,405,215 times
Reputation: 19717
Quote:
Originally Posted by Catgirl64 View Post
I do know, as I have met such cats. There are very few things that make me sadder or more angry than the sight of a pet that has been betrayed in this way, by just dumping it. I try not to hate anyone, but it seems appropriate in this situation.
This one ripped my heart out. It took him a long time to trust me. Since he was in need of medical attention, it made it worse.

I used to sit outside and talk to him about his eyes, and how I could make them feel better. 'Hiss, growl, go away' but then I would see him, watching me and my pets. I swear on everything he was like 'I want to go in and be happy with them.'

One day out of the blue he walked in and head-butted me. I had learned (by being bitten) 'no touch' so I had to slow it down, despite the urgency, and time and patience did their jobs. when he head-butted me, I jumped for joy. Can I pet you now? yup. Can I pick you up? Yup. Can I put you in a carrier? yup.

Although, I also think he had run out of options. I think he literally was dying and didn't have the strength to keep walking anymore. He wanted only to eat, sleep, and go to the window to sit in sunshine. The open door held no appeal anymore.

He was like a pencil at this point, which I couldn't see before under the fur. But he was a spine and bones covered in only skin. The Vet said he had a giant tumor that carrying around had mis-aligned his spine. He had to be PTS.

Anyway, he wouldn't have had to suffer for years if he hadn't been made to be so un-trusting, poor baby. Initially I wanted to treat his eyes and at least TNR, if he would not tame to gain a home. I had no idea that he stank from infections and had that tumor. Poor, poor baby. Strong dude, though. To keep going it on his own so long............
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-04-2018, 08:41 PM
 
Location: FL
20,702 posts, read 12,440,495 times
Reputation: 5452
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81 View Post
Because you cannot control the actions of your neighbors as long as the neighbors are operating within the law. Several people have told you this in plain language.


See above statement. Repeat until it sinks in.


Again, the answer to this question has been answered for you multiple times. I suggest you try re-reading the thread. Reading is fundamental.


Oh, I agree; I will never let my cats roam outside because of the dangers to them. Unfortunately, people dump unwanted cats (my cats were dumped in the alley and turned into spoiled house cats), and if those cats aren't neutered, the colony increases exponentially. The problem isn't the people who care for colonies; they're trying to make the best of a bad situation. It's the idiots who don't neuter their cats and let them roam, or who dump them instead of surrendering them to a rescue or shelter.
One of my cats was abandoned and I adopted him from a shelter years ago.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-04-2019, 08:09 AM
 
6,806 posts, read 4,415,946 times
Reputation: 31228
We're dealing with a next door neighbor who feeds feral cats. She refuses to stop. She's done it for years. Last summer we neighbors trapped and relocated more than 20 feral cats that were tearing up our gardens and lawns.

One female cat avoided all attempts to trap her. She found a male and now she has five kittens we have to deal with. If we do nothing, that colony will triple in size before we know it.

This problem is never-ending. I'm beginning to think the only way to end the problem is to trap and relocate the neighbor who puts out daily food on her porch. Everyone is ready to lynch her. I'm ready to help!

Until people have dealt with this problem, they really don't understand the frustrating heartbreak attached. Hubby and I love cats and dogs, but these feral, wild animals are putting us at our wit's end. We refuse to poison them. What a terrible way to die. We want to protect our own cats against diseases. None of the ferals are vaccinated.

We thought of a fence, but cat's jump. We don't want to live behind prison walls, for God's sake!

Our county doesn't respond to stray and feral cats. Only dogs get the animal control officer's attention. Lack of funding. Our choices are to relocate or kill. TNR in our area costs $50 per cat, and we have to trap them and take them to the center at the appointed time. Impossible.

May a curse be on anybody who feeds feral cats without also TNR-ing them.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-04-2019, 08:14 AM
 
Location: Morrison, CO
34,102 posts, read 18,343,082 times
Reputation: 25674
Quote:
Originally Posted by Catgirl64 View Post
I do know, as I have met such cats. There are very few things that make me sadder or more angry than the sight of a pet that has been betrayed in this way, by just dumping it. I try not to hate anyone, but it seems appropriate in this situation.
My first cat was a stray that had obviously been dumped because she had been spayed, and declawed by someone most likely as an indoor pet, then dumped! I started feeding her like some of my other neighbors. After a while we came to the conclusion that she was as stray and as nobody else wanted her, so I took her in, and she was an indoor cat, and great pet for many, many years.

So, I don't have a problem with people feeding strays, but they should get them spayed or neutered as just feeding strays can lead to a large feral population.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-04-2019, 01:49 PM
 
26,476 posts, read 36,301,263 times
Reputation: 29493
Quote:
Originally Posted by Javacoffee View Post
We're dealing with a next door neighbor who feeds feral cats. She refuses to stop. She's done it for years. Last summer we neighbors trapped and relocated more than 20 feral cats that were tearing up our gardens and lawns.

One female cat avoided all attempts to trap her. She found a male and now she has five kittens we have to deal with. If we do nothing, that colony will triple in size before we know it.

This problem is never-ending. I'm beginning to think the only way to end the problem is to trap and relocate the neighbor who puts out daily food on her porch. Everyone is ready to lynch her. I'm ready to help!

Until people have dealt with this problem, they really don't understand the frustrating heartbreak attached. Hubby and I love cats and dogs, but these feral, wild animals are putting us at our wit's end. We refuse to poison them. What a terrible way to die. We want to protect our own cats against diseases. None of the ferals are vaccinated.

We thought of a fence, but cat's jump. We don't want to live behind prison walls, for God's sake!

Our county doesn't respond to stray and feral cats. Only dogs get the animal control officer's attention. Lack of funding. Our choices are to relocate or kill. TNR in our area costs $50 per cat, and we have to trap them and take them to the center at the appointed time. Impossible.

May a curse be on anybody who feeds feral cats without also TNR-ing them.
In some jurisdictions, these cats would be considered to be owned by the woman who's feeding them. There may also be a limit on how many pets per household are allowed — some jurisdictions make absolutely no distinction between feral and house cats — if you've been feeding them for a certain amount of time, you're legally responsible for them. Check your local law and sees if there's anything applicable to this. This lady might also have some civil liability, especially since she's not participating in a TNR program (courts have been all over the place with this).

By trapped and relocated, do you mean you trapped them and dumped them in someone else's neighborhood?

Last edited by Metlakatla; 06-04-2019 at 02:39 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-04-2019, 02:06 PM
 
4,286 posts, read 4,707,980 times
Reputation: 9638
Java, from what I've read if you TNR and don't relocate, just return them to where you found them, the size of the colony will stabilize. If you move them, you will just create a vacuum and more will move in.

There are devices with motion detectors on them which will send a jet of water in the direction of the motion. Jaxon Galaxy (he's on Animal Planet) has used them with some success to keep ferals away from yards.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-04-2019, 02:08 PM
 
Location: ☀️ SFL (hell for me-wife loves it)
3,671 posts, read 3,511,585 times
Reputation: 12346
Quote:
Originally Posted by Javacoffee View Post
We're dealing with a next door neighbor who feeds feral cats. She refuses to stop. She's done it for years. Last summer we neighbors trapped and relocated more than 20 feral cats that were tearing up our gardens and lawns.

One female cat avoided all attempts to trap her. She found a male and now she has five kittens we have to deal with. If we do nothing, that colony will triple in size before we know it.

This problem is never-ending. I'm beginning to think the only way to end the problem is to trap and relocate the neighbor who puts out daily food on her porch. Everyone is ready to lynch her. I'm ready to help!

Until people have dealt with this problem, they really don't understand the frustrating heartbreak attached. Hubby and I love cats and dogs, but these feral, wild animals are putting us at our wit's end. We refuse to poison them. What a terrible way to die. We want to protect our own cats against diseases. None of the ferals are vaccinated.

We thought of a fence, but cat's jump. We don't want to live behind prison walls, for God's sake!

Our county doesn't respond to stray and feral cats. Only dogs get the animal control officer's attention. Lack of funding. Our choices are to relocate or kill. TNR in our area costs $50 per cat, and we have to trap them and take them to the center at the appointed time. Impossible.

May a curse be on anybody who feeds feral cats without also TNR-ing them.
I've found the females to be the smartest, wise. Therefore, harder to trap. Keep trying. You will catch her, especially when she is hungry. See if you or one of the neighbors can catch the kittens while young, they can then be tamed, and find homes. No longer a feral.

I feel your misery. My next door neighbor invites the strays, but will not lift one dime to spay, neuter, or vaccinate. Eventually they wander onto my property., and I pay full price to take care of them, via Vet, as mentioned above.

Then I become their caretaker. For life. I can do this, as I have property and fence. Most cannot do this.

Don't hurt the cat. Help her. And the kittens can be tamed.

My heart goes out to you. Your original post shows what a good person you are.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-04-2019, 03:16 PM
 
6,806 posts, read 4,415,946 times
Reputation: 31228
Quote:
Originally Posted by Metlakatla View Post

By trapped and relocated, do you mean you trapped them and dumped them in someone else's neighborhood?
No, we asked around and found a few rural families who want feral cats for their barns and farmland. We released the feral cats to them. But I don't know what we'll do when they tell us they have enough cats. I won't release them anywhere just to make them someone elses problem. I wouldn't want that done to us.

I tried taming some of the feral kittens by catching and releasing them into our bathroom. OMG! Hubby had a fit! We can't let them mingle with our own indoor cats because they are not vaccinated for outdoor diseases like Feline Leukemia. The wild kittens ran around the bathroom peeing and pooping everywhere except in the box of dirt I had provided. They hissed and spit like little demons. Soon the smell drifted throughout our home. Hubby said "get 'em outta here!" (and rightfully so), so I had to release them back outside. Several weeks later we caught mama and the babies and got them all to the same farm.

I had even offered to pay half of the $50 TNR cost for the mama before she had another litter. I wouldn't care if the cats were released back here, but this neighbor refuses to take a proactive stance. She won't spend a dime on the spaying/neutering.

But it wouldn't matter anyway. She refuses to stop putting out the daily food. I could spend several hundred on spaying and neutering wild cats, yet still not solve the problem. Very frustrating.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-04-2019, 03:30 PM
 
Location: New Jersey and hating it
12,148 posts, read 7,112,664 times
Reputation: 17303
Did you tell this neighbor about the problem and her contributing to the problem?

She is just trying to be kind to the cats because she thinks they will starve without her feeding them. Try to explain to her that she is not helping them by feeding them.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Pets > Cats

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top