at the risk of alienating everyone in the lounge (dialup warning)

[Bertha Venation]

I really have to blast this out there. We need to find homes for these babies!

If you live in the Washington, DC, metro area, and are thinking of adopting a kitten or kittens, please read on.

Mrs. Venation and I care for a feral cat colony. This includes trapping the cats for spay/neuter and shots. Before Thanksgiving, we trapped two six-week-old kittens and decided to try to socialize them, then find a home for them.

While the kittens, Skittles & Francie, won't yet come to us or let us pick them up, they are no longer afraid of every move we make. They're fully part of the household now, walking about without fear, eating and playing with our other cats, napping where they wish, and playing like there's no tomorrow. If they land in my lap while we're playing together, they love to be petted -- and they purr like mad! (They are litter-box trained, too!)

I hope to find them a home together. They will need each other's comforting presence as they begin to adapt to a new household. Naturally, since they are semi-feral, they will probably hide at first. But it won't take them long to warm to their surroundings and their new people. It would be best for them not to be adopted into a home with young children.

If they are adopted before it's time to have them spayed & get their shots started, there will be no fee. If that time comes before we find them a home, we'd ask to be reimbursed for those costs. (We will take them to a low-cost spay/neuter clinic.)

If you are interested, or have any questions about adopting semi-feral kittens (or about caring for a feral colony), please reply or PM me.

For more information on caring for feral colonies, see http://www.alleycat.org

[youngred]

1. I am already fostering two ferals through alleycats

and am not in DC right now so can't take those two. But I was curious as to wether you ever volunteer at the VA feral cat clinic? I have been working it all fall and think alleycats is a fantastic group.

[Bertha Venation]

3. Haven't volunteered.

What does one do? Sorry to sound naive. I don't have any veterinary experience, and shelters break my heart. What could I do, youngred?

[youngred]

4. it's like the second sunday each month

people bring in cats from feral colonies they've caught. they spay/neuter, give shots, flea and tick treatment etc to the cats and then re-release them. No vet experience needed (the vets and techs volunteer their time for that stuff). If you want I'll send you the info about february when I get it.

Just curious if I had met you and hadn't known it :-)

[Bertha Venation]

6. I'm definitely interested.

Thanks!

Where's this clinic?

[youngred]

10. about 30 minutes outside the city in Virginia

I don't remember offhand.

[Bertha Venation]

15. Once a month is not too often to go that far for the kittles.

Thanks, youngred. Count me in. :D

[HEAVYHEART]

2. I'll spread the word about this... n/t

[HEAVYHEART]

8. I'm back

Sorry I had to make a quick post above earlier. To elaborate on what I posted, my brother lives in DC and I have friends in DC so I will spread the word about this. :)

[Bertha Venation]

12. That's really great, Heavyheart. Thank you very much!

:bounce:

[yellowcanine]

5. I would say yes except that would take us fram a 3 cat household to a 5

cat household (and 1 dog). They are cute though. Our most recent kitty was a feral Siamese female. Talk about attitude!

[yardwork]

7. You've done a wonderful job with those babies!

I wish I could help.

Mr. Yardwork is deathly allergic to cats and other mammals, and our neighborhood would not be good for feral kitties (too many foxes and other predators, including roaming cats).

I've raised many many feral cats in my day, though, and my mother currently has four, each of which have been grabbed, "fixed," given their shots, and rereleased to live in the yard where they share their food with raccoons and live in a well-insulated cat box on the porch. Only one was willing to come inside to live.

[ChickMagic]

9. Do we have the same parents?

My mom and dad are tending feral cats. They do the same thing. They catch them, have them neutered/spayed, get their shots and rerelease. They also share food with racoons. :) Mom and Dad are on a fixed income, so I pitch in to help with the cost. They have one wonderful cat they adoped from the ferals.

[yardwork]

20. My long-lost sister!!

I once mentioned to my mom that she could actually go choose a cat as a pet. We had dozens of cats when I was growing up and every one of them was either a stray or a give-away.

Come to think of it, even the dog came from the animal shelter. Come to think of it, even the horse was a give-away!

The raccoons have been asked to leave but they declined. Party crashers.

[Beaverhausen]

11. You know about petfinder, right?

they are awfully cute. Good for you for the care and love you are giving them.

http://www.petfinder.org/

[Bertha Venation]

14. Yep. I have an ad there that has rec'd zero hits.

It just gets lost, pushed down by new ads. :shrug:

Thanks!

[Beaverhausen]

16. I have a friend in Gaithersburg- show me your petfinder link

she does dog walking and pet sitting. She may be able to help.

[Bertha Venation]

17. I forgot that Classifieds expire after 14 days. Will repost it (OOPS edit)

and then post the link here -- after they post my ad. Sorry. I forgot about that delay, too.

I don't know how to get a regular petfinder link on the site. I thought all I could do was a classified ad... ?

[Beaverhausen]

18. I meant classified ad

and I see what you mean about so many ads.

So sad...so many babies need good homes.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

13. I'll spread the word amongst my friends

Congrats on a job well-done!
If I didn't have my hands full with 4, a dog, and 2 hamsters (soon to be more), I'd take them in myself! :hi:

[Mrs. Venation]

19. kick

:kick: