Where I live the 'cat lady' moved so they asked for volunteers to feed and watch the feral cats

[DainBramaged]

I volunteered. In this huge complex no one else did. Is it so hard to take a half hour out of your day to feed animals in need? They have trapped, spayed and neutered and vaccinated all of the ferals on the property, and there have been no new strays in quite a while. There are about 30 feral cats that I have counted. And since I have been 'ahem' helping them eat for quite some time, when I call now they come but just close enough for me to put food down.


I have to meet with the town's Board of Health person to register so they can make sure I'm not one of those folks that sells pets for medical experiments. And it looks like I will gladly be providing a little extra food for the kittehs out of my pocket since they contine to hit the dumpsters and that's not a good thing.

I'll be taking pictures and will post them for everyone as soon as I can. My two favorites, Tom & Jerry, a grey & white and a beautiful long haired red who are inseperable and travel together all over the complex who head butt each other and groom each other will now not have to worry about me sneaking food out to them after dark every night.


I am going to enjoy this a lot.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

1. That's really cool of you.

I hope you find it to be a fun and fulfilling chapter of your life. :thumbsup:

[Taverner]

2. If you can spay them - go for it

Some shelters rent cat-traps

[Justitia]

3. You are a good person, those kitties are lucky to have you looking after them.

Thank you!

[GoneOffShore]

4. What a great thing you're doing.

[applegrove]

5. Great of you to do.

[proudohioan]

6. Bless your heart for that...

I am a cat lover myself.

I'm looking forward to your pix!

[TheOther95Percent]

7. My furkids give you a head butt in gratitude.

[Lisa0825]

8. (((((((((LOVE)))))))))) to you from my kittehs.

They say thank you for helping their distant relations.

[Captain Hilts]

9. Good on you!

[spooky3]

10. You are a sweetheart! Will look forward to your photos.

[provis99]

11. Cool. Love cats, got three of the sweeties myself!

[virgogal]

12. They do that in a town near me. Nice of you to do.

http://www.animalshelter.org/shelters/The_Cat_Connection_rId6424_rS_pC.html

[Tansy_Gold]

13. K&R from a dog person n/t

[CurtEastPoint]

14. ****LOVE LOVE LOVE*** coming your way! n/t

[aquamarina]

15. Hi There

You might want to contact Best Friends Animal Sanctuary or the Alley Cat Allies. They might have local resources you can tap into for assistance. These kitties are so fortunate to have you.


General Information
Best Friends Animal Society
5001 Angel Canyon Road
Kanab, Utah 84741-5000
Main phone: [phone]
Email: [email protected]



Alley Cat Allies
Contact Alley Cat Allies

7920 Norfolk Avenue
Suite 600
Bethesda, MD 20814-2525

Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

http://www.alleycat.org

Office hours are between 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. When leaving a message on our voicemail be sure to include your name, street address, and your daytime and evening phone numbers.

Use our online form to request materials and information or receive a list of Feral Friends in your area. Here you will have an opportunity to provide us all the relevant information we need to help you quickly and accurately.

[azul]

16. Cats look up to people as a God-like beings with magical powers.

And it boggles my little mind that people could be anything other than kind and compassionate toward all living creatures, especially those bred to be our companions. Brain damaged in the mirror-neuron department those that neglect or abuse defenseless animals?

Thank you for acting the good example of being human.

Working towards affordable and simple alternatives to spay and neuter: http://www.acc-d.org/

[Lone_Star_Dem]

19. You need to meet my cats

They pretty much think they're the god-like beings who should be worshiped and I'm lucky I was born with thumbs with which to serve them.

[MattBaggins]

38. Difference between dogs and cats

Dogs: These people feed me, pet me, love me and take care of me. They must be gods.

Cats: These people feed me, pet me, love me and take care of me. I must be a god.

[virgdem]

17. That's a great thing you are doing...

I'm probably the designated "cat lady" in my neighborhood. I feed about 4-5 strays each night. I can't stand to see them go without food and I know that you feel the same way. It's a good feeling to be able to help them in some small, but important way.

[Contrary1]

21. Hello, from another designated neighborhood "cat lady".

I can't even count how many times someone has knocked on my door looking for their lost kitty. I'm fairly well-known for feeding the strays/ferals. Everybody figures their feline will eventually end up here at Contrary1's kitty hotel and diner.

I am feeding 11 now. That's an all time high for me. One of my ferals was so sick, that he let me pick him up. The vet said there was little hope for him. He had broken teeth. Not rotten...broken, as in a fight. He also had a scar across his cornea from a previous encounter. His immediate problem, though was that he had FELK and a temperature of 103. Sadly, I told her to go ahead and put him out of his misery.

Within a week, 3 more males showed up to take his place. None of them neutered. :grr:
One is in poor condition. I hope to be able to trap him and get him to the vet for a checkup.

It's a hard life out there for the ferals.

[virgdem]

24. Thanks for all you do for your strays/ferals...

It is a very hard life for them out there. I was able to help a little kitty that lived next door with her family, but was abandoned when they were evicted (they rented). I fed her for eight months until February, when my vet had a space for her (my vet helps several local kitties find homes). She had an infected tooth, but otherwise was in OK condition. So far, she's had all the work done (dental, shots, tests for diseases and spay surgery) so she's good to go. She's hanging out at the Vet's awaiting her forever home. I feel so good about helping her. This past winter was brutal, especially for this area (Virginia Beach/Norfolk, VA), so I was really anxious to get her a home or shelter anywhere I could.

As for the other strays that I feed, they are definitely feral, as they run away when I go out to feed them. I would love to get them checked out, but I probably would have a hard time catching them. I will take them to the Vet, however, if they are sick or injured. I wish that I could take all of them in, but I know my limit. I have one elderly cat left (Sammy, who is 18 and in great shape for her age) out of the six that I had since 1991. When she goes, I will get one or two max and that is it.

[DainBramaged]

59. I saw one this morning with a large gash in his side, too large from a fight

I think he may have bounced off a car. He would not let me get close enough to check him, and I am afraid of parasitic infection if he isn't helped soon.

There are way too few feeding stations on the property, poorly placed. I have found three, and they need at least four more if nothing else but to protect the kittehs from roaming for food and getting hit by cars. They should be nearby the dumpsters but they placed them out by the woods thinking the cats would gather there.

Wrong


They gather where there are humans. There is one area where about a dozen gather to sun themselves, and a roof on a group of garages where they do the same. A Few even were talking back to me this morning when I called them to eat.


Now it's rest time. I'm hot and it's not getting cooler.

[REP]

18. Wish I were nearby to help!

... On second thought, maybe not - already have four...

(We donate food, money and supplies locally but try to keep contact with available cats limited because we have no self-control.)

Good for you (andveven better forbthe cats)!!

[Cleita]

20. When I lived in Texas I used to feed the feral cats, much

to the locals dismay. I couldn't stand looking at the poor starved things. Many died of cat fever. There wasn't anything I could do about that, but at least they got a few meals before that.

Good on you. And it's good you are in a place that they recognize the need for neutering and vaccinating, something I couldn't convince anyone I talked to that it needed to be done.

[Subdivisions]

22. I'm friends with the strays around my complex too. When I take my

chihuahua out for a walk, the kittehs love to come and see what we're up to. I usually have treats in my pocket for them, though I hope that's not why they're so friendly to us.

[jgraz]

23. Thanks for taking care of them

Nothing is more rewarding than caring for animals who need our help.

[cliffordu]

25. You have a paypal account?

[jasmeel]

26. pics please!

[TwilightGardener]

27. Thanks for taking care of the kittehs.

[Dogtown]

28. Good on you, DB!

:hi:

[hamsterjill]

29. Bless your heart, you sweetie!!!

I am active in doing TNR, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your action in picking up when the other person moved. Many, many times, in these situations, NO ONE will step up and the cats that are used to having food, etc. on a regular basis are left to fend for themselves. Most do not know how.

If you're not a member of the yahoo discussion group on feral cats, you might consider joining. I've learned TONS of things about ferals, including many good pointers for dealing with minor illnesses, etc.

I wish you the best, and may good things deservedly come your way for your humanity in helping these creatures!!!

[Mopar151]

30. 30? That deserves an orchestra!

Brian Setzer Orchestra - Stray cat Strut

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvdnE3nP-1w

[Liberal_in_LA]

31. BLESS YOU!

[AnArmyVeteran]

32. You're BEAUTIFUL!

[DainBramaged]

33. So this weekend I get to find all of the feeding stations on the property

management isn't quite sure where they all are and is concerned from tenant complaints they need more around the dumpsters (doh). I will bring my camera!!!!


Later.....

Thank you for all of the kind compliments.

:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :loveya:

[madokie]

34. That last sentence says it all

What a fine creature you are. :-)

[ceile]

35. Good for you!

I feed the ferals on my street. At any given time there's about 10 of them. Good luck with your 30!

[shedevil69taz]

36. In my hometown

the local landfill would let people with an abnormal hatred of cats use the area as target practice at night. Sometimes I am so glad I got out of there.

[MattBaggins]

37. Am I a bad person for wondering why they weren't just "put down"?

[Lisa0825]

39. If you think they should have been, then yes, you are in my book.

They didn't ask to be born. If anyone should be punished, it is the irresponsible humans who let this happen. Why would you kill an innocent life when there is a humane alternative???

[gmoney]

41. No.

It amazes me that they went to the trouble and expense of rounding them up, fixing them, vaccinating them, and then they just turn them back out into the streets? I guess it's better than NOT fixing them, but still.

Maybe if they could be trained to just eat rats and pigeons, but leave songbirds alone, it would make some sense. But last I heard, cat-training is still a long ways off.

And how this is a human-created problem, I'm not sure. A few of these cats might have been abandoned, but I'm sure a lot of them were "born free" from multiple generations of strays.

[MattBaggins]

42. It's a human problem by providing them with food

either directly or indirectly by not keeping dumpsters and refuse containers secured.

I actually agree that it is better to manage cat populations through sterilization techniques most of the time. If you remove them without figuring out why they have a niche; more cats will simply fill that now empty niche. This does not sound like that sort of problem. This seems to be the result of direct feeding of stray cats.

[gmoney]

43. I agree

[Lisa0825]

49. The "born free" ones can be traced back to humans. These are DOMESTIC cats, not wild.

Every single one of them is the result of a cat that was either abandoned or allowed to roam by an irresponsible human. These cats are not the descendants of pumas or bobcats or servals. They are the descendants of domesticated pets that were not properly cared for BY HUMANS.

[gmoney]

53. sure...

humans are often to blame for throwing the balance of nature out of whack.

[DainBramaged]

54. I have replied to an answer like this previously in a thread about ferals

Here where we live we have adopted out about half of the original colony. They were ALL fixed, vaccinated and returned to the outdoors with shelters and feeding stations. Ya see, these were originally pets of the tenants, and this is one of the few places that allows pets in a huge area.And since humans are fallible, the company decided to help the problem rather than ignore it.

These creatures are still in need of love and human contact. Today, a large group of about 15 gathered on the porch of the original 'cat lady' waiting for her to come out because she was their friend.

Soon I hope they do the same for me.

[muffin1]

55. Thank you for doing this.

My ex and I (we still live together!) adopted a feral colony where I used to work. We've been feeding them everyday, rain, snow, shine, holidays, etc., for about five years now.

Some wonderful women trapped, neutered, and released them, and we sort of took over from there.

It can be a little inconvenient at times - can't remember the last time we left town - and a little expensive, but as you know, it is well worth it. They are always happy to see us pull up - head butts and rubbing against our legs - it's a good feeling.

A big :hug: for you!

[DainBramaged]

60. I got a Picture of Tom & Jerry tonight in front of one of the buildings

Not bad in near total darkness with an old HP digital camera. 'Jerry' is the blond and seems to be the alpha of the pair. But they love each other dearly and are inseparable. I'd love to brush out Jerry he is really scraggly.

[tammywammy]

44. TNR is the best option to dealing with feral colonies

http://www.aspca.org/adoption/feral-cats-faq.html

I suggest you read up on it more.

[MattBaggins]

45. I am fully aware of TNR

I was part of a town meeting advocating for it but it depends on the situation. You need to conduct an ecological study to find out why they are there and how big a population the area can support. This sounds like a case of fining people for feeding them and culling the numbers.

[Bluenorthwest]

47. There is no excuse at all for rounding up animals and killing them

No ecological study allows for such inhuman action. Sorry about that. Lazy despicable people don't get to kill off living things for sport or convenience and blame nature for that. Sorry.

[MzNov]

52. Managed colonies and TNR is proven to work

better than killing the animals.

In CA ferals live year-round. It's absolutely true that kill one and another one will take that cat's place. It's false that killing them is better than managing them.

[gmoney]

40. Feral cats kill TONS of songbirds

And songbirds are disappearing a lot faster than feral cats.

[Hansel]

56. I keep hearing this but have not seen it evidenced in practice.

We have feral cats around our house and I have yet to see one dead bird in any of their mouths or any evidence whatsoever of song bird attacks by cats. They have a huge selection of song birds to choose from but seem to leave them alone. We have planted our gardens to attract the birds and have many varieties and in large numbers.

What I have seen is cats walking by on a daily basis with mice clenched in their jaws. These cats are the only reason we are not overrun with them. They are far easier to catch than birds and appear to be their prey of choice.

So pardon me if I'm not impressed by the "we should kill all of the cats so they don't kill of the song birds" meme. Because I don't buy it. I have never seen any evidence of this around any tended feral cat colony or from any stray cat in my neighborhood.

I have been around around literally 10's of thousands of cats as an employee of the human society, as a founding member of a feral cat coalition and as part of a rescue operation. I have yet to see ANY evidence of the huge destruction of song bird populations that keep being brought up every time this topic is mentioned.

Cats in feral cat colonies are typically fed by humans. Some have a very strong attachment to them. We don't destroy them because there is a human emotional attachment to them and because they tend to prevent increases in stray cat populations. Feeding them cat food significantly decreases the chance they will hunt since they are domestic cats and used to being fed. A few will hunt for small rodents, most won't.

[Cleita]

57. They also keep the rodent and snake population down.

So it seems to be a two-edged sword.

[DainBramaged]

58. Do you have proof of this? Maybe the new pesticides are responsible

along with the BILLIONS of Starlings originally from South America competing for their food. To blame feral cats for the deaths of so so many songbirds without proof is ludicrous.

[Bluenorthwest]

46. Hey, that makes you aces in my book

Peace to you and kitties...

[babsbunny]

48. Good for you! I have a feral colony too.

Started feeding a stray, next thing I knew she is having litter after litter. I adopted 4 of them and through feral cat programs I was able to have 4 out of 5 outside cats fixed. We have 6 inside and 5 outside. Love me some cats!

[MzNov]

51. I have a magnet on my frige

"One Cat Just Leads to Another"

no kidding :rofl:

[MzNov]

50. Thank you for what you are doing.

I've had feral colonies for years, all TNR'd and managed. This is the only way to care for these poor animals who are out there because of human neglect. I have 5 abandoned kitties in my garage and 5 at work.

You are a special person. Keep up the good work.