The DU Lounge
Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsDIY Emergency Housing for Feral and Stray Cats during Winter. Quick and easy.
With temperatures dropping I started making a shelter for a couple of cats that I have been feeding for several weeks now. Their families moved away and left them to fend for themselves and I can't stand the thought of an animal suffering. If the cats died and I didn't do anything to try and save them I would never be able to live with myself.
The two cats are not very trusting and have only recently stopped running away when we come out to check their food and water supplies.
I first made a waterproof box for them to sleep in during warmer weather. Regular cardboard box that I covered in all weather plastic with clear flaps on the front to protect against any wind or rain. I placed a bed inside for sleeping.
I'm now using that one for their food and water dish. It sits on a patio table under shelter. We'll check it daily to make sure it doesn't freeze, etc..
Next to it sits their new winterized home.
Not very attractive but they seem to be OK with it.
It's a smaller cardboard box inside a larger cardboard box with Styrofoam insulation on all four sides - as well as the top and bottom - placed between the two boxes. I saved the Styrofoam squares from a large patio stool I had ordered earlier.
Perfect fit for each side, the top and bottom. I would have cut the foam to fit if I needed to but fortunately I didn't.
I taped up one end of the box and then cut an opening for the cats to enter. I had to cut through 2 boxes and the center foam piece. I then taped over the gaps created by cutting out the entrance.
I placed a bed mat inside on the floor of the house, along with another bed with sides that fits snug inside the box (on top of the flat mat), and I added a couple of fleece throws for them to wiggle under.
I then taped the other end up after placing the last foam square over the taped inner box. I taped some more and then covered with plastic and all the duct tape needed.
I took some ugly patio cushions I was going to toss and used them as added cushion and insulation. It all sits on a bench with a stool for them to climb up to make it easier for them to reach their house.
We are hoping to catch them and take them to the vet for shots and to be spayed and neutered. The gray tabby is male and the solid blue/gray is female. I'll try to get photos of them but they are still skittish and run to the nearby shrubs to watch us fill their food and water dish.
They were running completely away. So, progress.
Maybe we can find them a home after we get them medical attention. As of now I can't keep them.
This morning we spotted the cats inside the box and instead of darting away they ducked under the mouth of the opening - out of sight, safe in their blankets.
It's an eyesore, I know - but if it saves their lives then it's all good.
sinkingfeeling
(51,457 posts)Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)pamdb
(1,332 posts)Great for you to do this.
I had what i thought was a stray cat last year, turned out he was just an outside/inside cat and lived a couple of blocks away.
A neighbor of mine feeds strays in part of a small shed and she uses (and friends of mine who volunteer at Crash's Landing, said to use straw, not blankets. Just passing it on.
p
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)do.
Rorey
(8,445 posts)Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)It doesn't get cold for long periods here but I didn't want to chance it.
Thanks.
samnsara
(17,622 posts)..porch. They knew some cats were hanging around...stray or not....they needed shelter from the New England winters. Then they installed a security cam and they could monitor from their phone to see if, when and what utilized it. They got some great shots of the cat, then of another cat, then they got shots of a chipmunk in the cathouse running around.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)I am thinking of making one from a plastic bin. Just in case it does get colder than usual here.
You have very cool friends.
Rorey
(8,445 posts)We used to feed an old feral cat we named Cecil. We saw him around the neighborhood and he was looking pretty rough, so I started putting out food. When winter came we built him a house and I bought some of those radiant heat pet warming pads. I guess we took care of old Cecil for about two years.
There were times I saw a raccoon come up (security cameras) and Cecil would just sort of hang out while the raccoon ate his food. I mean, he'd let that raccoon, who could easily kill him, be just a couple of feet away, but he wouldn't come within six feet of us. It was kind of insulting. He never got any more tame than when we first met him. Then one day we stopped seeing him, so I guess he probably died. He looked very old.
During the time we were feeding Cecil, another cat showed up sporadically. We call him Mr. B. Just like Cecil, he has never let us near him.
This past summer another cat showed up. She had a collar, so I worked at coaxing her to come to me. I called the number on the collar, but the guy wouldn't return my calls. There was also an address on the collar, so I looked it up, found the owner of the house at that address, and looked him up on Facebook. There were pictures of the cat on his Facebook, along with her six kittens. He said he didn't want them and was going to take them to a shelter. I have a suspicion that the shelter wouldn't/couldn't take them, so he dumped them on this side of town. The cat ended up having three kittens on our back porch before I could get her in to get her spayed. As soon as I discovered the kittens, she moved them. They were hidden for two months, and then she started bringing them around for food. I got traps and trapped them, kept them in the house for a couple of weeks, and got them spayed/neutered. They were extremely unhappy and scared, so I let them go out the pet door one day. I continued to feed them inside, so they'd have to come in for food. So now they're about seven months old and our house is ridiculous. We've got a big cat tree in the dining room, and cat toys all over the place. I'm embarrassed to say how much money I've spent on these guys. The mother is of course as tame as can be. The kittens are very entertaining and two of them will sit on the foot rest of my recliner while I'm playing with them with their toys. My husband told me I should try petting them, but I told him that I thought the best tactic was to just be patient and wait until they "pet" me. I really don't think it'll be long for those two. The third kitten is a calico and has a way more skittish personality.
So we went from a no-pet house to having four cats. Ugh. I'm really more of a dog person. I just don't know about all of this.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)Cecil was very lucky, as was Mr B.
How so very kind and sweet and loving and caring of you. What a lucky mom and her kittens.
Sounds like how happy families are made - by accident and a lot of work.
I have three dogs now. I want another cat. Used to have two cats who lived to old age. I couldn't bring myself to get another one because my heart was broken when they died. I think I'm ready now but will need to move first. Need more room for more fur-babies.
Until then...I'll do what I can to help prevent a little suffering.
Rorey
(8,445 posts)We decided after our last dog died, 3 1/2 years ago, that we weren't going to get more pets. The broken heart thing is tough.
Every one of our pets through the years was something that just happened. We never went out looking for a pet. They found us.
The thing now is that my husband is very likely to be my ex-husband in a few months, barring some sort of emotional miracle. We're continuing to live here together, even though I filed for divorce a few weeks ago. As long as things are civil, I'm fine with that. I've been thinking that if he keeps living in this house, he's welcome to keep the cats. They're used to living here now, and he enjoys them. We'll just have to see what works out best. Whatever the case, we know that taking on pets is a lifetime commitment, and we won't be turning our backs on the cats. I just never could understand how people can get a pet and then give it up because they move or something. I'd have lived in a box under a bridge before giving up my dogs. I could never abandon an animal.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)All of our pets save one came from the unwanted ether too. We tend to rescue the unwanted or pets that could no longer be cared for by their original human.
We've had hamsters, budgies, guinea pigs, dogs, cats, and chinchillas. All but one a rescue of some sort.
I love all my critters but I still miss my cats. Our first pet, a calico cat, came to live with us shortly after we married. She was my baby. I still miss her fussing on me. She loved to fuss on me when I wasn't properly attentive. (to her thinking)
Rorey
(8,445 posts)That was the beginning of the end. Then he took up being a cheater and a liar as his latest hobbies.
Last night he asked if we could be friends after the divorce. I told him we weren't friends now, so why would we be friends then. I had told him a whole lot of years ago that I could never be with a Republican, and then he went and turned into one. He was a lifelong Democrat until the 2016 election. He's obviously lost his mind.
Anyway....
I'm so sorry about your calico cat. It sounds like she was very special.
One of the kittens is a very cool looking calico. Her body is calico, but her legs are kind of gray striped and her tail is just a mess of all of it. I'm sure I would have been able to find a home for her if she was tame. She was the hardest one to trap. I had almost given up on her.
My biggest issue with these cats is that they're fantastic hunters and they keep bringing their prey into the house. It's not fun to come home to feathers everywhere. A couple of days ago my husband saw the mama cat dart by with a bird in her mouth. She hid pretty good, but I found her and took the bird away. All four of the cats had big time attitude toward me most of the day. Hopefully they'll know better than to bring any more birds inside. Of course they forgave me by mid afternoon when they wanted a snack.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)My calico brought me a lizard once. A really big lizard. It was dead and she dropped it at my feet. I thanked her and waited until she walked away before I put it in the trash.
I like lizards but I was a bit startled that a lizard that large was in the house. It was a really big lizard - to say that again. She was a house kitty all the way.
Not sure how I missed seeing that lizard when it was alive though.
Best of luck!
When I captured the kittens, I kept them in my office while I got their spays and neuter arranged. It took a couple of weeks, and I let mama cat come and go, but of course I had to open the office door for her. She brought in a LOT of little lizards so her kittens could have them for "practice". She wasn't happy when I wouldn't let her take the lizards into my office.
She was a super mama to her kittens, but her mama days are over now. Now she's not too interested in them, although they do all snuggle at night.
So are you saying that your calico caught the lizard IN the house? Oh my! I'm amused by lizards, but that would freak me out.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)It was more than a foot long easily. I should have noticed something that large creeping about the house.
Puppy was an indoor cat all the way. Quite pleased with herself over her capture/kill and all too happy to drop it at my feet. I thanked her for the gift and then tossed it when she left the room.
I did spend the next day looking all over the house for more lizards. Got to admit though, the dead lizard was preferable to the mouse entrails she sometimes left. Always half a mouse and almost always in the toe of a shoe. Once on the pillow next to my head but I screamed so loud upon almost face diving into it that I think she felt bad for me.
We lived in old officer's housing from the 1940's at the time. They were scheduled to be torn down the summer after we were stationed there. Lots of places for the wildlife to enter - and it did.
gademocrat7
(10,657 posts)A very solid home for the cats.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)I got to work on my beautification skills. lol
FSogol
(45,485 posts)covered with a tarp. The tarp creates a vestibule where we put food and water. Raccoons crashed it a few times, but the cats learned to finish all the food before dark.
* The heated pad is plugged into a thermostatically control outlet that turns on the heated pad at 35 deg F and turns it off when outdoor temps go above 45 deg F
An auto shop near me built some enclosures like this one behind their shop for the ferals.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)The cats were sleeping under my bench when I first noticed them. It broke my heart that yet another person left their pet behind.
That happens a lot around here.
FSogol
(45,485 posts)years. We had 5 ferals at one time hanging out and we are down to two.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)How nice that people work together to reduce the problem and help animals!
sweetroxie
(776 posts)Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)secondwind
(16,903 posts)to the pictures!
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)Woman, btw.
Aw.
Scarsdale
(9,426 posts)I am sure the cats love this, it is home to them now. The tires with the openings are really a good idea, too. I look forward to photos, too. Keep up the good work. Lucky cats, they landed in the right neighborhood!!
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)I'd like to see them adopted to a good home.
Thanks.
DarleenMB
(408 posts)From one cat lover to another ... get some straw for the box. Not HAY, straw. Blankets get wet from the cats tracking snow in and then get just nasty. There are a number of really good websites that explain all this. Just google feral cat shelters. I have had as many as 5 strays/ferals that I tend to and winters here can be brutal. I have given up with trying to house them. They just won't use anything I put out. I even bought a really NICE wooden shelter that has two openings, and an enclosed inner "story" for them to snug up in. Nope. Not a one has even done anything except sit on the roof. tsk. But I feed and water them and just pray they all make through yet another winter.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)I'm in Louisiana and it seldom gets all that cold here and rarely snows, but we do get ice storms from time to time.
I've seen the cats sitting on their food box-house. Cats - just gotta be cats.
LakeArenal
(28,817 posts)Our neighbors just turn out cats like seasons. The stalk and kill my song birds.
The poop under the porch and in the garden. The howl and screech at night in the summer when your windows are open.
The attack all the ground birds Havent seen a cow bird, cat bird, or rufous-sided towee in years.
People who feed and harbor them drive me crazy. If I had the heart Id shoot them.
Solly, dont think I ever disagreed with you before. Sorry, that you probably think less of me. 🙁
Dr Hobbitstein
(6,568 posts)They also destroyed my
buddys pop-up tent and awning in his backyard.
I have no sympathy for them. They are a nuisance.
LakeArenal
(28,817 posts)No animal control. When I called the county they told me I had no recourse through government. At the end, she said, you didnt hear it from me, but I would shoot them. . Which is both illegal and wrong for us anyway.
So periodically, and more than folks realize, I pick up birdparts from my porch and yard.
Chased one off the deck every morning this week. Course its only Wednesday.
Dr Hobbitstein
(6,568 posts)We have animal control, and theres a statewide effort to catch, spay/nueter, and releae, but theres a bunch of people in my area that refuse to do such and instead leave out food for them, so you end up with 30+ ferals roaming your neighborhood, destroying everything. IMHO, they are an invasive species and have no right to be amongst the local wildlife.
alfredo
(60,071 posts)LakeArenal
(28,817 posts)You know, I dont know where to find a mayor. I live in a township, that is in a village. I guess the county seat has a mayor... Our county is so rural, we have only one stop light in the whole county.
The next county has a real city in it. 🤷🏻?♀️
The traps are pricey. We will try the smaller one we already have. Then, once trapped, dont know quite what to do with it.
Tried talking to the red necks that turn them out but they just give lip service Were trying to find homes. Blah blah.
Hes a nut too. So we are a little intimidated to confront angrily. ( We have way more to lose in a neighbor war than he)
I could illegally dump them by the dump. Better than illegally shooting them. I think.
alfredo
(60,071 posts)janx
(24,128 posts)As long as people put out food for these poor animals, not only the neutered ones are going to eat it. Intact animals will help themselves and reproduce. As long as they continue to do so, more of these poor animals are born. You simply can't catch all of them.
LakeArenal
(28,817 posts)Wed have some place to take them.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)I'll get them to the vet as soon as I can and up for adoption.
Feral and abandoned cats can and do destroy other wildlife. Maybe I can help both by finding homes for the two cats hanging about now.
LakeArenal
(28,817 posts)Responsible cat owners would be a helpful but futile hope.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)You bring an animal into your home then you take care of it. You owe it the best you can give it.
I know a lot of people can't afford everything their pet needs and I have paid for pet care for others and would do so again - for the sake of the animal and its owner. The bond between people and their pet can be strong. It's a companionship that can't be replaced. So I'll help people who need a little help along the way.
LakeArenal
(28,817 posts)Rorey
(8,445 posts)There are programs here that will lend people traps, and then more programs for spaying and neutering.
In my last neighborhood, decades ago, we had a neighbor who wouldn't get her cat spayed and she had several litters of kittens. I finally just took the poor cat and got her spayed.
We really don't have a big feral cat problem in my neighborhood. I know there are some people in the area who are colony managers. I think I'm relieved they're not on my block. I'll be mortified if our newly acquired family of cats become a problem for the neighborhood. They stay mostly in our yard when they're not in the house. I got them spayed and neutered before they matured sexually, and that supposedly keeps them from doing those annoying things like spraying and fighting. They've been great in the house, as far as cat behavior goes. Fingers crossed. If they become a problem they won't be "free range" cats anymore. I think I'm going to start locking them inside at night now anyway. I don't think they go out during the night, and it won't hurt them a bit.
pazzyanne
(6,555 posts)I moved to my present house 6 years ago. I have a lot of feral cat traffic through my yard (I live on the very edge of town). I've been feeding feral cats and leaving my garage door open enough so they can take shelter there since I moved here, especially during the winter here in Minnesota. I also use the double cardboard box house with sleeping pad in the garage. I had a feral Mom I have been feeding for 3 years who brought her 3 kittens in to my steps to be fed when they were about 5 weeks old. Later this summer, she and her kittens disappeared. A week later, one of the kittens returned but the rest did not. It was turning cold and he was still pretty little, too little to survive the winter, so I started the process of turning him to an inside kitty. I have two six year old indoor cats who aren't real happy, but they are adjusting. After all, they came to me as week old kittens themselves. Glad to say the kitten has acclimated and now rules the house. I am still feeding the outdoor ferals now that winter is back. It's my way of giving humanity back to the animal universe.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)and leave their pets behind.
I've had to find homes for several dogs left abandoned over the years. Now I'll do the same for these two cats.
Like you, I can't not help.
Catherine Vincent
(34,490 posts)I like good people.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)Not helping would have gnawed away at me. So, really, I am being selfish.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)Helping feral cats survive THIS winter almost certainly means two or three litters of even MORE feral cats the following year. Each litter could have as many as eight kittens, and the first litter of the year could possibly breed a new generation of feral cats before the year's end. Sadly, they'll all suffer, starve or freeze to death NEXT winter.
Don't misunderstand, I absolutely do NOT advocate cruelty to animals... but it seems like this "act of kindness" only perpetuates and multiplies the problem.
radical noodle
(8,000 posts)perhaps they can be neutered. That is an important piece of this and there are often places where they neuter ferals at a reasonable price.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)I find them very easy to catch with a "Have-a-Heart" box trap that I picked up at the farm supply store. (Also available on Amazon.)
(But... my perspective may be influenced by NOT being in a state that has more temperate winter weather.)
alfredo
(60,071 posts)Leave it out during the day.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)alfredo
(60,071 posts)Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)alfredo
(60,071 posts)Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)2 cats, 3 opinions.
alfredo
(60,071 posts)alfredo
(60,071 posts)Feral cats have a short life span in most. https://www.peta.org/living/animal-companions/feral-cats/
"Andrew Rowan, former director of Tufts Universitys Center for Animals and Public Policy, estimates that between 60 and 100 million homeless cats live in the United States. Many of these cats are feral or wild cats, the descendants of unaltered tame cats who were abandoned and gave birth to kittens who never had contact with humans. Although ferals are fearful of humans, they are still domesticated and ill-equipped to survive on their own. Feral cats do not die of old age. They are poisoned, shot, tortured by cruel people, attacked by other animals, or hit by cars, or they die of exposure, starvation, or highly contagious fatal diseases, such as rabies, feline AIDS, feline leukemia, and feline infectious peritonitis. In one feral cat colony, half of the 32 cats were shot by a man who claimed that they were attacking his children. Cats in another colony were shot with darts. A loose dog killed several cats in another colony."
Jakes Progress
(11,122 posts)I don't know what kitty scared you when you were young, but it shows still.
You do "NOT" advocate cruelty to animals, just kill them.
And your logic does not hold up. If they all die in the winter, then there wouldn't be another litter.
Stray animals are a people created problem. Sort of like homelessness. I don't advocate shooting any creature in either of those categories.
People created the problem, and can stop it if they do what is necessary. It takes a will to do so.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)Jakes Progress
(11,122 posts)You still didn't explain your animus toward cats versus other creatures. If it is because they kill to live, you need to study how nature works.
So only "saved" cats live through the winter? that is where you "logic" does not hold up.
So you favor eliminating any creature who causes problems and suffers? Examine that a bit please.
Do you also favor shooting any stray dog that enters my neighborhood? Maybe we should just drown any puppy that doesn't have a home. How about the swarms of birds that nest over parks and houses and create unhealthy living conditions? Shoot them too? How about wolves? Oooooh, and bears are scary too.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)Better than having aggressive, unsanitary and disease-carrying feral animals.
Trapping is much better than shooting.
Jakes Progress
(11,122 posts)that causes some people to lose it. I have followed your posting for a few years. Check back and you will see we usually agree. But here you seem to lose all sense of reality. Study history and how civilizations work and have been living with animals for centuries.
I trap about ten cats a year. I have them neutered, and in most cases find home for them. Those that are released so not create more cats. They keep rats and vermin from the neighborhood.
As a matter of fact, let me suggest this. If you can't stand cats, see if one of your neighbors (an animal lover) will agree to co-keep a couple of neutered ferals. Provide shelter and feed them without leaving food out. Once they have established your yard and theirs as "home", they will do you a favor and keep other cats from invading their territory. Along with rats. After about a year, they will rarely leave the yard. If well-fed, they will also leave bird-feeders that are off the ground alone. Win - win.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)They're unsanitary, their shit and piss spray stinks, they carry disease, they spread fleas and ticks and mites and fungus, they suffer from anemia, they suffer from (and spread) intestinal worms, etc. Toxoplasmosis is spread by contact with cat shit and can be hazardous to humans with weakened or compromised immune systems (like the very young, the elderly, and it's also a risk to pregnant women and their newborn babies.)
The sick feral cats are aggressive, they are not part of the ecosystem, they kill wildlife that have no natural defense from the predation of feral cats. They die of exposure, starvation, and highly contagious fatal diseases, such as rabies, feline AIDS, feline leukemia, and feline infectious peritonitis.
The cats that I trap are not cute, fluffy, cuddly kittens with bows around their necks posing pretty in a cozy pink handbasket. Let me be the first to disabuse you of that notion. You will NOT be hugging these wild and aggressive and territorial cats.
Obviously. Let the county's Animal Control deal with them quickly and painlessly. I've inquired about their procedures... they try to find homes for kittens, and the wild/aggressive cats are put down after three days if they have no chip, and no collar, and if nobody claims them. (Pity, but good.) They extend the time if the cat appears to be well-fed and healthy, or has a collar (even if it's just a flea collar absent rabies tags) they can safely assume it's a pet that has wandered away from home.
The owls and red tail hawks had always taken care of the vermin before the cats arrived... and when the feral cat problem disappeared, there was no resurgence in the vermin population. But the owls have made a comeback. We have neighborhood bats that I thought had disappeared forever too. (We also have raccoons and foxes that I'm sure make an occasional meal of the easy to catch vermin.)
I enjoy my bird feeders. They're "off the ground" but the seed scatters onto the ground as well. The mourning doves (who are too big for the feeder) make short work of any seed that hits the ground.
Frankly I'm glad to be rid of them! If they start to return, I'll do the same thing again.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)FSogol
(45,485 posts)pazzyanne
(6,555 posts)We have a program here that is run by a veterinarian college that offers a free to low cost spay/ neuter program. Since I live on the edge of town, I have had my indoor cats catch up to 50+ mice in one winter. With the ferals, that does not happen any more. Try living with breeding mice sometime. I choose not to do so.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)I understand the concept of catch-neuter-and-release and I'm sympathetic to how someone can allow their emotions of "cute kitties" to affect their judgement. But, I assure you... there's nothing cute about the sickening smells these nuisance animals create. Nor is there anything cute about the fleas and ticks they spread. I don't want them living out the rest of their unsanitary, aggressive, disease-ridden, parasite infested, unhealthy (albeit neutered) lives anywhere near my home.
pazzyanne
(6,555 posts)zanana1
(6,113 posts)Obviously, you don't value the lives of those homeless animals. Sadly, no one can make you care.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)Last edited Thu Nov 15, 2018, 01:12 PM - Edit history (1)
But, to review: They're unsanitary, their shit and piss spray stinks, they carry disease, they spread fleas and ticks and mites and fungus, they suffer from anemia, they suffer from (and spread) intestinal worms, etc. Toxoplasmosis is spread by contact with cat shit and can be hazardous to humans with weakened or compromised immune systems (like the very young, the elderly, and it's also a risk to pregnant women and their babies. The sick feral cats are aggressive, they are not part of the ecosystem, they kill wildlife that have no natural defense from the predation of feral cats. They die of exposure, starvation, and highly contagious fatal diseases, such as rabies, feline AIDS, feline leukemia, and feline infectious peritonitis.
These are not cute, fluffy, cuddly kittens with bows around their necks posing pretty in a cozy pink handbasket. Let me be the first to disabuse you of that notion. You will NOT be hugging these wild and aggressive and territorial cats.
I do care. I'm ending the cycle with every cat that I capture and turn over to Animal Control.
I'm doing my part. No guilt at all, thank you very much.
zanana1
(6,113 posts)NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)byronius
(7,394 posts)Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)Just hoping to find them good homes.
radical noodle
(8,000 posts)We used to live in the country and people would dump their unwanted animals near us. We used a trash can turned on its side and filled with old towels or blankets. It worked really well too.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)and I knew they wouldn't let me pick them up yet.
Hopefully soon I can get them to the vet and adopted out to nice people.
janx
(24,128 posts)They are lucky to have a person like you around. They are abandoned domestic animals who need a home.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)Humans must have been mean to them though - both very wary. Breaks my heart.
radical noodle
(8,000 posts)Thanks so much for being good to them. I love animals and especially cats.
Crash2Parties
(6,017 posts)To say nothing of all the other small creatures they kill, sometimes just for play.
While I understand that a good person may not be able to look the other way, winter is actually part of what provides a small check on their numbers, preventing them from being even more of a problem. They destroy the environment and we humans are ultimately responsible. We should be part of the solution, not choosing to make the problem worse for all the other animals that actually belong in the local environment.
A truly caring person would either trap & spay them or trap & turn them into the local animal control (many will provide traps). They are truly devastating to to the ecology of songbirds, ground birds, lizards, insects and countless rodents and other small mammals.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)The "forest dwelling" cats also bring ticks and fleas into our property... since they're much more aggressive (or they fear the sight of humans) less than deer or other creatures that live in our woods.
Their use of flower/shrub beds as a toilet is unbearable. Shit and piss everywhere. Marking territories and exploring our garbage totes. Worse than raccoons.
Jakes Progress
(11,122 posts)I guess we should begin shooting all of them. I watched a crow eat the eyes from a nest of baby robins last year. Gotta kill them too.
Song birds eat from my garden. Then the poop on my cars. Guess they have to die too. Problem must be all these "good" people feeding them. Maybe we should ban bird feeders.
Which animals "belong" in a local environment. Who gets to be the arbiter of which animals are allowed to be themselves and which ones don't? None of these animals are naturally part of the urban environment.
Just admit you don't like cats and be done with it. Justifying your desire for their death is not becoming.
People are indeed the problem. As the OP said, someone had cats - then dumped them. The cats didn't asked to be had or dumped. There are practical things that address the problem, but they take money and laws. Avoiding the effort by just shooting animals you don't like is not a good thing. Trying to say you kill them because you "care" is like trump saying he is jailing children and taking them from their parents because he cares for them. It's easier than dealing with the real problem.
Me? I favor jailing anyone who dumps or mistreats an animal.
LakeArenal
(28,817 posts)Feral cats are not part of the natural food chain. As said above they are an invasive species introduced my man. If they were wolves eating farm animals there would be a bounty on them. Because they only ravage small animals I guess they arent financially a problem.
There are many communities that do ban bird feeding.
Jakes Progress
(11,122 posts)Your claim that they are not part of the food chain is indefensible. Dogs are an invasive species by your definition. Squirrels and mice and birds and opossums are killed by the thousands in back yards. Aquarium fish? Canaries and Parakeets?
You simply do not understand how nature works. If you stop feeding the birds, the cats will leave. But you like birdies and hate kitties. Do you hate the hawks that capture and kill kittens. Happens a lot. By the way. If the cats leave your deck, you will see hawks after your pretty songsters. It's what they live on. Each hawk. Every day. All day.
You have not problem interfering with nature when you feed birds or keep a dog. Calling cats invasive or mean is just silly.
LakeArenal
(28,817 posts)As a matter of fact I can show you pictures of hawks on my porch looking for birds. And as , I do understand nature, we actually hope they catch one. Because yes they are part of the food chain. And yes feeding my birds does attract them And as horrible as it sounds, I would cheer for an eagle grabbing a kitty.
And FYI I havent had a dog that killed a small cat or bird ever.
And calling my opinion silly is pretty dismissive.
Also, my dog stays in my yard.
And much to my disappointment now has been taught not to chase cats which in hindsight I wish he did.
My birds are a natural species. Its my yard and If want or was able to shoot feral cats in my yard I should be able to. I realize that that is just not done so I dont.
But dont try to minnimize the carnage feral cats leave in my yard alone. I wont even discuss my other neighbor trying to raise chickens with an invasive group of feral cats.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)You make many rational arguments and clear explanations without being emotional. I think that's where this particular thread went off the rails.
I'm reminded in a way of a youtube video I saw recently... it was the one about the woman who was thinking of cats and wanted to hug every cat.
It's a sad situation and trapping/euthanasia is a very effective solution.
Jakes Progress
(11,122 posts)not think it means what you think it means.
You tube is not a very reliable source of education.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)122. You use the word rational. I do
not think it means what you think it means.
You tube is not a very reliable source of education.
Jakes Progress
(11,122 posts)So you cheer carnage by all animals except cats. Congratulations if your dog has never escaped your yard. Our neighborhood online board is half filled with reporting stray and escaped dogs. My neighbor's cat was killed by a dog that got out three blocks away. (From your post I think you will cheer that the elderly cat, sunning in his own yard was shredded by the dog. And you're right. It sounds horrible. But you said it.)
Calling my opinions BS is damned dismissive, but consistency isn't the strong suit of cat haters. Dogs and birds and people can kill. But cats are horrible when they kill. So that is why I dismiss your claim to understand nature.
I mean, check out your line about birds being a natural species, as if cats are artificial animals. Geez. And by your reckoning, I should be able to shoot dogs that cross my yard. I wouldn't though. I love dogs. And chickens. I keep mine in a pen. Just like farmers have done for centuries. They were protecting them from foxes and wolves. . . you know - dogs. If your neighbor chooses to let chickens run wild without a pen, your beloved hawks will take them in a few days time.
Why don't you just say you don't like cats and be done with it.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)LakeArenal
(28,817 posts)oh go pet your cat. The author of the thread got what I was saying. Thats good enough for me. Go fight with someone else cuz I wasnt talking to you to begin with.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)My plan is to get them to the vet to be fixed and then adopted out.
I'm not doing this as a long term plan.
I don't find senseless death to be a good check however. It's not for me anyway.
Lot of people hate house sparrows. I don't.
Coventina
(27,120 posts)So we should eliminate windows and glass buildings before worrying about cats.
http://www.sibleyguides.com/conservation/causes-of-bird-mortality/
Jakes Progress
(11,122 posts)gotta hate. I don't understand why an irrational fear or hatred of one animal has people willing to ignore facts and start spouting any crap that come to them. They turn their prejudices to fact, sort of like republicans.
Coventina
(27,120 posts)Response to Crash2Parties (Reply #29)
Coventina This message was self-deleted by its author.
catbyte
(34,386 posts)Many years ago, my husband built a two-chambered "cat condo" on our porch. It was a rectangle about 5' long, made of wood, lined with Styrofoam sheets, filled with straw with that sherpa blanket stuff over it. It opened from the top so we could launder the material and change the straw.
Anyway, my husband owned a small convenience store at the time, so we always had boxes of candy in storage. One Halloween, we ran out of minatures so Chuck started handing out full sized Snickers bars. Well, that, of course, brought every kid within a mile radius to our house. He found out from the kids that our house was "the spooky house" because we had a big, scary pine tree in front and "a coffin" on the porch. He explained what "the coffin" was, and the kids "oohed and ahhed" over it. From that point on, all the kids in the neighborhood were our friends and we were no longer "those scary people with the coffin on their porch."
On edit: We always spayed & neutered the ferals in our neighborhood. We had a deal worked out with our vet. She'd do it for a greatly reduced price.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)I will get them fixed as soon as I can. That is part of the plan.
Full sized candy givers were my favorite people as a child.
catbyte
(34,386 posts)A fun postscript to the "coffin" story is that we managed to tame the ferals who made it their home. One came to live with us, the other with my parents. Since cats no longer had use for it, it became a convenient home to neighborhood possums. We also had a porch swing and one morning as I was going to work, I noticed a light gray "cat" sleeping on the swing. I said, "Hi, kitty!" This needle-nosed face emerged from the furry lump and hissed at me. It wasn't a cat.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)What great surprises you got with your "coffin".
I hiss when people wake up me up too.
Jakes Progress
(11,122 posts)Ignore the cat haters.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)I had to help them. I don't feel bad about that at all.
Thanks!
dewsgirl
(14,961 posts)Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)Since I want them take them to the vet for shots and surgery.
IcyPeas
(21,871 posts)Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)People have strong feelings.
Coventina
(27,120 posts)lunasun
(21,646 posts)red dog 1
(27,802 posts)but I think you need to contact your local SPCA and see if they have "feral cat traps"
that you could borrow.
They don't harm the cats, and they can be easily transported to either the SPCA or to a vet for spaying and neutering.
Spaying and neutering feral cats is the only way to reduce the feral cat population, which, in turn, reduces the number of feral cats that have to be euthanized by Animal Control.
Too damn many unwanted stray dogs and cats are killed in animal shelters because no one wants them.
(K&R, thanks for caring so much about those two feral cats)
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)I plan to get them checked out by a vet and everything taken care of for them.
Hope to be able to adopt them out.
I live on a military post and cruel people will move to another duty station and leave their pets behind. Happens more than one would think. Mostly it's dogs getting left behind. I've had to re-home a few over the years that people abandoned. Even into my home when all else failed.
Not much in the way of resources here. Small, rural community with the military post being the biggest "city" in the area.
The post shut down their animal control section - they used to take animals in, get them all fixed, and adopt them out again. But that closed a few years ago. Lack of funds I was told.
red dog 1
(27,802 posts)Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)Resources to be had miles & miles away but none nearby.
red dog 1
(27,802 posts)Maybe they can direct you to where you can borrow humane traps, so you can take the cats to the vet.
Another option is to somehow tape up the box you already have, with the cats still inside, and take that to the vet.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)My plan was to block them in once I could. Was waiting for a 3 day off period in my house. So there will be two of us for the job.
red dog 1
(27,802 posts)BlueInRedHell
(100 posts)rare today.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)I had to help. To do something.
Now I need to work on getting them to the vet, cared for, and adopted into a forever home.
blm
(113,061 posts)😘
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)Thanks, blm.
Bayard
(22,071 posts)Gotta love an animal lover.
We have a farm, and currently, 25 cats. Two are inside/outside, the others are "barn cats". In actuality, only two live at the barn full time, the rest like to hang out around the porch. They have a warm kitty house. All started out as strays, with a couple litters born from moms that showed up pregnant. They are all spayed/neutered, and I just gave everybody their annual vaccinations again.
They have all become love bugs, and all have names. They're very affectionate, and each gets their share of petting and attention. I brought several back with me from Calif. I don't abandon animals, and I can't stand to see one mistreated.
They do catch a few birds I'm sorry to say, but they also catch plenty of pesky vermin. I have huge gardens/landscaping, and they do not tear up anything--chickens are far worse.
They add so much to our lives, along with the rest of the menagerie here.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)I am calling the cats Jasper and MT (mean tabby). The first I saw the tabby he did the back arch and caterwauled until I went back inside. I know he was scared but I felt so guilty about causing him fear that I told him he was being mean to me.
Their eventual new mommy can call them whatever they want but they'll always be Jasper and MT to me.
TuxedoKat
(3,818 posts)for two outdoor kitties. I took a plastic storage container with a lid and turned it upside down and cut a cat-sized hole on one side. I bought an outdoor petting heating element for the inside. Also added some insulating materials to the bottom, sides and top and put an old down jacket over it along with something softer inside. I stuck my hand in one time on a really cold day as I was curious how warm it was in there. It was quite warm - felt like about 65. Cats loved it. If you can borrow a trap from animal control that may be the safest way to handle the kitties. Or, they cost about $30.00 at Home Depot.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)We have a few days blocked out soon just to catch them for the vets. Hopefully we can do so.
TuxedoKat
(3,818 posts)Do you have low cost spay/neuter in your area? Hopefully your endeavours won't cost an arm and a leg. I've had feral strays neutered before myself.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)low-cost but limited in scope. The post vet is cheap but limits what it does; with spaying and neutering on the list. So I can get both "fixed" for the normal price of one.
I use the other for major treatments, which our dogs have needed before. They also clean teeth, have a groomer connected, and have handled our cremation needs for one of our older fur-babies that died.
raging moderate
(4,305 posts)On the very coldest nights, I have activated those Hot Hands pads from the Sporting Goods section, by massaging them until they are giving off warmth. Then I stuffed them deep inside one of those very thick padded winter gloves and hid them under a soft blanket in the cat shelter. When I checked an hour later, the glove seemed to be radiating warmth to the entire box. I found that the 16-hour ones would still be giving off a little warmth the next afternoon.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)We have a few days coming up so two of us will be here at the same time, making it easier to catch the two cats. I don't want to capture them and not be around to get them inside as soon as possible and crated up for the vets.