Conference misery::feline

Jana,

Tough situation...I've been there and I'm still paying for it!!

After moving in my neighborhood about 5 years ago I also noticed
many stray cats around and also started feeding them.  Well after
rescuing 18 cats, spending YEARS to gain their trust, and
also spending an incredible amount of money on medical bills...
believe it or not...my neighborhood still has a stray problem!
I hate to even admit this...but I originally thought I could
save the world but I have slowly come to the conclusion that I can't
even save all the strays in my own neighborhood!

The sad part is rescuing is the easy part...but what to do with
the cats once you capture them is a real issue.  There is no
shelters/groups that will just take the cats for you; unless you
are strong enough to bring them to a kill shelter where you know
they will be put to sleep.  Most no-kill shelters are already way
over the number of maximum cats allowed because it is kitten season.
Questions such as:  Are you willing to pay medical bills?  (very 
expensive) Are you willing to foster them until you can find them 
all homes? (it's very difficult to place adult cats...kittens should 
find a home quicker)   And how much time are you willing to put into 
this??  (set traps etc) And even if a shelter does take them..they
might ask for a donation to help with the medical bills.

BUT...your right if you do not take care of the problem...next
year at this time you could possibly be dealing with over 100 cats.
Some suggestions are to possibly discuss this issue with other
people in the complex to see if they are willing to help...even
if it is to donate some money for medical bills or possibly fostering
the cats until homes are found.   You could attempt to call some 
shelters to request help...but I know most of them are full.  
Another suggestion for the cats who are very WILD would be to 
Trap/Neuter/Test/Vaccinate and Release back to the wild.  

If you do take this project on...I would suggest to capture the
kittens and females first so you can try to minimize the number
of kittens being born.  It's tough......and it's so darn sad!!!

Keep us posted...If I was to start over 5 years ago...and knew
as much as I know now...I don't believe I would have started feeding
all the strays.  I have dealt with so many sick kitties (feluk positive),
cats that needed major medical attention, and have seen so many of
my strays just disappear...my heart is always broken because I can't
save them all!!  BUT...on the other hand I have to be proud for the
ones I have rescued, saved, cured and loved!!   There is nothing
nicer to see one of my former strays laying on my sofa washing themselves
in the warm sun!!
    
    You could attempt to call the Pat Brody shelter but I do know
    the shelter is way over max...and Priscilla is already working on
    two major projects in the Fitchburg/Leominster area where many
    strays are living and she also has a waiting list of needy cats
    that is a mile long!!
    
    Sandy

Sandy

    Sandy,
    
    That's what my husband tells me every day. He loves cats
    but he always tells me "Don't feed stray cats. It's never ended". 
    I never learned. Three years ago, when we lived in Winchendon
    daily average amount of stray cats that I fed was 8-10.
    Many of them I rescued. Some of them I replaced through selters,
    for some I found a new home myself. A big help to me was
    also Norman from Fitchburg animal hospital. He gave them
    a medical attention and them he always found a home for them.
    He never asked me for money. So I just paid what I could and
    brought food for them. But still I spent a big bucks to feed
    and save them. Even my cats have been once strays.
    
    At our new place I felt a relief. No strays around until now.
    If there wouldn't be any kittens I would probably try to stop
    feeding them and wait if they'd move somewhere else.
    But I couldn't hear babies cry. 
    
    Anyway, do you have any idea how I could catch a mother and
    kittens first? And what trap I should use?
    
    Jana

    Jana,
    
    If you can catch the females and have them spayed, and the tomcat
    neutered, why not do that and put them back outside where they can't
    continue to procreate.  I'll bet Norm from the Fitchburg Animal
    Hospital would be willing to defray a lot of the cost for you, judging
    from what I've heard about him from Sandy.  This way, you can continue
    to feed the cats in the environment they're happiest in, and they won't
    increase their numbers.  And, without the hormones affecting their
    temperaments, perhaps you can even befriend a few and place them in
    loving homes.
    
    I think what you are doing is terrific!  Yes, it is a never-ending
    situation as your husband says, but it is also very comforting to know
    you are helping out in a situation that is otherwise very sad and
    heartbreaking.
    
    Good for you!!
    
    -Roberta

    Jana...if you do set a trap my guess is; if hungry enough the kittens
    will be the first one to attempt to go in and eat because they have
    never seen a trap and therefore are not trap smart!!  Adults seem
    to be very leary of traps.   Last November we rescued 4 wild kittens
    from downtown Worcester and I truly didn't think they would go
    in the trap.  BUT...what we did is stop feeding them for 2 days,
    set the trap and within 1/2 hour all four were caught one at a time!!
    
    You could possibly rent a trap from a rental place, but I do know
    I have a HUGE trap down cellar...but I'm not sure it is in working
    order because I have never used that one. (it's so big!!)
    
    Fitchburg Animal Clinic has added a new vet...and I know the prices
    are much higher and they don't give as good of breaks as they use to!
    You might want to call Norm ahead of time and discuss this with him
    before you start to trap. 
    
    Good luck...you sound like you have experience in rescue attempts
    so you know what to expect!!!    
    
    Sandy

    Uh, any ideas how to catch one's OWN cat who has got out?
    
    Yeah, I know it sounds silly, BUT:
    
    I have four cats.  One of them is very, very, VERY shy.  She was born
    feral, captured and placed with me --even after four years, she is
    extremely skittish (while her co-captive adjusted very well and is a
    typical, happy, friendly housecat).  She runs from even *me* often,
    gets scared easily, and although she has slooooowly adjusted enough to
    let me pet her frequently, she acts like a semi-tame feral cat.
    
    Well, the other night, she got out of the house. It's been about four
    days now.  I did see her last night, and *almost* (damn, damn, damn,
    I'm still angry at myself) caught her, but she slipped away.  She will
    not come if I call (never has).  I'm sure she's lurking around the
    neighborhood, probably close to the house (since she was there last
    night), BUT there are so many crawl spaces she can get it it's
    impossible to check them all.  
    
    (she is spayed and up to date with her shots, thankfully)
    
    I'd sure like to get her back in the house. I'm worried she'll suffer
    some kind of injury, get sick (there are several strays in the
    neighborhood), or something.   I've called for her,
    rattled the food can (think she's probably hungry), gone looking after
    dark with a flashlight, let my other cats out to roam the yard (they
    WILL come back and just hang around, eating gras) to entice her that
    it's "safe" to come around.  
    
    It's very frustrating to have to catch your own cat, that you've had
    for 4 years, like she's a wild stray, but that's what it's like.  
    
    Patience is required, I'm sure.  Anyone have some tips for me?  Ever
    run into the same situation?
    
    kim

    Oh, also, does anybody out there have one of those spay/neuter
    certificates for a vet in the Lowell, MA, area?  There's a fairly
    friendly tom cat who's been hanging around (one of the aforementioned
    strays) that I'd like to get into a vet.   I'm willing to dish out some
    dough, but am hardly wallowing in excess money.  
    
    I figure the least I can do is try to get the tom neutered and some
    shots. If there's such a thing as a "shot" certificate, let me know how
    to get one.
    
    
    thanks,
    
    kim

    Kim...you might have to resort to a trap, but she will only
    go in it if she is REAL hungry because she is probably trap
    smart.   Poor thing is probably scared...but so nervous that
    she doesn't know what to do!!
    
    Friends of Animals can provide Spay/Neuter certificates and they
    will also provide a list of vets in your area.  I don't know
    there number...but I know it's in this file.   
    
    Keep us posted on kitty!! 
    
    Sandy

    see note 9.13 
    
    BTW, the address and phone # repository is in note 9. it is keyworded
    ADDRESS and PHONENUMBER.
    
    Deb

	Taylor rental rents a large (don't know the exact dimensions) Havahart
trap for $12/day or $25 per week.  Even a cat that has been trapped previously 
can be trapped again, if hungry enough...I know this, because I've trapped
Gypsy twice.  Put some really stinky food in it, I used tuna fish along with
a sprinkling of oriental fish sauce.  Worked like a charm!

Good luck!

Laura

    Okay, next request:  does anybody who lives/works in the Nashua/Lowell
    area have a trap I could borrow? I don't have the money (really) to
    rent one -- I just want to borrow one for a few days.  I have Christie
    (the cat) pinned down.  She's under a shed in the next lot.  I was
    afraid she'd run all over the neighborhood (there are LOTS of places
    for her to disappear), so I blocked off all entrances save for one.  In
    front of that one, I've put one of my cat carriers with a bowl for food
    and water, which I've been putting out and which has been disappearing.
    
    So somebody's eating it -- I suspect it's her :)
    
    My plan is to substitute a trap for the cat carrier.   The shed is
    right across the way from my house, so it's easy to see if anybody has
    gone into the trap.  I'm worried if I let her out, she'll vanish, and
    pick a whole new spot to hide in, like somebody's house that I can't go
    visit all the time to give food and water.  Nobody is currently living
    in the house next door, so I don't feel *too* bad going into their
    yard.
    
    The other option is to block out the inside of the shed and rip up
    their plywood floor (the place is really trashed -- it's not like
    anybody would notice, but still...I'd like not to get arrested for
    trespassing and vandalism.  :)
    
    I thought if I could get a trap, I could try that for a few days.  I'm
    really worried if Christie gets OUT of the shed, she'll not come back
    to it for fear of being caught and I'll never catch her again.  It's
    been almost a week she's been out and other than what she's eaten over 
    the weekend, I have no idea if she's eaten at all.
    
    How far into the trap do the animals have to venture before it closes?  
    Christie is one of those cats who will kind of sneak up to the
    bowl...if the door shuts before she's really IN the cage, then that's
    no good.  
    
    And of course, if anybody is willing to help me out, send me
    mail or call me at DTN 381-0517.  I work in ZK3, live in Lowell.  I'll
    be sure to return your trap to you if you let me borrow it.
    
    
    Thanks,
    
    kim

    Good luck with Christie....atleast you have her in a good spot to
    attempt the rescue.  A few suggestions when using a trap:
    
      o You should not set the trap unless you are around to monitor
        the capture.  I have seen a few cats go CRAZY once trapped
        and get hurt trying to get out.  
    
      o If possible, make arrangements with your vet ahead of time
        so once you capture the cat you can take him directly to
        the vet in the trap.  It's difficult transferring a scared
        cat from the trap to a carrier.
    
      o Most cats have to be REAL hungry before entering the trap; which
        means you might have to stop feeding it a few days  before
        you attempt to trap.
    
      o The smellier the food...the better.  Rare Roast Beef, Tuna, or
        9-lives super supper are good!!  You can even attempt to sprinkle
        catnip from the kitty...right into the trap.
    
      o If the cat won't go in...try placing a blanket over the outside
        of the cage.   Also try placing a small towel over the "trigger"
        that shuts the door. (some cats are smart enough to delicately
        walk right over the trigger...eat the food...and walk out).
    
    
    Sandy   
    

    Just so folks know -- I borrowed some money to rent a trap and within a
    couple hours, I got my cat back.  I put it out and waited around in my
    yard to hear if it was "clank", but no cat.  Finally I just went into
    the house and came out about once an hour to check.  7pm.  No cat. 
    Watched TV for another hour, went back out.  Cat!  :)
    
    She's thin and a little stressed out, and looks like she scuffed her
    nose a bit, maybe from trying to get out of the cage.  She was not
    happy to be in that cage (growl, spit, snarl, typical "wild" cat caught
    things), plus it didn't help that when I was carrying the cage out of
    the shed, I was trying to pick my way over the various guk in the yard
    (not my hard, the people who used to live next door left all kind of
    garbage around their yard before they moved out).  I was in bare feet
    and didn't want to step on glass. I twisted my ankle and almost dropped
    the damned trap, and of course, Christy spazzed.  But once I got her
    into my house, she stopped growing, hissing and spitting and started
    meowing real loudly (the kind of meow some cats do when in a cage or
    when they are getting a bath) and she came right out into the kitchen
    and (surprise!) didn't flee in terror.  Just walked around like "Wow! I
    know this place!", tried to rub against one of my other cats (who she
    likes).  All *he* wanted to do was sniff her butt.  (Boys.)
    
    So anyway, she's OK.  Just a little stressed as I said.  She keeps
    going into rooms I'm not in, then sits in there and "calls".  I'm
    surprised she hasn't done the "hide under the bed for a week".  She's
    actually kinda friendly, which is a big step for her.  The Mushy part
    of me thinks maybe she's just relieved to be back in a familiar place
    than in The Big World: her little kitty mind probably has something
    like that going on.  
    
    *I'm* feeling a lot better -- even though I knew I had her pinned down
    in one place (so she wouldn't disappear), I was getting ready to tear
    up the shed to get to her.  
    
    
    Anyway, thanks for the advice.  The trap worked really well I used Tuna
    fish as a bait.  I think it helped that I had been putting food in the
    carrier I had blocking the entrance, so Christie wasn't too squirrly
    about having to go *into* a box to get food.  I also covered the trap
    with pieces of wood and blocked off the sides, put the carrier against
    the side of the trap that wasn't against a wall, and laid a towel on 
    the floor of the trap, so it looked more "solid", like a carrier.  
    
    FWIW, it was one of the traps that only have one way in.  I would
    imagine that works better than those "two door" traps.  It also helped,
    I think, that Christie couldn't get out from where she was other than
    to go into the trap (or, before it was there, the carrier).  
    
    
    Cheers,
    
    kim

    Kim...I'm so glad you caught her and she's doing fine!!  Sometimes
    the traps with 2 doors work better especially for cats that are
    hard to trap.  The reason for this is when they walk in one end..
    they can still see out the other end so they don't feel as "trapped".
    
    Great job...
    Sandy