neighborhood strays

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-20-2004
neighborhood strays
11
Sat, 07-24-2004 - 11:36pm
Hope this is the right place to post this, 'cuz I need to ask for some advice about the stray cats in my neighborhood. I live in what is considered the artist's section of the city, midway between a large college campus and the low income inner city, and there are always strays passing through.

The latest were from a woman who absolutely loved her cats, refused to get them spayed or neutered and actively promoted their getting pregant because she loved the litters - I know, becuase I was buying bags of food for her and saying they came from the local Humane Society's low income program, to lure her into giving them a call to access their programs. She got evicted, walked out her door and locked it behind her and abandoned 5 cats (1 pregant) and two litters on the sidewalk.

The neighborhood rallied around the cats and took them in, and over time have found homes for them. There are two half grown kittens still hanging around in my back yard that seem to have gone feral - I have teeth marks from where the smaller one broke skin on my hand when she let me close enough to pet her. There is also an older cat that's drifting through who has no hair on the 3/4 of his tail that is left and acts as though at some point he was also abandoned - I've seen him chase other cats away from their doors and cry to be let in. I'm one of a few people who have taken to leaving food out for them, but am looking ahead to the brutal winters of Wisconsin and wonder what to do for them then. The local Humane Society is not going to be able to place the one we've begun to call Mr. Stumpy, and I'm concerned that all three become one of the thousands of feral cats that are put to sleep by them every year if the H. S. is called to come and get him.

I have two cats of my own, and no room for more in the apartment I rent from an old friend. Does anyone have any suggestions?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Sun, 07-25-2004 - 6:40am

*WELCOME* to the board Blunote.

Cat =^..^=
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-01-2003
Sun, 07-25-2004 - 9:40am
I do not have a lot of answers. Maybe some others familer with this will. Why do people not fix there cats and dogs , this is sooooo sad !!!! I would hate to think of the winter coming and having them out there,I guess even though as hard as it is I would rather have them put to sleep than suffer and feeze.Hope you get some luck in catching and see how they are,be careful with the bites,you do not know!!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-06-2004
Sun, 07-25-2004 - 9:31pm
You need to post this on the animal rescue and humane issues board. Also, please don't give up on finding a solution for the two cats. The young one need to be live trapped and taken to a no-kill shelter or rescue group. The older cat needs medicine for his tail and since he wants inside a home, he should be easy to catch. Maybe they can be fixed and you can find someone in the country with a barn that would take them. E-mail any rescue groups you can, someone will know someone who can help. Find a foster for them. Even the younger cat can be tamed with time. Let us know what you can find out. Post on both boards. Call shelters in surrounding towns. Put the word out. I can't believe the woman!!! You can find a solution. donna
Avatar for cl_lcni
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Mon, 07-26-2004 - 11:01am

Hi Bluenote.


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iVillage Member
Registered: 07-20-2004
Mon, 07-26-2004 - 7:58pm
Thank you to everyone for your suggestions! I'm going to follow up on all of them, because everyone has managed to find a different aspect of the problem that needs to be addressed. My neighbors will also benefit from your advice, because we'd all made it to the point of scratching our heads and wondering what more could be done. Thanks for caring, and if anyone else has suggestions please feel free to jump in!

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-20-2004
Mon, 07-26-2004 - 8:29pm
Excitement over the advice for the stray kitties almost made me forget to tell you something about mine - sorry!

I have two, the older one being three and a half years old and named Echo, and he came to me from the Humane Society. I'm not sure how he picked up his name because he isn't much of a talker, but knows how to use facial expressions to express his definate opinions. He's a medium steel gray, with faint tabby markings around his face and stomach. He was afraid of shoes and children, and mine was the third home he'd been in by the time he was one year old. He likes it when I call him "Big Guy", and gets along with Mushu like they were litter brothers instead of a year apart in age.

Mushu is a two and a half year old brown tiger, with a chocolate colored nose. He was treated very well by the family he came from, and knows no ill in the world. I've had to be very careful in trying to eliminate some of his more annoying habits, because he used to cry when he thought I was anywhere near mad at him. Some things just had to be unlearned, though, like flinging himself at me from across the room to snuggle under my chin when he was about 2 1/2 months old.

They take turns bouncing up and down on each other, and being alpha cat. It pretty much depends on who wants it more at what time, though Mushu seems to have more moments picked out to be his.

I'll post some pictures sometime soon - not just yet, though, because this fall's tuition has to come before buying a camera!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-09-2003
Wed, 07-28-2004 - 10:39am
Hi Blunote...

I just posted to you on the rescue board but here is the link for the cat shelters


http://www.neighborhoodcats.org/info/wintershelter.htm

Would your local humane society lend you a few traps so you can catch them and get them fixed and than return them to their outdoor homes? Our humane society does that for a small deposit and will fix them for free if they are strays.

Good luck to you, it's awesome that they have you worrying about them....

Marybeth

Avatar for cl_lcni
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Wed, 07-28-2004 - 12:31pm

Awww, Echo and Mushu sound so adorable and handsome too.


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iVillage Member
Registered: 07-20-2004
Thu, 07-29-2004 - 9:07pm
Hi Marybeth,

Thanks for the link! Our local Humane Society does have a catch and release program, and I've started talking to my neighbors about getting involved in it. It's going to be part of what will be discussed at the first coffee clatch, along with some of the plans suggested on the Rescue board for temporary shelters for the neighborhood strays to access in the upcoming Wisconsin winter. Boy oh boy, won't it be great if this all comes together! My neighbors also have been really positive about all of the suggestions from boards.

Would you like me to post an update, after the first meeting? It might not be for a few weeks, and I'm going to spend some time in between seeing if there is a way to subsidize the cost of materials for the shelters, and asking the local HS about the availability of their catch and release program.

Thanks for the vote of confidence!

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-20-2004
Thu, 07-29-2004 - 9:34pm
Hi Leslie,

I loves my cat guys! Enough to be able to make a few jokes at their expense, such as calling them "Ugh" and "Ugh Too", after a lyric in a Lyle Lovett song: "You ugly." response: "Well, you ugly too." Some of their other nicknames are Gorgeous, Spudley Men, Chunky Butt, and My Little Wierdos. And, my guys can belly dance, with a little help. How's that for over the top!

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