Feeding Stray Cats...

[JackDemp528]

I loved that post SRC. Perfectly said! Took the words right out of my mouth.

 

[Cauchemar]

If you're willing to spend money on actually feeding them, why can't you catch them and take them to the SPCA to get them fixed yourself?

 

[kimbowee]

great links SRC! one of my kitties (Edward ) ) is a real sweetie and i'm hoping to relocate him to my grandfather's barn (any place is more outdoor cat-friendly than auburn.) i've been wondering how much it would set me back to fix him. right now its my intention to neuter Edward and the slowly start trapping & fixing the rest of the cats. i doubt that any of the others could be tamed down enough to be rehomed, but the least i can do is get them to stop making more stray cats.

Cauchemar, Pica does say that she is going to try and catch them and try to get them fixed. Even though the Humane Society offers a discounted spay/neuter program it still costs $50 per cat. I can honestly say that I wouldn't be able to dish out the cash to fix a number of strays at even the discounted price of $50. I also feed my strays here. We have a trap and release program where I live but I still have 2 males that have managed to escape capture for the past 2 1/2 years. I couldn't just leave them to starve and can't get close enough to them to bring them in. What would you do?

Have you ever tried to catch a feral cat? Very stressful for the cat and the trapper. These animals are not used to human contact and will do just about anything to get away from you, including hurting themselves. They usually need to be tranquilized shortly after being trapped to avoid any harm being done.

 

[Cauchemar]

great links SRC! one of my kitties (Edward ) ) is a real sweetie and i'm hoping to relocate him to my grandfather's barn (any place is more outdoor cat-friendly than auburn.) i've been wondering how much it would set me back to fix him. right now its my intention to neuter Edward and the slowly start trapping & fixing the rest of the cats. i doubt that any of the others could be tamed down enough to be rehomed, but the least i can do is get them to stop making more stray cats.

Cauchemar, Pica does say that she is going to try and catch them and try to get them fixed. Even though the Humane Society offers a discounted spay/neuter program it still costs $50 per cat. I can honestly say that I wouldn't be able to dish out the cash to fix a number of strays at even the discounted price of $50. I also feed my strays here. We have a trap and release program where I live but I still have 2 males that have managed to escape capture for the past 2 1/2 years. I couldn't just leave them to starve and can't get close enough to them to bring them in. What would you do?

Have you ever tried to catch a feral cat? Very stressful for the cat and the trapper. These animals are not used to human contact and will do just about anything to get away from you, including hurting themselves. They usually need to be tranquilized shortly after being trapped to avoid any harm being done.

I've caught tons of ferals. All you need to do is buy a trapper for $20-25 at most local hardware stores, put the bait in, easy as that. You don't need to tranquilize it, just put a towel over it so it can't see out. Works for me.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

works for you, but what about the feral cat that you just convinced to hate people? i'm hoping to rehabilitate at least one or two of these cats to a semi-tame state so that when i graduate and leave town , they'll be able to convince someone else to care for them. a cute, friendly stray cat is far more likely to find a benefactor than one that spits and runs away.

in any case, i find it incredibly rude and unhelpful to not read the entirety of the topic before posting, especially if you are only posting an accusation. If you're willing to spend time on actually posting your insulting question, why can't you take an extra five minutes and read all the previous posts yourself?

 

[KeddyPie]

I think it's great that you're feeding the strays. They could always use some extra help...

 

[SRC]

If you're willing to spend time on actually posting your insulting question, why can't you take an extra five minutes and read all the previous posts yourself?

No doubt.

Gotta love it when people come busting into a thread, skim over 2 or 3 lines a post, see something that they "think" sets a fire to their butts, then go off on a wild tangent....that has no meaning what-so-ever.


Feeding 10-15 strays and getting 10-15 strays fixed is a world of difference in $$$. YOu can spend $10 on a bag of food that will last a week and it cost you $35+ per cat to get them fixed. Those two aren't even in the same category.
It's be nice if she could catch and fix all of them..but that is highly unfeasable for 1 person to take on..especially a college student (they usually have limited funds). Feeding them is the first step, regardless of what comes later. You can't fix a cat who starved to death.

 

[kimbowee]

I love your posts SRC! Well said.

I have to agree that there are some feral cats who are just convinced that people will do more harm than good and will at all costs avoid you. The steel traps you buy at your local hardware store usually aren't sold to trap feral cats, they aren't made to contain a wild cat. A wild born cat often can and will avoid these traps. If they do manage to be trapped they cause great harm to themselves trying to escape.

Feral and stray are completely different topics. Strays are cats people have bought and then decided they didn't like the responsiblity and let them out to fend on there own. Some strays, if not abused, may look for human companionship and be more likely to be trapped. A feral cat is one that has escaped its domestication and returned to its wild state. (taken from wikipedia http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral ) Feral cats are usually born wild. The have never had human contact or intervention and will most likely never warm up to being a house cat. Completely different stratagies are needed for trapping also. Throwing a towel over a feral cat may actually be more detrimental to it as then it can not see what is going on and may actually try even harder to free itself.