Going to have to do what I did not want to - I'm sure I'll get ripped a new one here...

reply to post by OrphanApology


Ok. How do I feed the ones that are outdoor (two of them) without the other coming by???

pityocamptes
I guess the conundrum with finding a farm is they run the chance of getting eaten by a predator, however, when I weight that against certain death at a shelter, or neighbors poisoning them, I guess it gives them a chance...

Gives them more then a chance, gives them a REAL life.

reply to post by pityocamptes


Feed them inside or stop feeding them as well.

pityocamptes
I contacted a farm out of the city. Hopefully, they get back to me, or have a network...

If not don't give up there, I've found some spay/neuter clinics and shelters have barn cat lists. Also, try Petfinder "barn cat buddy" listings.

reply to post by dreamingawake


Thanks, I have tried them. Hoping someone can offer a solution,waiting for a call back...

reply to post by pityocamptes


Cat populations grow to absorb available resources. Feeding stray cats is a bad idea. We keep a few around the street (the neighbors and I) to help control mice and rattlesnakes. They are prodigious with both. Help with rabbits and other varmints.

Kill, no kill...i am not attached to cats like most on ATS. I like them, they are cute, but they are quite nasty when the population gets out of control.

I have about half a dozen cat traps that get deployed from time to time on a rent house with too many cats running around. The damage they cause to property when there are that many is profound. Especially if they can gain access to your attic.

The big man upstairs doesn't care. We are bags of meat. What happens to anything here is irrelevant. So don't worry. We are put here to die. Every single being on earth. The only ones who care are people, and the cats who are being euthanized.

pityocamptes
reply to post by OrphanApology

 

Ok. How do I feed the ones that are outdoor (two of them) without the other coming by???

Why on Gods earth would you feed an outdoor cat unless it is the cold months?

The idea is that the natural resources support the outdoor cat, with you maybe providing some stuff like water and food when you are wanting to socialize (socializing is important to keep the kids from getting scratched). If there aren't enough resources for a pair of cats, then you should have indoor cats.

reply to post by pityocamptes


They will leave and find another food source. Cats are predators and very good ones at that. I feel bad for your situation and the decision you have to make is a hard one....I don't envy it. However you know what you need to do...take them to the kill shelter or quit feeding them and they go away.

Man I don't really know what the right thing is to do.

Try this at least. Go to reddit.com/r/pets and see if anyone is in the area and willing to help out. I've seen some pretty impressive things gain a lot of momentum on these interwebz. Try local Craigslist too. I'm sure someone there will have some good ideas as well. I would also be willing to bet that at least one person responds to you and will be willing to take at least one or two cats. Make sure to list location in thread title (not exact location obviously) and be vigilant about your safety when meeting up with people (though I really doubt there's much to worry about in a case like this).

Good luck, these decisions suck.

caterpillage

How exactly would one skin a cat?

There's a thousand ways....

I just thought of an idea that may help somewhat!?!?
Locate a local public area ie: patch of grassland by a residential street, underdeveloped land, derelict property or even a nature reserve near by. These places should be overseen by the borough and as such be completely out of your responsibility.

Then.... entice the local strays to plot up camp there instead by going there twice daily specifically to leave food (the smellier the food the better) tinned fish is a good one or just good old cat food. Do this religiously for at least 2 wks, this will give the cats enough time to sniff out the location and to realise that this new place is where all the food is. The cats will lay scent and this will become the new patch and as such will no longer be your problem.

From the first day that you take on this course of action DO NOT feed the cats at your place of residence again. get yourself a lawn mower and do the front lawn, clear out ALL rubbish and poop. Spray the lawn and fences and outside walls of the house with lots (gallons) of boiling hot water mixed with antibacterial solution (Detol is perfect). This must be done as soon as you have cleaned the front lawn of all grass, poop and basically everything. liberally hose down all areas with the hot liquid each evening for the first week.

Also note that each time you go am & pm to lay the food at the new spot that you carry the food in in a bag but inside the bag have the packaging open for the cats to pick up the smell. Simply leave your home each morning (dawn is good time) and each evening carrying this bag of food and take a stroll to the location that you find. Do not call the cats or try to carry them there, they will suss out the deal after a day or 2 of there being absolutely NO FOOD at this place and they will move on.

They will be so put out with all the activity in & around the front garden that they will be looking for somewhere else to doss by day 2 anyway. I believe that if you tackle this issue with military style and complete focus on solving it you will be clear of them permanently by wk2. You must NOT give in or do the process half heartedley, it will be a conscious change and at least a week of hard work & effort but the outcome and peace of mind will be worth it.

Once they are hanging around at the new place , continue to leave the food twice a day for up to a total of 2 wks. by this time somebody will have called the proper authorities to complain about the cats and then it is their problem & not yours any longer. I say to go at dusk & dawn to feed to avoid being spotted.

This is the only fix I can recommend , keep us posted, good luck

I appreciate all the responses. Unfortunately, there really is not vacant land anywhere where I am at. After long deliberation, I have come to painful reality that I will have to capture the ferals - those that are not friendly in the least bit, which is about 85%. They fight and are very nasty. The remaining 15% I will take to a non kill shelter for adoption - called and spoke to person at shelter who will take those. The remaining 85%, above, unfortunately will have to be sent to the county kill shelter.

Can anyone tell me ehy I feel bad about doing this? I know its the right solution, I just don't like it. Read some articles last night about human euthansia, and even PETA supports it, as it is a better life than living on the edge day in and day out. If it were only a few I would have no problem. Now I see diarrhea all over, so perhaps they are getting sick, which I don't want affecting my own pets. It still breaks my heart to do this... farmer got back to me and said he had no need for them, nor knows any of the neighboring farms that do. I know in my heart I have tried to do the right thing, maybe that counts for something...

reply to post by pityocamptes


Good for you. That does seem like the best solution. I offered you the long winded option only because I had the impression that nobody was willing to come & get them glad something can be done. It goes with out saying that the decision would be a tough one but you have been left with no choice.
Try to accept whats to be done & dont feel guilty. As the human it is your responsibility to make tough decisions about animals to avoid diseases or unsanitary environments for the humans & animals in the locality. By the sounds of it alot of the cats are sick anyway. You are doing the right thing I think. Im sure that my opinion makes no odds to you but wanted you to feel reassured that somebody else thinks its ok.

God, I feel guilty for doing this... anyways, caught three young adults this morning. Friend will be taking them to the "kill shelter"... I did call them yesterday inquiring about the form of euthanasia they use, and the person was friendly and indicated that they do not put them down immediately. They actually try to rehab them and find them a home (hope they were telling the truth).

Anyways, in a few days they should be at the shelter. I made the effort yesterday, while feeding them, to go one by one and try to pet or pick them up, and only about 4 were friendly enough to let me hold them and didn't mind. These I will be taking to a non kill shelter that I have an appointment with next week.

On a side note, there is a small "butter ball", cute kitten - maybe 2-3 months old? Very small, but I wonder if it is young enough that it can be rehabed? I would feel more comfortable taking this one to the non kill shelter for a hopeful future. Thoughts on the age where they can be rehabed?

This seriously is probably the hardest decision I have had to make... I don't like having to control the outcome (life and death) of other creatures... sucks... but I guess something has to be done.

Neighbors won't even talk to me anymore, not that I care, but I do know that the situation has gotten out of hand... lesson learned, won't help strays out anymore...

reply to post by pityocamptes


First of all, PETA is full of #. I think in some reports they kill like 90-95% of animals dropped off(yet they're worried about leather jackets).

Second, no reason to feel guilty. Even if you stopped feeding them they'd probably be picked up and sent to the same place by animal control if you didn't do it.