Can you help these cats?

[Emeraldgreen]

Hi everybody, I'm crossposting this just in case some people didn't see it in the Cat Rescue section.
Rebeccahowes, a mother of 5 has taken in a half dozen adult cats and is providing care for them. She also has a litter of kittens that she is trying to find homes for but her main goal right now is to get the adult cats fixed so the cycle stops.
Rebecca has found a clinic, the Suburban Animal Clinic in PA that will examine and vaccinate each adult cat for 30.00 in preparation to get them fixed. She has also found help through ABC Low Cost Spay Program and each cat will cost around 100.00 to fix. She has also found transportation to and from the clinic for all the cats.
For 6 cats, it will probably cost in total: $800.00. Rebecca has 100.00 of her own and 100.00 that someone from Alaska generously donated to her so we're trying to round up the remaining funds to help get these cats spayed and neutered.
On Karen's suggestion when asked how the best way to do this would be, Rebecca called the clinic and asked what way they would prefer to accept donations if any are to be sent. They told her that if people put
ATTENTION: PAM on the envelope, Pam will be given the donations and will supervise them.
If people are able to send a money order or a personal cheque, they should be written out to Suburban Animal Clinic with a note at the bottom of the cheque that says 'for Rebecca Howes cats'.
They can be reached by phone during the hours of 9:00a.m. and 4:30p.m. Monday through Friday. I'm still waiting to find out if Rebecca asked them if they will allow us to post their address and phone number on this forum so in the meantime, that information can be retrieved by either PMing Rebecca or me.
They told Rebecca that they do not accept paypal payments and she forgot to ask about credit cards but I'm hoping to call them tomorrow to find out about that.
The original post by Rebecca in Cat Rescue is here:
Cat Rescue (http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=140604)

I've asked Rebecca if she could post a few pics of the adult cats that need to be fixed so we can see who it is that needs the help.
I'm going to mail my donation tomorrow to go towards helping these cats.
Does anyone else have some spare funds, even just a bit, to help these guys?

Edit to add:
p.s. Rebecca has said that some of the cats are somewhat feral. Does anyone have any suggestions for her with regard to getting them into cages to take to the vet? I know there are a few people on here who have experience with that.
I'm wondering if the feral program that Freedom posted might the answer. I'll check it out.

[Freedom]

Just one more suggestion.

If there is a feral cat network in her area, they often have funds available as they have people who focus on one aspect of the work: fund raising; trapping; transport, etc. Also, some of them will front some of the funds and you help with bake sales and such to help boost the coffers again.

She can locate a group through the Ally Cat Allies web site, here:
http://www.alleycat.org/feral_friends.html

[Medusa]

All I can suggest w/feral cats is to put out Have-a-Heart traps w/smelly canned food inside it. This means that she has to not feed them for a day or two until they get hungry enough to go inside the cage. I hated doing that but, if they're not hungry enough, they won't go inside it. And when she talks to them, do it in a soft, somewhat high pitched voice. It's calming to them. Not much help, I know. Sorry.

[rebeccahowes]

Hi everybody, I'm crossposting this just in case some people didn't see it in the Cat Rescue section.
Rebeccahowes, a mother of 5 has taken in a half dozen adult cats and given them a home. She also has a litter of kittens that she is trying to find homes for but her main goal right now is to get the adult cats fixed so the cycle stops.
Rebecca has found a clinic, the Suburban Animal Clinic in PA that will examine and vaccinate each adult cat for 30.00 in preparation to get them fixed. She has also found help through ABC Low Cost Spay Program and each cat will cost around 100.00 to fix. She has also found transportation to and from the clinic for all the cats.
For 6 cats, it will probably cost in total: $800.00. Rebecca has 100.00 of her own and 100.00 that someone from Alaska generously donated to her so we're trying to round up the remaining funds to help get these cats spayed and neutered.
On Karen's suggestion when asked how the best way to do this would be, Rebecca called the clinic and asked what way they would prefer to accept donations if any are to be sent. They told her that if people put
ATTENTION: PAM on the envelope, Pam will be given the donations and will supervise them.
If people are able to send a money order or a personal cheque, they should be written out to Suburban Animal Clinic with a note at the bottom of the cheque that says 'for Rebecca Howes cats'.
They can be reached by phone during the hours of 9:00a.m. and 4:30p.m. Monday through Friday. I'm still waiting to find out if Rebecca asked them if they will allow us to post their address and phone number on this forum so in the meantime, that information can be retrieved by either PMing Rebecca or me.
They told Rebecca that they do not accept paypal payments and she forgot to ask about credit cards but I'm hoping to call them tomorrow to find out about that.
The original post by Rebecca in Cat Rescue is here:
Cat Rescue (http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=140604)

I've asked Rebecca if she could post a few pics of the adult cats that need to be fixed so we can see who it is that needs the help.
I'm going to mail my donation tomorrow to go towards helping these cats.
Does anyone else have some spare funds, even just a bit, to help these guys?

This is Rebecca. Thanks so much for caring. Emerald asked me to get some pics and I was able to get one of them all. The calico cats name is Pandy. She was part of a litter that was abandoned by her mom. As a little baby, she would sleep on my back porch. I would take food out for her and her and her brother and sisters. I could not catch them. The pictures of the two black and white cats are moo and moo moo. We call them that because they remind us of cows. They came into my house over the winter, along with their sister Pandy and have lived here ever since. They are missing a brother or sister. I believe that my mean neighbor down the street let his dog torture her or him to death while he watched. My whole neighborhood hates cats and it has been terrible to live by cat haters since I have so many cats. Moo and Moo Moo are very funny cats. I have no problem keeping them for the rest of my life. They sit in our house and stare at us. They seem quite content, but if you walk towards them they run. They don't seem to want to go outside. They love my other cats so all is well. They just need spayed. They are both female and I beleve one of them is already pregnant. I am not sure how I am going to catch them, but I will definitely try. I don't know if I said or not, but Pandy, the calico, also lives in the house. The small gray cat is Vanessa. She has had approximately 10 litters. She just finished having six adorable kittens that I am trying to find good homes for. She is very skinny and definitely will be the first cat I get spayed. I was walking home one evening and she followed me and my husband home. I said to my husband "no way are we getting another cat". He begged me. I said NO! For four hours she set on my front porch patiently. I gave in to her and she became part of the family. I feel bad that I could never afford to take care of her, but she kind of adopted me at a bad time in my life. The medium size striped and medium striped golden cats are female and male. The striped male is goobers. He is the only male in the house besides my neurted male cat. He is after every one of my five females. I try to lock him up and put him out, but he always comes back. Both are the children from the skinny gray mom. The golden one is Ms B. She is very friendly and I constantly have to rescue her from the outside strays. She sneaks out when I am not looking. I have many males spraying my door outside. My door is smelling pretty bad. I am scared to have guests. I climbed over a fence the another night at 3 in the morning to rescue Ms B. It is a tough job. I know that all of my cat problems can be solved if I can get these 6 cats spayed and neurted. I pray an answer comes soon. I hope you enjoy the pics and everyone, thanks for listening. Rebecca

[Moesha]

I would suggest that since you only have one unneutered male to get him fixed with the early bunch going to the vet. At least that will buy you some time without more kittens. Another priority would be Ms B since she seems to be an escape artist. Then if the others are inside and not around intact males, there shouldn't be more kittens. Thank you for all that you are doing to help these kitties. I know how hard it can be. I have 6 at my house right now that showed up as strays and that I've had fixed and vaccinated, along with other vet treatments. In the last 2 weeks, three more have been seen eating out back. I will try to help you in a small way if you post the address of the vet's office to have the male cat fixed.

[rebeccahowes]

I would suggest that since you only have one unneutered male to get him fixed with the early bunch going to the vet. At least that will buy you some time without more kittens. Another priority would be Ms B since she seems to be an escape artist. Then if the others are inside and not around intact males, there shouldn't be more kittens. Thank you for all that you are doing to help these kitties. I know how hard it can be. I have 6 at my house right now that showed up as strays and that I've had fixed and vaccinated, along with other vet treatments. In the last 2 weeks, three more have been seen eating out back. I will try to help you in a small way if you post the address of the vet's office to have the male cat fixed.

Hi, This is Rebecca. Thanks so much for your post. Just a few hours ago I found Ms B hanging off my back door trying to get my attention that she wanted in for the night. Your post made me laugh in such a trying time. Laughter is good. I do agree that Goobers, the only male cat should be taken care of first. Can you please PM for the address because the moderator has said that I should not make the address public. I think that Ms B should go next since I can't keep her in the house. She disappears out the door in a flash. You have to realize that I have five children in the house and all of their friends. On any given day, that could be ten children. They just don't quite get it when I tell them not to let my cats out. Besides, the cats are very quick. Last year I had one female and one male cat. I got the male cat neurted in hopes that I could keep the female cat in until I could afford to get her spayed. Well, that did not work very well. She has had probably six litters since. Because I feed outside stray cats, I have many cats hoping and praying that my females will escape. Their prayers are coming true. Every night when I go to bed I try to round up my bunch and see who is missing. There is always somebody missing and I can only imagine what they are doing. They show up in the morning all dirty and happy to be home again. Thanks for your concern. Love Rebecca

[Emeraldgreen]

I would suggest that since you only have one unneutered male to get him fixed with the early bunch going to the vet. At least that will buy you some time without more kittens. Another priority would be Ms B since she seems to be an escape artist. Then if the others are inside and not around intact males, there shouldn't be more kittens.

I think this makes alot of sense. And perhaps Medusa's idea about the Have-a-Heart trap would be a way to catch the ones that don't want to be handled. It would just be a matter of finding where to get a trap. I can see if I can find somewhere for you that might be able to lend one to you but it will have to be tomorrow. I still haven't checked out Freedom's link that was posted but will also do that in the morning.
The pics of your cats are great. They are so beautiful and I'm so glad you are there for them in what sounds like a very difficult street to live on if you are a cat. It's so overwhelming to think of all the stray cats out there. But helping one cat a time is the only thing we can do I guess. Hang in there!

[Medusa]

Around here, you can find a Have-a-Heart trap at a grain and feed store. I guess people use them to trap varmints, such as groundhogs, because they don't want to kill them.

[Emeraldgreen]

I just spoke with Pam at Suburban Animal Clinic and she was great. She spoke with the vet and they said that we can post their information here on the forum so here it is:

Attention Pam:
Suburban Animal Clinic
101 Thorncrest Dr
Butler, PA 16002-3931
Phone: (724) 287-5289

She also asked the vet if they could accept credit card payments and they said that they could. She is keeping a detailed list of what donations are coming in and from who as well and will be updating Rebecca on a weekly basis so Rebecca can keep us informed of where the donations are at. :)

I tried to make a credit card donation but because our postal codes here in canada are a series of letters and numbers rather than just numbers, Pam was having a difficult time processing it. I offered to send a cheque instead. But people from the states would have no problem with using a card.

I also spoke with Pam about the fact that some of Rebecca's cats are somewhat feral and asked if they had a trap they could lend out. Pam said they spay and neuter ferals all the time and they do have a trap they lend out but it is on loan right now. She will let Rebecca know when it comes available. She also said that she will be speaking today with a local woman named Cindy who traps ferals and brings them to Suburban Animal Clinic on a regular basis and see if she would have a spare trap she could lend Rebecca.
It looks like it's all coming together! :)

p.s. Thank you Kuhio98 for today's donation!! :D
I know what you mean about Pam being surprised that strangers would help, she was the same way when I spoke with her. LOL She seemed really happy about it.

[Moesha]

Excellent news! I sent a check in the mail this morning and let Rebecca know about it. I wish I would have waited and just made it via a credit card, but it isn't a big deal. Next time, if needed, I will use that avenue. Emeraldgreen, I just wanted to thank you so much for all the work that you've put forth to help out these kitties, especially with all that you have been going through with your own.

[catmandu]

The Found Cats and I are praying that this Dear Momma Cat and Babies can beat the odds and find a wonderful Furrever Home of thier dreams.

[rebeccahowes]

I just want to thank everyone who has sent money and everyone who has put this whole thing together to make something beautiful happen for my cats. You guys are truly cat lovers. Some people probably think were crazy. Yea, were crazy about our feline friends. I love all cats regardless of their temperment or where they came from. In my town, if a stray dog is walking around, it is picked up immeditely. I am happy for that, but I am so sad that everyone turns their heads away when it comes to cats. I have had my neighbors call the police on me millions of times because my cat pooped in their yard. I have offered to clean up poop in everyone's yard just so they would be happy. I have had the police tell me to take the food off my porch because I am not allowed to feed strays. If I feed them, they become my personal responsibility. I don't care what they say. I put the food right back out on my porch. To me, they are my personal responsibility. It is kind of funny in my neighborhood. My neighbors complain all spring and summer. I try to tell them that most of the cats are strays and do not belong to me. I told them I have only two cats so that they will not call the city on me. They say I am lyin because all the cats in the neighborhood sit on my porch. I have this huge porch and it is filled with cats day and night. I will probably get a ticket this summer. I am trying to find a way to move out of the city so I can love my cats in peace. Anyway, it is so nice how you guys are reaching out and helping a stranger. I think that is so awesome. All of you cat people have beautiful cats and amazing stories to tell. I am so lucky that I found a vet that is so close and is willing to work with you guys. The vet lady seemed very surprized when I told her I was getting donations. She wanted to know the name of the website. In my town of Butler, I guess not many people reach out and help that much. Alls I can say is that if I find homes for these kittens and all adults are spayed, I am never going to question God again. I have been praying about this situation for months. Every month, at the end of the month, I can barely feed my children. I go to this amazing food bank and they always seem to give me just enough food to feed my five kids until the first of the next month. God is good. You guys are fantastic. keep up the good work. Love you all. Rebecca

[Emeraldgreen]

Excellent news! I sent a check in the mail this morning and let Rebecca know about it. I wish I would have waited and just made it via a credit card, but it isn't a big deal. Next time, if needed, I will use that avenue. Emeraldgreen, I just wanted to thank you so much for all the work that you've put forth to help out these kitties, especially with all that you have been going through with your own.

Thanks Moesha, that is so nice of you. :)

[Emeraldgreen]

Rebecca, I don't know if you've checked out the link that Freedom posted but it's really good and has lots of information. Here is a link to one of the pages that has suggestions about how to work with feral cats that you are bringing into you're family and how best to handle them.
http://www.alleycat.org/pdf/Congratulations.pdf

[rebeccahowes]

I just wanted to tell everyone thanks for your donations. I have enough to get three cats spayed out of the six. You guys have been since an encouagement. I will be taking the three cats in for shots, exams, and spays on the 22 of this month. Thanks so much. Rebecca