Continuation of free kittens in Butler

[rebeccahowes]

I am on my last page; therefore, I made a continuation thread. That way we can all continue sharing and I can continue to give updates about the cats being spayed and getting the new kittens homes. It is so weird how I just got six kittens homes and now I have four more kittens. Thank God I am getting everyone spayed and neutered. Who knows how many more litters I could have if you guys would not have helped me. I am sure a couple more of the females are probably pregnant, but they won't be that far along and the vet will charge an extra fee and take care of the situation for me. I will send pics of the kittens once they come out of my daughters room. I am trying to give the feral mom all of the privacy she needs so that she does not find a way to move them outside.

[Emeraldgreen]

I think 'last page' appears once a thread reaches a certain number of pages. I don't think it means it's the last page you're allowed to have. :)
But, it's nice to have a fresh start I guess!
Glad to hear that the babies were found and that they are inside the house and will have a better chance at becoming friendly with people.
Did your daughter win the 10.00 because they appeared in her room? :)
I look forward to seeing pics of the wee ones when you're able to take some.

[rebeccahowes]

Hi Emerald! I was not sure what last page meant so I decided to open a new thread just in case. I never expected to have so many viewers and replies when I started my thread. It has been truly amazing. I feel very blessed. Thanks for all of your help. My daughter is bringing me a cat carrier tomorrow to help get the three cats to the vets on the 22nd. I am so excited to get my cats the help they need finally. I owe it all to you and the petoftheday.com people. Thanks! :)

[MoonandBean]

So glad you found the kittens :). Give your daugher a "high five" from all of us here :)

[kb2yjx]

Glad to hear that things are moving along nicely! After a rough start, I am glad we are your friends!!!!

[Moesha]

Don't forget to let us know how the surgeries go!!!

[Emeraldgreen]

Rebecca, I hope all goes smoothly tomorrow with the 3 cats heading to the vet. You'll certainly have your hands full! You're doing a wonderful thing and it's so great that by tomorrow afternoon, your 4 house cats (including the already neutered male you have) will all be fixed! YAY!!! I know you have the ferals booked for May which is awesome too!! We'll be thinking of you tomorrow and look forward to hearing an update on how your lovebugs are doing. Take care. :)
p.s. is there a quiet room in your busy household that the cats can use to 'recover' in for a few days once they're back home? I know your daughter's room is already booked with a four legged guest and her mini meowers. :)

[rebeccahowes]

Today is the day! I managed to find three boxes to take the cats to the vets. I could not get a cage, but the boxes will work. I have plenty of rooms for the cats to relax in. I have a whole basement that they can recover in if they want. When I got my male fixed a couple years ago, he came home and acted like nothing happened. It is going to be fun trying to get three cats in boxes, but it should be way easier then next month when I have to catch three ferals and take them to the vets. I am taking three today, but next month we are scheduling the ferals one at a time. We thought it would be a lot easier to deal with catching one feral at a time. I am just so happy that people have helped me with the finances. I have wanted to do this for a long time, but something would always come up financially so I could not get them spayed. I will let everyone know how things go. They will come home tomorrow eve. :)

[MoonandBean]

Glad to hear that things are moving along nicely! After a rough start, I am glad we are your friends!!!!


awww.....that was so nice! Ditto!

[rebeccahowes]

I just got back from the vets. I posted two pics for you guys. One is the three cats lined up in their cage and boxes. My daughter brought me a cage. The other picture is three hearts. These are the tags that prove the cats had their shots. My three tame cats handled the vets pretty well. I pick them up tomorrow. My one cat, which I just got homes for all of her kittens, was pregnant again. I cannot believe it. My other female cat was pregnant also. She has never been pregnant before. Everyone had tapeworms and round worms and fleas. It was a nightmare. The vet gave them shots and orally gave them worm medicine along with an extra shot for worms. I asked how much all of this cost and the lady said she would let me know tomorrow. She believes that the vet is going to charge me a cheaper price then he does for regular patrons. They said I have a total of 355 in my account. I am worried about the flea situation though. He said they can get the worms back by eating their fleas. I asked him if putting flea collars on the seven would help and he said no. His solution was to get advantage flea medicine and put it on all seven cats for six months. He said that would get rid of the fleas on the cats and in the house. The only problem is that the advantage for one cat for six months is 67 dollars. :eek: That is quite a bit for seven cats so I don't know how I am going to solve the flea and worm problem. By time I get the other three females to the vets, I am sure they are going to be pregnant if they are not already. If anybody has solutions on how to rid my cats of fleas without costing so much, please let me know. Also, if I can get the advantage I am wondering how to catch the three ferals once a month. The vet was funny. He had a couple of contraptions that he made to catch ferals. To top of the whole event, my 20 year old was my ride to the vets. She got her permit about six months ago and she is a very scary driver. We had to drive on a freeway which she had never driven on before. I thought we were going to die trying to get to the vets. I think I almost had a stroke by time we got there. Coming back was even worse and I have to do it again tomorrow when I pick up the cats. Finally, the vet gave me a lecture about having cats that I could not afford to take care of. I just kept my mouth shut. I truly did not want to be in this situation. Only one cat that I have was a true decision that I wanted a cat. The rest must have heard I am a cat lover and all showed up at my place expecting me to give them a home. I could not turn them away. There are a bunch of strays outside and I leave them food and water. I promise I will never get into this situation again. It is tougher than raising my six children. I will let you guys know what happens tomorrow after I pick up everyone and what the cost came to. In the meantime, I would appreciate and feedback on how to rid fleas without it costing too much. Thanks everyone! Rebecca

[Emeraldgreen]

WOW! What a day you've had!! I'm so glad that you managed to get there, despite the scary ride! It's great that you will have your cats home with you by tomorrow. You did it!!! :)
I'm glad that the vet has treated the 3 cats for worms and I'm sending you the Drontal tablets so you'll be able to take care of your already neutered male and the 3 ferals. There are 14 tablets in total so you'll have enough to give everybody 2 treatments 3 weeks apart if you want. This is generally recommended for heavy loads of worms :p (yuck!). You could ask your vet if he thinks it's necessary. If not, then you'll have some on hand for another time if need be.
As far as the fleas go, I wonder if the vet would be willing to do something for you. Revolution is a topical flea treatment that you use in the same way that you use Advantage. You spread the fur at the base of the neck until you see the skin and then squirt the whole tube in that spot. Here in Canada, one treatment for a cat is about 12.00 or more. But, my vet used to sell Revolution for dogs to a local shelter and provided them with the correct dosage to give each cat. So, one big dog Revolution treatment was usually enough to treat 4-6 or more cats I think. One canine Revolution (it's the one for the big dogs and is teal coloured and is 2mls and has 240mg) used to cost around 19.00 but it would make treating the cats much more affordable. Here in Canada, Revolution is considered a prescription so basically it means the vet has to have seen the pet at some point and feel comfortable that it is safe to give it to the pet. I think the main reason is because of the ingredient it has in it to kill heartworms. Do you have heartworms in PA? Where I used to live, there were no cases of heartworms so we didn't have to worry about that but in other parts of the province, there are heartworms.
Anyway, he knows your situation and he might be willing to sell you some canine revolution and he might even divide it up into separate syringes (without needles of course!) so it's premeasured and all you'd have to do would be to squirt it on the cats. How you'd squirt it on the ferals is another problem and I don't have a solution for that but I'll definitely think about it!!LOL
I have some Teal Revolution that I bought for my big dogs and never used. Again, like the Drontal, it's a few years old and I don't know if it would be effective. But, my concern would be that you might have heartworm issues in PA and it could be harmful if your cat has heartworm? Perhaps you could ask your vet if he thinks it would be dangerous and if there could be any harm in trying some Teal Revolution that is a few years old? I have a chart from my old vet that says exactly how much to give cats that are under 8.8pounds and how much to give to cats that are over 8.8 pounds so I could definitely help you with that. I also have some syringes that are still in their packaging that you could use to draw out the liquid from the Revolution vial for each cat. I was given them for Tiger for one of his dozens of treatments the vets were prescribing him before they realized he had cancer. You just have to remember that you take the needle off after you've drawn out the fluid and carefully dispose of it. Then you just spread the fur and squirt it on. I really think you should ask your vet about it tomorrow though. Just tell him you have a friend that has some Teal Revolution and they want to give it to you and that it is 2.5 years old but has never been opened. I have 5 of them so if each one treated 6 cats, you'd have 5 months worth. I have to find that chart though and see how many doses you can get out of it. Anyway, it's worth a shot. :)
The other thing that I could send to you to help with the fleas is a can of spray called Siphotrol. It is for the house NOT FOR PETS. Here is a link about it so you can see what it's all about SIPHOTROL (http://www.vetkem.com/products_dogs_HT_siphotrol.htm) . Again, 2.5 years old but never used. When we left my last vet, I stocked up on everything because of the staff discount I got because of the website work. We've been really blessed and in all the years we've had pets, no one has ever had fleas. We've dosed them with Revolution though because of mites which it also treats. The flea spray I bought in case house we were moving to had fleas but I never ended up using it and it didn't have fleas anyway.
It's a powerful product and from other pet owners I have learned that it is very effective. It is used to spray inside your house. When you use it, you do have to take you, the kids and the animals out for a few hours but then it's fine to go back in. I realize this will be an issue right now with all the baby kittens etc.. but perhaps later, after everyone is fixed and the kittens have new homes, you can use it to make sure flea eggs don't hatch into fleas.
Basically what it does is sterilize any flea eggs and keeps them from hatching for up to 2 years. You spray it on drapes and on couches, carpteting and where the floor meets the wall in the cracks etc.. It's a one time thing, you spray it and it's supposed to keep working for 2 years. It's important at the same time as spraying to wash as many things as you can, like bedding, towels, clothes that in the laundry or laying around, curtains if possible etc..
The other super important thing you can do in conjunction with the spraying and treating each cat with a topical flea treatment is to vacuum. Vacuum everywhere you can think of and keep doing it. It really has an impact on fleas and their survival and that along with the other two things, you should be able to get it all under control. The can is for 1,000 square feet and your house sounds like it's pretty big with all those levels so you'd probably have to pick up another can to do your whole house. I think a can for 1,000 sq. feet is about 22.00 and you can also get them in larger cans, for 2,000 sq. feet and they are about 35.00. It's a good thing to do because even if you successfully treat all the cats for 6 months, flea eggs that are already in your house can still hatch for a couple of years but this spray stops that.

[MoonandBean]

I wrote an email to the company that makes advantage. I'm sure it's a longshot but I asked them if they could help. I told them we'd post it all over pet forum :) I'll let you know if I hear anything. Otherwise, we all know you're doing the best you can and we appreciate all your good intentions and hard work. The vet should be grateful for people like you in his community :)

[krazyaboutkatz]

Hi, I'm so glad to hear that you were able to get 3 of your cats spayed and dewormed.:) I have 6 cats indoor only cats and yes even they can get fleas because they can jump on me from being outside. I've been buying advantage for the largest dogs over 55 lbs and then I measure the right amount for my cats. I've never had a problem since.

For cats under 10lbs they only need 0.4ml and for cats over 10lbs they only need 0.8ml. One tube of advantage for large dogs comes in a tubes that are 4.0ml so I can give each cat several doses of it from one tube. As far as I know there aren't any experation dates so I don't know what the shelf life would be. I've also been buying mine online and or at a pet store. It seems to be much cheaper than buying it through your vet. Good luck.:)

[Emeraldgreen]

I wrote an email to the company that makes advantage. I'm sure it's a longshot but I asked them if they could help. I told them we'd post it all over pet forum :) I'll let you know if I hear anything. Otherwise, we all know you're doing the best you can and we appreciate all your good intentions and hard work. The vet should be grateful for people like you in his community :)


Great idea! I hope something comes of it! Keep us updated. :D

[rebeccahowes]

First, Emerald, the vet said the worm medicine might be ok, but I truly believe he just wanted me to get all the cats dewormed at his place. As far as the flea meds that you have for the dog that you wanted to share with me, he definitely said "no". He said it would hurt the cats. I picked the cats up today and it was so stressful. First, they told me that my cats were not allowed to climb on any stairs for a week. My whole entire house is stairs. I live in a four story house. Then they said they were not allowed to lick themselves where they had been cut open. For the boy, that is you no where? For the two girls, it was there stomaches. They said if you can't be home with them, you have to have someone watch them. I am home all of the time, but I do have to sleep, so I am kind of worried about that situation. So after digesting all of this info, I took my three cats home, and the only place I felt they were safe, was in my bedroom. They have been in there all eve, I put a cat litter box, cat food, and water. My husband and I share the room with my seven year old son because all the other rooms are taken by my other children. They don't want a seven year old in their bedrooms; therefore, we let him sleep in our room. Tonight my son asked to sleep downstairs and I have not even gone to bed. If I do, I will sleep on the couch. My husband, God bless his soul, is upstairs in a small bedroom sleeping with three cats. :) I think that is kind of funny. They will be there for six more days. Every time we open the door, they try to escape. The horrible thing is that if they escape they will be running down our stairs which the vet said "no stairs". After all of this drama, the vet said my cats have fleas really bad. I feel so bad. It will be really expensive to treat them for the fleas. They said I could buy a months supply at a time of Advantage, but that is pretty close to 70 dollars a month. I do not have that in my budget, only because I am having such a hard time clothing and feeding my children. I am not trying to sound desparate or begging, but I am truly having a really hard time right now. I want to do the best for my kids and for my cats. I am so thankful that three of my cats are spayed and neuterd, but we are still not out of the woods. There are still three more to go and they are all females and I think two are pregnant and the other just had four kittens. I still have four cats that have not been dewormed, which will spread back to the three that were dewormed, plus, everyone has fleas. Pretty soon my whole family will have fleas. I am going to vacuum three times a day to try to help with the infestation that could happen this summer. Life sometimes seems to be so hard. I just know that no matter what, I love my kids and my cats and I will try to help them in any way I can. Why couldn't God have made me rich? :) Oh well,live goes on. I appreciate any advice or help you guys can give me. I know that this seems like an overwhelming job, but I am willing to do this job and make sure that everyone is taking care of. I am sitting here crying because I cannot believe that my three cats are finally free from having tons of babies. My one cat had ten litters and I know she is going to be so happy to finally just sit back and enjoy life. You guys gave her life and freedom. I am just so amazed at the love for pets on this site and I will try to help anyone I can after I get through my own ordeal. That means everyone spayer or neutred, no fleas, no worms, and lots of love. I was just ready to sign off when I realized something that I want to share with everyone. I have had over 2000 views since I posted "FREE KITTENS" I know that I stirred alot of emotions from that post. I never meant to.I did get awesome homes for my beautiful kittens though. Now I have four more to go in about 7 weeks. I will send you guys pics. They are so adorable. They come from a feral cat, but I know they will end up tame in my house. There is so much love from me and my kids. The point that I was going to say, and believe me, I don't want to even ask, I really never ask for much and never expect much, that is my motto in life until I came to this website. It was no accident. It was God. He loves me, you, and all of our cats. If only 100 people, out of the 2000 people that have viewed my post, gave just 10 dollars to the vet I am going to, I would have 1000 dollars, and that would take care of the worms, the fleas, and every cat in my house would be spayed and neutred. That is such a dream for me. Before I close, tonight, my seven year old son came in and told me that there was a dead cat outside. I ran out to see if it was one of mine. Thankfully, it was not, but I still cried. It was a homeless cat, feral, alone, lost, unloved. My neighbor was kicking the cat to the curb so he could park his car. He really hates cats. After he went inside his house, I asked my husband to go out and pick him up off the curb. I would have burried him, but our neighbors would get mad because they say it gets in the the water system and they will call the police on me. When I was a little girl, my daddy always buried our dead cats in the backyard and put a little cross over their grave. Today, it is breaking the law; therefore, we put the cat in a garbage bag and he is lying on my back porch. My seven year old son said "mommy, there is a dead cat out in the street, but he is still breathing". He loves cats as I do. I want to share my love of cats with all cat lovers. Love Rebecca

[Emeraldgreen]

Rebecca, if your vet is referring to the expiry date of the dog Revolution as being dangerous, that is one thing. If he is referring to the ingredient in the dog Revolution that is for heartworms then that is another thing. But if he is saying that treating a cat with dog flea Revolution or Advantage is dangerous just because it is for dogs, it is not true. Obviously, if you squirted a whole tube of the dog revolution on one of your cats, that would be dangerous but this is not what I am suggesting or what Krazyaboutkatz said she does with her dog Advantage for her cats. It is measured out into proper doses that are a very small percentage of the tube. It is done all the time and it is safe. It sounds to me like he either misunderstood and thought you were going to put a whole tube on each cat which of course would be an overdose or he has concerns about the outdated stuff I have or the heartworm ingredient.
Perhaps you could ask him if it is the date or the heartworm part that he is referring to. If so, then I'll toss them out. But if it's just that he misunderstood and thought you wanted to put whole tubes of it on the cats, then you could explain to him that you were going to get help premeasuring the doses out before treating them. I could do the premeasuring for you and draw them up into the syringes and send them to you that way so you wouldn't have to measure them. I would just need to pick up some caps to put on the ends of the syringes so the revolution doesn't spill out. I think pharmacies might sell them.
Worst case scenerio is that you'd have to buy ONE box of dog Advantage (just regular Advantage, not Advantage Multi-which has heartworm meds in it). Krazyaboutkatz has posted the dosage that she gives her cats and her cats are all doing fine and from the sounds of it are 'flea free'. One tube (you get 6 tubes in a box) has 4 mls each. Depending on the weight of your cats, each cat would need roughly half of one ml each. That means one tube could treat 8 cats. One box could treat 8 cats for 6 months. The cost of the box is I think about 70.00 or something but that would be enough to treat them ALL for 6 months. I can mail you the syringes you'd need that are still in their packaging that you would need to draw the Advantage out of the tubes.
And, maybe your vet or other vets in the phonebook might sell Advantage by the tube. Advantage does not require a prescription (the regular kind) so you can buy it at any vet. If you can find a vet that sells it by the tube, then you could just buy one large dog tube size (it is the one that comes in the Navy blue coloured box) and it would probably cost you around 15.00-20.00 and you could treat all your cats for this month. Next month, same thing etc.. This is done all the time, I know of many shelters that do this, it's safe as long as you are dosing the cats correctly.
I have already mailed off the Drontal so you should receive it by the end of next week. I will PM you a dosing chart. There is more than enough tablets in there (14 in total) to treat all your cats twice. You should wait until the ferals are either fixed or finished weaning kittens before dosing them though.
I'm also sending you the can of flea spray that is for the house (NOT pets) and along with vacuuming as mentioned in my earlier post, will help tremendously. Worst case, you might have to go and buy one more can and it will cost around 22.00. The two cans together will cover 2,000 square feet.

I'm so glad the cats are home and safely tucked into your bedroom. The main thing to watch for is that the incision doesn't open. If you see that, you should take them back to get them 'stapled' before the incisions open up any further. This usually doesn't cost anything. You just want to avoid the incision opening to the point that staples won't help and surgery has to be done all over again. It's expensive because they charge you for the anesthesia and vet's time etc.. So, it's awesome that you guys have them in a quiet place and that hubby doesn't mind his new roomies. :)
Also, they often send the female cats home with the head cones to keep them from being able to lick themselves. Alot of clinics usually will 'lend' a collar if an owner can't afford one. If you do have to buy one, they are under 10.00 each.

As far as the ferals go next month, I'm wondering if MoonandBean's donation had been received yet by the vet hospital. You mentioned that 355.00 had been received but wasn't the total already over 300.00 with Kuhio's, Moesha and my donations? Hopefully that is the case because that would mean another 100.00 should be available to go towards the feral spays.

[MoonandBean]

yah...The charge has already appeared on my credit card statement so make sure they're including it.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I just wanted to add that the vet that I used to take my cats to was the one that suggested that I buy the large dog advantage because the ingredients are the same as the cat advantage. He did this to help save me money. I only had 4 cats back then. Since I live in CA, I have to treat my cats year round and so far so good. You can also probably get free syringes from your vet or any other vet office when you buy the advantage from them. The numbers will eventually wear off of the syringes so I use either masking tape or surgical tape to mark off the right amount that is needed. I also have an empty plastic test tube with a lid that I squeeze the advantage into so then I can measure it out and save whatever is left over for next time. Good luck.:)

[Moesha]

I have a friend whose pack of critters got fleas last summer. She has 5 dogs and 4 cats. The dogs were given their own dosages of Advantage, but he gave her the large size dog dosages with the instructions for breaking them up for each of the cats.

[MoonandBean]

I received this response from Advantage. I will certainly call! If anyone else wants to call; it might be the more the better...




Thank you for your recent email regarding the Advantage.

In order to best address your concerns, please contact Bayer Product Information at 800/255-6826 and ask for Jill or Annette. We will be happy to answer all your questions at that time.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind regards,

Bayer HealthCare

[Emeraldgreen]

I received a PM from Rebecca yesterday and she is reporting that the spayed and neutered cats all seem happy and healthy! She is so grateful to everyone here on PT who has offered support through their posts and with donations.
She is also so thankful that the Suburban Animal Clinic was there for her and able to work with her despite her difficult financial situation. They've really gone the extra mile for her and it is awesome!! She is really looking forward to continuing to work with them next month to get the remaining 3 cats fixed.

As far as the donations go, I confused things, sorry about that. The total of donations received by Suburban Animal Clinic thus far is indeed 355.00 and includes the donations sent by Kuhio, Moesha, myself and MoonandBean. Rebecca will find out how much of this amount is left over that will go towards the feral spays in May. We'll post a 'financial' update once she has that total from the clinic. And hopefully some pics of the recovering patients too!!. :)

Rebecca is going to use the Drontal that was mailed to her but is passing on the Siphotrol Spray because she doesn't think she will be able to get all the animals and all the kids out of the house at one time for a few hours. She is going to continue vacuuming alot and is looking into ways to get the cats treated for fleas.
She is going to follow her vet's advice and pass on the dog flea treatment option because they have really helped her and she doesn't want to go against his suggestions. But she is going to try and either treat them with feline Advantage or look into other alternatives (especially for the ferals as she won't be able to catch them each month to apply a topical treatment anyway). Does anyone know if there is a product that a person can put in a pet's food that helps tackle fleas? I think I've heard something about garlic. Have to look into it.

MoonandBean, thanks for posting that phone number for Bayer about Advantage. I will call them too! You never know!

p.s. Rebecca, a friend of mine gave me two single Advantage tubes for cats (not dogs) and I will send them to you tomorrow. It's not much but it will treat two cats for one month. :)

[Moesha]

Did that $355 amount include the original amount that Rebecca said she could put toward the surgeries in April?

[krazyaboutkatz]

For the ferals she could buy program flea control for cats. It's a liquid that you have to give with food. Some vets don't carry this though. Here's a link that tells more about it: Program Flea Control For Cats (http://www.entirelypets.com/progfleconfo1.html).

I remember that used both program and advantage when I first adopted Storm and my RB Pepper because they both had fleas. If it's a lot less than the advantage then she could also use this after she used the advantage to help keep the fleas under control.:)

[carole]

I know a few people have used the dog advantage on here without any problems, but my vet also was strongly opposed to it, i think you should stick with the cat stuff, you would feel terrible if it all went wrong, i was looking into a new product advertised at the pet store, took it to my vet, who said forget, it really bad stuff, and one cat has died from it, it is called bodyguard plus and claims to rid them of fleas for three months, so please choose carefully.

I have used advantage on all my cats with no problems, their is also advantage plus which does the worms i believe, i am looking at that for my ash, as he is really hard to pill even with a piller contraption we bought.

I am so happy to hear that you are getting these kitties seen to, you are an angel, shame on that vet scolding you, little do they know what you are doing for these animals,we need so many people like you in this world.

I hope you get some sort of response from bayer and they can help, only thing is fleas is an ongoing problem, every season, so it is not just a short fix is it,? the cost will always be ongoing.

I wish you all the best of luck in the world and may your furbabies heal nicely and continue to do well.

[Emeraldgreen]

For the ferals she could buy program flea control for cats. It's a liquid that you have to give with food. Some vets don't carry this though. Here's a link that tells more about it: Program Flea Control For Cats (http://www.entirelypets.com/progfleconfo1.html).

I remember that used both program and advantage when I first adopted Storm and my RB Pepper because they both had fleas. If it's a lot less than the advantage then she could also use this after she used the advantage to help keep the fleas under control.:)

That's right! I completely forgot about Program! I know that it deals with the larvae and egg stage of the flea life cycle and works well in conjunction with Advantage that kills the adult fleas. I wonder if Program would work alone though for a feral cat with fleas. Eventually, all the adult fleas would die of old age (lol!) and then eventually the Program would keep the eggs and larvae from becoming fleas. I think! :confused:


Moesha: Did that $355 amount include the original amount that Rebecca said she could put toward the surgeries in April?

Yes, the grand total of all funds received by the clinic was 355.00 and includes all the donations. I don't know how much of it was used for the 3 surgeries and how much is left but Rebecca is going to find out from the clinic.

[rebeccahowes]

For the ferals she could buy program flea control for cats. It's a liquid that you have to give with food. Some vets don't carry this though. Here's a link that tells more about it: Program Flea Control For Cats (http://www.entirelypets.com/progfleconfo1.html).

I remember that used both program and advantage when I first adopted Storm and my RB Pepper because they both had fleas. If it's a lot less than the advantage then she could also use this after she used the advantage to help keep the fleas under control.:)

That sounds awesome. I will definitely look into it. I was hoping that there is something out there in cypber space that knows about flea control in the cat food. I definitely feel that I can handle it, although, it will be hard to trap each cat one at a time. It is doable though. I will let you know what I find out and what I do to handle this situation.

[Emeraldgreen]

That sounds awesome. I will definitely look into it. I was hoping that there is something out there in cypber space that knows about flea control in the cat food. I definitely feel that I can handle it, although, it will be hard to trap each cat one at a time. It is doable though. I will let you know what I find out and what I do to handle this situation.

I think Program is only sold through the vet clinics and maybe online but as far as I know, it's not in pet stores. I think the cost of a box of 6 treatments is around 35.00. There are two choices available, one for cats under 8.8 pounds and one for cats over 8.8 pounds.

[Catlady711]

That sounds awesome. I will definitely look into it. I was hoping that there is something out there in cypber space that knows about flea control in the cat food. I definitely feel that I can handle it, although, it will be hard to trap each cat one at a time. It is doable though. I will let you know what I find out and what I do to handle this situation.


Just a warning Program is more suited to INDOOR cats. Fleas have to actually BITE the animal to get the flea medication in Program. The egg/larva inhibitor will only affect the ones layed by that flea. In an outdoor environment this will do little to combat a large flea population.

http://www.program.novartis.us/cat/en/label_suspension.shtml

Fleas can be a problem because they reproduce so rapidly. A single female flea may produce up to 2,000 eggs over her lifetime. Eggs hatch and can develop into adults within only three weeks. Adult female fleas feed by ingesting blood from your cat and subsequently lay eggs which drop off your cat's coat. Within days, larvae hatch from the eggs and live undetected in your cat's surroundings such as the carpet, bedding, and other protected areas. Flea larvae spin a cocoon, and when appropriately stimulated, a young adult flea emerges and jumps onto your cat to continue the life cycle. After biting a PROGRAM-treated cat, the female flea ingests lufenuron which is deposited in her eggs. Lufenuron prevents these eggs from hatching or developing into mature adults. This safe and convenient approach to flea control effectively breaks the flea's life cycle and controls flea populations.

[rebeccahowes]

Hi everyone, I just got the fourth cat into the vets today to be spayed. She was pregnant too. I take the fifth cat in tomorrow, but the only problem is that she has been gone for two days and I don't know if she will make it back by tomorrow. I sure hope so. The sixth cat is scheduled for next month after she weans her kittens. The kittens are getting back. The feral cat I took in today was easy to take. She is the only one that will let me pick her up for a couple seconds. I picked her up and put her right into the cage. I am hoping she is not too far along or they will not spay her right now. I will keep you posted. :)

[MoonandBean]

awww; wish her a quick recovery from me, Moonie and Beaner.

[Medusa]

Just a short note: vacuuming will NOT get rid of the fleas. Take it from someone who had her own house cleaning business. The vacuum cleaner, no matter how good or expensive it is, can spit out the eggs and shoot them elsewhere. In order for a house to be totally rid of fleas and the eggs, it has to be "bombed". Otherwise, humans will get infested, too.

[rebeccahowes]

I don't know if this will work or not, but my friends's mom told me to put moth balls inside of the vacuum and it will kill the fleas. I am going to try that until I can afford the advantage. Will see what happens. I hate getting fleas.

[Medusa]

I don't know if this will work or not, but my friends's mom told me to put moth balls inside of the vacuum and it will kill the fleas. I am going to try that until I can afford the advantage. Will see what happens. I hate getting fleas.

I've heard of that and don't know whether or not it's successful. It may kill live fleas but it doesn't prevent the vacuum cleaner from spitting out the eggs and shooting them elsewhere and it won't get the eggs that are imbedded in the cats' fur.

[Medusa]

I wanted to be sure about this so I conferred w/two friends, both of whom are exterminators; one has her own business. Both concur that bombing is the only sure way to be rid of fleas; one bomb per level should do it but, if the infestation is really bad, one bomb per room. Of course, all humans and animals must leave the premises for several hours.

[rebeccahowes]

I would love to bomb the house, but I don't think I will be able to get all seven cats out of the house because three are feral. We live by a busy road and I am scared they will get hurt if I let them all out at the same time. I am trying to save up enough money for advantage flea meds because they kill the fleas in the carpets and couches also. I used it once before last year and it was amazing. Hopefully, I can get some of the Advantage by next month. I am still working on the cat spays. The sixth cat goes today and the seventh cat goes next month. I am short money on the seventh cat so I am going to have to come up with that money and then start saving for flea control. Hopefully, everything will turn out ok. Love Rebecca:)

[Catty1]

I have $14 left in the bank. :eek: Even I was surprised!

Will have housecleaning money this week, so will donate a bit to you and Jen.

hugs!

[MoonandBean]

Let me know how much you are short for the 7th cat...

[rebeccahowes]

I just got the first feral cat home today from the vets. She was pregnant. Each cat has been costing an extra 20 when they are pregnant. This feral cat was easy to get in the cage and easy to get to the vets. We had a hard time catching the second feral cat today. My husband got all scratched up all over his arms. We finally got her in the cage and got her to the vets. She is probably pregnant too. She will be coming home tomorrow. That leaves one feral cat left. She will go next month after she is through weaning her kittens. The kittens have eye infections and I had to get antibiotics and eye drops for them. I have to put those in twice a day. My daughter gave me the money to get the kittens meds. I am down to 0 in my account after tomorrow. I have one feral cat to go and if she is pregnant, it will cost 65 dollars. Finally, I will have all six cats taken care of. Plus, my original cat that was already neurted makes seven. You have no idea how good it feels to almost have all my cats spayed and neurted. No more surprise kitties to find homes for. I hope the kittens eyes clear up so that they either don't go blind. That would be very sad and I probably would not be able to find them homes. I can only imagine what would have happened if all of my cats would have had kittens at the same time. That would have been three pregnant cats at once. Whoooo! Thank you guys all for your support and funding. Without you guys I don't know what I would have done. I would have become Tiger Ranch and that scares me so much. I promise everyone that I will not be taking in anymore cats. I put a big bowl of water and food out for the feral strays and homeless cats everyday. Finally, any advice on fleas would be appreciated. I cannot afford the advantage. It would cost 67 dollars a month to treat them through the summer. That definitely is not in my budget. I will keep you updated on the cat that comes home tomorrow.

[Karen]

Flea collars! And if they have boxes they sleep in, liberally dust the blankets with flea powder ...

[rebeccahowes]

I was going to put flea collars on everyone and I asked the vet if they would put the flea collars on the feral cats while they were asleep, but they said they would not work that great and the ferals could get hung up on a tree or fence or something. I have always used flea collars and they have always worked fine. Even if I do decide to use flea collars now, I have no way to get them on the ferals. I don't know what to do.

[carole]

Honestly Rebecca, flea collars are nowhere near as good as advantage, and of course a vet is going to tell you that, but in your situation i think it would be the way to go, don't worry about them getting hooked up you can buy ones that have a catch release, so if they get caught it will come off, of course then they need replacing, but it is the only thing you can do in your situation, they sell for around 3 to five dollars here in NZ, so i imagine it would be around the same cost over there.

You really do have a difficult situation, I would be especially worried about the infestation in your home,remember fleas can lie dormant for over a year as well,you have tried so hard and done so well with these kitties, i truely admire your strength and desire to help them out as you have.

I wonder if there is a non toxic flea bomb available out there, which is toxic to the fleas but not humans and the pets,maybe worth finding out, there are so many alternative products out there these days, i wish you all the best.

[rebeccahowes]

Thank you so much for your inspiration and advice. It makes me feel so better. I know that I will conquer this problem in time. I never imagined that my cats would be spayed. We will some how conquer the flea problem before it conquers us. I don't know how, but I believe an answer will come. Love Rebecca :)

[cristy]

I have 2 tubes of advantage and 2 tubes of Hartz Advanced Care Flea and Tick. Rebecca, if you send me your address I will throw these in the mail asap!

[Jessika]

OK I've just gotta say.... bless you for all of your hard work and dedication toward these animals. You ARE making a difference!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I have 2 tubes of advantage and 2 tubes of Hartz Advanced Care Flea and Tick. Rebecca, if you send me your address I will throw these in the mail asap!
I wouldn't use the Hartz flea and tick because it's caused many deaths in cats.:( I still don't understand why they continue to sell this brand. Here's more information about it:http://tippedearclan.wordpress.com/2007/01/21/beware-hartz-tick-and-flea-control-products/.

Here are some natural ways to get rid of fleas:
Natural Flea Control

Many people don't want to risk endangering the environment (or themselves) by using chemical means for flea control. Some people have sensitivities to certain chemicals, others just don't want to do it. Ideally, you should compare flea control products to natural methods - sometimes the health risks to pets from having fleas are worth using a flea collar, powder bath, or other chemical methods. This page will give you some useful tips for getting rid of fleas holistically.




Natural Flea Control

First, it's important to note that fleas will survive the winter. You can't rely on the weather as a natural flea control method - fleas don't die off even in deep freezes. They won't bug you for a few months, but they'll be back to bite you again in the spring. You'll have to take more active measures to deal with them. There are a number that have been suggested.

Garlic - Many people swear by introducing garlic into their pet's food as a means of getting rid of fleas. It is known to strengthen the immune system in humans, so many advocates of natural flea control have suggested using it in pets as well. I do NOT recommend doing this - there is substantial research suggesting that garlic, in dogs and cats, can cause serious problems, even death in some animals. First, garlic has been demonstrated to cause anemia in some dogs and cats. This is a serious blood illness, and it's just not worth the risk to get rid of fleas. Second, garlic is extremely bad for your pet if it happens to be diabetic. Yes, many pets are diabetic - just like with humans, only their diet often keeps it from being a problem. Garlic, however, will aggravate insulin problems and may well kill your dog or cat if it happens to be one with a hidden diabetes problem. This is just too dangerous to do as a remedy without consulting your vet. At any rate, the risk from chemicals in a flea powder is far lower than that of garlic.

Environmental Control - One natural method of flea control that doesn't rely on doing anything to your pet is to control the environment. There are a lot of ways to do this - first and foremost, don't let your cat or dog outside. Cat fleas and dog fleas can only come from other animals - if your pet is an indoor animal, it likely won't have a flea problem. Prevention is the best method, and for cats at least, you shouldn't be letting them outdoors anyway. For large dogs, this won't be an option - you need to walk them, and they need to get out into the yard to play. But you don't have to let other dogs into your yard - that alone will go a long way towards getting rid of fleas.

You can also use natural flea control by trying various products that are designed to get rid of fleas without chemicals. For instance, one new product is a freeze-dried worm or nematode that eats flea eggs. Some people may be uncomfortable with modifying the environment in this way, but chemicals may be even worse. Talk to your veterinarian about this (as with all methods), there are several brands such as Intervention that can help you out without you really having to do anything actively.

Grooming - Regular grooming can also eliminate fleas without chemicals. Use a fine comb and go through your pet's hair - you can easily get rid of fleas this way naturally, and while it won't get them all, you'll spend quality time with your pet. With some pets, it may actually be a good idea to trim their fur. You can get a grooming kit that comes with clippers designed to cut fur to various lengths. Why do this? Because if you're only going to rely on natural ways to control fleas, then if you have a long-haired pet, it is harder to get the fleas out when bathing them or grooming them. Keep in mind though that it's only helpful to trim their fur if you're going to have the discipline to personally bathe and comb them. Trimming the fur only makes it easier for you to find and kill the fleas yourself - it doesn't do anything to get rid of them other than that. One of the weirder inventions I've seen recently is the flea zapper comb. This is a comb with a mild electrical charge that is supposed to kill off fleas as you comb your pet, but will be too mild to affect you or the animal. I haven't tried it and can't find any discussion of whether it works or not online, but it's pretty cheap so if you're going natural for environmental reasons or if you're a gadget junky you might check it out.

Herbal flea collars - There are many herbal flea collars designed to use various scents to drive away fleas. I am a little ambivalent about these, but they could be worth a try. Just check out the specific brand with a vet and make sure there is nothing to worry about with anything in it. The only one I've found easily available online is Petguard, which is designed to be environmentally friendly.

Diatomaceous earth - This is basically a non-chemical kind of soil designed to kill insects. It doesn't have any chemicals - it relies on tiny, sharp edges on the dirt that do damage to the exoskeleton of a flea or other pests. The fleas will then die of dehydration - they essentially leak water, and they can't replace it fast enough. It's a non-chemical means of natural flea control, but it can be rather messy to use. It's made mainly of fossils from water plants, so there isn't much risk in using it. It might not mesh well with your current soil though, and you should be careful if you have plants or gardens that it might affect negatively. If you're using it in the yard, get one of the larger bags so you can repeat the dusting if it rains, etc. However, one of the good things about it is that it's safe to use around your pet's bedding or other areas - you'll have to clean it up later, but it can be much better than setting off a flea bomb or a flea bath. Unfortunately, there's not much this will do about flea eggs, which could remain dormant for awhile. You can go with smaller bags of the earth if you're just using it indoors.

Vacuuming - One safe, natural method to get rid of fleas is to vacuum frequently. Unfortunately it's usually not 100% effective, which means while it will reduce the flea population it will rarely eliminate it. You can read up more here on getting rid of fleas with a vacuum cleaner.

Flea Traps - Basically these are more advanced versions of the little pads of glue you'd use for roaches. Because they have to be left out in the open, they have a grid over the glue that the fleas fall through. You can read more about flea traps here.

I hope that something will work. Good luck.:)

[MoonandBean]

I received this response from Advantage. I will certainly call! If anyone else wants to call; it might be the more the better...




Thank you for your recent email regarding the Advantage.

In order to best address your concerns, please contact Bayer Product Information at 800/255-6826 and ask for Jill or Annette. We will be happy to answer all your questions at that time.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind regards,

Bayer HealthCare

Hi everyone,

As Rebecca knows through our PM's, I will take care of the cost for the 7th cat to get spayed. Regarding the fleas, if anyone has time to call Advantage at the number above...I think the more people that call, the better. I personally haven't called yet but will today. I asked Rebecca to call too. Maybe they will be able to help her with this situation. If anyone calls, post the responses...so we can all see how it's going.

Thanks to everyone who has been helping with this...I see the pot at the end of the rainbow :)

[rebeccahowes]

I received this response from Advantage. I will certainly call! If anyone else wants to call; it might be the more the better...




Thank you for your recent email regarding the Advantage.

In order to best address your concerns, please contact Bayer Product Information at 800/255-6826 and ask for Jill or Annette. We will be happy to answer all your questions at that time.

I contacted Advantage and they told me to call my vet and have the sales rep make a recommendation for my cats to get donations of advantage. If the sales rep agrees I have a flea problem at my house, donations of Advantage will be sent to the vets and I can pick them up. That is great news!:)

[rebeccahowes]

Thanks moonandbean for your last donation to help the final cat in my home. I never expected to ever have all of my cats fixed. I would have been in big trouble since four of my cats were prenant when they got to the vets. That would have been a nightmare. Thanks to everyone who has helped my dream come true. My cats seem happiers and do not want to go outside as much. Alls I have lefts to worry about is taken care of the kittens eyes and getting them good homes. Then I can concentrate on flea control.

[MoonandBean]

Awesome! I hope your vet and the Advantage rep will help you. You're welcome for the help...thanks for all you've done too :)

[Emeraldgreen]

MoonandBean, that is so awesome that you are helping with the last cat!!! Great news!
Cristy that is also so great that you are sending along 2 tubes of Advantage. I have also mailed 2 tubes of Advantage that should arrive shortly so that will take care of 4 of the 7 cats for one month. However, the Advantage I sent was Advantage Multi so Rebecca, you should ask your vet how long you should wait to apply it because it is also a dewormer and you are/will be deworming your cats. You might just have to wait 3 weeks or so.
I'm hoping you received the Drontal by now? I will PM you the dosages for cats as per their weight. There is enough there for you to dose all 7 cats twice if need be (3 weeks apart).
I'm so happy for you that you have 6 cats fixed and a 7th who will be once her kittens are weaned. It's so wonderful.

p.s. if you decide you do want the Siphotrol flea spray, let me know and I will pop it in the mail. It's safe and sold in vet clinics. I know you said there is an issue with getting everybody outside for a few hours so maybe we can line up some cat carriers for you to borrow on a particular day. That way they'd be safe and sound inside their carriers until it was time to go back in?

[rebeccahowes]

Hi everyone. Emerald I did recieve the worm medicine. Thanks! I am not sure how much the cats weigh because the vets only put under 20 pounds as their size. Thanks to everyone who is sending advantage to me. That is great. I can get started on treating a few cats at least. Hopefully, things will work out with the advantage company. Again, thanks everyone.

[rebeccahowes]

Thanks for all of the flea advice. I will try some of them. I wanted to let everyone know that I brought home the really wild cat today. As soon as I opened her cage, she dashed up the stairs and I have not seen her since. She was pregnant too, so thank God she is spayed. :cool:

[pitc9]

I used to use advantage but switched to Interceptor last year, so I'll clean out my kitchen to see if I have any left that I can send you!

I'm SO happy everything has come together for you, your cats and your family!

So money wise... you could use donation for flea treatments right? Everyone is spayed and neutered and paid for.. correct?

Do you have any idea how much your cat’s weight?
On e-bay are kits that are for sale. You get one large tube and a plastic syringe that has a fill line marked on it so you can easily give the correct dosage to each cat. The kit is for 5 doses for cats over 9 pounds. Price+shipping is $19.89. That ends up being only $3.99 per dose!!!

[rebeccahowes]

One cat is left to be spayed and moonandbean is donating for that cat. Fleas seem to be the issue at this point. I know how serious it can be. One year I had a room in my house that if you walked into the room tons of fleas would jump on your legs. I have never had this many cats before so I can only imagine how bad it could be this summer. Thanks for caring and I would appreciate any flea meds you have that you can spare. I am not sure how much my cats weigh. I am sure they are under 10 pounds though. Thanks for everything. Rebecca

[Emeraldgreen]

Hi Rebecca, I'm glad the drontal arrived. I'll post the dosages below. Maybe you can crush the tablets up with the back of a spoon and mix it with stinky cat tuna or you might be able to sneak half a tablet into the pill pockets I sent. But I would think the tuna would be your best bet. :)
p.s. if most of your cats are 10 pounds or under, it looks like they should each receive one tablet.

Exactly how much Drontal Cat you have to administer depends on the animal's weight. Kittens will receive 1/4 or 1/2 of a tablet while adult cats will get 1, 1 and 1/2, or 2 tablets.
This dewormer should not be used in kittens younger than one month or weighing less than 1.5 pounds.


DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION:

2 - 3 pounds half tablet

4 - 8 pounds 1 tablet

9 - 12 pounds 1 tablet

13 - 16 pounds 2 tablets


Drontal Tablets may be given directly by mouth or offered in a small amount of food. Do not withhold food from the cat prior to or after treatment.
Cats maintained under conditions of constant exposure to parasite infections should have a follow-up fecal exam within 2 to 4 weeks after the first treatment.
If reinfection with tapeworms, hookworms or large roundworms occurs, treatment with Drontal Tablets may be repeated.

WARNING:
KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. Consult your veterinarian before administering to sick or pregnant animals.

[cristy]

Got the address...thanks! I will get the meds shipped out either today or tomorrow.

[rebeccahowes]

Thanks everyone for your donations and meds that you are sending. I am going to send some pics of the cats. The three feral cats are taking care of the four kittens. The ferals are all sisters. One feral is very mean and hisses at us. I am scared that the kittens will start behaving like the mean feral and I won't be able to get them homes. We are bringing them downstairs and spending time with them so they get used to people. The mom keeps trying to take them back upstairs. I have some pics for your guys. There is a pic of all three sisters taking care of the four babies. It is so cute. I do not know how to take the pics so that you can enlarge them. If you look at the small pics you will see three big cats in the pic. They are all taking care of the kittens. I guess they sense they will never have babies since I got them spayed. Anyway, I have never seen anything like this in my life. I have three wild ferals and they are living in my home with their babies. They live in my 12 year olds bedroom. It is so sweet.

[Emeraldgreen]

What a wonderful pile of kitties! There is so much love there, thank you for sharing the pics with us.
Which one of the females is the mother of the kittens? Is it the black and white one with black on the nose? Do the adult female ferals have names yet? They are all so beautiful.
I know it must be hard to have one of the ferals hissing all the time but I'm sure she isn't mean, just scared and protective. Before you came into her life, she probably wasn't treated very well by humans. I hope and pray that in time, she will soften up as she realizes how very kind you are! And hopefully they will stay close to home now that they are spayed and won't be so interested in finding male companionship. They look very happy in those pics and don't look like they're too interested in going anywhere! LOL
If they don't have names, maybe we could help you come up with some!:D

[rebeccahowes]

What a wonderful pile of kitties! There is so much love there, thank you for sharing the pics with us.
Which one of the females is the mother of the kittens? Is it the black and white one with black on the nose? Do the adult female ferals have names yet? They are all so beautiful.
I know it must be hard to have one of the ferals hissing all the time but I'm sure she isn't mean, just scared and protective. Before you came into her life, she probably wasn't treated very well by humans. I hope and pray that in time, she will soften up as she realizes how very kind you are! And hopefully they will stay close to home now that they are spayed and won't be so interested in finding male companionship. They look very happy in those pics and don't look like they're too interested in going anywhere! LOL
If they don't have names, maybe we could help you come up with some!:D


You were right on who the mom is. In the way back is another black and white. That is the sister. They both look like cows so we named them moo and moo moo. The calico cat is pandy named after my favorite cat 20 years ago. It is hard to see the kittens, but two are black and white like their mom and there are two tiger striped. One striped cat has no tail. Do you think I will have a problem of getting a home for a kitten without a tail? Glad you enjoyed the pics. It is so funny. Everytime I go to visit the kittens I have to deal with three moms. lol

[Emeraldgreen]

Moo, Moomoo and Pandy are great names!
I would think the cat with no tail will picked for sure. It certainly wouldn't deter me from choosing it.
I wonder if the mom got pregnant by a manx as well? I'm pretty sure that a cat can have a litter that is fathered by multiple males. Have you seen any manx cats around?

[Catty1]

Aww, how cute is THAT??? Mom and Aunties looking out for the kids! :)

I am sure the sisters feel a lot safer being all together. I hope they slowly settle down...they are beautiful girls, for sure! :love:

[AbbyMom]

That was so cute, I had to share those pix with hubby! :)

[pitc9]

What WONDERFUL pictures!!!

[MoonandBean]

Great pictures! Thanks for sharing :)

[rebeccahowes]

Lara I recieved the advantage for a couple of the cats. Thanks so much!

[Emeraldgreen]

You're welcome :)

[rebeccahowes]

I applied the two flea meds to the two worse cats in the house and I called the advantage people. My vet is going to call the sales rep and see if they can get donations of advantage. Thanks Emerald for the two you gave me.

[rebeccahowes]

You guys would not believe the great news I have to share. I am not supposed to tell who the doner is because they don't want everyone calling and asking for donations and I totally understand. Someone has donated to my seven cats 16 doses of Advantage. That is more then enough for all of my cats for two months. That is almost 140 dollars of advantage. I am in awe! When I started this journey, I had six kittens that needed good homes, seven adult cats that needed spay and neurted, flea control, and deworming. That seemed like a tall order and seemed unreachable. I was desparate and felt that I would be the next Tiger Ranch. This goal was very reachable because I found out that all of my five females were pregnant at the same time. I prayed and I prayed and I prayed for help. I was led to this website. Since then, I have had all of the money donated to me to spay and neurter all seven of my adult cats, enough flea meds for two months, and all cats dewormed. I need to say thanks to everyone who has supported me in my journey. It has been very special. To the special people that donated money, kind words, and meds, thank you with all of my heart. My cats have a great life now. They seem so happy and content. I can now turn my worries to things like bills and children without worrying every minuete about my beautiful cats. I have an update on the kittens that were born to the feral cat. They are about four weeks old now. They have three moms. They have their feral mom, and their two feral aunts. It has been quite amazing to watch. All three cats have been feeding and taking care of the kittens. I have been quite concerned that the kittens will turn out feral because one aunt hisses everytime we go near the kittens. The feral mom actually lets me pet her when she is with the kittens. The other aunt has turned out to be the most friendliest cat in the house. There is hope that ferals can turn out to be loving house cats and very devoted. I bring the kittens out to our family everyday and teach them not to be feral. Anyways, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone, I want to give hope to everyone. Love Rebecca

[Moesha]

Thank you for the update. That's great news about the Advantage also.

[Catty1]

Wow. Rebecca - how wonderful and amazing! :D

[carole]

wonderful news rebecca,there are truly some remarkable kind hearted people out there, and you know pat yourself on the back too , because my dear YOU are one of them. HUGS and so happy for you,really I am.:love::love::love::love::love::love:

[MoonandBean]

It is amazing the way this all fell together! Congratulations and THANKS for all of your hard work with this. You really did make a huge difference in the cat overpopulation problem there in Butler :)

[Emeraldgreen]

Awesome news Rebecca!! :) I'm so happy that everything is working out and that so many people have joined together to help you and your cats so that your dream for them could come true. And I agree with Carole, you have worked so hard for these cats by taking them in, loving and feeding them and getting them to the vets and helping them to recuperate after their surgeries. You decided that you needed to do something about it and you stuck with it and you did it. The cats and kittens are very blessed to have you! Thanks for sharing this uplifting update.
The people on PT are truly amazing and have the biggest, kindest hearts and this story sure reflects that! Thank you PT'rs!!

p.s. Thank you 'mystery donor' for helping Rebecca and her cats!!!! :D
I don't know who you are but you are WONDERFUL!!!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so glad to read that everthing is going well.:) Hopefully the fleas and worms will soon be a thing of the past. You've really done a wonderful job with these cats and you should give yourself a great big pat on the back for a job well done.:) Thanks to everyone who donated towards these cats.:)

[Catty1]

Rebecca - now that you have flea and worm control going, I thought this pic from ICHC might give you a smile:

http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/funny-pictures-cat-car-toys-fleas-unchecked.jpg

[Emeraldgreen]

LOL! That's funny! :)

[cristy]

Rebecca...I didn't send the Advantage that I have here because I looked at the expiration date and they are way past. Does anyone know how far past they stay good?? If they are ok, I will still send them, but I didn't want you to give them to the cats and have them not work. The date is 2005.........

[MoonandBean]

From my experience with HUMAN medicine, I would venture to say that at worst, the expired advantage may be a little less effective than it would be otherwise but should be fine to use (no risks) and will probably be just as effective as ever. Companies are required to put expiration dates on "meds" that are way sooner than they actually expire. Most drugs never expire or lose their potency but the FDA requires expiration dates.

[rebeccahowes]

I took some pics of the kittens. One kitten was born without a tail. It is the oddest thing. I hope someone will still want to take him. I have two females and two males.

[MoonandBean]

Oh No! Cuteness overload!!

[Anikaca77]

Hi, I've been following this thread and I have to say it's just amazing and oh my the one kitten that is almost all white with a little tiger in it is just beautiful.

Too bad I have 7 already.

You have a done a great job at taking care of these babies.

Melissa

[Medusa]

I wish I could take the tailless one. It makes me miss my RB Peeka who had to have her tail cut off due to torture from kids. I'm just maxed out and cannot take any more cats. They're all so cute, though, that you probably won't have any trouble placing them.

[rebeccahowes]

All of you are so kind. Thank you so much. Without your support, I would have never gotten this far. It was only months ago when almost everyone disagreed with me putting "free kittens in Butler". I have learned so much since then. I put ads in a few spots today for my final four kittens. My headline was "kittens need homes in Butler". I left out free. There is another lady who uses the same source as I do. She has six kittens. I have competition now. I wrote her and told her that if I get homes for all of my kittens that I will send people to her so she can get good homes for hers. I asked her to do the same for me. Hopefully, we will both get great homes for our kitties. I am happy that my journey is almost over, but sad at the same time. I am going to miss all the little kittens running around my house. The great thing is that my seven adult cats are awesome and I am really glad that they have been spayed and dewormed and defleaded. (I don't know if that is a word.)I want to continue reading and posting to PT. I hope that I can help someone, someday. I will never forget the help that my animals and I recieved at PT. It sometimes is overwhelming because I cannot believe that people are so caring at PT. I truly believed that I was going to become the next Tiger Ranch. I was so scared and did not have any clue to what I was going to do. I just prayed and prayed and prayed some more. All of a sudden you guys were here. You guys were the hands of God reaching out to me. Feel very proud of the part that you played in my animals lives. One of my cats had at least seven litters of kittens. Everytime I turned around, she was pregnant. She was always a good mom and I felt so bad for her, but I could not help. I had seven cats and only one was neutered. It took me a long time to get the money for him. I thought that if I took care of him, it would help reduce the kitten population in my house. My females ran outside and got pregnant anyways. It seems like everytime I put money into my budget to get a cat spayed, my children always needed shoes, clothes, etc. I gave up hope for my cats. My cat over population was so bad that I had a mom cat and her babies; plus, three other cats go to Tiger Ranch last year. I was just getting ready to take five more to Tiger Ranch when I heard the news. I was shocked and scared. I am only supposed to have two cats. Thank God my landlord never comes by. My worse problem is my neighbors. They despise cats and try to kill them. It is going to be a long summer. They escape outside and poop in my neighbors yard. My neighbors have scraped up the poop and put it on my porch. They have called the police on me. The police have told me that I can't feed strays or they become mine. I put a big bowl of catfood outside everyday for all of the strays. Even the birds are eating the catfood and I have bird poop all over my porch. Nothing will deter me from feeding the strays. It is so amazing to see so many animal lovers in one place. Most people hate animals and don't want to bother with them. Landlords don't allow pets and this is why there are so many homeless pets. At least we can all make a difference together. :love:

[Medusa]

Landlords don't allow pets and this is why there are so many homeless pets. At least we can all make a difference together. :love:

There are so many homeless pets because too many people don't spay and neuter their animals. Landlords sometimes don't allow pets, not because they're not animal lovers, but because, left unchecked, animals multiply rapidly and then next thing you know, there's urine and feces and fleas everywhere and they roam the neighborhood and neighbors complain, etc. It's a real problem. Real estate is expensive both to purchase and to maintain and landlords don't want to see their investment get ruined and who can blame them?

It's good to see that you have the animal population under control and that they've been altered and defleaed. I should tell you, though, that if you feed the birds that close to your home and have them come up on the porch, you're going to attract more cats and that's going to cause more problems w/your neighbors, not to mention that having bird droppings on your porch is both unsightly and unhealthy. If it's the cat food that the birds are going after, try moving the cat food farther away from your house. Good luck.

[Medusa]

Most people hate animals and don't want to bother with them.
Please refrain from making a generalized statement like that. It just is not true. Some people, perhaps, but not most.

[rebeccahowes]

I still have the four kittens that need homes. I have ads in four places and I never say "free" anymore because of your guys advice. The kittens are ready to go in about a week and I just started getting a lot of replies and I will choose the best home. I am sad because these are my last kitties. They are such a joy. I am attaching some pics and I want you to see the little kittens and their three feral moms. The most black cat with white is the mom. The other white and black is her sister and the calico is the sister. The calico is so beautiful. She finally let me pet her a few months ago. She was pregnant when I got her spayed; therefore, she has milk. She has been the mom to these kittens and I know that she is going to be very sad when they leave. Today, a little girl brought over a little gray kitten that needed a home. I said "please take the kitten back to your neighborhood, I can't have another cat." I felt so bad. He was so little that I know he will get hit by a car. I have a pic of him too. I just don't know what to do when all of the strays need homes. I feed many strays but when they come to me as kittens it is hard to say no. I would have kept him, but my daughter screamed at me "no". It is hard to be a cat lover because there are so many that need our help. I hope you enjoy the pics and if anyone can tell me how to make my pics bigger like your guys are, will you please let me know.

[rebeccahowes]

Here are the pics that did not attach. There are pics of the ferals. They are black and white and calico. There is a pic of the kitten without a tail and pics of the new kittens.

[rebeccahowes]

I am so bad at this. I am trying to send you guys pics. I feel that it is important so that you can see where all of your love went to. Take a look at the kitten without a tail. He is so cute. Also, the gray kitten is the one that was at my house this eve. The big black and whites are feral and also is the calico. The kittens are adorable and hopefully I find them good homes. I have 11 at this moment. That is quite a bit since I am only suppossed to have 2.

[MoonandBean]

They are all very adorable and lucky to have the life you are giving them. You will find good homes for the kittens and then you can just enjoy your crew and not have to worry about multiplying :)

[Medusa]

How I wish I could take the little tailless one. I miss my RB Peeka so much and she had to have her tail amputated. But I can't. I just can't. Good luck w/finding them homes. They're so sweet, especially that little guy. The calico looks like my Puddy.

[Catty1]

Y'know, Rebecca - if people show up with kittens to give you, I hope you are able to get through to them the idea to do what you did - for the mom and dad to invest in spaying and neutering for the cats around their place.

Kind of like a neighbourhood improvement tax!

There is a town somewhere in the USA - I forget which - where the trap/neuter/return program eliminated the stray cat problem.

A quote from one site:
Without any controls, a population of two cats can explode into a colony of more than 300 in three years, Bertoglio said.

Here is a link to a couple of places: http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/citizen_watchdog/blog/feral_cats/

Also see here! http://www.alleycat.org/wheretnr.html

For a fraction of the taxpayer's $$, and with volunteers, neighbourhoods and areas can be totally feral-free...no new wild kittens.:)

Surely some folks in your area might get on board with this? And ask the nasty neighbours to donate? ;)

Think about it....:)

[Medusa]

Y'know, Rebecca - if people show up with kittens to give you, I hope you are able to get through to them the idea to do what you did - for the mom and dad to invest in spaying and neutering for the cats around their place.

Kind of like a neighbourhood improvement tax!

There is a town somewhere in the USA - I forget which - where the trap/neuter/return program eliminated the stray cat problem.

A quote from one site:

Here is a link to a couple of places: http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/citizen_watchdog/blog/feral_cats/

Also see here! http://www.alleycat.org/wheretnr.html

For a fraction of the taxpayer's $$, and with volunteers, neighbourhoods and areas can be totally feral-free...no new wild kittens.:)

Surely some folks in your area might get on board with this? And ask the nasty neighbours to donate? ;)

Think about it....:)

It's a great idea, Candace! When I was actively involved in rescue, the word spread quickly and people were even trying to drop off chickens at my place! I had to get on my soap box and talk to them about altering their animals and taking responsibility for it themselves. This could definitely help solve the problem. You're always thinkin', aren't ya, girl? You should've been a P.I. :)

[rebeccahowes]

In the last two weeks I have had two cats killed on my street. My twelve year old nephew witnessed the last cat killed. He cried the whole night. It is so sad about how many cats live outside my house. There are tons of strays. The little kitten that came by tonight made me sad. I definitely did not want to send him to the streets. I have had a bunch of replies to the four kittens that need homes. I hope that I can get them great homes. I know that the only thing I can do for the feral strays is pray and leave them food. I lived in San Diego where there were alot of homeless people. It is so sad when cats and people are homeless. I hope that when I finish getting help for all of my cats that I can somehow help the homeless cats. It is hard though because they run as soon as I open the door.

[rebeccahowes]

I live on the Island. It is the worse place in Butler. The person that brought me the little gray kitten was a little girl of about 11. I told her that I could not keep the cat. She left it on my back porch. What am I suppossed to do? I asked her to take the kitten back to her neighborhood. Tonight I worry about that cute little kitten. It is probably starving or being chased by a dog or mean little boys. Gosh, it is so hard to say know. I love animals and children with all of my heart. It is so hard to say no. The good news is that I only have one more cat to be spayed out of seven. She goes on June 17. I have a lot of replies for the four kittens. After I finish taking care of my own cats I am going to try and find a way to take care of the cats outside. Remember I adopted three outside cats last winter. They are now spayed and live in my home. They are so beautiful and two of them let me pet them. The other one hisses. That makes me laugh. I wonder why a cat would live in a home with seven or more people and hate us. That is amazing. She never wants to go outside. I will attach a pic. This cat is amazing. They lived on my back porch when they were babies. I am glad they adopted me. They are so special.

[Catty1]

Rebecca...I just wondered if maybe someone else on the island might want to start up a TNR - and get several people together to do it.

It's a lot easier if there is a town ordinance that allows it...if someone could figure out how much it would save the town (its shelters) in money, they might go for it with some funding for the spays and neuters.

I am not suggesting you take all this on...you still have another kitty to spay, and all - but if and when you get a chance to check the links I posted, you might find people who can help.

TNR has made huge differences in areas where it has been implemented.

HUGS! You are doing great, and doing so much for so many already!:)

[rebeccahowes]

You are such a positive person and always have nice things to say. You inspire me. Unfortunately, where I live, people only care about crack and alcohol. People would laugh at me if I ever mentioned getting help for cats. But that is ok. I will take on this job. I love every minute of it.

[Medusa]

Unfortunately, where I live, people only care about crack and alcohol. People would laugh at me if I ever mentioned getting help for cats. But that is ok. I will take on this job. I love every minute of it.
Mention it anyhow. There have got to be more people like you that want to help. You'd be surprised, when you start talking to people, how helpful they can be. Check out the links that Candace posted and give it a whirl. It certainly couldn't hurt and it may just get things going and you wouldn't feel so overwhelmed. :)

[Anikaca77]

What if signs were posted around about TNR and how maybe you can get low cost spay/neuters?




You are such a positive person and always have nice things to say. You inspire me. Unfortunately, where I live, people only care about crack and alcohol. People would laugh at me if I ever mentioned getting help for cats. But that is ok. I will take on this job. I love every minute of it.

[Emeraldgreen]

Hi Rebecca, your kittens are scrumptious! I LOVE the one without the tail, so cute. I'm sure you'll find good homes for them and if people continue to contact you after the kittens are gone, maybe you could tell them about the little grey kitten?

The 'trap, neuter and release' program is a great idea. I looked through the original 'free kittens in Butler' thread because I remembered writing something about another woman who does this in your area. Here it is:


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!


And when I spoke with Pam at the Suburban Animal Hospital, she also told me about a man (she didn't give me his name) who traps ferals and brings them to their clinic to get them fixed. Maybe you could contact the hospital and ask them if they could give you the phone numbers of these two people to see if you could get involved and they might be able to help you focus on the cats in your area. It would be alot easier if you had the support of others who are already doing this and they are near where you live so it makes sense.
You have such a passion for these cats, it would be wonderful if you could continue to help them. Thanks for looking out for them! :)

[Medusa]

Hi Rebecca, your kittens are scrumptious! I LOVE the one without the tail, so cute. I'm sure you'll find good homes for them and if people continue to contact you after the kittens are gone, maybe you could tell them about the little grey kitten?

The 'trap, neuter and release' program is a great idea. I looked through the original 'free kittens in Butler' thread because I remembered writing something about another woman who does this in your area. Here it is:



And when I spoke with Pam at the Suburban Animal Hospital, she also told me about a man (she didn't give me his name) who traps ferals and brings them to their clinic to get them fixed. Maybe you could contact the hospital and ask them if they could give you the phone numbers of these two people to see if you could get involved and they might be able to help you focus on the cats in your area. It would be alot easier if you had the support of others who are already doing this and they are near where you live so it makes sense.
You have such a passion for these cats, it would be wonderful if you could continue to help them. Thanks for looking out for them! :)

This is all so wonderful, Emeraldgreen. Obviously, people know that Rebecca is rescuing cats or else the little girl wouldn't have known to take her kitten there. I'm sure w/just a little bit of followup on Rebecca's part, this could all work out wonderfully for the ferals and take some of the pressure off Rebecca. There are others out there who care; it just takes a little time and investigation to find them and you've gotten things off to a good start and made it really easy for Rebecca. :)

[carole]

Rebecca just remember you are doing your very best, in a very difficult situation, it is extremely sad that it appears no-one else cares, but you might indeed be suprised, so might just be worth putting some feelers out,it can't hurt can it?,i sure can understand where you are coming from though.

It is sad to say but you cannot save them all, you are but one person,at least you have stepped up here and taken on this responsibility instead of burying your head in the sand like others.

To those people who moan about the cats, if i were you i would put it to them, what about the good they do in the neighbour hood like keeping the vermin down,and as for using gardens, well i imagine it would make darn good fertiliser, people are so ready to find the worst in cats, but they don't think about the good they do as well do they?

Good luck with your continuation of helping these cats, you are a lady who can well hold her head high, and know that you are special in every way,and what goes around comes around i strongly believe in this ,i know for you the rewards are simple, seeing the cats have a better life,and because of YOU, this is something those dear kitties can have, HUGS.:love::love::love::love::love::love:

[rebeccahowes]

You all have great solutions and I will check into all of them. I definitely want to get help for the feral cats outside so there are less to get killed on the streets. Thanks for every nice everyone has said. You made my day. Rebecca

[rebeccahowes]

I got a good home for one kitten, but have not gotten any leads on the last three kittens. I am kind of getting scared. I have put ads in four places. What do I do if I can't get homes for the last three? That will make ten cats.

[rebeccahowes]

I sent some pics. I don't know what to do becaue no one is replying to my ads. I did not put free in the ads. What do I do if I can't get homes for the three kittens. Is ten too much?

[Catty1]

Rebecca - this time of year school is getting out, and people are planning for holidays...they are just busier, give it more time...

"Save on gas - raise a kitten!" ;)

Just keep the ads going...maybe connect up with those other two people, or the other lady with kittens (ask her how it is going).

HUGS!

[rebeccahowes]

Hi everyone, I have two kittens left out of the four that were born seven weeks ago. The final adult cat will be spayed on the 17th. I attached some pics. The big black and white cat is the mom and the calico is the sister. She is feeding the kittens. She was pregnant when she got spayed and still has milk. The little ones are the kittens that were born seven weeks ago. They have been such a pleasure. They are stretched out because it is close to 100 degrees in our city. We are all having a rough time with the heat, especially the cats with their fur coats. I can't wait until the winter comes back.

[rebeccahowes]

Hi everyone! I had an appointment for the last feral cat to be spayed, but she disappeared on her appointment day. She is rescheduled for the middle of July. I had a new litter of kittens and was able to find good homes for two. I still have two kittens left. If I keep the two kittens, I will have nine cats. I want to know if everyone thinks that nine cats are ok in a four story house. I feel that I can handle the situation, but I do have a landlord that will never understand and my 20 year old is not happy with the situation. I don't want to be a hoarder, but there is no where to take the cats to and no body usually adopts older cats. I am willing to take on the job and almost everyone is spayed. The kittens can be spayed in four months and from the donations I recieved, I can spay one kitten and I am sure I can come up with the money for the other kitten. That means that all nine cats will be spayed. I can afford the food and cat litter and I have all the patience in the world and love everyone of my cats. Do you guys think I am crazy? The fact is that I have no where to take any of the cats. The shelters charge 50 dollars and Tiger Ranch is no longer around. Second, I would never want to take them to a shelter. There is no guarantee that they would get a home. Does anyone else have nine animals? I just don't want to seem like a hoarder. My landord never comes over; therefore, I don't have to worry about him. I have lived here for seven years and he never bugs me. Thanks for everything, everyone. Love Rebecca

[Moesha]

What are you going to do if the feral cat is pregnant again by the time of her appointment in July? What about if any one or more of them needs major medical attention? Is the flea problem fixed? There are others here that have more kitties in the house and could probably give better advice than me. I would just be concerned.

[Emeraldgreen]

Hi Rebecca. I'm so surprised that no one wanted the sweet little one without the tail! They are both cute but that one stole my heart!
It's hard to say if it's a good idea or not for you to keep the two kittens. I have 9 cats but it's a handful and financially a big deal. A few years ago it didn't seem to cost that much but over the past couple of years, I've been dealing with health issues with 4 of my cats and it has really added up. It's so unpredictable when one of them is going to need vet care. One of the reasons we are selling our home is to move to a more affordable place so they can all get the vet care they need whenever that need arises. Our house is pretty big too, lots of room for everybody but it's expensive to care for so many animals. We do spend quite a bit of money on holistic dry food for them rather than the cheap stuff but I think in the end it helps reduce future vet bills. And, we seem to adopt a cat every 2 years or so and it's usually after one of our cats has passed away and a space has opened up. Part of me wishes I could take in all the needy cats but I just know that I could not handle it and they would not get the care they deserve or the attention.

Maybe there is another PT'r in PA who rescues kittens who could take these two in? I'm not sure if there is someone who could but it's just an idea.

Also, I wonder if you could ask the local shelter if you could place the kittens there and if no one adopts them within a month or two, you could take them back? I have no idea if this is an option but maybe worth asking about. This way they would get a chance to possibly get a home and if no one comes for them, they can have a home with you?

How is the flea situation going these days? I hope that your family and all the cats are not being bitten by them. Do you still have flea meds left to continue administering?

Anyway, hope all is well. Good to hear from you and please keep us updated with your fur family. :) Those kittens are so adorable.

p.s. Like Moesha, I'm concerned about the adult feral getting pregnant again. Is there a way for you to keep her in a room until her spay date? It might sound like a long time but really it would only be about 2 or 3 weeks and if you could avoid another litter on your hands, it would be so worth it. If you are having trouble finding homes for these last two cuties, a whole new litter will be even harder.

[rebeccahowes]

Hi, I am also concerned, but I feel that I have the solutions to my problem. First, if the feral cat is pregnant, it costs an extra 20 dollars and I have 100 on my account thanks to someone special on the boards. It is 45 regularly and 65 if they are pregnant. That leaves me almost enough to get one kitten spayed. I have four months to come up with another 45 for the other kitten. The flea problem has been solved thanks to donations of a three month supply of advantage. The worm problem has been solved because of donations. If there is a major medical problem, I will not be able to do a thing. Even if I had one cat, I would not be able to help them. So far, in my life of having cats, nothing has ever gone wrong except fleas and worms. I feel blessed. I do live on a busy street and I have had four cats hit by cars. They died instantly. I try to keep them inside, but it is truly impossible because I have five children and all of their friends running in and out. The cats are very fast. When they want out, they find a way out. Thanks for your concerns and I hope this letter answers all of your questions. Love Rebecca

[Moesha]

Rebecca,
I know your heart is in the right place wanting to help these and all kitties. I have 8 that I am taking care of and a dog. Last month my vet bill alone, not counting food or litter or normal expenses, was $550. That was just routine attention. No major problems. What will you do if you get the fleas and worms back? Without continual monthly medicines, which are expensive, it is very possible that they will come back, especially with the cats that go in and out. People were able to generously donate to help you out and get everyone healthy. Keeping them that way is hard. Nine cats is a HUGE undertaking. Much bigger than just providing litter and food. Believe me, I know. I would not recommend that you add to the crew that you have now. Especially with the cost of everything going up, owning pets is not going to get any more affordable in the near future.

[rebeccahowes]

It is so good to hear from you. I miss talking to you. Here is the situation. Because of donations of Advantage, all cats are without fleas. In my town, you have to pay 50 dollars to take your cat to the pound. There is no exceptions. I have put up ads in four different places to get the kittens homes, but the problem is that there are ten ads for free kittens, not counting mine. I hope that nothing bad ever happens to the cats. So far, my cats have always been ok. I have no choice in this situation. There is no where to take the cats and I am not going to kick them outside. I just pray that God takes care of my cats. Love Rebecca

[Medusa]

I have 8 cats and, until recently, worked two jobs. Just last month alone, I spent over $1000 for vet care. If two of my cats get sick at once, as they did last month, it's a major expense. All my cats are indoor so I'm not too concerned about fleas or worms although it's been known to happen anyhow. As you know, flea meds are expensive and need to be administered monthly, especially if your cats go in and out regularly. Also, you mentioned that your daughter is opposed to taking in more cats and my motto has always been "People first". Do your best to help the cats but your family should have a say in this. Just my opinion but if I feel in my heart that I can't afford the pet, I won't add it to my household. True, circumstances change and we can't turn an animal out if we lose our job, as did happen to me, unless we're absolutely backed up against a wall and then it might be that we have to find homes for our pets. All these things need to be taken into consideration before taking on the responsibility. I would never presume to tell someone how many cats are too many. There are people here on PT who have more cats than I and they take excellent care of them. But, as you are aware, the cat population can all too easily get out of control and if that other feral does get pregnant, then there ya go. That will mean more kittens to have altered besides the mama and flea meds and shots for all of them. I'd do my best to keep trying to place the kittens if I were you and get that mama altered ASAP.

[rebeccahowes]

I understand the concerns, but what can I do at this time. There is no where to take the cats. I have to take care of them. I have no other choice.

[Medusa]

You mentioned that your landlord will never understand your having so many cats, then later in the post you said that he never checks. So my gut feeling is that you do have concerns in this regard or you wouldn't have mentioned it. If it states in your lease how many pets you can have and you break the conditions of your lease by having too many cats, your landlord has the legal right to evict you and you certainly don't want that. You asked what else you can do. You can do what Emeraldgreen suggested. At least give it a whirl. You asked for opinions and you got them. Good luck. :)

[Catty1]

Does your 2-year-old know anyone that might take the kittens?

An answer will come up...give kitten season a bit of time to settle.

PRAYERS - your kitties are safe, healthy, and have great homes!

(rent and watch The Secret, if you can. Warning: don't start watching it after 8 pm unless you are an insomniac! I've seen it twice and have begun applying the very simple principle in it.)

{{{{hugs}}}}

[rebeccahowes]

If the final adult cat gets pregnant it will be no problem. The vet will take care of it. I am having no more cats born into this world. I am putting the two kittens on four different sites to try to get them homes. I can afford flea and worm control if it becomes necessary. It will be hard, but I will find a way. My question is this: it seems that everyone that has replied feels that I should not have this many cats. Does anyone have an answer to how I find other homes for them? In PA, people barely take kittens and they definitely don't take older cats. Seven of my cats are adults. I appreciate any advice. Thanks, Rebecca

[rebeccahowes]

I know that Emerald gave me some ideas, but they won't work in this town. There is no way to get homes for adult cats. I have put up four ads for the kittens and I may be able to get them homes, but that will still leave me with seven. I don't really have a choice in this matter. Rebecca

[rebeccahowes]

I am allowed to have two cats. If he finds out, I am not sure what he will do. I have been here for seven years and I hope that I explained my situation that he will understand. I am just so happy that he rarely comes to my house.:cool:

[Medusa]

Maybe there is another PT'r in PA who rescues kittens who could take these two in? I'm not sure if there is someone who could but it's just an idea.

Also, I wonder if you could ask the local shelter if you could place the kittens there and if no one adopts them within a month or two, you could take them back? I have no idea if this is an option but maybe worth asking about. This way they would get a chance to possibly get a home and if no one comes for them, they can have a home with you?



p.s. Like Moesha, I'm concerned about the adult feral getting pregnant again. Is there a way for you to keep her in a room until her spay date? It might sound like a long time but really it would only be about 2 or 3 weeks and if you could avoid another litter on your hands, it would be so worth it. If you are having trouble finding homes for these last two cuties, a whole new litter will be even harder.


These are the ideas to which I was referring, Rebecca. It doesn't hurt to at least ask the shelter if this is an option for the kittens. And if you can keep the feral isolated on your strict orders for a couple of weeks to avoid another litter, that could be the way to go. No one said anything about trying to find the adult feral a home, as you mentioned. What we said was to get her spayed so that she doesn't reproduce. PA is a large state, so if you can, try to find someone who also rescues cats/kittens that might be able and willing to take the two remaining kittens as a foster home until a permanent home can be found. Networking is a wonderful thing, as you have experienced by posting here on PT. If you can connect w/other rescuers in PA, it could be the answer to your prayers.

[rebeccahowes]

Hi everyone, on Wensday I have to catch the final adult feral cat in order to get her spayed. She has a big wound on her neck which I am going to get treated at the vets. I am not sure how to catch her without hurting her neck. My husband normally catches the cats by grabbing them like the mom does. I am scared that this will hurt her. Also, I could not catch her for her last appointment and they will be very mad if I don't make it to this appointment. Does anyone have ideas on how to catch a feral cat? Thanks!!

[Catty1]

Big towel or smaller blanket (THICK), drop it over her from behind and pick up the writhing fabric!

Prayers that you can catch her...and maybe she will get a bit more friendly after the surgery.

[Emeraldgreen]

Hi Rebecca, is there anyway you can get ahold of a 'heart trap' through the vet? They said they usually have one on hand but a few months ago it was on loan but it's probably been returned by now. You wouldn't have much time to get her used to eating in it but it's worth a try. If you get the trap you can try and lock up all the other cats in different rooms so they don't get caught in it or better yet, try and corral her into one room by herself. Then put a plate of stinky cat food in the back of the trap and set it. When she goes in to eat, the door will fall behind her. The only thing is that she will need to be fasted from midnight the night before the surgery. Do you think the vet would allow you to bring her in the day before if you manage to catch her? That way they can put her in a larger cage at the clinic until the following morning.

If you can't get a trap, Candace's idea of a heavy blanket or towel is a good one. Just make sure you put her into a cage after that because you don't want to try and take her to the vet just wrapped in a blanket. I met someone a few weeks ago in Northern B.C. who took their cat to the vet for a wound on it's neck and had it wrapped in a blanket and when the husband got out of the car with the cat in his arms, it jumped down and bolted into the woods across from the vet clinic. That was a month ago and they haven't seen their poor cat. :(

[rebeccahowes]

Both of you have very good ideas. I was going to call the vet on Tuesday and ask them if I catch her, can I bring her in early. That way I have two days to catch her. I will call about the have a heart trap. I am worried about what happened to her neck. It is a big wound. I am going to ask them to treat the wound and de flea at the same time. It is so exhausting with feral cats. You want to treat them, but they won't let you.

[Moesha]

I hope that you are able to get the kitty!

[rebeccahowes]

I wanted to let everyone know that I caught the last feral cat and got her to the vets to be spayed. It took seven people to catch her and my husband got bit pretty bad. I had them put flea meds on her. She had a big sore on her neck from scratching fleas. She is home now, but the bad thing is she got out an open window. I hope she comes back. The other two kittens are going to be neurtred in October when they are six months old. After that, all of my cats will be taken care of. The cat that came home today had kittens 8 weeks ago. They said she was pregnant at the doctors. That would have been six litters of kittens I would have had. I came to you guys because I did not want to become the next Tiger Ranch. Thank you all so much for making my dream come true. I would have never been able to afford to get all of my cats fixed. I have nine now and it does not seem to bad. Thanks everyone!!:love:

[momtomany]

If your husband got bit, he will probably will need to go on antibiotics. Unfortunately it is very easy to get a infection from a bite, especially if it is a puncture wound. Most common treatment is usually Augmentin.

[carole]

yes please take hubby to see about that bite especially a feral cat, who know's what bugs are in her mouth, Ash bit our daughter a week ago and i got her straight on to them, and she is fine, Augmentin can be be very tough on the old tummy, she was given amoxicillian, so there are other' suitable ones out there.

Cat bites can become very serious indeed, please take care and WELL DONE both of you, awesome what you have been doing, and i am so happy to hear you managed to get her, you are doing a wonderful job, i cannot praise you enough.:)

[Emeraldgreen]

Hi Rebecca, I'm so glad to hear that your last feral has been spayed! That is great. Two kitties to go and your done. :)
How is the feral doing and has her wound cleared up? Has she come back yet?

[rebeccahowes]

I do not know how she is doing. She is really upset with us and stays outside most of the time. I have not seen her for two days. I am really worried about her. I hope she is ok. Hopefully she will be ok. She was pregnant too. My other two feral cats are feeding the kittens and cleaning them. I talked to the people who do the cats for low cost and they said I can bring my last two cats in October to be neurted. One of the kittens is going potty anywhere but the cat litter box. Does anyone have advice on how to get him to go in the cat litter box. I am constantly cleaning it and the others do not mind going in the cat litter box. Thanks for everyone's concerns and prayers.:love:

[Catty1]

Is it possible to set up an extra box? Even a cardboard one, temporarily? Some kitties are funny and want their own potty space!


I hope you see the feral girl soon! PT Prayers for that girl.:love:

[rebeccahowes]

Is it possible to set up an extra box? Even a cardboard one, temporarily? Some kitties are funny and want their own potty space! (quote)..


I have an extra kitty potty box. I can set that up for the kitten, but how do I keep the other kitties from using the box? Especially, when I am sleeping. I used to have a cat that ate on top of the refrigerator. She would look down on all of the other cats eating on the floor. Cats are funny. My house is starting to smell really bad. The kitten was going in our bathroom so we keep the bathroom closed. Now he is going anywhere and everywhere. I clean up six poop piles a day. I have never had this problem before. I saw the cat that got spayed sitting on my front porch this eve. She will not come in the house. I feel so sad. I loved her alot, even though I was not allowed to pet her. She had a great personality. The other cats seem to have no problems with us trapping them and taking them to the doctors. At least I am glad that she has her rabies shots, flea medicine, and was spayed.

[Catty1]

Is your bathroom big enough to put the other litter box in it, and show the kitten where it is? I'm just thinking - if that is where it decided to potty to begin with, you might want to go with the flow (so to speak) until a home for the kitten turns up (I know, I know...but some day).

Given that the kitten picked a particular spot, maybe s/he is feeling territorial with a lot of other cats around. This individual kitten just might be quirky that way!

I am glad the feral girl is back. Take heart - she didn't hide from you for days and days, so she may 'come back' more than she is now. Glad she reappeared...are you able to see if her neck is healing? Was the vet able to treat it at all?

HUGS - you're a great meowmom!:)

[rebeccahowes]

I was not able to see her neck. I could not get very close. The vet gave her a shot to stop the scratching. Hopefully, all is well with her sore. I put a cat litter box close to the bathroom and the kitten went in it and pooped. That was amazing. Thanks for the advice. I hope he continues and the other cats don't try to use his box. Thanks so much!!!

[Catty1]

I hope he continues and the other cats don't try to use his box.

Have you tried writing his name on it?:D

Good show!

[rebeccahowes]

Have you tried writing his name on it? (quote) That was funny:D

[Emeraldgreen]

That is GREAT that the kitty is using the box again. Not sure if he likes the bathroom as a location or if it's just that the bathroom is where he 'learned' to use the box. Maybe he thinks he supposed to only use that particular box and if the door is closed he just goes anywhere. If you want the bathroom to be a 'kitty free' zone you could train the cat to continue using that box but each day move it an inch closer to the door until it's eventually outside the door and then you can start moving it down the hall etc.. etc.. until you have it where you want it. Moving it from one place to another in one shot can be confusing, especially for a 'wee' guy. No pun intended. LOL :D

The same concept might work for you feral cat too. I'm glad to hear that she is back on the scene and hanging around the porch area. You could provide her with some treats or wet cat food and each night give it to her a little closer to your front door and then hopefully inside the door and back into the house at some point. She may also be looking for some time away from her kittens, especially now that she has been spayed. I know you said the other ferals are caretaking the babies but she may just want her freedom right now.

[rebeccahowes]

I actually put the cat litter box in my kitchen which is a couple feet from the bathroom. My oldest daughter refused to have a litter box where she takes a shower. The kitten went there again today. I am so happy. I can't believe how territorial cats are. I hid it behind my garbage can so that he is the only one who knows where it is. The newly spayed cat is wandering in and out. She is really scared of us right now. I am sure she will come back inside during the winter. It was nice to talk to all of you. Two more kitties to go and all is well.

[Medusa]

I actually put the cat litter box in my kitchen which is a couple feet from the bathroom. My oldest daughter refused to have a litter box where she takes a shower.


I can't say that I blame her, although I know it's tough if space is limited. However, it's wise to remove the litterbox from your kitchen. That's just plain unhealthy. You have no idea of the germs that could be transmitted to your food. For the health of your family, place the litterbox elsewhere. It seems like things are moving along fairly smoothly otherwise. :)

[rebeccahowes]

Thanks for the advice. I will find another place to put the litter box.

[Catty1]

Mary - since the kitten is using his box now, do you think putting a hood on it and keeping it in the kitchen would be ok as far as germs go?

Maybe if a hood was on it, then Rebecca's daughter wouldn't mind it in the bathroom, there's a thought.

I'd just hate to see the little guy relapse!:)

[rebeccahowes]

I am kind of worried about the relapse too. He is doing so well and I fear that if I move his box he will start going all over the house again. He was going everywhere. I hid the box so the other cats do not go in it. Any advice?

[Medusa]

Mary - since the kitten is using his box now, do you think putting a hood on it and keeping it in the kitchen would be ok as far as germs go?

Maybe if a hood was on it, then Rebecca's daughter wouldn't mind it in the bathroom, there's a thought.

I'd just hate to see the little guy relapse!:)

I do understand about not wanting him to relapse but, trust me on this one, no litterbox in the kitchen. Years ago, when my (then) husband and I were living in base housing (he was in the AF), I had a spare small fridge but no room for it, so I put it in the bathroom, just to store cold drinks, etc. Somehow the base dr. got wind of it and lectured me sternly about all the diseases that we could get from the toilet being too close to the fridge. Then he said "You don't have cats, do you?" At that time, we didn't but he told me about keeping litterboxes away from food, as well. Even your toothbrush should be as far away as possible from the toilet. You can become deathly ill. Don't do it. People first.

[Emeraldgreen]

I am kind of worried about the relapse too. He is doing so well and I fear that if I move his box he will start going all over the house again. He was going everywhere. I hid the box so the other cats do not go in it. Any advice?

Rebecca, you could do the 'moving the litterbox inch by inch' thing from the kitchen to wherever you want to keep it. Literally just move it a teenie bit at a time and I think the kitten will continue to use it. I'm guessing that the kitten doesn't have an issue with sharing the box (providing it's nice and clean) but it may be more about the scent of the box and the whole attachment thing he might have with it being his first box and he's just plain used to it.:)
Even if it takes you a week or more to get the box moved inch by inch to wherever you need it to be, and the box ends up staying in the kitchen for another week until it's out the door and in the room you want it, it will be better than leaving it in the kitchen or moving it in one big sudden move which could potentially make the kitten confused and pee in the wrong places. :)

[rebeccahowes]

Hi Emerald,

I think the whole problem is that he does not want to share. I clean the cat litter boxes everyday. My cats will not stand for them to be dirty. I used to have a cat that I had to put on top of the refrigerator in order for her to eat. She thought she was a queen and would not eat with the rest of the cats. I believe this kitten does not want to share his box. He has been really good at going in the box and I am so happy not to clean up poop piles all day long. I think I can inch the box out, but I am not sure where to put it at this time. I have to keep it hid from the other cats. Right now it is behind the garbage and I showed him where it was so he keeps going back. I will see what I can do. Thanks for sharing.