My Stray Cat dilemma, HELP!!

[ramanth]

Okay, I hope this makes sense. There are some stray cats that live near my apartment complex. One is a small gray female Tabby I call Stripes, the other is a female Calico I call Patches, and the third cat is white with a brown tail, whom I call Brown Tail. (inventive.. I know. :rolleyes: )

All these cats I see off and on. I first saw Brown Tail around July. Lets assume it's a he... won't let anyone near him. One of the reasons I call him Brown Tail because it's all I see as he runs from me.

While walking Kia in August, I met Stripes for the first time. She ran from me and I attributed it to having Kia with me, so I took Kia inside and grabbed a few hot dogs. I sat down where I last saw Stripes and 45 minutes and 5 hot dogs later, Stripes was batting her head up against me and letting me pet her.

Nearby there was an apartment with food and water outside the door. I've met the guy before.. he's odd but friendly. I figure he just likes animals and feeds the strays.

When I tried to pick her up, she scratched me and ran.

I met Patches for the first time in early October. She was eating out of the bowl and I slowly approached her figuring she'd run away. But she ran right up to me and I sat down to pet her. Her teets were engorged but I couldn't tell if she was pregnant or had already had kittens.

Just as I was about to leave Patches, Stripes showed up. I hadn't seen Stripes since July. I walked slowly towards her and she must of remembered me because she didn't run and came to me. Her teets are also engorged. Despite the last incident, I picked up Stripes to bring her closer to me and Patches. Bad idea. The two of them started fighting. I got them to split up and I left them to take Kia out.

I saw Stripes while walking Kia and followed her. She crossed the railroad tracks and I lost her when she went thru a fence.

I haven't seen any of them since, but my neighbor Hila said yesterday, she saw the Calico with some kittens but when she tried to approach they all ran into the woods.

I don't know what to do. I can't afford to take all the cats in even if I were to catch them. I'd like to keep one, but who do I chose? If I take them to a shelter, will they die?

It's going to get colder soon... it's already in the 30's and 40's. Patches could stand to gain a little more weight but other than that all of these cats are clean. No fleas, dirt, huge injuries... nothing!

:confused:

What should I do?

[AmberLee]

I just learned yesterday (VERY SLOW learner, sigh...) that my county has a very low cost spay/neuter program for ferals. Could you check and see whether your county does the same? Do you know if there are any no-kill shelters available there?

[moosmom]

Kimmy,

What you have seen is feral cats in action. The longer the kittens stay with the mama, the more feral (wild) they become. The only way you'll be able to catch them is to humanely trap them. It takes time and patience. Once they are caught, you will need to put them in a cage in a quiet room with music and soft lighting, and food and water. The main concern is trapping the mama and having her fixed. That will also take time and patience. It's a huge undertaking by a single person. I know because I've done it many times. What you might want to consider doing is calling an animal rescue group in your area to see if they'd be willing to trap, neuter and release the adults. The kittens might be able to find homes providing they can be socialized.

If you want to help them with shelter, go get a couple of 20 gallon green storage bins with tops. Cut a hole in the side and flip it upside down on it's lid. Fill it with newspaper and straw for insulation. This will give them some place to go if the weather gets really bad. Keep water and food dishes around with dry food so they have something to eat. See if the guy you talked to is willing to pitch in.

It's sad that irresponsible pet owners think it's okay to just let their pets go to "fend for themselves". THAT is a big misconception. I commend you for your concern and hope you can find a rescue organization willing to help. When I get home tonight, I will post again with links to organizations in your area.

Good luck girlfriend. Let me know how you make out.

[ramanth]

Thanks for the help and ideas. I'm going to approach the office manager and ask if I can put out the bins. They are so concerned about the 'look' of their area now. (They are cracking down on litter bugs and people who don't clean up after their pooches)

The only shelters I know of close to me is the Humane Society in Lansing and the shelter (pound) in Mason.

I'll walk Kia as soon as I get home from work, then I'll try to spot the cats. I HATE how dark it gets. It'll make it even that more hard. :(

[ramanth]

Last night around 6, I saw one of the kittens. He was deep in the brush in the woods sitting on a limb of a tree.

I rushed Kia back to the apartment, grabbed some lunch meat and went back. As luck would have it the kitten was still there.

As I got closer to the tree, the kitten climbed higher but he wasn't totally out of my reach. I tried to coax him down a little with the lunch meat and I thought it was working when he leapt from the branch and as soon as he hit the ground he was gone into the deep brush.

I was so mad at myself!! :mad: :(

I went back to get Kia so I could finish her walk. Then at 7 went back towards the woods where I last the kitten. Kia perked her ears up and suddenly a different kitten flew up the same tree. Again, I took Kia back to the apartment and went back to where the kittens were. Two kittens went darting off into the brush, one climbing a different tree. I knelt down, hoping to coax them near me with food. No luck.

Went back into my apartment and :eek: I have BLOOD on my knees!! I must of knelt in momma cats dinner. ewww....

Upset at my failure to catch any of the kittens, I went to bed.

This morning I looked out my bedroom window and there was Patches and a kitten eating out of the bowl. So I grabbed my coat and went out there. The kitten ran but Patches came running up to me and I happily pet her.

The kitten had gone inside a pipe and came out tentively and watched me pet Patches. When the kitten would run into the pipe, Patches would go over and call her out. And so the kitten would come out and watch me pet it's momma.

The gentlman came out of his apartment and we chatted. He said he wants to do something to the pipe to make sure the kittens can't get into it again.

I'm going to make a shelter for them like Moosmom suggested and put it in the woods.

If I get a humane trap, will I only be able to catch them one at a time?

[moosmom]

Kimmy,

The "Havaheart" traps are the best. Unfortunately they can only trap one cat at a time, although I did have one occasion where 3 of the kittens I was trying to get walked into the trap and tripped the door. I was VERY lucky.

If you do decide to trap them, use sardines. Cover the trap with a sheet. Dribble sardine juice leading to the trap with a tiny bit of fish on the outside. That will let the cat know there's more where that came from. Then cut a piece of paper plate in the shape of a triangle. Put a whole bunch of sardines on that and put it in the very back of the trap. This way the cat will be busy eating when the door shuts. Once the cat is in the trap it'll thrash around and maybe even hurt itself. The best way to calm the cat or kitten down is to cover the trap. Talk softly to him/her but don't lift the cover. In order to get the cat to a vet or low cost spay/neuter clinic, you'll have to leave the cat in the trap, otherwise you take the chance of it escaping and you getting hurt or bit.

If you want to call me tonight, maybe we can take a weekend and I'll drive up and help you. It's a huge undertaking for one person. Some low cost clinics have traps you can rent. They usually require a deposit which you get back when you return the trap. The traps run about $40-$60 at pet shops.

Let me know if I can help you. I'll do what I can.

[luckies4me]

First off, please make sure the cats are indeed ferals. As now, the kittens are, but you need ot make sure th cats are not someones pet that they just don't care about. If you trap a cat who you think is a feral ( it has happened many times) and it is really just a neglected pet you could find yourself in a situation you would rather not want to be involved in. But from the sounds of it, I think you are pretty safe.

Here in Oregon we have Feral Cat Coalition (almost every state has one) and also a Stray Cat Alliance. See if there is a FCC for your state or area.

The adults obviously have bee around people before. They sound tame, just afraid. As any cat would be who does not have the security of a home. Contradictory of what some believe, even feral adults CAN be tamed! I have done it many time. Although it takes a little bit of patience. With adults, you need to give them time to adjust. With kittens, you do not want to give them that time. It is reccommended that kittens not be allowed to hide under things. They need to be forced to be held, petted etc. If you wait for them it can be too late.

Traps can be obtained by the Humane Society of your local FCC. Sometimes they wave the fee and loan it to you once you have signed a release form. It can be easy to catch a few kittens at a time with a trap, especially if they are young. They usually never leave eachothers site. They are eachothers protection, their eyes.

Pregnant or lactating females can also be very easily trapped. They need the food and will do anything to get it. If you do indeed have a feral or stray cat group nearby, they will end you the trap. Once you catch the kittens and adults, they will be tested for FELV and FIV among other things. They should be given flea treatment, dewormed for both roundworm and tapeworms, spayed/neutered, vaccinated, sometimes microchipped, and the have the tips of their ear cut off. This shows that the cat had been fixed.

If they test positive for FELV or FIV most likely they will be put down. This helps contain the spred of the disease to other ferals and also pet cats.

You can use sardines as Moonson suggested. You can also use wet cat food or tuna. If you chose to use tuna make sure it is tuna in water, not oil. If you do happen to catch a kitten you will need thick gloves if you wish to handle them, which of course you will need to. I never really used traps, I just grabbed the little fellers and took them home. No gloves either. Of course I got bit a few times, but I am rabies vaccinated so who cares. hehe

Also when you take the cats to the vet (the adults) have the vet scan them for a microchip. Some pets are stolen or became lost and there could be an owner out there looking for them! Also it's probably not a good idea to have your dog with you while you are trying tolook for the kittens. This will only make them more apprihensive (sp?) to go to you.

When you chose to take the cats or kittens out make sure you are in a secure room where there is no chance of escape. With my kitten, I got the room ready. I had a cat box, food, water, toys etc. I caught her with my hands so I just sort of put her in the room. She hid under the bed for a few days. Every day though I would entise her with some wet food and she would come out. I then would grab her and hold her close, gently stroking her ears. For all who do not know, when you stroke a cats ears it calms them. There is a nerve located in the inside of the ear that sends calm signals to the brain. Some people use this to sedate pets before a plain ride.

Adults should be left to acclimate on their own. They will soon come to realize that you are providing for them. Even if not completely tame, they will know who you are and come to trust you as their caretaker. Kittens can be easily placed after they tame down. Keep in mind thogh, that some kittens are just skitish to begin with.

The sooner you get to the kittens, the better. If you catch all th kittens I can help you place thm. I do rescue work and have plenty of people looking for ferals right now. People who have adopted previous ferals usually like to adopt another. You can advertise on my site or I can list them on Petfinders though my orginization. Whatever you do , please do not place a free ad. Animal bunchers and collectors look at free ads all the time and they aquire over 80% of their animals from free ads. These pets can be sold as food, sold to labs or used in backdoor breeder programs.

If you need any help please do not hesitate to contact me. I will do whatever I can to help you place these cats into loving capable homes. You can contact me at [email protected].

[ramanth]

Moosmom, I'd love to take you up on that offer. :) This weekend is bad, but next weekend I'm free.

I don't really have a way to seperate any kittens I may catch. I'm in a one bedroom apartment. The living room dining room is one area and there is a door to the bathroom/bedroom. No real way to keep kitten in one place and dog in the other.... hmmmm....

I'm going to do the shelter thing that Moosmom suggest and put it in the woods. Hopefully the landlord/manager or other tenents won't see it or bother it. :)

Patches loves people. She approached a lot of people this morning and from the looks of it other tenents put out food and water for her. Can't figure why her babies don't.

[luckies4me]

Here are some links that may be of some use to you.

http://cats.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.parrett.net%2Fan imalaid%2Fanimalaid.html
http://cats.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theanimalspirit. com%2Falleycatcare.html
http://cats.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.animalark.mn.org %2F

Also the kittens are not the way the mother is for the simple reason that they were not acclimated to us at a young age. Cats develope the strongest bonds between the ages of one to three weeks. If they do not interact with us at a young age they won't trust us. That is why is is best to get to them as fast as you can.

[ramanth]

Made them a shelter and put out a bowl of water and sardines for them last night.

No sign of them either last night or this morning and sardines haven't been touched... :(