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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
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.
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:
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?Quote:
Originally Posted by rebeccahowes
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.
Please refrain from making a generalized statement like that. It just is not true. Some people, perhaps, but not most.Quote:
Originally Posted by 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.
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.
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.
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 :)
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.
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/loca...og/feral_cats/Quote:
Without any controls, a population of two cats can explode into a colony of more than 300 in three years, Bertoglio said.
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. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Catty1
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.
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.
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!:)
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.
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. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by rebeccahowes
What if signs were posted around about TNR and how maybe you can get low cost spay/neuters?
Quote:
Originally Posted by rebeccahowes
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.Quote:
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!
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. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Emeraldgreen
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:
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
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.
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?
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!
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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. :)
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}}}}
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
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
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:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Emeraldgreen
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.