One of the outside kitties from my parents' yard

[cassiesmom]

I didn't take this; my dad did. He took it through the kitchen window- you can see the reflection of the window shade. There are five cats that have been hanging around my mom and dad's back yard this summer. One of their neighbors across the street seems to be feeding them, but not too consistently. There are two tabbies, a solid black one, a grey and white one, and this little adventurer. My dad said that he did manage to get himself down. I love tuxies, so out of all five of them, this is the one I would most like to poof. They are extremely shy, though. This one, the grey and white one and the smaller of the two tabbies are the cutest.

[Edwina's Secretary]

What a cutie...are his feet as big as they look in the photo?

[Freedom]

Oh look at him!

Winter is coming, Elyse, are there any plans for the 5 kitties? You can make a shelter for them in the back yard and feed them regularly -- or rather, your folks, that is. You may be able to find a TNR program in your folks' area so the 5 can be fixed and released again, so no more kittens. Have you your folks and the neighbor thought about any of this?

[cassiesmom]

The cats seem to spend quite a bit of time on the porch across the street from my mom and dad, and the porch across the street and one door over. I'll ask my parents about those neighbors to start. My parents won't be able to maintain the responsibility of feeding them regularly. Mom is 80 and has arthritis in her knees and spine. Dad is 84 and is having a knee replacement on Monday. I just don't want any of the cats getting struck by a car.

[catmandu]

We just pray that these poor Cats were not abandoned , or were thrown out after their Guardian passed on.
This reminds me so much of the Porch Cats , and the Five who are now Found Hotel Cats!!!

[kaycountrygal]

Cute cat! Hope everything works out and they get fed regularly. It would be great as poster said to have them neutered/spayed but that might be very difficult to arrange.

[cassiesmom]

Update. Three cats are still outside. There is a long-haired brown tabby and white ("Chubby Tabby"), a short-haired brown tabby ("Skinny Tabby") and a tuxie. When I was leaving Mom and Dad's today, Chubby Tabby was peeking at me from the foot of the porch stairs. She didn't look afraid at all, so I started to talk and then opened the storm door just a bit. Then she did look afraid, so I closed the storm door. Then she ran up the porch stairs, sat down, looked at me and meowed! She ran off the porch and across the street. I think she thought I was going to offer her food. It p******es me off that they're still outside, but they are so quick I can't possibly grab them. I am starting to wonder if they have been TNR'd, because I haven't seen kittens. I've got some kibble that Cassie doesn't like -- I will take it over there and offer it to Chubby Tabby and her buddies. Chubby is adorable- she's got white ear tufts and a full, fluffy tail.

My dad accidentally closed one of the tabbies in the garage when he was installing the storm windows! He closed the garage door, closed the service door and went around to the side of the house where he was working. He came back about an hour later to put his ladder away and heard meowing! He opened the service door and the cat dashed out. He told me that if he had known he had a kitty closed in the garage, he would have tried to keep the kitty there until someone could try to scoop him/her up to safety.

I don't know what to do. It's getting colder. They are too quick for me to catch, and my parents physically can't handle the responsibility of feeding / supervising them all winter. (They would end up feeding the neighborhood squirrels, raccoons and possums if they started regular food for these cats.) The city can trap them but animal control is not no-kill. If I am present when they are trapped, the city would turn them over to me. But what are the odds of that happening. I could take them up to Harmony House (which IS no-kill) but I can't afford the fees for all three of them to be admitted. I'll talk to my dad again and see what he thinks.

[Freedom]

Since they are feral, most ACOs will just euthanize them on admission. I know you've said Harmony House will work with ferals.

You can NOT catch / pick up a feral -- you must use a trap! See if you can borrow one from someplace. Check with a TNR group in the area, many of them will loan out a trap for a small rental fee and a large deposit which gets returned when you give back the trap.

[moosmom]

How sweet!!! I'm glad those little ones have your parents to lean on. They are beautiful!!

[cassiesmom]

How sweet!!! I'm glad those little ones have your parents to lean on. They are beautiful!!

Mom and I changed Chubby's name to Fluffy now that we have gotten a better look at her. She isn't fat but she is very pretty with long hair and a full tail.

I was over there yesterday and for a little while on Monday, and didn't see any of them. I don't know if that's good or bad. Moosmom and Freedom (or anyone who has rescued a kitty)-- how have you gotten them to let themselves be brought inside? I would love to "poof" the fluffy tabby. She reminds me a little of Inka, color-wise-- she is sort of golden brown with white. I don't think tuxie will ever be a family's kitty - he scoots away when you even look at him. (we're assuming tuxie is male). The slender tabby with the short hair kind of follows the fluffy tabby around. I'm just worried about them.

My mom and dad have a neighbor who walks his Samoyeds every afternoon around supper time. I'll keep an eye out for their neighbor when I am there, because he might know more about the cats.

Thank you again,
Elyse

[jackie]

If you can borrow traps I would have them fixed then drop them back to your parents. It would be a shame if they had a litter or two!

I believe someone dropped three adult cats off in my village (they just appeared one day). One of them adopted me and after a couple of months I managed to get him to the vets for the big snip, one disappeared, and I think one is living in the church square. People who dump animals are just so mean!