Poor Kitties!!!

[AngieS]

I'm not sure if this is where this topic goes, but anyways...I have always have been an animal lover and to even hear of someone mistreating an animal upsets me.My in laws have cats that they keep outside.(Some of them are tame and some are not) rarely they take a liking to one and let in come inside to stay. well i was just up there yesterday and one of her cats came up to to the porch where we were and we noticed that something was dripping from it's butt and she had the nerve to make the comment that "doesn't look like it will be around much longer" This woman makes me so MAD!! she takes NO care of these poor cats other than puts some dry cat food and a bowl of water out for them. she calls them "barn cats". and has even said that the vet has agreed with her about "barn cats" not taking as much care of them. This really bothers me. if i could i would try to take care of them but i can not afford this as i have a cat and a dog of my own and am not working right now.i can not believe someone could be so cruel as to not take good care of ALL of their pets especially a vet condoning(sp?) this sort of behavior.they also have a dog but he is treated very well.i hate the fact that i have to be around this and will always be around them (because they are my husband's family).
Has anyone else had a similar experience? How do you handle these upsets????

[Gina]

yes! I've had experience of this. Most of my cats are from this persons cats. What really got me was they "humanised" the cats in that they they wouldn't dream of "De-sexing" them (spay/ neutering). Finally, when they had nearly thirty kittens running wild around their house, I talked them into spaying the female cats they wished to keep. I got them intouch with my vet who did a favour on the bill for them. I made up posters for good home for they kittens, and actually had tok post them all over Dublin! I put my phone number on them and guess what? the kittens got homes! These people thought it was very cruel to neuter males, they clentched their thighs at the thought of it, but when the males started to spray the house, the smell got too much so, they eventually listened to me, and got them done too.
The only way , or the final point that I repeated, the one thing that I think shuck these people into action was- I kept on about the law stepping in if they didn't sort it, the local S.P.C A. have the power to prosecute, which includes going to court, a ban and a fine!

Regarding your inlaws, I doubt very much if the vet said what you were told. Unless he wasn't told the full story. If the vet knew the extent of the situation, he himself would involve the local pound, rather than let an animal suffer. The lady doesn't have a sense of responsibility, so I doubt if she cared to contact a vet in the first place.
Her local S.P.C.A. or local no kill shelter can be informed anonymously, you know?

[AngieS]

thaks for responding.
i don't understand why they never had the cats fixed so they couldn't breed. they have had a couple of the cats they have let inside and took better care of them then the others. about the vet your right i doubt he knew the whole story. this is where i got my cat to try to save at least one.could you give me more information on how or what to do about contacting one of these groups?i have never had to do this sort of thing before.i would like to see if they might help. i would probably do it anonymously because i don't want them to know it was me. trying to find them homes is a good idea but some of these cats aren't tame and it would be hard to catch them and find them homes.

[4 feline house]

I actually worked for a vet that had that same attitude, so I'm not in as much doubt as everyone else.

Be aware, if you get the law involved, it's likely most, if not all, the cats will simply be euthanized.

This is every animal lover's nightmare, this is what makes some of us cry at night, so as long as you love animals you will keep encountering it in some way or another. I have not yet learned how to deal with my emotions about unaltered animlas or roaming animals. On a much smaller scale, I am experiencing the same thing you are. My upstairs neighbors have two cats, who would be about a year old now, who are outside 24/7 and unneutered. There is nothing I can do, because if I call the city they will be picked up, the clods upstairs will probably not feel they are worth the impound fee, and the cats may end up dead. I have absolutely no compunction about stealing an irresponsible person's pet and rehoming it, but since these people live upstairs there's no way they wouldn't see their cats in my window or in the carrier as I take them back and forth to be neutered, etc. My only hope is that they really truly are looking for another place to live, and when they do I will snatch their cats at that time, get them neutered and vaccinated, and find a new home for them. The irony is, they supposedly haven't moved because they're having trouble finding a landlord that will let them have cats. They don't "have" cats now, they just merely feed cats! My son mentioned he's surprised they haven't just moved off and left them, but I haven't ruled out that eventuality in my mind.

Anyway, I'm sorry I couldn't be any more help. This is an overwhelming problem for us animal lovers as a whole; it is especially difficult when you are the only one willing to do anything about a particular colony of barn cats, and the owner is someone else.

Good luck, and I'll be praying for a solution.

[yorkster]

I agree with all of you about spaying and neutering these cats. I mean, how many cats do these people need when they can not even take care of the ones they have? On the other hand, and I am NOT saying this is okay, but a lot of people who live on farms, etc., tend to think of all animals as having their 'jobs' to do, and not as pets. To them barn cats are there to keep the rodent population in control, and the more cats they have, the better. It's not the best life, but it's not the worst either. Worse would be cats living like this in the city or in town where there would be the danger of lots of traffic and people who would do them harm. I agree with you 4 feline house that you should get ahold of those cats of your neighbors and re-home them. I would help you if I was close by! What about waiting until you see them leave and coaxing the kitties with some food into your house, then into a carrier? Maybe you could have something arranged with someone ahead of time as to where you would take them. Right now I have a neighbor who has a black lab in his back yard. This poor dog is out there 24/7 alone. This guy NEVER goes back there to see or play with him at all. I see him feed him about once a day, and that is it. I don't know why he even has a dog. I have thought about getting ahold of him someday and finding a new home, but I don't know......he is not abusing him that I can see. Neglecting him yes, but no physical abuse. Still though, I feel so sorry for this dog. Ok, now I am getting off the subject. It's just good to know there are other caring people out there. Keep us all posted about what you decide to do1

[4 feline house]

That's true, Spencer. They may even be relieved to have them off their hands.

[AngieS]

Thanks to everyone who responded!
I'm glad to see there are others who feel the same. Thanks for the info Spencer. It has been very helpful.
I am looking into the Trap/Nueter/Release programs. It seem to be perfect for this situation. The only problem is so far i have not found any organizations near my area. I will keep looking though. I hate the thought of calling the pound or other org. that will just put them down.So i hope i will find some org. to help with the TNR.