Continuation of free kittens in Butler

[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.

[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]

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!!

[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.

[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.

[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]

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

[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.