Dumping cats

[stacwase]

My friend, who works at an animal shelter, says that recently a lady brought in 80 (that's EIGHTY) cats which she had trapped on her property. It seems people just keep dumping them at her farm!

My friend says that's a common problem for people living in the country.

Do any of you live on a farm, and have you had that problem?

When I was a kid we moved out to a farm where a pack of wild dogs was living - people kept dumping their dogs in the country, then they had puppies etc.

[Glacier]

yup. Not where I currently live, although I get a stray or two occasionally. When i was a kid, we lived in farm country. Almost every pet we had for years was one that had been thrown out in the ditch. My sister and I caught several cats after we saw them thrown out of moving vehicles.

[QueenScoopalot]

I hate to guess what happened to all the kittens that were too young to be trapped. Starvation is the absolute worst way any creature can die. How on earth did this woman let the problem escalate like that??? I know she shouldn't be faulted, but still.

[catnapper]

I see that problem around here too. Where I live is the city, but if you drive as little as ten minutes away, you're nearly in the middle of nowhere... its weird! We have a large Amish and Mennonite population and it seems as if the problems land on their farms - not their fault, but people think "oh, they have a barn, my unwanted cat would be happy there." and just drop them off.

My brother in law was working on a farm last summer and brought home three kittens that were days away from death. My mother in law nursed them back to health, but lost one. He said there were at least ten more cats, but he took the sickest to try and save them.

[Uabassoon]

Never cats, but when I lived at my parents house we'd have people drop off dogs all the time. Over the last few years it's gotten better.

[kimlovescats]

It is a terribly sad and horrible plight! As you start getting on the outskirts of our town ... there are signs that read "abandoning animals is unlawful" ...... that's how bad it is around here! Not that the signs do any good, of course.

[prechrswife]

We have a strong feeling that our Samson was dumped. We lived in the country at the time. He moved in under our house and was skinny and scruffy. Before he moved in, we took him to the vet and found out that he was already neutered. He didn't belong to anyone in the area. He has a home with us now and is quite "fluffy" and handsome.

[Corinna]

When we lived in Washington state all the community knew I raised Angora rabbits so about once a month I would wake up to a box on the door step. about 2 months after easter it was really bad. I guess thats why I had 25 of then and never bred for a litter.

[stacwase]

It would be so much better if people just brought them to the shelter.

I always used to get so upset about people who euthanized animals themselves - but now that I think about it, it would be so much better for them to euthanize them than to dump them on a farm somewhere, where they'll reproduce. That leads to even more animals which will eventually need to be euthanized.

I know one woman who allowed one cat who had been dumped to live in her barn. She didn't know it - but the cat already had kittens, and she brought them around shortly after she realized she was safe there. When Kay went to have her spayed, she was already pregnant again!! So far, she's had 14 kittens. Can you imagine what it's going to cost her to have each of them spayed/neutered? And there's no way she'll be able to afford shots for all of them.

So when you think about it - it doesn't take long for the problem to escalate. If one cat can have 14 kittens in that short a time, then it wouldn't take many cats or much time at all to end up with eighty. If you couldn't afford to have the kittens fixed, then the problem would get even worse!

Don't most shelters have a fee for taking in animals? If that's the case, how can all these farmers afford to bring them in.

I really never realized how bad this problem was. It's terrible!!!

[catmandu]

There is a real problem , in the farming communties , about 20 miles from Hamilton , where Cats , and Dogs are regularrly dumped. The Dogs form packs , and The Cats , are killing all the wildlife, and Birds! Its not thier fault , as they haveto eat , but the Dogs have injured Livestock , and in a few cases Children!

[lv4dogs]

I live in a trailer park & many poeple dump their cats here as well. I'm not even really in the country.

Once every other to every third year the local humane society comes to the park to trap all the strays. I wish they would do it every year or twice a year though, there are just tons of cats here. It is so sad to see.

I occasionally catch a cat, go door to door & if there is no owner I take the cat to the humane society. Luckily they know me (I volunteer there) and they also know the cat prolem in my park so I don't get charged when I bring them in. I get about 10 a year and that is ussually in the summer & only every once in a while when time allows. I could probably get about 40 a year.

[stacwase]

Originally posted by catmandu
There is a real problem , in the farming communties , about 20 miles from Hamilton , where Cats , and Dogs are regularrly dumped. The Dogs form packs , and The Cats , are killing all the wildlife, and Birds! Its not thier fault , as they haveto eat , but the Dogs have injured Livestock , and in a few cases Children!

The wild dog pack which was on the farm I moved to as a child was quite a danger. They were just so hungry. Their ribs were sticking out, and they had big ticks everywhere.

What are people thinking when they bring these animals out in the country? And how hard would it be to just drop them off at the shelter after hours, if they absolutely insist on not keeping them? I don't know about most shelters, but ours has a pen where animals can be dropped off when it's closed.