Questions about Humane Society

[Mellie2162]

Let me give you the story first.

This past summer I ended up with 2 stray cats in my yard (our neighborhood seems to be the dropping post) 1 female, 1 male. The female ended up pregnant and delivered 3 kittens under my deck. I called the Humane Society and they told me that they couldn't trap them until they had weaned from momma. So I watched and waited and finally saw them eating on their own and had them come out to trap. We got 2 kittens, the third was never seen again. I could not, however, trap momma. She was way too slick and would never ever go in. So fast forward to now. Ive been feeding both the male and female since she had the babies. I have since learned that the male actually has an owner about a half a mile down the road, so I guess he's just coming around for the female and food. Anyway, the female came up on the deck tonight to eat and her belly was huge. Im guessing she's pregnant again (can they get pregnant that fast?) and I know that shes so spoiled now that I could get her trapped. She comes when I call her, however, she will not come in or come close, only to get her food. So my question after all this is, if I trap her and take her to the HS will they put her down since shes feral or will they let her have her kittens and nurse them? If she's not pregnant and just fat will they put her down? Has anyone worked for them and can give me an honest answer.

 

[Linzybrooke]

I don't know. The humane societies around here don't have actual locations, they have a small office where they accept calls and mail, they adopt animals out through a foster program where others house the pet until it is adopted through the HS. HS does not euthanize animals, (at least the ones here). You might have better luck contacting the aspca about the pregnant cat, however the aspca does put some animals down depending on circumstances.

 

[Mellie2162]

Our HS has an actual location where they house the animals and adopt them out. I guess I will stop by tomorrow and find out for sure what happens.

 

[friendofgusgus]

I would ask around your area to see if there is a feral cat or catch-and-release program in your area.

The humane society will most likely keep the mom and kittens together until they are weaned. The kittens will be easily adoptable but mom may wind up euthanized.

A feral cat or catch-and-release program will keep them together until the babies are weaned, adopt them out and then spay mom and likely return her to her neighborhood. Many adult female cats who have lived outside a home do not stick around in a new home but just leave later. This way, she lives but cannot have any more babies and is returned to the life she knows now.

 

[bumbershoot]

Do you want to keep the female cat? Why not make sure you know where she is (either by making a little nest for her, or just watching her like a hawk) and know where she has the babies, and then take her to be spayed once the babies are born?

And yes, cats can get pg fast.

We had a cat that was feral at first, had kittens, then was "tamed" by my brother (the cat whisperer)...well, she was tame for him...never really let the rest of us get near her...but the one kitten of hers that we kept was MY cat, and she was very tame, though they both lived outside (we were rural and my mom had asthma, so it was that or no cats at all).

But we paid for our cat's spaying...we accepted her and took care of her, so that might be where you don't want to go.

 

[Mellie2162]

Well I would keep her myself but as I said she wont come near any of us. Ive tried many times to coach her in the house with goodies but she just wont come in. She wont even come near me or any of us, she will only come on the deck when we call and she hears the food being put out. If we open the door while shes eating she darts. And she goes into other neighbors yards so there is no way to keep a close eye on her.

 

[themarquis]

It depends on the pound. But I agree with the other posters that if it were me, I'd wait till she has the kittens and they are old enough to eat solid food, then trap her and get her spayed.

With this batch of kittens, you could really work on trying to socialize them and get them used to humans and start feeding them some wet food or softened dry food when they're ready. Then even if she hasn't weaned them, you could (if you *had* to and they were old enough) spay her before there's any chance of her getting pregnant again -- in other words, spay her BEFORE they wean.

This would also help make sure those babies are adoptable, because feral kittens can do just fine as housecats if they get socialization early.

If it were me, I might also pretend "oops, I didn't know it has an owner" and nab that male cat and send him off to get snipped

 

[SandrA9810]

The humane society will only take in house pets that can be adopted right away.
The ASPCA will take in any animal and work with them to see if they can be turned into a family pet before deciding to put it down.
Your best bet it to take the kittens to the humane society after they're weened. And take the momma to the APSCA to have fixed and keep her as your own. Or let them know that you would like to claim responsibility for it.
It's becoming more popular, especially in the coastal areas in florida to catch and release cats after fixing them. They're one of the better pest control options. So instead of putting them to sleep they let them stay ferral doing thier duties. Without the ability to multiply.

And I would have a neighbor take the male cat in... they probably wouldn't let the real owners leave with him until he got fixed. Then you wouldn't have to worry about any other female cat around.

And yes they can become pregnant quite easily. My sister has a female cat that became pregnant shortly after the first bunch. The vet found out during the appt when they were going to have her fixed.

 

[Robindianne]

Where do you live? The Humane Society I used to work at (Salem) took in all (yes all) animals. If they were feral (not wild and foster-able but truly feral as in would attack a human who got near, they were euthanized (pregnant or not). If they seemed like they could be OK if socialized, they'd be fostered out. If they were just pg or sick, they were kept and had medical care but weren't adoptable just yet. I think every animal non-profit is different even if they have the same organization running them, due to laws, funding, etc.

There are definitely groups who spay, mark (clip an ear so they're not caught for spaying again), and release as well.

The humane society will only take in house pets that can be adopted right away.
The ASPCA will take in any animal and work with them to see if they can be turned into a family pet before deciding to put it down.
Your best bet it to take the kittens to the humane society after they're weened. And take the momma to the APSCA to have fixed and keep her as your own. Or let them know that you would like to claim responsibility for it.
It's becoming more popular, especially in the coastal areas in florida to catch and release cats after fixing them. They're one of the better pest control options. So instead of putting them to sleep they let them stay ferral doing thier duties. Without the ability to multiply.

And I would have a neighbor take the male cat in... they probably wouldn't let the real owners leave with him until he got fixed. Then you wouldn't have to worry about any other female cat around.

And yes they can become pregnant quite easily. My sister has a female cat that became pregnant shortly after the first bunch. The vet found out during the appt when they were going to have her fixed.

 

[Disney Ella]

Where do you live? The Humane Society I used to work at (Salem) took in all (yes all) animals. If they were feral (not wild and foster-able but truly feral as in would attack a human who got near, they were euthanized (pregnant or not). If they seemed like they could be OK if socialized, they'd be fostered out. If they were just pg or sick, they were kept and had medical care but weren't adoptable just yet. I think every animal non-profit is different even if they have the same organization running them, due to laws, funding, etc.

There are definitely groups who spay, mark (clip an ear so they're not caught for spaying again), and release as well.

Every organization does have different rules, but many would euthanize the feral mother because it is almost impossible to tame an adult cat. Some Trap-Neuter-Release programs require that you be willing to take care of the spayed/neutered cat or colony before they will proceed with spaying or neutering. "Taking care of" means providing food and vet care.

The ASPCA was the first SPCA in the US and is located in NY, but there are SPCAs all over the country that are not affiliated with the ASPCA in any way. Most SPCAs and humane societies are independent organizations, each with their own policies and procedures, so it really does pay to check with several organizations if you don't like the answers you get from one of them.

 

[Mellie2162]

Wow, thanks for all the answers. Im going to contact my local HS and see what their rules are. We also have an ASPCA in another town, so I will contact them as well. I really dont know what to do at this point. I really cannot afford to have her spayed myself. I barely have enough left over to feed her but I buy the cheap cat food and give her scraps. I also have my home for sale and although it doesn't look like it will be sold anytime soon I don't think a new owner would want to take the responsibility, so catch and release back might not be an option here. Im so torn, because I really do like her, but I don't want her to get pg again and again. Is there any possibility she could just be really fat from eating scraps

 

[toystory1130]

I worked at a local SPCA for a short time. Any feral that came in was held for a certain # of days then put down. With babies or without. We just didn't have space and the true ferals were quite nasty. What you see on your porch with a bowl of food will be different caged and scared. Contact your local SPCA and find out if they have a low cost program for spaying. I'll bet they do. I have a feral that we feed also, I trapped him young and had him neutered. He still comes for food everyday. Until someone steps in for this female and stops this cycle she will unfortunatly keep having babies. Good Luck!

 

[daisax]

Sometimes our local cat rescue groups will place neutered feral cats as "barn cats" -- the cats aren't social to begin with, so they're not missing out on being a house pet, but given their own territory/barn full of vermin to chase/eat, they feel like they hit life's jackpot. It's a good life for cats who aren't house pet material -- they've got shelter, food and water (the horse folks I know still provide basic food and water, but the cats prefer their food "fresh"!) and vet care.

 

[Dax]

If anything I would try and get her trapped, and maybe get her spayed, then release her back to the neighborhood.

My current kitten, who adopted me as a stray, and is currently as we speak getting neutered so he can be a house cat...his father lives outside..and hangs around my yard. We have been feeding him, and when we can, we plan to catch and get him fixed and put him back out. He may be to feral to be a house cat...but we dont need more kittens.