What do I do about the ferel cats? (LONG)

[SaratogaShan]

I have lived in my current home for 10 years. When I moved in there were quite a few ferel cats living in the woods behind my house. I have SUCKER written all over me. I started to feed them. Well...pretty soon the mom cats were dropping litters of baby cats off at our doorstep! I can't tell you how many kittens we have given away. We also spent quite a bit of money to trap and spay or neuter cats and release them back. Anyway, we are down to 4 indoor cats that we have had for about 6 years plus 3-4 ferel cats that hang around pretty regularly. Also one domesticated outdoor cat that is not mine! (But he has decided he wants to live here apparently)

We are moving in one week! About twenty miles away, and obviously, we can't take the ferel cats with us. I have been trying to trap them and have them euthanized because I feel they are dependent upon us. So far I have had no luck with the trap.

Am I crazy? I am so stressed out with moving, two young kids, etc and I have to worry about these cats? Will they find another food source if I just leave them? Should I hope that the new owner loves cats and takes up the cause? What about the domesticated outdoor cat that took up with us? I REALLY hate to leave him because he seems so sweet...but for all I know he may belong to someone in the neighborhood.


AAAAKKKKK! Tell me what to do! I think I may be coming down with cat scratch fever LOL. Hey....I have had my rabies shots! (No, really, I have )

 

[JimB.]

IMO, they should be trapped and taken to the animal shelter. If you have had no luck doing this, try a different "bait". A fresh chicken leg should work well.

Feral cats are horribly destructive to the environment, are not native animals and, when fed (with the best of intentions) reproduce like crazy, thereby making the problem worse & worse.

Even when fed till their bellies are full, they will seek out and kill native birds, reptiles, rodentia (including squirrels, moles, baby 'coons & possums).

I know you are doing what you think is right for these cats when you fed them, and I commend you for it, but they are just bad news (& their former owners are to blame.......).

Trap & get rid of them.

 

[pearlieq]

I would also call your animal control. They can see if the domesticated outdoor cat is chipped or not, and can help with dealing with the feral population. That's probably the best you can do for them.

Best of luck with your move1

 

[VSL]

I know you are doing what you think is right for these cats, and I commend you for it, but they are just bad news (& their former owners are to blame.......).

Definitely!

Can't believe you've looked after these cats for so long though!
I really think your heart is in the right place with these cats and it's just so unfortunate that they were there to begin with.

 

[Virgo10]

Oh my. What a terrible spot to be in. I know, I was there just before we moved to Florida.

We had gotten the cat problem down to one animal. This guy.

He was not feral but had been dumped in our neighborhood. I wanted to take him in so we had him tested first. With 16 cats, I just couldn't take the chance he might have FIV. Well the news was bad. He did have FIV.

What can I say about Dad Cat? He was one of the most loving animals I've ever had the pleasure to know. And was he smart!! When I'd go outside, he'd follow me around like a dog. There was no way in heck I was going to leave him or have him put down.

So I started advertising him on Craigslist. After a month or so, a woman a few towns over from me emailed that she might be interested. We talked on the phone and it turned out she rescued cats and helped spay and neuter the ferals. She was very taken by Dad cat and his story.

The day before we left for Florida I met her and she was there to take Dad cat into her home. She was his guardian angel.

We emailed a few times after I got to Florida but, due to a computer melt down, I have since lost her email address. The last thing I heard from her was that Dad had settled right in and was living the good life.

Are there no other neighbors that might take over for you? I just went back and read the thread again. I agree that the shelter may be the best place for them. Even a domesticated cat can get feral tendencies if left on its own for too long. But they will come around with enough love and attention!! I know that because of this cat.

But that's another long story and this post has gone on too long as it is.

Best of luck to you and bless your kind heart for caring about these poor animals that some sub-humans dumped like so much trash.

 

[SaratogaShan]

Thanks for the advice! At least they are not reproducing. I would be RICH if I had not spent so much money to trap, vaccinated, spay and neuter these wild cats! We have put down several of them because they were positive for feline leukemia! I DO get angry at whoever just left them there in the first place!