Nutty Relative and Feral Cats

[moonlitoaksranch]

I started to post this on the Kittens thread, but it’s too awful and deserves it’s own spot.

I can’t believe what I heard yesterday from a relative of hubby’s, (only by marriage…no shared genetics, thank goodness).

She feeds feral cats in her suburban neighborhood. We heard awhile back that she was getting them fixed. Apparently, that’s no longer true. For the past couple of YEARS, she has been just feeding the mama cats and watching the kittens grow up and come to eat. She talks about how she loves to see all the babies. The adult females that I saw look skinny and wormy. She catches the kittens sometimes, drives them to a colony and DUMPS them! No shots, no spay/neuter…nothing. She just dumps them for someone else to trap and care for. I was so shocked and she is so nuts that screaming at her, like I wanted to, would have done nothing. In fact, she is so contrary, she probably would somehow get worse. Her neighbors know what she’s doing and detest her for it. This woman is in the same county as us. No wonder there’s a shortage of resources and an overabundance of kittens!

I will pas her name and address to animal control, but I think they have been out to talk to her before. She mentioned something. Not sure they have the power to stop her. I think one neighbor is threatening to sue her. I hope they do. I really hope they do. She keeps saying they are not her cats, but in our county, if you feed it, it’s yours.

That’s why if you take a trapped feral to the pound on a specific day, they will get them fixed, give shots, ear clip them and you pick them back up to turn them loose again on your property. While I don’t particularly like or need another cat on our farm, I acknowledge that since we have been inadvertently feeding a stray feral female, she is our responsibility. Our barn cats have to eat and I can’t stop this feral from showing up. So, I will trap her. I just can’t believe the audacity of this “relative” after all the trouble I’m going through to raise these kittens, find them homes, and trap their mother to stop the cycle. Meanwhile, this woman is the definition of the problem.

[trubandloki]

Wow! How irresponsible of her. It is one thing not doing right by the colony that she feeds at her place, it is a crazy stupid other thing to snag the kittens up and drop them some other random place.

[4horses]

If the neighbors are fed up- have a talk with them and perhaps contact whatever Operation cat nip you have available for catching and spaying strays. Some organizations have volunteers that will come out and set 20 traps and pick up the next morning. Just do it on the neighbors property and there’s nothing she can do about it. Preferably hide the traps out of sight of her house but close enough to catch the cats.

If nothing else, find out what organization can help and drop a note in the neighbors mailbox. You aren’t completely helpless. Just don’t let her find out about your involvement.

[moonlitoaksranch]

I’m scheming already. Her neighbors are weird folks. Not people that would talk to me. However, I think the last time she was getting the kittens spayed/neutered was when the county got after her. They can show up with traps and not give her a choice. She feeds the cats in her garage. That’s where the traps need to be. First step is AC and I can be anonymous. You can’t imagine the cr*psational scandal and grief it would cause my poor husband if I was discovered.

We visit these people twice per year (yeah, we aren’t close) or I would have known about it sooner.

[Foxglove]

On your side here, and an official (have a card) Feral Cat Sponsor. My current colony is 9 -I keep a barn cam on them and keep track in case some one new appears —BUT —my vet charges $125 to neuter/chip/tip a male, and $250 to spay/chip/neuter a female. To keep costs reasonable, and my colony in good order, I take the cats to the Feral Cat Association for spay/neuter/chip. That organization charges $40. All good. EXCEPT I am getting blow-back for taking “too many.” This year I’ve taken 5 --all new cats. All clearly feral. Most recent conversation was: [volunteer]: what are you going to do if we can’t spay/neuter? Me: guess I’ll see if my vet will do it, but he’s costly. Rather give the money to you. [Volunteer] Well, you’ve had 5 in this year. Me: yep, hoping this one is the last one. [Volunteer], you said that last time. Me: ok. And of course I’ve just spotted a new one on the game cam —catch or not? Sigh.

I am trying to be a good Feral Cat Colony Sponsor --regular food, water, shelter and best care I can give --but feeling like the “other side” is giving me a hassle. I will take to my vet rather than release intact, but . . .

[trubandloki]

@Foxglove

EXCEPT I am getting blow-back for taking “too many.” This year I’ve taken 5 --all new cats. All clearly feral. Most recent conversation was: [volunteer]: what are you going to do if we can’t spay/neuter? Me: guess I’ll see if my vet will do it, but he’s costly. Rather give the money to you. [Volunteer] Well, you’ve had 5 in this year. Me: yep, hoping this one is the last one. [Volunteer], you said that last time. Me: ok. And of course I’ve just spotted a new one on the game cam —catch or not? Sigh.

I wonder if the organization agrees with their volunteer presenting the thought that they don’t want you to bring in cats?
That seems like a strange stance for a organization that seems like their whole goal is feral cat population control.

[Foxglove]

I don’t know if the board that oversees the Feral Cat non-profit is aware of the feeling of the volunteer. She is their #1 —facility is on her property, she has the van with all the live traps on it and the sign, she maintains the Facebook page and answers all the questions promptly. It is she who coordinates with area vets/humane society to get the cats brought to FCA spayed or neutered. I KNOW she has had to “call in some favors” to get the ones I’ve brought her taken care of —but isn’t that what she signed on for.? Wondering if perhaps I’m standing on her cape . . .she may want to be “the one” bringing in the feral cats and being the hero --and suddenly I start showing up —stealing her thunder. But like you, I wonder why I’m hearing anything at all --trying to do what is right for the cats.

[dressagetraks]

That is maddening, Moonlit. Actually taking them to dump elsewhere? Ugh.

I have a relative in KC who some years ago started feeding a stray. I promptly recommended speutering, and she “couldn’t afford it.” I provided info on the many resources in KC, which is hardly a back woods county, and nope. But she kept feeding with the inevitable result. I think she’s up to 30ish. She now fusses all the time over the price of cat food, and whenever anybody suggests speutering, she can’t afford to get them all done. Well, if you’d had the first one or two done and an occasional one added along the way, you wouldn’t have this problem.

And of course, by now this inbred stray pride is starting to have some with conditions and birth defects. Relative has decided that some of the kittens “have Down’s syndrome.” I know cats don’t get Down’s, but that’s what she equates it to. And she goes on about how adorable and special these are. No, the reason that your kittens are starting to have birth defects is that this is a massively inbred group.

But she is one of those people you cannot tell anything to. She fires up in a heartbeat about how she knows what is best. Her own mother has given up trying to talk to her.

There was just another post a few days ago. Wouldn’t someone like adorable kittens? I’m hoping she gets takers for a few, because maybe at least those would end up with people who actually get them vetted and fixed.

[moonlitoaksranch]

Wow. It seems there are so many nuts out there, squirrels can’t even keep up…

[3PonyFarm]

How frustrating! We have a neighbor that will give cats a home but will not spay/neuter them. They have a big farm but these cats keep multiplying and end up at my house and various other neighbors places. I finally was able to capture and fix all of the ones I care for but now a new one has shown up.
It is hard to say no to an animal that shows up and is hungry. Thank goodness for the low cost spay/neuter places but they will only take 2 at a time, and they have to turn people away because they are overwhelmed with cats.

[Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom]

Who is taking care of the colony where she’s dumping the kittens? I would contact them and let them know that X is bringing kittens and to keep an eye out. It’s also really bad because colonies aren’t known for accepting just any cat that comes along - that’s one of the reasons why colonies are good at maintaining control of a feral population in a given area. So those kittens are likely being run off, to end up being killed or eaten. Does she realize that? Or just not care?

If it was my relative, I’d just show up with traps, set them, and tell her I’ll be back to pick them up the next day. Then again, I’m not exactly known for being polite to my relatives.

I’m currently trying to trap the neighbor’s cats, who have started to come over to the house to eat with mine. I know she feeds them as well, but they are feral and not fixed, and so the sooner I can trap them, the sooner we can prevent more kittens. If I feed 'em, I fix 'em. She will never know the difference.

[BatCoach]

yikes - aint that the truth!! Catching the cats is the hardest part - then she DRIVES them to another location but can’t be bothered to take them to get fixed? WTF. This woman would have me pulling my hair out.

[moonlitoaksranch]

I actually don’t know. I’m not familiar with her area.

[Angela_Freda]

So, their problem is that you bring too many, or do they think because you bring “so many” you should pay more?