Pictures after vet trip. Everyone was playful, except Erik. He was sleepy. In order, Erik, Spike, Smoky, Sierra.
I asked the vet about spaying/neutering. The cheap places require kittens be four pounds and it’s not free. Cheaper, but not free. We’ll check vet references and screen owners as well as we can.
I think Smoky might be short haired. What do you guys think? Erik looks short in that picture, but here’s a better one. Never mind his dirty face…he’s working on being neater when he eats.
Local shelter has no room. Local no kill requires a pretty hefty donation if you surrender animals right now. They charge $100 to adopt, but since they get them fixed, it’s worth it. They are overrun with kittens. I’ll do my best, but we simply don’t have the budget for four kitten spay/neuter. The vaccine/deworm bill was $270 today. Getting all four fixed would run us close to $1,000. I appreciate everyone’s concern, but let’s be real here.
Will none of the rescues fund the spay/neuter if you continue to foster them?
Nope. I think in the past they might have, but the county is overrun with kittens. One won’t take any in.
I guess you mean something different by ‘take any in’ than I would use. You mean they are not willing to be responsible for anymore. To me it would mean they do not have facilities for more.
If you want to DM me your town or county, I can help look up private rescues who might help. My local shelter was less than worthless - they offered no aid whatsoever. I was able to get help with a private 501c3 rescue, without them I certainly would not be able to afford the vax and medicines and fix for the 8 babies and 2 mamas I’m fostering. just an option.
Lil smokey does look like he might be short haired. Hard to tell with kitten coats.
Thanks for the offer. Let me see this person tomorrow. She was a kitten foster person and has two older altered cats. Indoor home. Sounds like a good fit. Erik is very mellow. She understood about meeting him tomorrow but waiting until next week before taking him home. If I get a weirdo, I can turn them away and see what can do. I know two rescues locally that are really just hoarders. We’re just not in a good area for this. Too rural and too ignorant.
My biggest issue is trapping this stupid feral female. The rescue has a trapper that will try to help.
I’m a little irritated at them, to be honest. I offered to continue to foster them, pay for their feed, vaccines, etc… and they still want me to make a big donation even though they collect $100 per kitten by just listing them on their website. I call BS. Thanks, but I’ll use that money to get them their shots etc…
This is the same rescue that sells non-bully type dogs to “rescues” up north.
sent you a pm
What generous hearts exist in the world! Taking donations is not something I feel right about. These little ones are my responsibility because they were laid on my “doorstep” (barn step). We’ll do right by these guys. We won’t let them go to morons. We have a network of people we know and we can put a flyer up at the vet office as well.
Getting a single kitten in for an appointment at the local low cost neuter/spay clinic is loads easier than four kittens at once (unless you’re the pound or the local big name rescue). We can make sure these kittens have indoor homes with people who alter their pets. No is a full sentence when potential owners don’t pass muster.
Just a few more ideas to consider:
–Most areas have a vet or 2 who is known for low cost spay/neuters, find out who this is in your area. Also who is vet that does this for your county shelter?
– see if a neighboring county has a Humane Society or like my county, we have a private organization called the Cat Protection Society who take in 100’s of cats and kittens. They also
give out reduced rate certificates for spay/neuter if someone dumps a cat/kitten on you.
–Believe it or not, we have a local, older man who donates $$ for spay/neuters. He’s only on
our neighborhood social media.
We have the same problems as you in our rural counties in Central Fl.
check this out: Private, SECRET Donations could help here, IMO.
" How much does it cost to get a cat fixed at Petsmart?
How much does it cost to get your cat neutered at Petsmart ? It usually costs $70 for a female cat and $60 for a male. “By reducing the cost we are making this more accessible for people to spay and neuter their cats, which will mean those cats are not out there in the community reproducing,” Strooband said
Do you have a Petsmart in your area?
The kittens can’t be altered until they weigh four pounds. Our vet recommends waiting until they are that big. The biggest is a pound and a half right now. They’ll be about two pounds at eight weeks of age. We don’t want to keep them until they’re four pounds, but if they’re still here, we’ll pay to have them altered and find them homes. There are people interested now. If those people pass muster, they get to adopt a kitten. I know people are going to object, but this is our choice. Not everyone is a bad owner out there. We know some good people that take good care of their animals and have friends that do as well. One potential owner is the mother of a very bright autistic child. Guys, sometimes you have to trust that other people have good judgement, too.
I am in rural Alabama. There are REALLY low cost options around here this year for cat spay/ neuter. Bibb County Pet Welfare had a $10 cat spay/ neuter. Shelby County Humane had $20 cat spay available and sometimes has free spays for TNR’s. I know you are not here but we are about as backward as you get as far as cat welfare so probably there are programs where you are too. I think Petsmart donates money for some of this. I have no idea what the age/ weight requirements are.
My dumpees were about a pound and a half when they showed up. They got to four pounds pretty quickly after they got regular meals.
Are you in Florida? https://flaspay.com/spay-neuter-florida-1 This website lists free/low cost spay/neuter facilities all over Florida. The Humane Society of Marion County gives a certificate to spay/neuter a pet for a donation of 40 hours of volunteer time or $50.
If we need to spay or neuter, Our vet will give us a discount. If we still have them when they hit four pounds, we’ll get it done.
Erik goes to his new home next week. He has a follow up appointment for neuter and second shots already.
One down, three homes to go! 
Sorry if I caused confusion about how and when to get these guys fixed.
I was looking at various options and doing my research. It was a lot of phone calls and waiting on hold, emailing places, and checking online. Whew! For some reason, this year is much worse than usual and many places are just bursting with kittens and people that need help with kittens. As it turns out, our vet will give us a deal that is reasonable. We trust them.
Thanks to all who offered help. There are kittens in greater need out there. We’ll be okay.
What makes me most anxious is catching this dang calico female. We spotted a coyote two days ago, but this cat is wily. If she keeps ignoring the trap, I might have to lock up our two barn kitties to trap her.
Is she getting food elsewhere on your farm (or some other farm?) Perhaps eating the food you have out for your own barn kitties?
If she can eat somewhere else, there’s no incentive to go into the trap. She’s got to be hungry.
If she’s super hesitant, you can prebait. Block the trap open (I’ll use a stick, a little wider than the trap, threaded through horizontally at the top of the entrance to hold the door open) and keep food in there until you know she’s comfortable eating. Then set it. You’ll get her!
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
