[Maven]

Yesterday was a nerve-wracking day. While I was out feeding the cats, a neighbor's daughter rode her bike into my driveway and told me my cats were peeing in their yard. I told her I'd tell my boyfriend and try to do something about it. But what? Stop feeding the cats? I've always known it could come to that, but it's really hard to abandon them. When I was in the hospital and home recovering and couldn't feed them, they got more wild and when I went back to feeding them, they were eating not only the food, but the styrofoam bowls I put the food in! They had been starving, or at least they were very hungry. (They don't do this now.)

A few minutes later, I was getting ready to go out to get a bite to eat and to buy some necessary items. There was a skinny, scrawny kitten I'd never seen before, gobbling the food that was still left. I noticed it has an upper respiratory illness as well. I talked to it and it didn't run away, but it started meowing at me and eagerly came up to me for petting. It even stood on its hind legs and put its paws on my leg (something my OCD didn't enjoy, put I kept petting it). After that, I had to wash my hands, so I went back inside and did so, and when I was walking around the car, it tried to come back to me. I felt bad not petting it more, but I had to go out. I drove slowly back, making sure not to hit the kitten, which went onto the steps and made its safety much easier to secure, and left. When I got back, it wasn't there, and I called to it and looked for it. It also wasn't there when I did the cats' nighttime feeding. I hope it'll come back so I can give it some food. At the same time, I don't want my cats getting sick, nor myself.

Anyone got any advice on either of these situations? Thanks in advance.

There are things you can buy to put down that will make cats avoid an area.
The kitten, if it comes back, just do what you can. Feed it and if you're wealthy take it to a vet. If not just do the best you can. Are these cats really yours... and spayed/neutered?
There are people who will abandon or dump a cat or dog without hesitation. It happens here frequently. We do the best we can. Anyway... that may be where the kitten came from if it doesn't belong to one of your regulars. Good luck

[loveyouhun]

Hi,

I have a Calico cat name Jewel and and she just over 2 years old. She was spunky, active but now she not so active. It's really hot here (AZ) and I think she feel the heat even though she is an inside cat. How can I make her more active and not "lazy"?

loveyouhun

[Maven]

Thanks, George. I've done a little research into some of those things that will keep cats away, but I don't think my neighbor would appreciate me telling him that he needs to take care of the problem by putting stuff (such as orange peels or red pepper flakes) on his property. It's my responsibility, I guess, but the only thing I can do is stop feeding the cats, and I really don't want to do that. I shouldn't have started, I know, but here I am.

I'm not wealthy, not by a long stretch! But I might be able to get my boyfriend to help if the kitten comes back. I looked for it, and drove around the neighborhood, but didn't have any luck. No, these cats are not really mine. They're neighborhood cats. While most are pretty obviously feral, a few are very friendly and might belong to other neighbors. At least one is pregnant (probably due any day now), and the one cat we'd tried to keep as an indoor cat (after rescuing her from an injury) until she escaped, is in heat (I caught a male trying to mate with her)--again. She doesn't seem to have gotten pregnant from previous matings. Yesterday, I held the door open (again), and she carefully stepped inside for a moment, and did it once more after that, running back outside after a few seconds. I think she'd be happy as an indoor/outdoor cat...but letting her outdoors puts her at risk for diseases and fighting. None of them (to my knowledge) are spayed/neutered. We were going to have Cozy (the girl I've been talking about) spayed, but my bf put it off, and she kept having heat cycles. Then she escaped. My bf really liked her (and so do I), but since she's gone back outside, she doesn't approach him when he comes out. I'm pretty sure it's because he's tall and large, whereas I'm short and less threatening.

I would have liked to get all the cats fixed, but I can't afford it, and if they are other people's cats, I could get in trouble. Although I will say, if anyone owns any of these cats and doesn't have it spayed, they're irresponsible.

Funny you should mention dumping cats and dogs, because as I pulled out the other day (to get dinner and go to the store), I noticed a car parked on the side of the road with at least two people in it. It actually crossed my mind that maybe they let the kitten onto our property, and were watching to see if I accepted it...or something. I could be totally wrong. I really do hope that kitten comes back, because it needed help. I'm afraid my cats chased it off. I say "my" cats because I think of them that way, but I'm fully aware they may belong to others, and I wouldn't mean to take any away from their homes (as long as it was a good home).

loveyouhun, I had a kitten named Jewel (orange and white) for a little while, but she died of a respiratory infection before I was able to find her. I'd bought a crate to take her to the vet, but she disappeared for about three days...until I found her. I'm still heartbroken over that. I don't know the answer to your problem, but if she's feeling overheated, she needs to rest and cool down. Too much heat can kill anyone.

[Raindropvampire]

Maven if you are interested I added some links with info about how you could get help getting your ferals fixed. As someone that has 7 cats and feeds a feral colony outside trap and release is great. It really cuts down on fights and injuries. Also the neighbors don't complain as much since they spray much less. Also some of the places that do the trap and release also will give them vaccinations. Here Indyferal was able to spay/neuter 12 cats for me for about $50. When you consider how many more I'd be feeding by now if I hadn't had them fixed it was very cost effective. Good luck to you.

Project TNR: New Jersey's central resource for feral cat and ...
Project TNR: New Jersey’s central resource for feral cat and Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) information
Project TNR seeks to make New Jersey a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) friendly state by providing assistance to caregivers and municipalities alike.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...qlJEKNIfS1tX0g

Feral Cat Project - A Compassionate Solution to End Feline ...
Feral Cat Project - A Compassionate Solution to End Feline Homelessness

[Yoda]

TNR is a good idea. My vet has a loaner humane catch trap.

If your neighbors are going to give you a hard time about cats doing their business in their yard maybe you could set a litter box or two on your porch and wherever else they seem to like.

[Maven]

Raindropvampire, thanks for that info. I had looked for no-kill shelters and programs like you mentioned, and I found no no-kill shelters, but I did find a couple of spay-and-release programs (one in my county, one in the next county over), but they didn't offer prices like you're saying. One told me they would give me a deal if it's several cats, but it would still be around $30 per cat. I'll look into your link momentarily. The only problem I have is, at a vet, they have a crash cart, so if anything happens to your pet under anesthesia, they have a chance to revive it. And the cats need to be cared for inside our home after surgery, don't they? I'm not against that, but just trying to see if it's feasible with upwards of 15 cats. One is very pregnant, if I didn't mention, and I'd like to bring her inside (if she'd come) and help with the birth, make sure everything goes okay.

Yoda, we don't use litter boxes for the cats; they use our yard, too. We don't have an actual porch, just steps. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

[Raindropvampire]

Here when our ferals were fixed they kept them for about 3-5 days. After that they just released them and asked us to keep an eye on them. If we saw any signs of distress or infection to call them so they could recatch them. I don't know about there but here they clip their ears. It's so they know who's been fixed and who hasn't. I wasn't too happy about them having their ears clipped because I would think it would hurt but it's part of the process. I'm sorry it's so expensive there. You'd think they would have a universal program with a fixed fee for this sort of thing. Too bad pet overpopulation isn't taken as seriously as it should be.

[Maven]

Ok, I've gone and checked them out. I saw the ones I had contacted, but saw other possibilities, including one that will do each cat for $10, since I fit their list of qualifications. I'll contact them and get some more info. I really appreciate your help! I really feel more relieved.

OMG! I just looked at some further information, and the veterinarian we took Cozy to when she was injured is one of the low-cost spay/neuter providers. I have to call them; I didn't know they offered this! Thanks again!