Please Help With The Cats
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I thought about putting this in a forum or making a hubpages out of it and here I am. This has been a problem for me for a long time and thought that sharing it I might get some ideas as to how to help all these strays. I also know that others in different areas are facing the same problems and would also like this hub to help them also.
I wrote this on a Yahoo Group too.
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Help With Cats
I don't know how to ask for this kind of help. I will have to give you some background. All the cats that I have are strays except for one. I have gotten all of them fixed and their rabies shots. I have five that are indoor/outdoor cats. There are 7-8 cats outside. 7 have been fixed. I have no more money to put into this endeavor. People and firends have told me to get a Shelter license so that I can get donations. I can't be a shelter here in the neighborhood that I live in--that is a problem. Well I might be able too since no one would be adding traffic to my house. These outdoor cats are strictly outdoor cats. Since being spayed/neutered (May of 2007)they have all come up with a cold virus and I cannot afford to get them the boosters they need. Cats are rampant in our neighborhood and it is becoming overwhelming for those of us who do choose to feed and care for them. I buy 2 large bags of dry cat food every two weeks. They do get small animals and eat them as well as eat the dry food. Another problem is that I am feeding other forest animals as well, which really do not need to be fed. Another cat has come onto my property and it is very sick and therefore it is spreading the virus more on the ones that I have. It also has a patch of hair removed (as in tore off) on it's back side. I cannot catch it just yet. The shelters are all full and I really don't want to take them there for their lives to just be snuffed out. What I need is for them to get all their boosters and the tests they need. I can't spend anymore money on this as I have just spent about $500.00 on one Yellow Kitty to fix its paw problem and spay him. I tried to find homes for the three kittens, now 11 months old with no success. I am overwhelmed and need some help! Any help would be appreciated!
Houdini -he earned his name
Mikey -when choosing his name I said Mikey and meowed to it ever time that I said it.
Sheba -she is the pretty little girl and the middle child
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I know. I just had a person ask me to post their pictures up everywhere, which I have done and also posted them several places on the internt but no one wants these wonderful animals. So I keep feeding them, but I can't get the tests they need nor the booster shots they very badly need on top of that.
It;s such a heart wrenching thing to go through. I love animals--all kinds and at the begginning, like 6 years ago and could find homes for all of them that ended up here one way or another, but now it is way so difficult.
Tough call, LG - we have the same problem, and this area of Greece is not the most pet friendly. Don't get me wrong - the people are not cruel, but have little idea of vets and neutering.
We have learned to be a little more pragmatic - it is impossible to take in every waif and stray, so you have to be a little hard-hearted and let nature take its course. It is horrible walking away from a sick kitten, but that is the way here - it is a hard life in the mountains.
Our cats are neutered, and we try our best with medical care - ours only get the first immunisation shots, and their immune system has to cope with everything else that life throws at them. In England, we had cats who lived into their twenties with no boosters, so we must have done something right!
You have such a caring nature that I know that this is not the advice that you wanted to hear, but you cannot bankrupt yourself. Hope that you manage to find homes for the kittens. :(
Sufidreamer, Thanks you for your kind words. I hope the kittens get good homes too. The adults I can handle because they have been out in these woods for a long time. There are many, many others out in these woods that I don't see only when we drive up the road and they are darting back and forth or are running up the hills. You did bring up something though---15 or 20 years ago they didn't have these boosters and cats lived just fine in the woods and other places. I will just continue to feed them as I am without medical care of a vet. I do some homeopathy with them and alternative meds. You can read that on my cat and URI hub and the other hubs about the animals that I care for.
I guess having them have a home and lving is better than being put to sleep if I did take them to a shelter.
I think the problem of stray animals in general is epidemic. I am a gypsy at heart and as such have lived all over the midwest, and I have encountered this everywhere. Don't think that you are alone in this! I adopt the ones that I can, keep the humane society on speed dial, and feed the strays around my home. Look into your local humane society chapter. Many times the way it works is that you volunteer your home to be a foster home for animals and they will foot the bill for food, veternary care, etc. Unfortunately, this also means that when the time comes for the animals to have potential owners viewing them, you must be home to allow this to occur, but it beats looking for homes on your own.
I did try that but they have no need for cats. Believe it or not the Humane Society will kill them after 5-7 days if not found a home. Our Humane Society even offers services to cremate animals for a charge.
That is so sad! Have you tried to search for any no kill shelters in your area? Most large cities and towns should have one. Also try to see if you can try to list them on Petfinder.com. That's where I got my kittens! Best wishes!
I have listed them on my local yahoo groups., Pet Finder Catster, my own website, this site, sent to emails. I have also tried the No kill shelters and they are all full. I will not take them to the Martinsburg Humane Society because if they don't find homes they are killed in 5 days--so I take care of them. I do other things besides feed them dry food. I add vitamins to them and feed them canned food on occasion--when they need meds that is. I am a sucker for cats. All the ones that are here or are around minus one male is now fixed, but I cannot afford their shots more than the one they get when they got fixed. I called Spay Today and they were so back up---because I have been advertising it everywhere and telling everyone about it, but it seems like it is a drop in the bucket.
These cats are outdoor cats and I think that is the problem. I just need help with the food. I feel like I am blowing in the wind doing all I can for these cats in my area. I just found another "female" that is pregnant and I pray she doesn't have them here! That may sound cruel but I am full. The vet said that if I catch her they will fix her right up for me---yeah and a huge bill with it. They need to keep her because I can't.
mistyhorizon2003 Level 7 Commenter 3 years ago
I wish I had a solution for you LG, and if I had the money I would help you myself. Not sure of the answer other than writing to various charities and asking for their help. You could have a standard letter and just change the name of the addressee each time, so one letter could be suitable for all. Then all you need is the various addresses to send it to and wait to see if anyone can help. Not sure what else to suggest apart from sponsored events, local school fundraisers etc otherwise. I sincerely wish you luck on this.