Frustrated and Anxious Rant

[Cali Cat]

Just have to b*tch somewhere. Might as well start here.

I tried to catch two feral female mama cats tonight. Both of them have had kittens within the past three months. One is ripe to get preggers again. Well, one mama cat didn't show at all (never mind the fact that she's always around any other time), and the other one wouldn't go near the trap this time. She had gone into the trap once before, but then a kitten followed her in, so I had to abandon the procedure for fear of the kitten being hurt by the trap door.

I'm getting sooooo f***ing tired of this! I just want to get this sh*t accomplished so I can get on with other things. It's not like I can just give up. I sure don't want another two litters of kittens in three months. It's bad enough right now with eight kittens and two mama cats.

This is driving me crazy, and it will until it's done. Obsession is a b*tch, and then you meltdown.

Oh well, feeling better now.

 

[AsheSkyler]

I'm almost afraid to ask, but what are you going to do with them if you catch them? Simply get them fixed? (I know a group of people that love to kill feral cats, so I get anxious around the subject.)

 

[Kari Suttle]

I'm almost afraid to ask, but what are you going to do with them if you catch them? Simply get them fixed? (I know a group of people that love to kill feral cats, so I get anxious around the subject.)

Considering that she backtracked when the feral kitten became endangered, i doubt it. I'm sure there's plenty easier ways to kill a cat than to put all the time and effort into catching it.

 

[wyverary]

I once encountered an older man, almost a redneck you might say, out by the dumpsters at work, who told me how he was leaving out food for all the feral cats and kittens, and hoping to catch them so that he could have them spayed/neutered.

There is a neighborhood cat who often hangs around my friend's house, we don't know if she is a lost stray, but we call her Emily. She is the sweetest thing...and I, too, wonder if she has been spayed. It's natural to be concerned about the animals we are around, at least us Aspies.

 

[Kari Suttle]

It's natural to be concerned about the animals we are around, at least us Aspies.

Yup! Me too, i'm an animal lover. Cats especially cause that's what my family has - both rescued kittens that we adopted from foster homes - but i love dogs too even if i'm scared of big dogs. Always have been. I loved the dog of the kids i babysit (back before they got rid of her) like she was my own. I think i loved that dog more than those kids did. She was so sweet. I'm just glad knowing she (probably) went to a good home. I stalked the shelters that got her on facebook for a few months till she got adopted.

 

[Rocco]

I'm almost afraid to ask, but what are you going to do with them if you catch them? Simply get them fixed? (I know a group of people that love to kill feral cats, so I get anxious around the subject.)

From her intro thread.

...and I live with five cats at my home, and I care for over 10 cats who live on the property of a friend with whom I work. I'm involved in trapping, spaying/neutering and releasing (TNR) the neighborhood feral and stray cats. This seems to be my current obsession and the one thing that is always on my mind. Too bad I can't be this interested in my job ... lol.

 

[Kari Suttle]

^^^ This! Lol. I was going to comment on the fact that since she has 'cat' in her name that she probably likes cats but i decided not to...until now obviously. Sorry i'm overtired at this point and only pure stubbornness is the reason i'm still awake.

 

[AsheSkyler]

Thank ye both. =) (I did over look that part of the intro somehow...)

There was one guy I knew that supposedly was nuts about cats, but he drowned a feral family once and I've been skittish ever since.

 

[Ereth]

Just have to b*tch somewhere. Might as well start here.

You're doing good work. I know it must be difficult sometimes, but remind yourself that you're helping the cats.

There was one guy I knew that supposedly was nuts about cats, but he drowned a feral family once and I've been skittish ever since.

Did he get arrested and sent to jail for that? I hope so . . .

 

[AsheSkyler]

You could always bribe them with a saucer of milk.

It is a fairly common way to get close to skittish animals, albeit a bit slow. Could take a few days, could take a few months.

Did he get arrested and sent to jail for that? I hope so . . .

No. There are a lot of things I see that get ignored, including that incident.

 

[Ereth]

No. There are a lot of things I see that get ignored, including that incident.

Was it reported? Where on earth do you live?

 

[Cali Cat]

Rocco and Kari: Thanks for stepping in to explain while I was away. I should've indicated what my intent was. Wasn't thinking beyond the present moment though. I have problems with patience. I feel better this morning though. I'm just going to have to cough up enough money to buy a professional drop trap: Drop trap and transfer cage: Live catch animal traps | Contol Equipment. It's much easier to drop trap a specific cat because they don't recognize it as a trap. I have control over the moment it drops, too, so any potential CATastrophes are avoided.

 

[Cali Cat]

(I know a group of people that love to kill feral cats, so I get anxious around the subject.)

I hate evil fricking people ... would love to get ahold of them and neuter them sans anesthetic.

There was one guy I knew that supposedly was nuts about cats, but he drowned a feral family once and I've been skittish ever since.

Sadly, I can see how that might happen if he felt he couldn't take care of them. If he was truly a cat lover, he may have gotten overwhelmed if he couldn't care for them and did something like that in desperation, thinking it would be better for them than starving. I know my mother-in-law had to drown a litter of kittens once a long time ago because they couldn't keep all of them. She did it as they were being born, which was probably the most humane thing. They kept the mama cat and the first kitten who was born. It sounds very harsh, but starving isn't a good death either. That's why I'm such a huge advocate for spaying and neutering pets.

 

[Cali Cat]

I once encountered an older man, almost a redneck you might say, out by the dumpsters at work, who told me how he was leaving out food for all the feral cats and kittens, and hoping to catch them so that he could have them spayed/neutered.

Aw, it's always good to hear when someone steps up to help.

There is a neighborhood cat who often hangs around my friend's house, we don't know if she is a lost stray, but we call her Emily. She is the sweetest thing...and I, too, wonder if she has been spayed. It's natural to be concerned about the animals we are around, at least us Aspies.

I don't know where you live, but you could check to see if there are any low-cost spay/neuter programs in the area. If she's been hanging around for a long time and has not become pregnant, she may already be fixed. Females usually have at least two litters within a year's time if there are intact males in the area.

 

[Cali Cat]

You're doing good work. I know it must be difficult sometimes, but remind yourself that you're helping the cats.

Thanks. It gets very frustrating sometimes because I'm very busy with other things as well, and I want to get this accomplished so it won't be lingering on my mind. Nature doesn't always cooperate with my schedule, but I'm very persistent.

 

[wyverary]

I don't know where you live, but you could check to see if there are any low-cost spay/neuter programs in the area. If she's been hanging around for a long time and has not become pregnant, she may already be fixed. Females usually have at least two litters within a year's time if there are intact males in the area.

I'm sure the humane society would do it for free, but seeing as she is not the owner--we're not sure if she even has an owner--they might turn us down. I think she is rather young, because she is fairly small, so she might not have "gotten round to it" yet. But you are right, it is possible she is already spayed. We saw an advert in the paper looking for a cat that looked similar. At least she is healthy and obviously well-fed.

 

[Cali Cat]

I'm sure the humane society would do it for free, but seeing as she is not the owner--we're not sure if she even has an owner--they might turn us down.

It's not likely they would turn you down if you took her in as a stray. Most humane societies are more than happy to prevent unwanted litters of kittens regardless of who the actual owner is. Is she friendly to people in general? If you're not sure she has an owner, the best thing to do is to get her spayed before she comes into heat for the first time. I get any cat that comes in my yard spayed/neutered. I figure I'm doing the owner, the cat and the community a favor. I've never had anyone complain; but then, most of the cats don't have owners either.