On 28 Sep 2008 16:44:43 -0400, (Melinda Shore) wrote:


When my mother found some orphaned feral kittens I suggested
that she get in touch with a cat rescue organization in her
city, and she did and they were an enormous help. But she's
not so much about the cries and pleas and demands for
attention, and more about being effective and getting stuff
done.

Yada yada yada, your mother is a great person, and TD isn't.

If you weren't so ****ing predictable, this would be more fun.

And it's just a hunch, but I bet your mother would be ashamed of the
way her daughter treats people.

At least she should.

If she doesn't, that would help to explain a lot.

--
Handsome Jack Morrison

Thinking about giving the Democrats even more power, are you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs

Video: Who’s responsible for the Fannie and Freddie mess?
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/2...-freddie-mess/

Who's to blame?
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/bl...hp/rubin/32011

How the Democrats Created the Financial Crisis.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...d=aSKSoiNbnQY0

Prayer, God and War: The Media Elites v. Palin, Clinton, JFK, FDR, and Lincoln.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4hpwM4...m/instapundit/

British "ethicist" (and apparently a relative of Paul Schoen) wants to euthanize the senile. Too costly for the state!
Think about *that* the next time you think about "national health care".
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/1...d-be-put-down/

Obama instructs supporters to "argue, get in their face". How's that for "change"? spit
http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/20...ers-argue.html

More examples of liberal Jewish "tolerance" for people of other faiths and beliefs.
http://media.newsbusters.org/stories...manhattan.html

"We are the [vermin] we've been waiting for".
http://jimtreacher.com/archives/001600.html

Important Public Health Announcement.
http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerkimball...-announcement/

This is what happens when you don't build power plants.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/...ritain-warning

The Culture War's Decisive Battle has Begun.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/...ve_batt_1.html

"Handsome Jack Morrison" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 28 Sep 2008 14:45:27 -0400, "tiny dancer"
wrote:

Maybe something like this:
http://www.feralvilla.com/

Also, if you want to help solve the problem, there's this:
http://www.feralcat.com/trapinst.html

As for solving the problem, the adult cat belongs to the neighbors.

Until that cat, plus all of her kittens, are spayed/neutered, the
problem will only get worse.

I'm not trying to tell you what to do, TD, just that the problem will
only get worse until *someone* does something about it.


I've talked to their next-door neighbor just a couple weeks ago concerning
my frustration and anxiety about this situation. He said he's talked to
them numerous times with no results. I walked over to their house last
Sunday afternoon. could hear them inside, but they didn't answer the door.
Shortly after I left, they came out and got in their car and took off.

The guy across the street, their neighbor, said he's never been able to get
the mother cat to come close enough to him to touch or reach for it. This
guy has two dogs of his own and at least one or two indoor cats. So it's
not like he doesn't know how to approach cats.

Both my daughter and I have left messages with animal control for this
county, but our messages are never returned. The county we live in is
rural, high kill shelter.

And these people don't talk to anyone on our street. Funny thing is, they
are christian missionaries is what I've been told. One would think they
would *talk* to people in their business or what ever it's called.



I hate getting involved with cats because of my daughters asthma.

You've already done that. Feeding a cat essentially makes it yours.


I know that. I told my husband that last night, "If you feed it, it
will come back." I'm not heartless, I love animals. I just don't know WTF
to do about this cat situation. The guy who is their neighbor said he
simply gave up because if one of their cats dies, they get another one to
replace it. What I'm told is country people like to have a cat or two
around, outside, to keep the rodent population down. These cats are simply
useful objects to them, nothing more. Even if we could capture the mother
cat, which no one has been able to do so far, and get it spayed and rehome
it, they'll just get another one. It's apparently not illegal to keep an
outside, unneutered cat.



Now you only have to decide what you're going to do with her.


I can't tell if it's a him or a her. It looks like a *him*, but it's just a
tiny little thing if it's a him. I'm not a cat expert. We could tell what
the pups were at birth, but both my daughter and myself looked at the kitten
and couldn't say for sure. If we had to guess, we'd say it's a male. I'll
try to take a closer look again later. It's so damn hot and muggy outside
once again, we had to put the AC back on.



I was wondering if something like this,

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...3&pcatid=18633

That's really not for outdoors, even in your area.

The one I posted about above is.


Okay, well that's what I wanted to know. I just wasn't sure. I would
prefer to rehome this cat. But as you said, 'it's not mine'. We think
these people might be pissed because we, my daughter and I, gave away the
litter than was in her garage. The way they got there in the first place
was daughter and son in law forgot their garage door was open one night. It
stormed that night and the mother cat apparently brought all her kittens in
daughters garage over night. In the morning, when my daughter opened the
door to enter her garage, the mother cat took off and didn't come back,
leaving the kittens behind in the garage.



Paint it the same color as your house. Put the cat's food inside the
house, and eventually she may come to sleep there, too.

As with cats generally, there are no guarantees.

I'm just not sure where or what sort of arrangements cats like for
sleeping?

I think the answer to that is: Your bed.


That's what I was afraid of. Which would be fine with us, *if* we could
have cats to begin with, but we can't. If we have a cat in the house, one
of our daughters would in effect be banned from coming here because of her
asthma.

If the cat is staying here, it will get vet care. I don't keep animals
without vet care. It's never come to my house before. The neighbor guy
told me he feeds it in his garage. I'm thinking, with as skinny and boney
and hungry as that kitten was, neighbor guy must have gotten fed up and quit
feeding it and it's been trying to find a new source of food since. I just
don't know how this is going to come out yet. Like I said, I'd be fine with
keeping it, feeding it, getting it vet care, spay/neuter, but I'd rather
have it live with somebody, in their home. There are just so many homeless
cats, and I don't know anybody personally who wants one. If I did, the
kitten would already have a new home.

td

"sionnach" wrote in message
...

"Janet Boss" wrote:


As for solving the problem, the adult cat belongs to the neighbors. It
doesn't come across the street to my house. It appears extremely
cautious
of people, doesn't approach any of us neighbors.

Exactly how has it "adopted you" then?

It hasn't. She said that one of this cat's *offspring* seems to have
survived, and adopted them.

It comes right to me, I can pick it up, which is how I felt
all it's bones through it's skin/fur.

I thought it didn't approach "any of us neighbors"? Color me confused.

Again, she's referring to the half-grown offspring, not to the mother.

(Which, FWIW, is perfectly clear to me in both of td's posts.)


Thanks, I went back and reread it. It seemed understandable to me. I
appreciate knowing you did understand it too.

td

"sionnach" wrote in message
...

"tiny dancer" wrote:
I was wondering if something like this,

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...3&pcatid=18633

was appropriate for outside sleeping arrangements

Not really. It's too flimsy (would blow away, and likely rot after not too
long in the elements), and doesn't have enough insulation.


Thanks, that's what I was wondering myself. It appeared to be marketed as
an outdoor shelter, but we get a lot of wind here and it seemed the thing
would blow away. I was thinking about putting a rock in the bottom, under
the pad, etc. But thanks for the rest of your reasoning, rot, flimsy, etc.



or if I should check into something like a little igloo or plastic type
thing.

Your best bet, IMO, would either be a cat shelter like Jack posted, or a
small doghouse designed for outdoor shelter and insulation.


Yeah, I can see that now. We've never even had a dog house, so I just
wasn't sure. Especially with cats. I hear/read so much about ferral cats,
so I wasn't sure if they were more hardy than dogs in general.



I thought perhaps I could put something there for cat to sleep at night.
I'm just not sure where or what sort of arrangements cats like for
sleeping?

That area would probably work. Indoor cats like any area that's comfy,
some like to be enclosed; outdoor cats like any area that's safe & offers
shelter from the elements, including cold. The semi-feral cats that my
friend Bob inherited hang out on the steps & in the bushes when it's nice
out, go into the crawl space & root cellar (he inherited them along with a
very old farmhouse) when it's cold.
Personally, I think I'd be looking for a flat-roofed shelter/doghouse,
and put a carpet remnant or the like on the roof; cat can go in when
enclosure's wanted, be on top when not.


Thanks, if we keep this cat, I think that's probably what we'll do. I saw
on some of the pet supply sites they sell heated pads for outside. There is
an outlet on the porch, so if the cat liked the shelter, I could always get
some sort of heated pad for the really cold times. Or perhaps we could put
the shelter in the garage? It's cold in there in the winter, but it is out
of the elements.

Right now I'm trying to contain my dogs. I know they'd hurt the cat if they
could, so that's another thing I have to do, get them to knock off this ****
and now. They are raising holy hell seeing the cat on our side of the
street and in our front yard now.

td

"Spot" wrote in message
...
Alot of rescues use old ice coolers as shelters. They are insulated all
you need to do is cut a hole for an entrance. The oblong ones are best
that way they can get to the one end away from the entrance and the wind.

Celeste


Thanks Celeste. We used to have a big old one, but I think dh got rid of
it. Or perhaps he gave it to one of the sons in law. The one we have now
is rather small. I'll check with my daughters. I think one of the sons in
law took a beach/fishing trip and borrowed the old cooler. Cat would
probably enjoy the smell anyway.

td

In article ,
tiny dancer wrote:
I've talked to their next-door neighbor just a couple weeks ago concerning
my frustration and anxiety about this situation.

Did you talk to him about the cats? It's not about you.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

In article ,
"tiny dancer" wrote:


Right now I'm trying to contain my dogs. I know they'd hurt the cat if they
could, so that's another thing I have to do, get them to knock off this ****
and now. They are raising holy hell seeing the cat on our side of the
street and in our front yard now.

Good luck on that. Even dogs who live in harmony with cats tend to see
outside cats as something to rid the yard of. The kitten's best bet is
to get placed somewhere. Yeah, the neighbor could get pissed, but I'm
betting they don't really GAS.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

In article ,
"tiny dancer" wrote:



I can't tell if it's a him or a her. It looks like a *him*, but it's just a
tiny little thing if it's a him. I'm not a cat expert. We could tell what
the pups were at birth, but both my daughter and myself looked at the kitten
and couldn't say for sure. If we had to guess, we'd say it's a male.


Kittens are hard to sex when they're tiny, but this one is older?!?!
Puppies are a no brainer.

I would
prefer to rehome this cat.

Best idea, and sometimes, damn the "oh - I didn't know it was yours".

If the cat is staying here, it will get vet care. I don't keep animals
without vet care. It's never come to my house before. Like I said, I'd be fine with
keeping it, feeding it, getting it vet care, spay/neuter, but I'd rather
have it live with somebody, in their home. There are just so many homeless
cats, and I don't know anybody personally who wants one. If I did, the
kitten would already have a new home.


Good. You know what the best thing is for this cat and may have to
settle for second best. Wouldn't feel right to me, I admit, but it is
better than nothing! Cats are NOT easy to place in good and permanent
homes.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

"Janet Boss" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"tiny dancer" wrote:


Right now I'm trying to contain my dogs. I know they'd hurt the cat if
they
could, so that's another thing I have to do, get them to knock off this
****
and now. They are raising holy hell seeing the cat on our side of the
street and in our front yard now.

Good luck on that. Even dogs who live in harmony with cats tend to see
outside cats as something to rid the yard of. The kitten's best bet is
to get placed somewhere. Yeah, the neighbor could get pissed, but I'm
betting they don't really GAS.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com


We did try the local cat rescues and sanctuaries when we had the kittens
last year, without any luck. All were filled and they weren't of any help
in placing the kittens. That's why we tried craigslist and placed them that
way. That might be a way to go. We did meet some very nice 'cat people'
through that listing.

td

In article ,
"tiny dancer" wrote:


We did try the local cat rescues and sanctuaries when we had the kittens
last year, without any luck. All were filled and they weren't of any help
in placing the kittens.

Cat rescues and general animal shelters tend to be swamped with cats and
kittens, more often in June or so, but sometimes the weather affects
that too. Cats are incredibly hard to place. Fortunately, they don't
tend to have large litters (like a dozen or so for some dogs), but
still. A lot of cats wind up victims of the
street/disease/euthanized.

I've had 4 cats. No more, as I *am* asthmatic and highly allergic. I
still have ONE of them and he will be with me until the end of his life.
He's 7 now, so that's another decade or so. LIVING with a cat is easier
than VISITING a cat. Immunity is built through many ways.

2 of the cats (the girls) were both products of someone taking in a
pregnant street cat. The first boy was an adult who banged on my window
until we let him in. He had a broken canine tooth and had already been
neutered. End of school session in a college neighborhood, he was not
an unusual example. Skipjack, my current boy, was the only one who
was at a shelter and a BIT more purposeful. Mostly, he sucked me in and
that was that. He lucked out. His issues during the first few weeks
would have lost him many homes. All I can say is thank goodness for
washable slipcovers.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com