Feral cat problem
 

Hi,
I've never posted here before. Thought someone might have at least an
idea for a long-term solution.

There must be 30 - 40 feral cats/kittens in one city block, crying,
fighting, getting killed in traffic, caught in trees, injured, sick,
etc. etc.

I understand that this is a growing problem throughout many states.

I've phoned & spoke with with the local SPCA, cat rescues, the DEC, city
animal control. The list could go on almost endlessly.

I'd like to be part of the solution but don't know where to find ideas.
Does anybody have thoughts on this?
TIA,
Pon

Feral cat problem
 

Pon o wrote:
Hi,
I've never posted here before. Thought someone might have at least an
idea for a long-term solution.

There must be 30 - 40 feral cats/kittens in one city block, crying,
fighting, getting killed in traffic, caught in trees, injured, sick,
etc. etc.

I understand that this is a growing problem throughout many states.

I've phoned & spoke with with the local SPCA, cat rescues, the DEC,
city animal control. The list could go on almost endlessly.

I'd like to be part of the solution but don't know where to find
ideas. Does anybody have thoughts on this?
TIA,
Pon

Yes. Trap, neuter, and release is one "solution". At least, a partial
solution. You can help either by donating money to organizations who do
this, or catch your own feral cat, have him/her neutered, and release him
back where you caught him. (when we do this, we usually end up owning
another cat)

Feral cat problem
 

"Trap, neuter, and release is one
"solution". At least, a partial solution.
You can help either by donating money
to organizations who do this, or catch
your own feral cat, have him/her
neutered, and release him back where
you caught him. (when we do this, we
usually end up owning another cat)."
Ok, thanks! That's what one local cat org. is doing. But they rely on
private donations since there is no legislation/no funding, concerning
domestic cats, feral or not, in the state of NY (& other states as
well).

For all their good intentions, this expensive neuter/release program is
a drop in the bucket. Donations are scarce; cats' lifespans are short
because of disease, traffic, starvation. frigid winters, & this
summer--drought! It's heartbreaking to see what these animals go
through.

So I guess there is no good & lasting solution?

Do you expect this to be a growing problem in the future? I don't
remember feral cats being a problem until a few yrs. ago.
Thanks,
- Pon

Feral cat problem
 

Per Pon o:
Do you expect this to be a growing problem in the future? I don't
remember feral cats being a problem until a few yrs. ago.

Maybe it's a local predator/prey balance thing.

I have no clue what preys on cats except for foxes.

Having said that, we used to have a lot more cats around here
until a family of foxes moved in to the area (as evidenced by
security camera videos). Now the cat population seems pretty
much restricted to cats whose owners keep them in at night.

Even during the day, we see the occasional fox prowling around...
and we always have a door or two open so our cat has a fallback
position.
--
Pete Cresswell

Feral cat problem
 

Pon o wrote:
"Trap, neuter, and release is one
"solution". At least, a partial solution.
You can help either by donating money
to organizations who do this, or catch
your own feral cat, have him/her
neutered, and release him back where
you caught him. (when we do this, we
usually end up owning another cat)."
Ok, thanks! That's what one local cat org. is doing. But they rely on
private donations since there is no legislation/no funding, concerning
domestic cats, feral or not, in the state of NY (& other states as
well).

For all their good intentions, this expensive neuter/release program
is a drop in the bucket. Donations are scarce; cats' lifespans are
short because of disease, traffic, starvation. frigid winters, & this
summer--drought! It's heartbreaking to see what these animals go
through.

So I guess there is no good & lasting solution?

Do you expect this to be a growing problem in the future? I don't
remember feral cats being a problem until a few yrs. ago.
Thanks,
- Pon

Well, like our human population the cats population grows too. I find it
more rewarding to take in my own stray cat, feed him and house him for the
Winter, and then get him neutered as soon as I can. There may be many in the
neighborhood, but usually only one shows up at my door every year or so, and
my wife and I casn handle this. We even liik forward to them showing us for
food every few days. One thing is for sure, The government isn't interested.
Feral cats don't vote....:^) They would rather take your tax dollars and
give them to some terrorist country in the Mideast who hates our guts.....

Feral cat problem
 

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per Pon o:
Do you expect this to be a growing problem in the future? I don't
remember feral cats being a problem until a few yrs. ago.

Maybe it's a local predator/prey balance thing.

I have no clue what preys on cats except for foxes.
Owls, Eagles, Ospreys, Teen aged boys, automobiles, people who use Round-Up
on their weeds, coyotes, Stray dogs, Other cats, various cat diseases (like
FIV) Poisoned mice, rats, snails and other critters, Poisonous snakes (in
some locals) And probably several other things that I haven't thought of
yet. Oh... the "teen aged boys"... Some of them are in their forties and
fifties, and just like to use cats for their target proctice.....

Feral cat problem
 

Bill Graham wrote:
(PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per Pon o:
Do you expect this to be a growing problem in the future? I don't
remember feral cats being a problem until a few yrs. ago.

Maybe it's a local predator/prey balance thing.

I have no clue what preys on cats except for foxes.
Owls, Eagles, Ospreys, Teen aged boys, automobiles, people who use
Round-Up on their weeds, coyotes, Stray dogs, Other cats, various cat
diseases (like FIV) Poisoned mice, rats, snails and other critters,
Poisonous snakes (in some locals) And probably several other things
that I haven't thought of yet. Oh... the "teen aged boys"... Some of
them are in their forties and fifties, and just like to use cats for
their target proctice.....

I forgot other hazards such as enclosed places like auto trunks. and
sometimes cars don't kill cats by running them down, but their fan belts
kill them on start up in the morning.....

Feral cat problem
 

Bill Graham wrote:
Bill Graham wrote:
(PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per Pon o:
Do you expect this to be a growing problem in the future? I don't
remember feral cats being a problem until a few yrs. ago.

When I was about 15, back in 1950, I worked as a bus boy in a restaurant
in Lynbrook, Long Island, New Your. The diwhwsher would take out the
garbage, and spill a lot of it on the ground, which the feral cats wold eat.
In a year, there would be hundreds of cats waiting for Jack to take out the
garbage. Mrs Frazer, who owned the3 restaurant would call the ASPCA who
would come and trap these cats every year and put (I presume) them to sleep.
Then Jack would start working on next years batch....... So, feral cats have
always been a problem, to someone, somewhere....

Feral cat problem
 

Hi Pete,
Thanks for replying to my post.

I live in the city so there is no natural predator for these cats except
cars, famine, disease, injury, weather....

The neighborhood is rodent free, I believe, so the cats are preying on
songbirds for one.

I hate it when I find a pile of red feathers & know another cardinal has
become a cat's dinner..

I feel for the plight of the cats but realistically don't see any
practical solution.

I've just joined a Yahoo Group on Feral Cats where I might get some
ideas.
Thanks again,
- Pon

Feral cat problem
 

Bill,
"One thing is for sure, The government
isn't interested. Feral cats don't
vote....:^) They would rather take your
tax dollars and give them to some
terrorist country in the Mideast who
hates our guts....."

LOL! Good one!

I was bitten by a feral kitten several yrs ago, trying to get it out
from under my car. Two days later my finger turned a lovely shade of
purple & swelled double size. When I developed a fever, I went to the ER
& was put on an antibiotic IV drip for 3 days, followed by 14 days of
mega antibiotics. I had the early stage of sepsis.

They wanted to do surgery on the finger (index) because it had infected
with a "felon" (some kind of infection). I declined, & have since had no
sensation in that finger, joint to tip.

I rescued a feral kitten from a tree the other day after it cried from
morning 'til dusk. I held my breath as it hissed & tried to bite.

Point of this long story.... I don't want to get too close to the feral
population. Still want to help tho.
- Pon