lid wrote:

(snip)

Just a rant, I guess. Has anyone else run into a situation like this?
How did you handle it?

Leave a note asking them to contact you. Tell them it is important to
coordinate feeding and trapping efforts so property managers do not
withdraw their support of the project.

It is a delicate situation since, as you said, you don't want to
discourage others from caring about and for the cats. It would be good
for you and your budget if you and the other feeder(s) could alternate
feeding days and share vet bills.

I had a similar problem, I hope not identical, at one of my more visible
colonies. At first, I was pleased that someone else was taking an
interest in the cats even if the low quality food they provided was
messy and uneaten. I left notes, all unanswered.

I soon learned the real reason this person took up feeding chores...they
dumped seven old, tame, unneutered tomcats and four ferals at the
site!!! Three hernia operations, one lifelong insulin regimen, seven
neuter jobs and special renal diets for all later, the seven tomcats are
permanently installed in my downstairs "catroom". The four ferals have
been trapped, tested, vaccinated, de-felared, de-wormed and spayed. (It
really bugs me that these four females must have been trapped and
transported to the location _without_ being spayed! In my area, free
services for feral cats are available.)

Even worse, the presence of these new cats caused a few of the resident
cats to leave the area for several weeks. I was in a panic! One young
female never did return.

I finally went to my local animal control agency and purchased two of
their signs warning animal abandonment is a criminal act subject to
fine. Well, whoever dumped the cats doesn't feed anymore. I just pray
they don't decide to "clean house" again and dump their "garbage" in my
colony. Poor cats, they live and die at the whim of whoever feels like
picking them up and throwing them away.