Spryte Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 We have a colony of feral cats that has moved into our cul de sac. It started small, but obviously has grown quickly. It lives in a drain pipe across the cul de sac from us, so not on our property. But it’s impacting our family - our dogs are going crazy scratching at windows, and I fear one of them will jump the fence to chase a cat (the only thing keeping her from doing so is an electric fence, we know she can jump the four foot fence). DS is anaphylactic to cats, but we’re not too worried about that part. They can carry diseases, of course, and I could go on about this but you get the idea. And we worry about the cats. They are not healthy, obviously, we’ve even found one dead in our backyard. Fortunately DH found it, not a kid. Our options are limited. Animal control will not handle this for us. I’ve called a wildlife company, and they won’t do it either. Cats are considered free roaming, and unless they are in our house, we’re on our own. It looks like our best option is either to catch and spay/neuter them, plus get them shots, and release them again (but there are like 12-14 of them!), or catch and find a place that takes feral cats? Any other ideas? Do Have a Heart traps work? (I fear we will catch a raccoon instead of a cat, aaaack!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 I know of two different non-profit organizations in my area that traps and neuters/spays cats, then releases them again. They operate on donated funds. See if you can find one in your area. Or, perhaps start one yourself! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ailaena Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 We also have organizations here that will help with feral colonies. Google cat “trap and return” or TNR with your city/area and hopefully, something with turn up. If you don’t have one, very often there are vets who will offer greatly reduced fees when you bring in a feral cat to be fixed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Call shelters instead of animal control. They should either be able to help or point you in the right direction. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted July 3, 2018 Author Share Posted July 3, 2018 Thanks, I will start googling, and I’ll call our vet, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Agree about finding an organization that will help with TNR. Be aware, though, that some require you to commit to feeding the colony afterwards. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 And be careful if you do catch them. We had a similar situation years ago and dh put on huge gloves because these cats can claw deep and, as you have mentioned, are not very healthy. Our animal shelter took them in but I don't know what happened after that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 3 minutes ago, Liz CA said: And be careful if you do catch them. We had a similar situation years ago and dh put on huge gloves because these cats can claw deep and, as you have mentioned, are not very healthy. Our animal shelter took them in but I don't know what happened after that. I'll second that. I once made an ER trip for a bite from a feral kitten I tried to catch. The puncture marks were so small that I was terribly embarrassed even going in, but they took it very seriously. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Bites from a cat, even small bites from a small pet cat with all its shots, are always serious. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted July 3, 2018 Author Share Posted July 3, 2018 I don’t mind feeding them, once they are fixed and have shots. I could work with our dogs, hopefully, so they can coexist. Ideally, I’d like them to live peacefully elsewhere, but we can work around that. Bites and scratches. Oh no. I will have to get some serious gloves. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Our humane society lends out the traps for free - two weeks at a time, but you can get an extension. A vet near us does fixing and ear tipping for free. It's pretty hard to get bit or scratched unless you purposely put your hands up to the edge of the cage, which, y'know, definitely don't do, lol. We have never worn gloves to pick up the cage. We just grab it in the morning and drop it at the vet (has to be done early). They are back in the cage when we pick up in the afternoon, and all we do is put the cage outside and open it, they run off. I'm not saying don't be careful, but in our situation the cage does all of the work, I'd never attempt to catch a feral animal any other way. I would definitely outline the situation when you call for information. With that many cats, you need a concerted effort to get them all fixed in a short time frame, because they multiply quickly and cats can get pregnant very young. Our shelter actually has a new thing going. They recently opened a new building with a fair amount of land, and they have a feral colony on site. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Our Humane Society does the fixing for free too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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