Posted on 11/11/2005 10:24:14 AM PST by Joe in Norfolk
Four of them, one of them is a tiger cat - she was a thug in her prime, now she's getting a bit frail!
Sounds like you do have a real problem.
Sorry about your loss of Nermal, he looks like he was a really sweet cat.
I had a similar problem, that I never could solve. I love cats and dogs, but don't have any, so my backyard has been a "bird sanctuary", birds used to come literally by the dozens, they knew they were safe in my backyard. Then some neighborhood cats started to come, I would chase them away, when I saw them, but that didn't do much and now hardly any birds come over anymore.
You might bite the bullet and at least get those cats fixed, so you don't have to deal with them multiplying. Beyond that, you might try to tame them and find homes for them, over a period of time. Aside from that, I don't know if there are any other human options, other than keep feeding them A LOT, so they will be so full, that they get too lazy to chase birds and squirrels.
I read somewhere that you can get something you can put down on the perimeter of your back yard, where the cats tend to get in, which cats don't like and they may not cross, but it's not harmful to them. I think I tried that, got it at an OSH or Home Depot, maybe you can find them in some petstores too. It didn't work in my case, maybe you need to put it down more often or maybe it doesn't work, but maybe worth a try. The more I think, maybe you should explore this option, there maybe a lot of stuff that should work to keep cats away. You probably would still end up having to feed them, now that you sort of adopted them, but maybe you could keep them out of the backyard, so the birds can be safe.
Oh my!
There is nothing cuter than a kitten (in a boot at that ;) )
I prefer dogs.
I consider cat to be punishment rations. Sort of like the old "bread and water for 30 days" bit.
There is an attorney I work with in the next county. she is involved in some kind of animal rescue thing I think. I may have a talk with her and see what she would recommend. I'm also going to be out at the ranch later this evening, so perhaps I will discuss it with them as well. They do take good care of the cats out there. It might be if I got the cats fixed and pitched in for their food, they would be willing to have them. They are really good people. It is a guest ranch, by the way, so the cats always get spoiled by the guests, as well as by the owner. Currently, they are housing Katrina victims out therea nd are one of the few places that has been willing to take the ones who had their pets with them.
Hair, those kittens are just adorable How many do you have....and what on earth are you going to do with them all?
Belling cats is not a good idea if they'll be fending for themselves outdoors.
I have no idea if you live in a city or the bookdocks; it makes a difference. Usually there are lots of resources, no-kill shelters and the like. Maybe the phonebook, the newspaper, the local vet, the dog catcher will know. You'll find a lot of help and advice if you go looking for it. Good luck.
We're pretty rural and have very limited resources in the area....for much of anything. I would only bell them if I let them stay around, in which case, I'd be feeding them. There are other problems with that though. If they don't get where they can be handled so they would allow you to help if there was a problem, there is always the risk of them catching themselves on something And at least 3 of them are still growing, so the collars that might fit now would become too tight. I've also seen cats get their lower jaws stuck in a collar. If a collar is loose enough to slip off easily, it is pretty useless for the purpose.
You and I are of the same mind, then. A neighbor put bells on elastic for indoor/outdoor cats. It was a good idea till coyotes and gray foxes moved in. She has lost several cats to predators, yet she still lets them out. I suspect she might have dual interpretations of the term, "catfood."
God........ stick some food under the shed.
SLEEPing???
I think this is a photoshopped pic of a dead cat.
Oops, sorry I first sent this in FReepmail, by accident, Fierce Allegiance.
Two kittens, one adult cat... we just got the kittens :~D
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.