Cat-loving DUers, please help me w/a dilemma

[booksenkatz]

A mother cat and her two kittens (abt 10 wks of age) have taken up residence in my yard these past few days. My ginger cat, who was once a stray and was declawed and neutered by a previous owner, won't chase them away, since he is declawed; he merely watches them from a safe distance. I know that I need to take them to the humane society, but they won't come to me. I'm sure it was a mistake for me to put out food for them this morning, but one thing I cannot abide is watching a cat starve to death in front of my eyes. (They look healthy, but ate hungrily.) Also, I'm thinking that I will need to gain their trust if I am to get them to the humane society. To make matters worse, I am leaving to go to Texas in just a few days, and will be gone 8 days. Should I just leave them alone and pretend they are not there, and not feed them anymore? It rips my heart out to see them. It got chilly last night, and I worried about them. I am a royal sucker for animals. What is the best way to handle stray cats? I've taken in several over the years, but I've never had to take one to the humane society and am not sure how to do it.

Help!

[Gato Moteado]

1. get a warthog.....

that should do the trick.

[booksenkatz]

7. Hee hee

You're terrible!;)

[mopaul]

8. TORA TORA TORA!

[booksenkatz]

9. OMG!!!

(Hey, just because I like kitties, doesn't mean I can't appreciate some mopaul warthog-on-kitty humor!)

[NMDemDist2]

2. call around and find some traps to rent,

I rented a trap for $10 a day, if they are hungry you can catch them easy to take to the humane society

[molly]

3. Do you neighbors that will feed them while you are gone?

you declawed cat would chase them away if he didn't want them there. I have a declawed cat - 13 years old - that terrifies my other cats with claws. Is there an agency in your area that will not put them to sleep?

[booksenkatz]

6. I'm going to look, molly

My first preference is a no-kill shelter, always! So few of those, though.

[Bertha Venation]

4. It's never a mistake to offer lovingkindness to another critter, Pats.

You and i are cut from the same cloth.

Call your humane society and ask for help. They will either lend you a humane trap/traps, or will bring them to you and help you set them up.

If they can't help (the only reason would be that they're swamped w/ similar requests for help) Google cat rescue, feral cat, etc., groups in your area. You can find help.

Feel free to email me if you want more specific help/info. Good luck!

[booksenkatz]

5. Man, y'all are really great

I was away from the computer for seemingly moments, and I come back to several replies, LOL! Guess what I was doing while I was away... dam, they're just so cute, I keep going to the window to see what they're doing. I appreciate the suggestions, I'll get on it right away. I wish to God I could keep them, but there are times in your life when you're able to do that, and times in your life when you know you are not. If I gave in to my heart every time, I'd be one of those old bag ladies with 75 cats that you read about, know what I mean?

And yes, my ole ginger cat is a sweetie, he wouldn't hurt a fly. My cat Sybil, on the other hand, who I had to put to sleep one year ago, she would have kicked these cats' asses back to where they came from. Here's Sybil, she doesn't look like an ass kicker, does she? But she sure was... lived to be 18:



Thanks again.

[AlGore-08.com]

13. Lisa, I have an 18 yr old female who takes no prisoners either

She now has several major geriatic kitty diseases, and but even when she is having a bad day, she refuses to let another cat come inside her territory. She pesters me to go outside, and sits on the step, glaring at any cats who even dare to enter the yard. None of them have dared challenge her yet - - they know that Boudicca is not to be triffled with.

(Before anybody flames me for letting an ancient, sick cat outside to be savaged by passing cats, I do not let her go outside alone. I stand there with the door open and she just walks out about two feet to the balcony railing and glares down at the yard. I let her glare for a minute or two and call her back. That's all she usually wants, and she comes back inside, happy as a clam.)

[1monster]

10. Call animal control. They will set a trap and pick the cats up.

Insist that they get the kittens the same time they get the mother.

Realize, that if these are feral cats, they will probably be put down.

Cats, though, are very smart little beings, and if this one has been aroung for a bit, she may not fall for the trap unless she is very hungry.

When feral cats that are near to starving invade my yard, I feed them back to health... they are generally very grateful and easier to manage and may even be adoptable.

[SOteric]

11. Please don't call animal control or the humane society

Look instead for PAWS(Progressive Animal Welfare Society) or another no-kill shelter in the area. The Humane society will euthanise the cats if they're not adopted within a short time.

It's worth noting that the cats may have a home. Nursing mothers often take their litters away from their home environment, - especially if there are other cats there with whom they feel they need to compete for territory and food.

[ronnykmarshall]

12. I love your Patsy Cline site!