Feral cat needs a colony.

Hi all,
My co-worker has trapped and spayed a feral cat that was living in his in-laws neighborhood. Now they don't know where to 'release' the cat. He says his father-in-law is highly allergic and doesn't want the cat released in his backyard.

They have called the cat sanctuary's and they are full. Shelters/humane society wont' take her because she is feral.

Any ideas here? He doesn't know what to do. He was talking about releasing the cat in the desert but I warned him against that idea.
Diane :)

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Permalink Reply by Lindy Ross Barnes on September 12, 2008 at 11:35am

I highly commend your friend for having the cat spayed. Stray, homeless, and unwanted animals all reproducing are a huge and ever-growing problem. Educating the public does not seem to be working. I have caught, fed, and contained dogs out here where I live until Maricopa County Animal Control comes out to pick them up. These people are really wonderful. However, I do not know if they will pick cats up. You might try. If nothing else they may be able to tell you what to do. Their number is: 602-506-7387

Lindy

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Permalink Reply by diane on October 6, 2008 at 3:52pm

Just wanted to give an update...

The cat was spayed and then released to a colony in downtown phoenix. Thanks to the help of another member within our permaculture site!!

I found out that if you turn a feral cat into Maricopa county animal control it will mean certain death as they have to put down upwards of 100 cats and dogs per day due to space issues.

If you ever have a dog or cat that you find as a stray and they are friendly, it is far better to try and turn them to a Rescue, shelter or Humane society as they are 'no kill' agencies.

Thanks so much to the permaculture member who helped out in this situation. I appreciate it!
Diane :)

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Permalink Reply by Nancy Kelly on October 7, 2008 at 2:51pm

Homeless animals! Such a terrible problem. FYI, there are times when the Humane Society's shelters are completely full (they will warn you with a sign out front) and if you turn in your animal it will be immediately euthanized. There are not enough homes for them all. Please spay and neuter!

The feral - she was released to a colony where I work, I have not seen her since! Hopefully she found one of several other nearby colonies, or is hiding out and only coming out in the middle of the night to eat/drink.

Nancy

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Permalink Reply by diane on October 7, 2008 at 3:11pm

Hi Nancy,
Thank you for willing to help with this cat! I would've mentioned your name directly but wasn't sure if I should! ;)

Yes, I have also heard that it is risky to release a feral cat to a new colony, but that seemed to be the only option for this particular situation. Thanks again for your help and the update on the cat.

If anyone is interested there in volunteering and helping there is a TNR (trap and release) meetup group whose goal is to help control the cat overpopulation by spaying/neutering then releasing ferals to their original locations. http://animaltalk.meetup.com/98/ They actually have a meetup tomorrow night Oct 8th downtown.

A great group and excellent cause.

Thanks again Nancy!! :)

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Permalink Reply by Nichol on October 8, 2008 at 9:56pm

Awesome! If this ever comes up again I will take it. I have an acre here with 2 feeding stations and 4 S/N adults and 2 kittens living here. My neighbor across the street feeds 3 there (soon to be TNR'd). Since we have roof rats I've been educating the other neighbors about the benefits of maintaing a stable colony for a few years and I really think it's working.

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Permalink Reply by Julie Norgaard on October 9, 2008 at 1:13pm

You guys are great! My neighbor has about 3 S/N adults, 5 S/N juvvies and 5 kittens calling her property home. All the cats share the communal food dishes we put out and I think it keeps both scorpions and rodents away, as well as providing them a stable place to live. It is awful that there are so many stray/feral animals and I fear it will only get worse with all the foreclosures.

We have one S/N male on our property who was someone's abandoned pet and now is almost a member of the family after I had to take him to the vet for an infected ear bite and kept him confined to the house for a few days until he healed - he headed back outside but still appears for food every day. I could use the name of an inexpensive (and compassionate) vet for those times I take them in - my vet doesn't do discounts and I can't stand to see them suffer. I live in North West Phx