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Do YOU feed strays (feral cats)?

fords8

fords8

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I have found a momma cat who has 3 babies. I would have to guess the babies are 6-8 weeks old. They are good and healthy sized. They jump, run and play with each other but they will not allow me to get within 10 ft without running away. Momma is the same. Last night, I sat watching them play tag with each other. I was cracking up with their playfulness. I went in my house and got them a bowl of dry cat food, mostly cuz momma looks a little thin. After an hour of letting them be in peace, the bowl was almost empty. I took the bowl back in my house after dumping out the remaining few bits of food. This morning I returned to see all of the food had been eaten. I am Wondering if this is a good idea as I do not want them... as in to attempt to make them house cats. I have a cat... not looking for more pets. I also do not want to think any of them are hungry, kwim?

So, for those of you who rescue and or care for strays..... Am I making the situation worse?
 
I don't know, but I'm like you. I couldn't watch a thin momma cat with 3 young kittens starve feral or not. I'd feed them :)
 
yes i would feed a stray and i would put out some water too. Right now we have the same thing - mom and her three kitty's so cute ! I also don't need any more pets , don't know how right it is but can't let them starve
 
I'd feed them, too. :hides: It's probably not the best thing, I htink they need to learn to fend for themselves, you know? But I'd probably feed them for the same reasons as you.
 
I'm sure kg will be able to give some good advice.

My uncle used to feed several stray cats. Two of them are now living with me. :giggles:I continued to feed one that showed up for a while after my uncle passed (I think he was Molly's baby daddy, and also her daughter Daisy's baby daddy - he was quite the stud) but he stopped coming around after a few months.
 
You should see if there is a group in your area that does TNR/TSR.

The kitties will get checked for diseases that can be harmful to your cat, even if they never come in contact, and will be spayed/neutered so they don't beget more offspring.

If you PM me your location I'll see what I can find for you.
 
My great grandmother had a cat she fed for years. I remember visiting her one summer & he showed up every day same time(s). When I made the mistake of trying to pet him, he let me know that was a bad idea. He brought dead mice by a lot as well.

Anyhoo, to answer your question no I probably wouldn't feed a stray cat. I don't like to deal w/anything undomesticated to begin with, but beyond that I know the kiddos would try to talk me into keeping it & that just isn't happening.
 
mrsred1 said:
there's still some good in me :)

I only castrated dime for his well-being!
Click to expand...


You're leaving out the fact that you then sent the poor fella packing. :pout: Poor sad kitty.







You're asking for it by posting in these cat threads. :giggles:
 
mama22angels said:
I have found a momma cat who has 3 babies. I would have to guess the babies are 6-8 weeks old. They are good and healthy sized. They jump, run and play with each other but they will not allow me to get within 10 ft without running away. Momma is the same. Last night, I sat watching them play tag with each other. I was cracking up with their playfulness. I went in my house and got them a bowl of dry cat food, mostly cuz momma looks a little thin. After an hour of letting them be in peace, the bowl was almost empty. I took the bowl back in my house after dumping out the remaining few bits of food. This morning I returned to see all of the food had been eaten. I am Wondering if this is a good idea as I do not want them... as in to attempt to make them house cats. I have a cat... not looking for more pets. I also do not want to think any of them are hungry, kwim?

So, for those of you who rescue and or care for strays..... Am I making the situation worse?
Click to expand...

I have and am doing the samething, we live on a busy corner and get cats dropped off all the time. I get the cheapest cat food and or leftovers and i feed them in time they have come to let us come lose but i cant come close enough to catch them ..... Cant see them starving
 
Dont know if its a good idea, as it keeps them by your house, but, I cant let an animal starve, so I guess I would feed them, for a little while anyways.
 
Nope, never would feed a stray cat...

I was thinking about calling animal control on a cat that hangs out by our house. It is a friendly cat, but DS always wants to pet it and I am afraid of what disease it could have.
 
Feed them only if you are going to spay and neuter the whole lot of them SOON. I know you want to help them, but only feeding them and providing no other care helps them get old enough and strong enough to breed and then you have a colony of 10 more ferals looking for food, killing songbirds and rabbits, spraying/marking around your house and your neighbors houses (thus pissing off the indoor cats kept as pets because someone else is claiming their turf, causing them to misbehave and pee on someone's carpet), transporting fleas and pooping in your garden. They also get into fights with racoons, skunks and coyotes, get infections from the bites, and die slow, painful deaths. Feral is no way to live; a feral cat's average life expectancy is a very short, harsh 2 years.

In addition, in some municipalities (Carpentersville I know for sure; I think Elgin has something similar) that have problems with huge colonies of feral cats, once you feed a cat, you are in effect taking ownership of it. That means you can get ticketed for violating local laws about rabies vaccinations, leash laws, or laws limiting the number of pets you can keep in one house. It's the village/city's way of attempting to control something they just don't have the money to control themselves.

I think TNRing is the most humane and responsible thing you can do. Some of my rescue friends have colonies of TNR ferals they feed. They TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) the whole colony (it can take months or years to trap every single one). Work with a local rescue (I can get you a name/number if you need it). Every group has a different way of doing things; my rescue group based in McHenry county will loan you a trap and will give you some tips; they also work with a couple local vets who give a reduced fee for the spay/neuter (It used to be $30 but the vet raised their rate and I think it's more like $40 now, but the price will vary; some also get rabies shots with the spay/neuter). The vet also cuts off the tip of their ear so everyone in the world can identify them as TNRed on sight, and not to bother with trying to TNR them again. If you can't afford to do them all, at least spay the females. Try to get that mom cat before she gets knocked up again! It's safe to neuter/spay kittens as young as about 8 weeks or 2 pounds 8 ounces (we routinely spay/neuter once they hit 2 pounds 12 ounces).

Then yes, feed them freely once you have TNRed them (or have concrete plans to start trapping). But never ever let them in your house, even though it's the coldest day of winter and you think you're doing them a favor to help them survive. First, they're certainly carrying fleas and tapeworms and probably roundworms and who knows what else. Second, it really is best for a feral to stay outside in winter; they harden off and develop a thick undercoat. They learn to find places they can go to consistently to stay warm (a barn, etc). A week living in your garage or basement will cause them to start losing their undercoat, and they'll be worse off when you let them back outside after the cold snap.
 
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