Someone on the pets forum suggested I post a link to my post there. I'm feeding these cats the best I can....once in a while someone else puts out food for them also, but not often unfortunately. I just hate that people do this!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1051536/
Abandoned Pets
Linda,
It is so sweet of you to care for the kittens and cats. I wish I could help, but my DH would kill me if I brought another cat into the house. We have two found cats. One was crouching between the two yellow lines on our local FM road. Someone had thrown him out of a vehicle. I could not have an outdoor kitten because of the big coyote population around here. Good luck getting them placed in good homes.
I'm no heroine in this. These are next door to me, so I really have to do something sooner or later about them. I have no choice. But I admit I always had a soft spot for homeless starving cats. That's how I got the 5 cats I have now. Then at some point I decided...no more!
Do you use Freecycle or Craigs List? Maybe you could list them on there if they allow animals. Also my sister lives in a rural area and they have what they call a "trade day" on the local radio station where people call in and the station announces it on the air. Good mousers might be a plus for people with barns, etc.
Contact the Humane Society in either San Antonio, Bandera, Kerrville, or even your local animal control or vet. Ask them for the names of no-kill shelters and see if they're willing to either take them or help you foster them. I know that many shelters are overrun with animals, but if you're willing to maybe give them shelter (in an enclosed shelter or barn), the organization may be willing to help you. Also, you might see about listing them on Petfinder.com.
I think it's probable that pet ads aren't allowed on Craigs List any more. I remember a story a while back about a couple of San Antonio guys that were adopting cats that were advertised on CL. I don't want to get into it here too much, but they were arrested for torturing and killing animals. There should be a death penalty for that! I'm calling the numbers I have. Kind of hard to get an actual person answering the phone any more. I'm so old I remember when you could call virtually anywhere and an actual person would answer (unless line was busy or nobody there)! Imagine that.
Arghhh!!! I HATE this! It happens all too often and the cats become feral and prey on wildlife and reproduce beyond all reason. What is wrong with people!
If only the humane society and animal shelters would allow funding for neutering and spaying, they could save so much money on boarding, adoption procedures and euthanizing. Many folks can't or unwilling to afford that and cats/dogs reproduce far too freely. We have a trap, neuter and release organization in a nearby college town as many college students seem to turn cats out when they leave for a semester.
If I ever became wealthy beyond my dreams, I would put a vet on retainer and anyone could carry their pets at no charge. I would trap the stray dogs and cats that roam our town and carry them to be fixed and return them to where they were trapped. I would attempt to make a dent. But I buy cat food instead of lotto tickets so it won't ever happen. Sorry.
A few years ago, I had read about an organization west of the Dallas area that would take cats (neuter & spay) and place them on ranchers barns and farms. The requirement was providing food and rabies vax if I recall. I can not remember the name of that group. I will try to do some research.
This very reason is why I have 7 cats... I say "no more" and then... we recently trapped two kittens behind the restaurant next door.
Those two look like some my sister got off of the trade-day radio station. She lives out in the country and was having a mouse problem. She got a momma cat and 5 kittens. They went to work and cleared out the mice population. They feel like they have it made at her house, lay out on the porch all day now.
We live in the country where three roads make a triangle and we are the only house in the area. It makes a perfect place to drop off pets. We have a local Thrifty Nickle that lets us run a free add if we are giving away pets, so most find a good home. We do have birds so if we can not catch them I have to shoot them. Not a job I like. Three years ago someone dropped of a beautiful dog that killed $3,000. worth of peafowl. I breed Great Pyrenees that protect our birds from coons and such but they don't bother stray dogs. Last year we gave away 7 puppies dropped of in three groups. We kept a Black Mouth Curr and it looks like we are going to keep the latest drop off, she is so cute.
It is so funny watching her jumping on our big dogs if they eat out of her bowl, what a hoot. Here is our big guy.
I would be tempted to put up a sign kenboy. Saying "Animals dropped in this area will be killed!!". That is sad that people think animals like that can fend for themselves, or pass responsibilty on to others without guilt.
Sheila ~ they do look like kin ~ LOL I believe they have also hit the cat lottery!
Sadly if you posted that discarded animals would be killed, the very same folks that dump them would be turning you in to the animal rights groups.
We have a very large coyote population in this area and that tends to keep the stray numbers down. Even pets in the nearest village fall prey to those coyotes. Fayette County has a bounty on coyotes, but even that doesn't keep their population down. Too many rabbits and deer as food. In fact my DH saw a cougar crossing FM 153 the last time he was here. I wouldn't feel comfortable adopting outdoor cats because of the coyotes. A few years ago someone was tossing kittens from moving vehicles. The carnage on the road was horrible. I've suspected that the tosser had to have been a local who either grew up or moved away.
Our Winston was a lucky survivor of such treatment. Today, he rules the roost here, thinking he owns the house and we are here to serve him. Here's a photo of him relaxing on his cat tree. The bridge of his nose still shows small areas where fur has never re-grown. His right wrist is completely shattered. He had a slight separation in his shoulder and two areas along his vertebrae that show greater separation than there should be. Despite all this he is a very loving little cat. With me at least. He tolerates my DH. He is a terror when he goes to the vet.
Some people apparently don't have a problem with guilt. And, BTW, I guess I'm lucky the dogs that family had weren't left behind. Those cats...don't know if anyone over there had much contact with them. They just don't act like cats that are used to kindness from people.
Our cats think they rule the roost also. One of them was a wild kitten when we got her years ago. She hid underneath the furniture for quite a while before we tamed her. And she's still scared of everyone except DH and me. We have predators around here also. Pets can go missing from time to time.
This message was edited Nov 4, 2009 8:03 PM
As for the sign and the animal rights group, guess you can say "The coyotes eat abandon animals!" Not that it would make a difference the the people who stop and drop.
Yes... they probably can't read! 8 /
In my yard right now, I have 23 abandoned dogs that have shown up or been dumped over the last 4 years. We use Craiglist and Freecycle to find them homes as the cycle goes round and round. Inside my house are a few more dogs and 2 giganormous orange males cats. Dumped at 3 days old, and kept alive by so many wonderful people at the local Lowes. The oddest thing about abandoned animals is their ability to get along. Those cats love to chase any poor dog that comes inside, and the dogs will let the cats sleep on them. Must be a sixth sense of being tossed aside and finding others just the same.
In days past, hobos had a means of marking the homes of people where they could find a meal. I have always felt that animals do the same. That way other animals will know they are welcome to a meal and safe harbor. I do believe your home is "marked". Bless you for your compassion...
My wife and I moved into a house where the former owner feed all animals big and small. She never even sprayed for bugs outdoors as she did not want to hurt the frogs/lizards. Now, the feral cats are here and have been multiplying . We have trapped 7 so far and have found a wonderful Vet who for $40 will spay and give rabbies shot. Still have one that keeps from getting caught. We bring them back to the house and let them go here and they all still return for breakfast and dinner.
Asyoulikeit, It is very generous of you to that care of them. We are too far away even from the nearest Farm to Market Road to have any animals dropped off here, but all three of our pets, 2 cats and a dog, are found animals. My DH however insists on adding all our cattle to the list of pets because he says I spoil them and hang on to them for as long as possible.