|
|
Expert
Posts: 1549
  
Location: Southwest Louisiana | We "inherited" a momma cat left by the neighbors when they moved. She wasn't friendly and you couldn't touch her, but she'd stay around. Left food for her at the barn so she'd stay out there and things were fine. She came into heat and a tom cat found her. So then we couldn't touch her kittens. They grew up into wild cats that no one can pet, but they still hang around and eat the dog's food. Needless to say, they've had kittens and now I've counted at least 12 darn kittens out here that no one can mess with. It's getting out of hand. There is no animal control to call, well there is for the nearest and only city in this parish, but they only handle dogs. I don't know what to do, but I'm tired of them eating all of my dog's food, pooping in the stalls and now they have actually been shoving my eggs out of the chicken's nests and cracking them to eat!
Any suggestions?
|
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1561
| Live trap |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1549
Location: Southwest Louisiana | Someone suggested a live trap before, but then what? Animal control doesn't take cats here and the only other one around is in a different parish, and they won't accept animals from this parish. |
|
| |
|
 Stinky Cat Owner
Posts: 4097
Location: Oregon | Have no clue if this is in your area but it's a start. :)
http://www.wildcatfoundationla.org/low_cost_spay_neuter.html |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1255
| Trap and advertise barn cats |
|
| |
|
  Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | Trap and send to Mel Addison in Vinton. She loves cats :) |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 898
Location: Mountains of VA | First, quit thinking of them as domestic cats. Think of them as wildlife, like coyotes, bobcats, racoons, etc., that will hurt you and spread disease. Of course, you already know your first mistake was to feed them.
Now, you trap and euthanize. Or you can shoot or trap and eat them.
Flame away, but as Americans we waste a lot of valuable resourses such as horses, cats, and dogs. Plenty of other people that would love to have our wasted protein sources.
|
|
| |
|
 Keeper of the King Snake
Posts: 7617
Location: Dubach, LA | Goggle no-kill cat shelters. There are several in the state. After the spay/neuter, they'll be easy to give away.
Edited to add: Let's all pretend we didn't see that whole protein thing.
Edited by CanCan 2015-06-25 7:15 PM
|
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1549
Location: Southwest Louisiana | Mel Addison used to own the Rocket's Magic gelding, Magical Tommy, I have now ;) I'm originally from Vinton. Don't know her that well, but she lives about a mile from my parents. She recognized him in my pasture years ago after he had been through a few other people. She stopped and fed him bread because that used to be his snack, lol.
My husband suggested shooting them. Can't catch them so they definitely aren't pets, and with the messes and now the eggs, they are worse than the racoons out here. I wouldn't be eating them though...
Edited by Rocket'sMagicGirl 2015-06-25 7:20 PM
|
|
| |
|
Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | I can honestly tell you that if you live trap them and let them lose at her house at midnightish, she will take care of them lol :) Last count she was up to 24 and had fixed them all lol. |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1549
Location: Southwest Louisiana | Wow. 24?! I could increase her herd by at least a dozen kittens. Doubt she'd go for that. Wonder if I could send my little brother down the road with a box of kitten like he's selling them door to door, only they're free. Would she take them? lol Or say it's an annonymous gift, like a flower delivery from a secret admirer? lol |
|
| |
|
Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | Dude, I'm telling you, she would take them.....she turns NO cat down! ! |
|
| |
|
 Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
| Get rid of them somehow, you are leaving your horse's open for possible cases of EPM. This has been linked to cat pee and poop in the hay. |
|
| |
|
 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | I know in MOST areas there is some sort of low cost spay/neuter clinics. and most have to do a lot of searching to get to them. MOST of these clinics are equipped to handle feral cats because they know the importance of handling the population. Live trap, relocate after they are fixed. It's the responsible thing to do. |
|
| |
|
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 550
| When one shows up here, we live trap IMMEDIATELY and spay/neuter.
See if there is a feral cat group in your area. They will sometimes come & trap, spay/neuter, rerelease at your house. Kittens that are young enough to, they rehome as domestic cats. Some pretty wild kittens will come around pretty quickly. The one near here is Friends of Feral Felines. They "tip" or cut of the end of the ear, so you know which ones are fixed & which are not. |
|
| |
|
 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9991
Location: Kansas | LRQHS - 2015-06-25 7:21 PM I can honestly tell you that if you live trap them and let them lose at her house at midnightish, she will take care of them lol :) Last count she was up to 24 and had fixed them all lol.
LOL |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1035
Location: TN | quikchik - 2015-06-26 7:55 AM
When one shows up here, we live trap IMMEDIATELY and spay/neuter.
See if there is a feral cat group in your area. They will sometimes come & trap, spay/neuter, rerelease at your house. Kittens that are young enough to, they rehome as domestic cats. Some pretty wild kittens will come around pretty quickly. The one near here is Friends of Feral Felines. They "tip" or cut of the end of the ear, so you know which ones are fixed & which are not.
This is what I was going to suggest too. Trap, spay/neuter, and release and get the kittens adopted out. There are programs that help with the spay to make it lower cost. |
|
| |
|
Gettin Jiggy Wit It
Posts: 2734
| Pew, pew, pew..... haha JUST KIDDING! |
|
| |
|
 That's White "Man" to You
Posts: 5515
| Contact Kristen Lindsey... Probaby too soon for jokes though. |
|
| |
|
 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | KatieMac88 - 2015-06-26 10:40 AM quikchik - 2015-06-26 7:55 AM When one shows up here, we live trap IMMEDIATELY and spay/neuter. See if there is a feral cat group in your area. They will sometimes come & trap, spay/neuter, rerelease at your house. Kittens that are young enough to, they rehome as domestic cats. Some pretty wild kittens will come around pretty quickly. The one near here is Friends of Feral Felines. They "tip" or cut of the end of the ear, so you know which ones are fixed & which are not. This is what I was going to suggest too. Trap, spay/neuter, and release and get the kittens adopted out. There are programs that help with the spay to make it lower cost.
Ditto to this ^^^^^^ This is the only way that your going to get it all under controled. Unless you shoot them and thats something I could not do, I would look into the spay and neuter program if you have it in your area. Good Luck
The Coyotes and coons keep the cats down out here and it's always my favorite cats that come up missing. I'm down to one yard cat thats neutered and one mommy cat that I raised that lives in my hay barn and she's fixing to get spayed. I know as soon as I get her spayed something will happen to her, I lock her and her babys up ever night hoping that I dont lose them to an animal that likes kitty's. Hubby has shop cats that are semi wild we keep them all around for the snakes. |
|
| |
|
 Pork Fat is my Favorite
Posts: 3791
Location: The Oklahoma plains. | KatieMac88 - 2015-06-26 10:40 AM quikchik - 2015-06-26 7:55 AM When one shows up here, we live trap IMMEDIATELY and spay/neuter. See if there is a feral cat group in your area. They will sometimes come & trap, spay/neuter, rerelease at your house. Kittens that are young enough to, they rehome as domestic cats. Some pretty wild kittens will come around pretty quickly. The one near here is Friends of Feral Felines. They "tip" or cut of the end of the ear, so you know which ones are fixed & which are not. This is what I was going to suggest too. Trap, spay/neuter, and release and get the kittens adopted out. There are programs that help with the spay to make it lower cost.
We volunteer for the Oklahoma Alliance for Animals and take many of their ferral cats. In turn, if one shows up here, they spay or nueter it for free for us and we release them.
I am on my own personal mission to spay or nueter any animal I get my hands on. I wish horse owners would do the same. I only have one colt that ever left our house ungelded and that was becuase we didnt think him worth the money to even cut as he had a genetic soundness issue and needed put down. |
|
| |
|
 Lady Di
Posts: 21556
Location: Oklahoma | streakysox - 2015-06-26 12:09 AM
Get rid of them somehow, you are leaving your horse's open for possible cases of EPM. This has been linked to cat pee and poop in the hay.
That hasn't been proven....it's only a theory. The only animal PROVEN by research of carrying the S. Neurona protozoa that causes EPM (there are several strains of S. Neurona, but not all cause EPM) is an opossum. Scientists and researchers SUSPECT barn cats, raccoons and other animals of transmission, but so far, that's only a suspicion and not a proven fact. I figure if barn cats carried it, we'd have had the kind of epidemic way back when that we have currently....everyone's always had barn cats. The problem with the spread of EPM (in my opinion) is the fact that PETA has pretty much destroyed the fur trade, and possums used to be trapped and sold for fur. Now their population is totally out of control and they're everywhere in the southern US and there's nothing that hunts and eats them. Then you have people feeding them and rescuing the babies because they're "cute and don't hurt anything". Ugh
As for the original poster, I'm kinda in the same predicament. I have tried a live trap but all it catches is a couple of the tame ones. The wild ones are smart enough not to go in it. :/ |
|
| |
|
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 316
| You EAT cats?! What in the heck... yuck yuck and yuck.. Trap, spay/neuter and release to keep mice etc. down. Sometimes after you trap and release them though they will wander away so that could cut down the amount as well |
|
| |
|
Lady Di
Posts: 21556
Location: Oklahoma | streakysox - 2015-06-26 12:09 AM
Get rid of them somehow, you are leaving your horse's open for possible cases of EPM. This has been linked to cat pee and poop in the hay.
That hasn't been proven....it's only a theory. The only animal PROVEN by research of carrying the S. Neurona protozoa that causes EPM (there are several strains of S. Neurona, but not all cause EPM) is an opossum. Scientists and researchers SUSPECT barn cats, raccoons and other animals of transmission, but so far, that's only a suspicion and not a proven fact. I figure if barn cats carried it, we'd have had the kind of epidemic way back when that we have currently....everyone's always had barn cats. The problem with the spread of EPM (in my opinion) is the fact that PETA has pretty much destroyed the fur trade, and possums used to be trapped and sold for fur. Now their population is totally out of control and they're everywhere in the southern US and there's nothing that hunts and eats them. Then you have people feeding them and rescuing the babies because they're "cute and don't hurt anything". Ugh
As for the original poster, I'm kinda in the same predicament. I have tried a live trap but all it catches is a couple of the tame ones. The wild ones are smart enough not to go in it. :/ |
|
| |
|
Lady Di
Posts: 21556
Location: Oklahoma | streakysox - 2015-06-26 12:09 AM
Get rid of them somehow, you are leaving your horse's open for possible cases of EPM. This has been linked to cat pee and poop in the hay.
That hasn't been proven....it's only a theory. The only animal PROVEN by research of carrying the S. Neurona protozoa that causes EPM (there are several strains of S. Neurona, but not all cause EPM) is an opossum. Scientists and researchers SUSPECT barn cats, raccoons and other animals of transmission, but so far, that's only a suspicion and not a proven fact. I figure if barn cats carried it, we'd have had the kind of epidemic way back when that we have currently....everyone's always had barn cats. The problem with the spread of EPM (in my opinion) is the fact that PETA has pretty much destroyed the fur trade, and possums used to be trapped and sold for fur. Now their population is totally out of control and they're everywhere in the southern US and there's nothing that hunts and eats them. Then you have people feeding them and rescuing the babies because they're "cute and don't hurt anything". Ugh
As for the original poster, I'm kinda in the same predicament. I have tried a live trap but all it catches is a couple of the tame ones. The wild ones are smart enough not to go in it. :/ |
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 1273
Location: South Dakota | I'm in the same boat, I think we had around 40 at our place awhile back and I'd say we must have around 25 now. That is way too many cats by the way. I was taking the ones I liked to the vet to get fixed but they'd always be the ones that would end up missing. |
|
| |
|
BHW's Simon Cowell
Location: The Saudia Arabia of Wind Energy, Western Oklahoma | I have the same problem. Probably 20 cats and only one I can catch and he is the reason for all of them. I think he is breeding them all. |
|
| |
|
A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | ksjackofalltrades - 2015-06-26 1:10 PM I have the same problem. Probably 20 cats and only one I can catch and he is the reason for all of them. I think he is breeding them all.
Well catch that sucker and get him/she nuetered/spayed |
|
| |
|
 Keep those crap slapping tails away!
Posts: 8871
Location: Around here somewhere... | hotpaints - 2015-06-25 6:11 PM
First, quit thinking of them as domestic cats. Think of them as wildlife, like coyotes, bobcats, racoons, etc., that will hurt you and spread disease. Of course, you already know your first mistake was to feed them.
Now, you trap and euthanize. Or you can shoot or trap and eat them.
Flame away, but as Americans we waste a lot of valuable resourses such as horses, cats, and dogs. Plenty of other people that would love to have our wasted protein sources.
Yup. Treat them like you would any other predator. What would you do with a fox? |
|
| |
|
Sideways Riding Expert
Posts: 11371
Location: ND--it snows, it floods, it snows, it floods | I can send you some coyotes and fishers to take care of your kitty population.....we do not have alot of strays up here thanks to the fishers. They can do a number on cats in no time. We have 1 out door cat that gets to sleep in the porch when it's nasty out otherwise she's an outside cat all the time. Owls will take care of the kittens too...had that happen once. |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1031
Location: Oklahoma | Yikes! I was in this same situation a couple years ago! The couple momma cats I could catch got fixed and I had to "eliminate" the rest. It was not fun, nor did I enjoy it but it had to be done. One extremely aggressive female jumped on my 8 week old heeler pup and literally clawed out one of her eyes. As a result, her surgery to remove the eye was over $300. That was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak! I sat in the barn with a 22 over the weekend and eliminated everything I couldn't catch. Poison is an option too but I feel just shooting them and ending them quickly is the most humane way. |
|
| |
|
BHW's Simon Cowell
Location: The Saudia Arabia of Wind Energy, Western Oklahoma | Southtxponygirl - 2015-06-26 1:12 PM ksjackofalltrades - 2015-06-26 1:10 PM I have the same problem. Probably 20 cats and only one I can catch and he is the reason for all of them. I think he is breeding them all. Well catch that sucker and get him/she nuetered/spayed
Yes but there will be another just like him that will step up to do the job!! LOL
|
|
| |
|
 Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | I must be cold but why waste your time and money trapping, spaying/neutering a bunch of wild kittens? They are not pets, they're wild disease spreading cats (and SERIOIUSLY I am a cat lover!!!!) I would be getting rid of all of them & if you want cats get one or two tame kittens and have them spayed/neutered so the population is limited to them. |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1549
Location: Southwest Louisiana | Believe me, I have been searching for a place or program around here that would spay feral cats. I'd bring them all in somehow. But there is nothing at all around here. Around Deridder and Lake Charles, the closest place that does it is Lafayette. That's almost a 2 hour drive. Found a place online that'll send discount vouchers for vet's that'll accept them. I did get 4 vouchers for a vet I've never used, but I'm going to bring 4 that I can catch. But the thing is you still have to pay for shots for each of those cats before they'll spay them, so it's still isn't going to be cheap. Called my regular vet to see what it'd cost to get 4 of them spayed, and the total would be $825!!! That's with the required shots too. No wonder there are so many un-fixed animals out there. I have a male and female dog, got them both fixed as soon as I could. All of my horses are gelded. But these cats are making me crazy! |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1273
Location: South Dakota | docschic - 2015-06-26 1:22 PM I can send you some coyotes and fishers to take care of your kitty population.....we do not have alot of strays up here thanks to the fishers. They can do a number on cats in no time. We have 1 out door cat that gets to sleep in the porch when it's nasty out otherwise she's an outside cat all the time. Owls will take care of the kittens too...had that happen once.
I had to look up what a fisher was.....yikes, no thank you! |
|
| |
Too Many Cats - What Can I do??