Wow, here I am with another cat question.
Twice in one month!
So I have a mama cat and two kittens who I have taken up residence in my back yard and on my back porch. They are feral, but appear healthy with clear eyes, ears, and sleek fur with a good weight.
I'm not a cat person, and my whole family is severely allergic to them, so I'm as ignorant as a stump with these guys.
If I were to catch them and bring them to the animal shelter, they would all be put to sleep as soon as I left. The shelter doesn't deal with ferals at all. I'm of the opinion that that would be better than starving and breeding uncontrollably, but not my first choice.
The second choice after a few phone calls, was to try a catch/speuter/release thing. I've got the number of a vet that will give me rescue rates on them, as well as shots for the kittens to protect against kitten respiratory issues etc.
I don't necessarily mind them out there. They are eating well somewhere, probably all of the rodents in my wood pile. But I don't want them breeding any more. I don't even mind feeding them cat food on a regular basis to supplement them. They're already eating my elderly dog's food and drinking her water. I know the cat food would be much healthier for them.
So, that being the situation....how in the world would I catch these guys? How should I handle them? Do you have any other advice for my situation? I've never dealt with, wanted to deal with, or had the opportunity to deal with cats before, let alone feral cats.
Twice in one month!
So I have a mama cat and two kittens who I have taken up residence in my back yard and on my back porch. They are feral, but appear healthy with clear eyes, ears, and sleek fur with a good weight.
I'm not a cat person, and my whole family is severely allergic to them, so I'm as ignorant as a stump with these guys.
If I were to catch them and bring them to the animal shelter, they would all be put to sleep as soon as I left. The shelter doesn't deal with ferals at all. I'm of the opinion that that would be better than starving and breeding uncontrollably, but not my first choice.
The second choice after a few phone calls, was to try a catch/speuter/release thing. I've got the number of a vet that will give me rescue rates on them, as well as shots for the kittens to protect against kitten respiratory issues etc.
I don't necessarily mind them out there. They are eating well somewhere, probably all of the rodents in my wood pile. But I don't want them breeding any more. I don't even mind feeding them cat food on a regular basis to supplement them. They're already eating my elderly dog's food and drinking her water. I know the cat food would be much healthier for them.
So, that being the situation....how in the world would I catch these guys? How should I handle them? Do you have any other advice for my situation? I've never dealt with, wanted to deal with, or had the opportunity to deal with cats before, let alone feral cats.