Help Needed for My Feral and Stray Cats

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by BeaRay
(Arcadia, FL)

I have one feral cat which has adopted us. I say feral because he was a malnutritous kitten that came out of the woods with no other cats/parents in sight as of yet. Plus it was winter.

I live in a rural area where they do not do TNR (trap, neuter, return). What are my options?

I’d love to get him his shots but since I’m helping other family, I cannot afford the high cost of shots. PLUS no local vet/humane society does it & nearest other towns are 50-100 miles away.

The one that has adopted us is now domesticated but still outdoors. It’s so hot and he stays so thin although we feed him probably 2-3x a day.

I cannot consider bringing him indoors due to 2 inside cats & also do not want to make him vulnerable to not being able to fend for himself.

Sometimes 3 other cats come up also especially late at night. One has a HUGE head but very mild natured and is the size of a dog. Another is a small kitten. Another is what appears to be a stray.

Any suggestions in providing them the best care is appreciated.

And also in protecting my 2 indoor cats.

BeaRay

Hi BeaRay.. Thanks for visiting and asking. It is difficult. I understand that. I have a similar problem here in London, England.

If you have a PayPal account and can get a quote for neutering and shots this site can fund that. But please get back to me fairly soon as things move on, on this site, and I forget past postings.

It would seem that a proper rehoming or homing is what is needed and a proper, genuine, no kill shelter where one or all can be rehomed unless you want to maintain the existing arrangement.

As you no doubt know, shelters euthanise (kill in reality) feral cats. So they would seem to be places to avoid in this instance.

There might be a local animal welfare organisation that can help. Animal Network Inc. in Bradenton for example will list a cat that needs rehoming provided the cat is suitable. That is not much but they may be able to help.

I’ll ask Elisa who is a regular contributor to see if she can offer some better advice. She lives in the US.

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Help Needed for My Feral and Stray Cats

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Jul 29, 2010 Some suggestions
by: Elisa Black-Taylor

The little one not gaining weight I highly suspect worms. The Humane Society will sell you 2 wormers for about $12 that cover all of the worms. Without these I don’t think the kitten will live long as the worms are getting all of the food.

Check with a Petsmart store because a lot of them offer vets onsite for shots and spay/neuter.

I would try to bring the baby kitty inside and keep in a separate room. I’ve had adult cats accept a new kitten after a few days of hissing and spitting. Probably won’t work with the older cats.

Most shelters will rent out a cage to trap for a fee. You write them a check and you get the check when they get the cage back.

Check with organizations for the elderly if you’re old enough to qualify. Sometimes these groups will offer help for the pets.

Another option is a farm and garden store. Many sell dewormers and vaccines that you give yourself. I’ve purchased needles and antibiotics from farm and garden stores but my man had to give the shots because I’m squeemish. I don’t think they offer the rabies shot this way but it won’t hurt to check. Here’s a link you may want to read. http://askville.amazon.com/give-cats-thier-shots/AnswerDetails.do?requestId=2918237&responseId=2919633.

I don’t know if I’d try this on a wild cat. Easier to let the vet do it.

I would advertise the cats you don’t plan to care for under freebies and ask for and check a vet reference to make sure it gets a good home.

Keep the kitten if at all possible. You’re the best hope on it living.

Hope this helps.

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