06-21-2013, 07:39 AM
My experience is only a small one compared to the dump cats.
We had one cat - our beloved Kitty - she did a fairly good job at keeping most of the feral cats our of our yard. After taking 6 feral cats to the HS, we did acquire two that moved in that were "pettable" - my hubby feeds them, they are neutered and kept the rat/mice problem down to a low roar or so we think by the "presents" they would drop at our back stairs. By feeding them, he kept them out of our trash cans and from spraying up on our deck.
Kitty passed away 2 months ago and now we have 4 more feral cats that have moved in - back into the trash cans and spraying. I guess the "sorta ferals" do not do as good a job at protecting their territory as Kitty did. We again are going to start trapping and taking them to the HS. What we found out from the HS is that if the cat can be socialized they will try not to kill it. If one of the ferals can come to eat and be petted we let them HS worker know that.
In our little world, we are trying to balance what we can afford to take care of - feed and nueter, etc the ferals - and what we can't do. Any of the ferals that have feline leukemia the TNR program will not release back.
We do not let litters of kittens be born. We did have to take one sick pregnant feral cat to the HS. But better that then add more kittens to the population and expand the feral cat problem and not be able to adequately meet more kittens needs.
I understand that this method will not work for the huge population at the dump. It breaks my heart to see them killed but it also breaks my heart to see them suffer and be malnourished and sick too.
We had one cat - our beloved Kitty - she did a fairly good job at keeping most of the feral cats our of our yard. After taking 6 feral cats to the HS, we did acquire two that moved in that were "pettable" - my hubby feeds them, they are neutered and kept the rat/mice problem down to a low roar or so we think by the "presents" they would drop at our back stairs. By feeding them, he kept them out of our trash cans and from spraying up on our deck.
Kitty passed away 2 months ago and now we have 4 more feral cats that have moved in - back into the trash cans and spraying. I guess the "sorta ferals" do not do as good a job at protecting their territory as Kitty did. We again are going to start trapping and taking them to the HS. What we found out from the HS is that if the cat can be socialized they will try not to kill it. If one of the ferals can come to eat and be petted we let them HS worker know that.
In our little world, we are trying to balance what we can afford to take care of - feed and nueter, etc the ferals - and what we can't do. Any of the ferals that have feline leukemia the TNR program will not release back.
We do not let litters of kittens be born. We did have to take one sick pregnant feral cat to the HS. But better that then add more kittens to the population and expand the feral cat problem and not be able to adequately meet more kittens needs.
I understand that this method will not work for the huge population at the dump. It breaks my heart to see them killed but it also breaks my heart to see them suffer and be malnourished and sick too.