I would definitely try Craig's list. Hopefully someone will know of a spot where milkweed is growing. I don't think you can grow milkweed quickly enough to feed the number you have, unless you have a ton of seed. Germination can take weeks. Good luck in your search. Have you searched native plant retailers. Just make sure they don't use pesticides of any sort.

Martha

I know it sounds strange and I have only read about it from a couple online sources but they say you can actually feed your cats pumpkin if you run out of milk weed and absolutely cannot find more. I have not personally tried this as I have a nursery very close that always has milk weed but it is a very interesting thought and apparently it is not uncommon for people with hundreds of cats to use this in a pinch.

Thanks barry. I remember reading that too, I haven't tried it though. Today I have about 50 cats and eggs, the number grows daily!!! I think I'll need a field of milkweed! I think I'll have to cover the plants with hardware cloth to prevent more egg-laying but keep the food source growing. The aluminum screen I used on my enclosure doesn't let enough sun in to let the plants grow very well.

Thank you Martha. I have emailed the scarce few native plant growers in my area and haven't heard back yet. I do have a ton of seed, but two weeks to germinate will be too late. Their numbers are growing daily and I'm in way over my head! I work every waking hour on them-I can't believe the amount of work it's been. There is a botanical gardens nearby, but I believe it's closed this time of year. I'll call the master gardener in my county and maybe city hall also to see if anyone knows of native milkweed around here.

Martha, do you think I can switch to tropical MW on these (I can get that anywhere) when they were laid on and are used to native MW? Maybe the females who laid the eggs wanted native for a reason. I wonder if the offspring do the same things diet wise that their parents did as well? I don't want to confuse them if that's the case.

Larvae-Overload

I would think you can switch to tropical milkweed without much problem. It's certainly better than letting them starve. You can only do what you can do. Sounds like you've already put in quite a lot of work.

Martha

If you can get safe tropical milkweed, that's okay. Caterpillars not being able to grow enough to pupate isn't okay, if you can avoid it. IMHO, I think maybe that the milkweed the cat starts on might greatly influence the female butterfly's choice later on in life.

Thanks for the input. I would never let them starve, I'll get tropical if native isn't available. They eat a huge amount daily !!!