Sally,

As I read your post, I am watching two feral kittens that I started out bottle feeding about 4 weeks ago. They are having a romping good time with my 1 1/2 year old 4.5 pound yorkie. They too, have taken up residence in my master bath. The rescue organization that traps and neuters and releases adult cats committed to taking 11 kittens from the race horse training center where I train. These two were too young and the designated foster mother did not want to bottle feed them. Rather than have them come back in a couple of weeks (when the kittens could have been moved where we couldn't find them), I volunteered to do the deed. The organization committed to coming back to the training center every couple of weeks to trap until all of the adult cats were fixed.....after receiving a donation of $100.00 for their first trip from one of two good friends of mine who have taken out of their own pockets to have about a dozen cats fixed in our barn, they are now saying it's too far to come.

Other than the two kittens (who are now thankfully off the bottle), I have the yorkie, a rescued Lab, a rescued bobtail cat, a rescued cockatiel and 7 horses. My husband and I have not had a vacation since our honeymoon 8 years ago. And now, this is really sad....we have decided that it will be impossible for us to take vacations together. I am going to Mexico for 3 days next month. He will stay home to take care of the petting zoo. In August, he will take a few days off and do some fishing with friends and I will stay home.

You're right, it's kitty season and I would rather find good homes for these two than send them back to the organization that committed to them, but it's going to be a struggle. I have found myself not wanting them to go to just ANY home. I want them to be inside cats. My husband and I are allergic to them! But.....unless I can find something that I can be comfortable with, I guess we will keep them. What the heck.....we have already decided that separate vacations is the only way we can go anyway.

But I do have to say that with all that my friends and I are willing to do (trapping, transportation to and from the vet and continuing to feed the cats once they return), I am SORELY disappointed in the organization that promised so much in return and has now gone cold on helping us get the population under control at the training center. There are about 15 barns that can hold about 80-90 horses each out there so you can imagine how many cats and kittens make a living there.

If anyone knows a trap and release organization that might be more willing to live up to their promises, I would love to know about them. The training center is located in Weatherford, Texas, just west of Fort Worth.

Best of luck to you Sally. I know it's frustrating, but all we can do is all we can do. Helping the cats and educating people. By the way, one of these kittens looks like pure-bred Siamese and the other is dark brown. I've named them Cookies And Cream. Also, I am glad to have gotten them socialized with my yorkie as I believe that this will help them find indoor homes with someone that has a small dog or two (it can't hurt). I have finally gotten them past thinking that he is thier mama. They did try to nurse from him, which blew his little pea brain ;).

Thanks for your efforts and keep your chin up.

Kristi

Sally, I feel for you!! We now have 10 cats and 3 dogs, most of them rescues. We cannot take in any more, we are maxed out financially and also don't have any more room. But it is impossible to turn ones' back, isn't it?! The same people who insist on their animals having litters, or don't have them spayed and neutered, should be forced to watch perfectly healthy animals being euthanized because there are no homes for them. And people who dump or abandon animals should be shot. Sometimes it feels like no matter how many we take in, it's just a drop in the bucket, because there are so many more we can't help.

Kristi, I just now saw your e-mail, I found some links with spay/neuter org info for you. I hope one of them will be able to help. I am sorry the ones who committed to you turned out to be such a flop.

http://www.lovethatcat.com/spayneuter.html#tx#tx

and below, another link with lots of leads

Here is a link that might be useful: Lots of Links

I have been in the same boat as everyone here. I traveled from CA to TX with 13 animals. I've had as many as 30 animals. I do not take in any more feral cats. I have the worst luck with them! They inevitably (no matter how diligent I am with preventative measures!)go to the bathroom outside a the box(no matter how clean I keep it!) and spray(no matter if I get them fixed!) I can't live with that. My house cannot smell like urine. My solution? I spay and release the adults.(Trap Alter Release*). I give the kittens to rescue with money to spay them. That way I'm not overrun with animals and I'm not dumping the problem on someone else. (I'm actually helping...my animals are all fixed.)
Personally, I will not be filling up my house with rescue animals anymore. It's too hard on me to care for all those animals.I will continue to TAR*. I will continue to give money to rescues so they aren't strapped for cash and supplies. I will be responsible with my animals and educate anyone willing to listen. I still have 13 animals.(1 cat,3 dogs,2 chickens,2 birds,3 lizards,chinchilla,&tortoise) If we go anywhere I will have to find a in house sitter from an agency or a vet's office. I'm lucky with my animals. I've had most of them a long time and my routine is set. It takes me 1/2 hour to feed them etc.. When these animals pass on I'm going to refrain from getting more. It took all the joy out of ownership when I had 30 or so animals for years. All I did was clean and feed! I will probably always have a couple well-trained dogs and a cat. No more exotic animals tho. I'm going to enjoy their wild cousins outside with a wildlife friendly back yard. That way I can still enjoy the animals I love,help animals and not have a 2 hour cleaning and feeding session and not be able to go on vacation! PJ

I wish I had a lot of money that I needed to give away so the tax man didn't get it. I would set up a spay and release clinic in every little town I came to. But there will always be those people who are just too lazy to have their animals fixed. Like the people across the street.

I bet they have 25 cats over there, all running loose in the neighborhood. None spayed/neutered, no shots, barely feeding them. Then there are the dogs. Last count was 8, not including the 'inside' dogs. None spayed/neutered, and I doubt any have ever had a shot.

Everything on my place has been spayed/neutered, except for DH. HE is next.

It cost a fortune to keep animals well. My animals come before we do, and that is DH's thoughts on it as well as mine. We now have two 12year old dogs and a 3 1/2 year old boxer. We have a 17 year old cat, and the baby, Goofy kitty who is now about 3 years old. They all live in the house, but the cats are indoor/outdoor, and the dogs have a fenced yard for their very own. I don't want any more, but I can't just turn my back on an animal that needs help.

I have told my neighbor many times that she could get her animals fixed for free, she could care less. What is with that?

It just makes me furious. I give a monthly donation to the Adopt-A-Pet, and I manage to donate rugs, blankets, and food regularly. Why is it that people like us are always paying for people like them?

Janie, who is MAD, NOW!

Kristi, I wish I did know of an organization in Weatherford. I'm only aware of two in the Dallas area, and they are probably not going to be willing to go out there, either, but I don't know for sure.

PJ, I was without pets for a while, once, and believe me when I say you miss having one, even if it takes a while for that to happen. Now I doubt I'll ever be without pets - I can't even imagine it. One thing I do miss is having a dog. My last dog passed away last December, but we are not in a position to adopt one now - especially with the cat population exploding around here.

Janie, does your DH go around with his legs crossed and his hands down in front of him? LOL
Have you thought about trapping your neighbor's cats and getting them fixed on your own? I've done that with one cat that I didn't know who it belonged to. I thought he might belong to someone, but I had no idea who. He wandered into my house one day when a door got left open, and so I just decided to go ahead and get him fixed. That's the cat I referred to in my rant above, that's starting to look a lot healthier. I've about decided that he was either very neglected, or abandoned, cause he's started spending nearly all his time in my back yard. Anyway, there's another cat in the neighborhood that roams around looking for love and spraying everyone's doors. He might just be next.

I don't understand people that actually refuse to spay or neuter their cats, even though the service is offered free. They have some kind of hang up, I guess.

Well, thanks to all of you who care, and donate, and take these critters in. As my late mother used to say when she was proud of me, you all have earned extra stars in your crowns.

Sally

Thank you for the links. I am going to just try to find an organization that will lend us the traps. Me and my two friends can do the rest of the work if they are willing to go that far. There is a vet in Weatherford that will do the spaying and neutering for free. The vets also cut a notch in the ear of the cats that have already been fixed so that neutered and spayed animals do not get "re-trapped".

Here's a pic of the little blighters. Sorry about the red-eye, I can't remember the right button for that on the blasted camera!!

{{gwi:1312070}}

Kristi

They're so cute! I don't mind the red eye. It just makes him look a little more like a kitten maniac!
Sally, as long as I am able to care for an animal I'll probably always have at least a dog and a cat. My ideal vacation is a small trailer for camping. I will leash train the cat and dog so we can take them with! I really want to see the USA without being in a hurry(moving with little kid and animals!) It was so beautiful!
Yes, I have trapped and spayed the neighbor's animals. Frankly I don't think they noticed! Go figure! PJ

What cute kittens, I sure do miss having cat's but my allergies will not let me keep one :(
My dad has taken up caring for a wild cat that has been hanging around the house. He has such a big heart plus he's so lonely the cat has given him something to do, he cannot stand to see an animal go hungry or be in pain or hurt. He tried to pet the cat but ended up with a Tasmanian Devil attack from the cat.

Barb, looks like you picked a great dad! I hope he's doing well.

Kristi, those are cute kitties. (Of course, is the such a thing as kittens that aren't cute? No, I don't think so.)

PJ, one of dh's and my fantasies is to sell our house, quit our jobs, buy a good quality tent, or even an RV, and just travel all over the US staying at state parks or other camp grounds, and doing odd jobs for a month or 2, then moving on. But, then again, another fantasy I've had is to move to the country, where I'd have more room for more animals, such as chickens and llamas, in addition to cats and dogs, of course, plus a big garden. Obviously, those to fantasies don't jive well togther - it's gotta be one or the other. sigh. Neither of those fantasies jive well with 2 kids in college. ;-)

Sally

Petra, I wish we could force people to use those links, lol

Some of them are new to me, thanks

Sally, I don't know if you remember hearing about my bad neighbors before. I honestly don't know how many dogs they have. I have seen as many as 16 in the yard but hearing more in there barn while those were out. I've not seen any ventilation in that building either. All of the dogs look alike
Animal control so far has done nothing.
I have put flyers in their mailbox for free spaying and neutering, offered to help get them there, etc.

As far as cats there are 2 new adults in the creek area and I hear kittens oout there but haven't seen them yet.
I would love just one time seeing someone dropping the babies off.

My DH and I more than once have had disagreements about me taking them in to at least get fixed and rabie shots

Petra and I talk all of the time about ads we see of people saying they got a pet and now they are too busy, or they got too big, etc, can someone ELSE give them a good home..... Disgusting

To echo other people, thanks for what y'all do for the poor animals that are NOT disposable
jolana

Sally, isn't that a hard one? I've gone back and forth on small farm/travel as well. How about travel around until I'm sick of travel THEN start the small farm if I still have the energy.Couldn't do it the other way around. I'd really like a horse someday.... geez!
It is sad that people act like animals are disposable. Then again look how some treat their kids and themselves. Maybe it's a reflection of how people feel about themselves when they treat animals so poorly.
Hopefully it's a reflection of how people feel when they treat animals with love and respect. PJ

Hubby and I invited one of his childhood friends and his wife to lunch today. We had not seen them in a while and they had no clue that I had the kittens. I started to tell Virginia about them and half jokingly asked if they needed a kitten. To my surprise, her eyes lit up and she said yes, that she had been wanting a cat for a while but that Brent wasn't crazy about the idea. Well thank God he's crazy about her! We left the restaurant and went straight over to PetSmart and outfitted them with all of the necessities. They came back to our house with us and ended up picking Cream to go home with them. He's certainly the glamour-boy of the two and I figured he would be the first to go.

I told them that if it ended up not working out well for them to let me know and I would take him back and find him another home, but something tells me that with the look on Virginia's face that it will work out really well for all of us. And if we end up getting stuck with Cookies forever, well I guess that'll be OKAY......not great but better than two indoor kitties.

Cookies is sucking on one of his toes right now ;).

Kristi

it's not just cats... 1 year ago my wife and I were leaving the DQ in Cross Plains and we heard the sound of wheels burning rubber. What we saw next puzzeled us, then, it just broke our hearts. The window opened as the vehicle was still moving and out flew a box. When the box hit the ground it yelped. I went over and opened it up and I found a small terrier. It obviously had not eaten properly in weeks. Poor girl. We took here home with and had her checked by the vet, she was ONLY 2lbs!!! After months of TLC she became physically healthy. Ali ( we named her that) was terrified of me but she never left the side of my wife. That gave us indications that a male beat her. After 3 months she was able to come to me only if I was sitting down and she would then sit in my lap. If I moved the slightest bit though, she was gone hidding for an hour or two. It got to the point that if I walked past her she would urinate. Luckily we had a friend, that loves dogs and single so Ali now has a happy, healthy life.

Several years ago while driving in the country in August we came across some kittens in the road. We stopped and started gathering them up. Looked over in the ditch and saw a large box. I looked inside and saw a rott. pup. We ended up with 6 kittens and the pup. In August, in Texas with no water or food I doubt if they would have lasted long. They did not even dump them near a creek or house. The pup grew up and became my protector. He went everywhere with me. It was so cute when I would go out into the pasture and he made sure he was always between me and the cattle. He protected me for many years. All the kittens were lucky enough to have loving homes as well. Sure would like to find people that dump helpless creatures. Maybe tie them down on top of a fireant bed in the sun and not come back for a few hours. Wonder if that would wake them up? Sorry about my rant as well but I get so angry when people dispose of living things like so much garbage.
Patsy

It's amazing just how cruel people can be. Then again, it's wonderful how many people do take the time to care for their pets properly, and to take in abandoned animals.

Joe, that's a situation where you wish it was easier to get people's license plate number, something that's a lot harder to do in real life than it is on TV. Unfortunately, if everything worked out and you were able to pin that cruelty case on someone, the laws just aren't strong enough, or rather, the penalties are harsh enough. I occasionally watch those animal cop shows on Animal Planet, and I'm amazed at how light the penalties really are for the horrible people that do horrible things to animals. I'm glad you all were there to rescue that poor dog.

Sally

I've become cynical about people claiming to be rescuers, & I'd be on those people like a duck on a june bug to get my money back.

They don't want to refund the donation they took under false pretenses?

Bring me back my money (cash, please, no check, & I'll give you a receipt), or I'll complain to the local tv station's investigative/consumer protection reporters.
& if the "rescue" has non-profit status, I'll complain to the IRS.

& blessings to all of you who have compassionate hearts.

Kristi, a friend of mine that does cat rescue full time was suggesting I give you the name of an organization that might be able to help you. She wasn't sure if they would, due to the distance, but she said when there's been large numbers of feral cats to be trapped in one location, what they do is make a day of it. They go out with bunches of traps and trap as many in one day as possible. If you wish, I'll email you the name of this group. It's at least worth a phone call to them to see if something like that is do-able.

Sally

Thanks Sylvia and Sally,

This is a large organization that I know does do a lot of good. Apparently, they do more in the area they accustomed to working in. I can understand if they don't have members in our area and the volunteers are reluctant (or whiney) about the drive. We won't be requesting a refund or publicizing this because we don't want to harm the good they are doing elsewhere. The lady (Judy, a volunteer from the organization) who came when we rounded up the kittens a month or so ago came today and picked up Cookies. He will be tested for leukemia and feline aids then vaccinated and, a little later, neutered. During this time he will be living with a foster mom. Then he will go with the rest of the kittens to a PetSmart in Richardson. Adopters must agree that the cats will be indoor cats and that if for some reason, at any time things are not working out, the cat must be returned to the organization and not just given away or "thrown" out. I understand that the adoption fee at PS is around 125.00. Hopefully if someone is going to pay that much for a cat, they will give it a wonderful home (considering the number of free kitten ads they could have chosen from).

I told myself I wouldn't do it, but I cried. Just couldn't help it and can't help it now.

Barb, Candy and I discussed this morning with Judy the possibilities of us doing it all on our own. She volunteered her help and traps and we will be contacting the organization to get their approval which we will need in order to work with the local veterinarian (free spaying and neutering) and our local PetSmart who won't accept animals from individuals.

Anyhow, thanks all for your advice and help. I know Cookies will be fine and find a great home, but I need a tissue right now.

Take care,

Kristi

Awww, Kristi, I know just how you feel. One of my first rescues was a pregnant cat, who had her kittens not long after I brought her home. When the time came to take her kittens to a foster home, I literally felt sick, I was so sad. I knew that they would find good homes - I even got to meet one of the people actually adopting one of the kittens. It didn't stop me from feeling a loss. My heart goes out to you. Oh, I still have the mom cat. She's very special to me. Unfortunately, she's a one person cat, and doesn't even let my DH pet her very often. I guess she's still a bit feral.

Sally