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With all due respect, the OP has said these cats are urinating and defecating on neighboring properties, so it doesn't sound like this person has "acres to let them roam"...
The OP has also said there is inbreeding going on, that they live under a trailer, and that they are not being vaccinated, etc...this doesn't sound like a "sanctuary" at all.
The property is 3/4 of one acre. You are correct with the above assumptions. A friend took one of the kittens and it had all types of intestinal worms and nasty stuff. No luck with ASPCA or any rescue in the area. One neighbor is so fed up he will probably shoot them. Not sure how they will survive a winter in upstate NY.
This kind of hoarding is a serious mental illness...is there a humane society anywhere near you? Or any animal rescue facilities? Often, rescue organizations will come in, remove the animals and find them homes...good luck!
Your making a big assumption here. They may not be mentally ill. They may just not be able to say no to all the cats that get dumped on them by
Moderator cut: language deleted
Those are the real culprits.
Regardless they need to be spay/neutered. Why not actually be a good neighbor and offer to help? Easy to stand back and complain or hope that the dreaded government will take care of it for you. Get a trap, find a program, help out.
Last edited by nancy thereader; 10-29-2010 at 07:16 PM..
Ellwood. First call the local police and ask them what agency is responsible for the investiagtion of animal neglect. You don't mention anything about horading or cruelty or health, just who handles animal neglect investigations. Once you find out from them what agency handles it, contact that agency and provide facts. It may take some time and you may have to call back now and againto push it up the priority list. Dont call twenty places and get frustrated cause they dont have the authrotiy to act or they are the wrong place.
Provide details as to the health condition of the animals and welfare issues like food, water, shelter. Stick to facts and only facts. The more opinions you provide the less they may see it as a neighbor to neighbor problem and not an animal welfare issue.
Now, its a delicate issue because amny people with lots of cats are not mental but may honestly think they are savingt he cats from some greater harm. I can't tell you how many abused animals I;ve cared for that were loved near to death by the owners. For some reason, a starving horse that was free was still better to them than a dead horse made into cat food. The need to save the animals from death can sometimes cloud them from seeing that they are causing suffering. So without knowing whats behind the person doing this, it may just be a case of mistaken love for animals.
Your making a big assumption here. They may not be mentally ill. They may just not be able to say no to all the cats that get dumped on them by
Moderator cut: language deleted
Those are the real culprits.
Regardless they need to be spay/neutered. Why not actually be a good neighbor and offer to help? Easy to stand back and complain or hope that the dreaded government will take care of it for you. Get a trap, find a program, help out.
How do you think hoarding happens in the first place? Do you think every person who ends up with hundreds of cats they can't take care of properly went into it with the INTENTION of having so many? People who don't know how to "say no" when they don't have the means or incentive to properly care for the animals they take in clearly DO have a mental illness to continue perpetuating an in-bred, parasite-ridden, flea-bitten population. Maybe they can't afford to S/N, and they don't have the sense (or perhaps the space) to separate males from females, so the problem grows...and grows...and grows. A sane person understands their limitations and recognizes the necessity of quality care for their pre-existing animals, which would be diminished significantly if they took in every stray that came along instead of finding it a home or placing it in the care of a no-kill shelter, etc.
OP, do you think if you and some of your neighbors talked to this woman and offered to help trap, S/N them she would be receptive? Do you think your neighbors would be willing to band together to make this happen? It stinks that no organizations have been willing to help so far...this happens a lot in rural areas from what I've heard, because the shelters are overflowing and it's harder to find homes for them in less populated areas. Another idea...maybe there are people in your area who could use a few barn cats?
Maybe they can't afford to S/N, and they don't have the sense (or perhaps the space) to separate males from females, so the problem grows...and grows...and grows. A sane person understands their limitations and recognizes the necessity of quality care for their pre-existing animals, which would be diminished significantly if they took in every stray that came along instead of finding it a home or placing it in the care of a no-kill shelter, etc.
Can't afford to S/N - yes, probably
Don't have the ability to separate males and females - Not sure how anyone would really do that
A sane person understands there limitations - sure
Instead of finding it a home - practically impossible
Placing in the care of a no kill shelter - waiting lists, and when you get past that a drop off fee - usually as much as spay/neuter itself
All these pretty much equate to someone just doing the best they can as more and more idiots dump cats on them.
The alternatives are:
1) Neighbors step up help trap/spay/neuter because the person is unable to do it on their own.
2) Is shooting more or less humane than trapping and sticking with a needle? Guess it depends on how good a shot they are.
3) They end up at her place when abandoned because they're being fed. Have her do what all the other neighbors do - don't feed and let them move off and starve. This is probably what the neighbors first choice would be. It would probably take a court order.
4. Neighbors, unwilling to do anything themselves, continue to ignore the situation best the can.
Feral cats are a community, i.e. neighborhood problem. I wish people would quit being so freaking passive and expect some govt organization to come in and make it all go away. Where are all the tea-partiers and their anti-govt ideas?
Could we please not make this into a "feral" cat issue. NO feral cat is going to live under a trailer in which human(s) are living - if it does, it's not a feral cat. QED.
I don't think the neighbours are ignoring the issue - witness the OP who posted here. That's hardly ignoring. While each individual may differ as to the lengths he or she is willing to go to assist, or not as the case may be, the fact of the matter is that with trespass laws, privacy laws, and all sorts of other laws, many of these types of situations are best left to some sort of government or animal welfare body whose knowledge of what can and/or cannot be done should exceed that of the average individual. (The operative word there is "should" - whether or not it does is, I suspect, going to vary hugely.)
Everyone seems to be jumping to all sorts of conclusions about the motives of the person with the cats. Fact: motives are unknown to anyone reading or replying to this thread. However, there is one inescapable fact as per the OP: there is an individual in a rural environment who has far too many cats on his/her property and these cats are not being properly cared for. That's the long and the short of it really.
For my part, I like feral cats. Maybe they are just invisible when they are not thriving, but the feral cats around my area look pretty healthy. Of course, my zipcode has something like 100 rodents per acre. But, I am really fine to see feral cats. I'd much rather have feral cats in the trees than squirrels.
I guess my point is what is wrong with feral cats living their own lives and reaching a static population through attrition? Would any of you trap and neuter people suggest that squirrels,, raccoons, or possum by trapped and neutered? If not, why not?
From what I've read, any situation where there are large amounts of animals who are not being taken care of properly (a.k.a. shots, adequate food and water, adequate shelter, sanitary conditions) is defined as a hoarding situation. Regardless of how it started or the intention behind it, this is how it has been defined...from the first post, the OP has said these cats are in large numbers and that they are not being taken care of properly...this is defined as "hoarding", plain and simple. Motives don't matter, it is what it is.
The OP hasn't stated if anyone has really tried to help the person manage the situation - just get some agency to do it, which often there isn't an appropriate one.
30 cats living under trailer aren't pets imo - the person is a caretaker of a colony.
why don't you first talk to them about the issue? And let them know that cats bothers you. is not that better ? Here where I live no one lives in acres so there is no basically place to have 30 cats. But how do you know no shots etc? If they come to your premises you better let them know in my knowledge.
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