Beebo Brink

A few months ago this scrawny little fellow showed up at our house and mooched food for the day, then took off. Eventually he returned, begging for the occasional meal, and being complete and utter fools, we obliged.

Then one day he fetched a friend, an orange tabby that was even hungrier and scrawnier than he had been (and was no longer, because we'd been feeding him). She was friendly, and very talkative, and we set out a little more....

And of course (you knew this was coming), yet another friend showed up.

We've figured out what we think is the matrix of relationships. Orange tabby is probably the mother of two different litters. Mr. Moocher belongs to the oldest littter and is now filling out quite nicely, with a glossy coat. Several of his litter mates show up now and then for the odd meal, but they all defer to Momma at the food bowl. Here is one of his suspected brothers, a very pretty gray-and-white:



The other steady hanger-on is a little one-eyed tabby that appears to be from a second litter. When we first saw her, we didn't think she'd make it, but some good food appears to have given her the boost she needed to survive her injury.



Unfortunately our county does not have any spay-and-release programs or any vets who offer a discount for dealing with strays. So it will cost us about $250 to get both Momma and One-Eye fixed so they don't keep pumping out litters. We're mulling over what to do, but given the apparent success of Momma Cat, if we don't do something our neighborhood will be hip deep in strays by next year.

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Vivianne Draper

moar pics pls?

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Vivianne Draper

and i thought the first guy turned out to have a home after all?

Beebo Brink

Momma Cat should be around later this afternoon and I'll try to get some more shots then. She's in the habit of curling up on our doorstep and taking a snooze.

Mr. Moocher seems to be settled (somewhat loosely) with some neighbors. What fascinated us was that he would see us drive up to the house, then dash off to fetch Mom or a littermate and lead them up to our porch. He quite deliberately introduced them to us.

Surreal

Have you called your local SPCA and asked if they know of any programs for low cost spaying? I'd be surprised if there isn't something....

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Beebo Brink

We checked, and the closest program is in another county.

A typical swarm on our porch:



The suspected martriarch of the swarm:

Arilynn

Cute kitties! Is there a Humane Society or ASPCA that will take the cats in, spay/neuter them, and put them up for adoption after some socialization?

Jesse Barnett

I'll take 5 please

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Desmond Shang

Couple of points with strays, they will probably live a lot longer with your care but the typical lifespan of a feral cat is a mere 18 months.

And some will eventually fight, and one of the hardest things is to watch a smaller cat succumb to infection and death from deep scratches from the 'dominant' cat... usually what happens is people take those cats inside at that point, and now... you got an injured, very sick housecat that still acts like he's living outside once he can get up and walk around again. Just saying. I never figured out how to selectively 'not feed' the outdoor mean cats.

Oh, and flea medicine. I don't know how it is where you are, but cats without flea medicine in southern California *will* get fleas. Lots of them, especially in summer, and it gets really noticeable wherever the cats congregate if you don't do something about it. So there's another whopping expense that sneaks up, flea medicine every 30 days for each cat. Provided you can actually apply it.

Best of luck though, I totally understand how cool it is to have friendly cats.

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Beebo Brink

The local city shelter is usually overwhelmed and the adoption rate cannot keep up, especially since most people want cute kittens, of which there are an abundance. There are no resources for socilalization and I don't think they spay/neuter either since most of the cats will end up being euthanized after 2-3 weeks.

We've also heard stories of entire batches at the shelter being wiped out by various diseases, due to overcrowding. So all in all, the cats stand a better chance of survival on the streets than in the hands of the city. We're talking a West Virginia county where teachers often have to buy their own office supplies, so there's not a whole lot of extra money floating around.

Our own house is filled up already with 3 dogs and 2 cats (most of which are rescues, too). So there is no way, no possible way, we can take in some street cats, no matter how winsome.

No way.

None.

Beebo Brink

Sold!

Please PM me with details for shipping. You happen to be in driving distance, btw.

Talon DeCuir

I already have 5! Runns.....

Talon DeCuir

Been there, said that.... tis how I got 5.

Arilynn

That is a tough position. I assume your municipal/county Animal Control would humanely capture them and then euthanize them. For me, it would be a tough choice between watching the population explode and asking Animal Control to kill them. We all know it is a hard, brief life for homeless animals.

Beebo Brink

detrius

Ask your local vet for contraceptives for cats. You can start mixing some meds under their food before they come into season - that's pretty cheap and will save you and your feline guests lots of trouble.

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eku Zhong

start up a donation box in world.. I'm there....

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Phoenix Psaltery

I'm sure this guy would be willing to help.



P2

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Vivianne Draper

you made them a bed on your porch? oh you are doomed.


also this is my favorite thread evar

detrius

Btw: don't give your cats pure milk, it's not healthy for them since they (like most mammals beyond infant stage) lack the enzymes to digest it properly (humans are weird that way). Instead, use water and add one shot of milk for look and flavor.

Also, to make it better, you can add one or two raw eggs to the water/milk mix to provide an extra protein boost (one egg per 5 cats should suffice). Don't overdose them though: Although eggs are generally very healthy for cats since they can easily be converted into body proteins, you should cook them if you want to make them a regular part of your cat's diet since raw eggs also contain an enzyme that absorbs vitamin B.

Beebo Brink

Yes, Mrs. Beebo came up with a low-cost shelter idea using an old workhorse wrapped in rugs and a tarp. Within an hour of setting this out, the cats had made themselves at home without any prompting on our part.

So far, the contraception idea has the greatest appeal. No need to capture and pay for surgery and figure out where to keep them during recovery.

detrius

Cats squatting in my parents' garden...

Meet Spot:





Spot's (presumed) Mom:




(Most of) the rest of their family:




My parents are under siege now:

eku Zhong

no escape...

detrius

When I go in the backyard, there are usually 1-3 cats running towards me, expecting me to give them food.

The little tortie is the only one that lets anyone near it, though.

Aisuru Rieko

Thinks thats a very clever kitty bed, Beebo! The contraceptives thing sounds like a good idea, I had no idea there was such a thing, always had my animals fixed before it became an issue. Always have to fight my softhearted instincts to keep the number down too. Only 3 cats, must. not. get. more. LOL because there'd be 20 if I wasn't careful. My Aunt had this kind of problem, be kind to a stray here and there and then you find pretty soon you've got a dozen and then two hanging around your house and sleeping on your car.

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