Stray Cats

yellowellie

We have about seven cats that hang around the garden/garage/farm. They are strays originally but are still around because they get fed. They keep multiplying (naturally!).

We don't want them - we never did.

They are still wild, as in you can't catch them and they are very jumpy when eating if someone is near them.

What are the options?

Is there any way to catch them to bring them to the vet (for either spaying or to be put to sleep)? The danger would be that one or more of the cats would have kittens hidden away somewhere but I suppose the vet would be able to tell us that by checking for milk?

We would probably keep one or two, who would then be better looked after. Sedate them in some way? We don't want to be cruel but in the long run it's crueler on them to have them as they aren't fed everyday and they sometimes aren't all there when they are being fed.

Trojan911

yellowellie wrote: »

What are the options?

If you are living on a farm then my option would be to shoot them humanely. The diseases they can potentially spread may do more harm than good to your livestock or other pets. That or go to the expense of a vet calling out the farm to put them to sleep.

TJ911...

Whispered

OP where are you?

Trojan, you are seriously suggesting that the only solution is killing them? Disgusting!! What about trap and neuter?

Our man in Havana

Trojan911 wrote: »

If you are living on a farm then my option would be to shoot them humanely. The diseases they can potentially spread may do more harm than good to your livestock or other pets. That or go to the expense of a vet calling out the farm to put them to sleep.

TJ911...

Why the heck should these cats be put to sleep when its the ignorant owner fault (not the OP) who should make sure cats are spayed & neutered!

OP contact rescue groups in your area they can trap & neuter & hopefully you will allow them to return to your land & they can live a healthy life & help to keep the rodent population down.

yellowellie

helena.ryan wrote: »

OP where are you?

Galway

Bond-007 wrote: »

OP contact rescue groups in your area they can trap & neuter & hopefully you will allow them to return to your land & they can live a healthy life & help to keep the rodent population down.

I can contact the GSPCA.

Is there any way we could trap them ourselves to bring them to the vet?

If you think shooting them is bad then you wouldn't like the idea someone I know came up with -to put sedatives in their food and bury them!!! :eek:

MsFifers

Your local rescue centre will be able to provide you with special traps to catch them - I don't think there is any other humane option really for both sides - you don't want to end up scratched to bits!! But do contact them straight away as - as you are no doubt aware - your cat population could multiply into the hundreds eventually!

I had stray cats behind where I work this year, and it took ages to get the trap as there was a backlog of people looking for it. IF ONLY PEOPLE WOULD GET THEIR CATS SPAYED!!! :mad:

Oh - and my vet told me that cats don't have kittens in the winter months - so now would be a good time to assume there are no kittens around in need of their mammies.

There probably won't be any hope of re-settling the cats as feral cats won't ever really settle into domestic situations as pets. I'm too soft about cats to consider ways of killing them, however, if you were prepared to let them live out their days on your farm would they not be helpful in keeping the mice and rats at bay? Feral cats can be v. clever about keeping themselves fed, so it wouldn't be a big problem if they weren't around when you were feeding the rest.

-

fits

A lot of rescues do TNR which means trap, neuter, return. You could do this yourself by borrowing cat traps.... I think feral cats are still useful to have around for keeping the rodent population at bay.

So if you enquire about getting traps, you could go about it that way.

Trojan911

helena.ryan wrote: »

Trojan, you are seriously suggesting that the only solution is killing them? Disgusting!! What about trap and neuter?

The OP asked a question & I gave my answer. The link I provided, which now appears to be disabled, gave other options on dealing with them. The OP could choose from the link.

Personally I would shoot them if I was a farmer as they pose a danger to other pets / animals from disease and then dispose of them correctly.

Disgusting is your opinion, which you are entitled to. I have my own opinion formed of your reply but I'll keep it to myself.

Good day to you...

Bond-007 wrote:

Why the heck should these cats be put to sleep when its the ignorant owner fault (not the OP) who should make sure cats are spayed & neutered!

As above..

TJ911...

Whispered

Trojan, I wasn't suggesting you were disgusting! I was saying that I think killing them is. Of course there are time where there is no other option but to kill an animal, I just dont think it is necessary at all in this case. Personally I think just disposing of them is a lazy and irresponsible thing to do, so you get rid of these cats, how long before more make themselves at home. Farms attract rodents, therefore they attract feral cats. If the op has them neutered at least they will stop another colony moving in. I dont think the op would have to pay to get them done as there are rescue groups who deal with this (as stated by other posters) so the op would not have to go to the "expense of a vet calling"

As for your opinion, why keep it to yourself? These forums are for people to express their opinions.

Trojan911

helena.ryan wrote: »

Personally I think just disposing of them is a lazy and irresponsible thing to do, so you get rid of these cats

If I had a farm & had to choose between my livestock & potentally disease harming feral cats, the livestock would win hands down, after all that is a farmers income. So lazy & irresponsible is not the case in my scenario. I would pose them as an immediate threat to my livestock/income & act accordingly. Sometimes killing is the best & kindest option to prevent further suffering & it has to be done in a humane way.

helena.ryan wrote: »

If the op has them neutered at least they will stop another colony moving in. I dont think the op would have to pay to get them done as there are rescue groups who deal with this (as stated by other posters) so the op would not have to go to the "expense of a vet calling"

That is a choice for the OP, which was also in the link. I wouldn't choose this option.

helena.ryan wrote: »

As for your opinion, why keep it to yourself? These forums are for people to express their opinions.

There are charter rules in place & I have no wish to publish these opinions.

TJ911...

MsFifers

Trojan911 wrote: »

If I had a farm & had to choose between my livestock & potentally disease harming feral cats, the livestock would win hands down, after all that is a farmers income. .

Trojan911 - I've been googling for the last 15 mins trying to find any article that mentions how feral cats would harm livestock - and I can't find anything. That link you posted above doesn't work anymore - are you sure your information is correct about that?

I did find this article:
http://www.messybeast.com/usferal.htm

- which gives the opposite impression. Feral cats aren't responsible for spreading diseases. In fact their usefulness in keeping rodent numbers down is mentioned in many articles.

Like the bible, I know you can find something written somewhere on the web to back up any assertion, but in this case, I really think you are mistaken. If feral cats did pose a serious threat it wouldn't be so hard to find something to back that up.

Whispered

Can you please explain to me how neutered vaxed cats can be any more of a threat to livestock then say the rats they kill or other wildlife, foxes, badgers etc. This is a genuine question, I really dont understand. Surely it would be better for a farmer to have a controllable pest, such as a colony of cats than rats etc? We had chickens when I was younger and used to watch the rats trying to get into their coop, they eventually succeded and killed EVERY ONE OF THEM, it was not for food, they got in there and caused carnage. So my dad set about trying to get rid of the rats from shooting at them when he saw them (he is also a shooter trojan) to letting his terriers in after them. Nothing wiped them out. Eventually we got 2 cats, problem solved. Now I'm not saying that they got rid of them completly but their numbers certainly went down. I will re-assert that killing them is lazy and irresponsible, what I stated was that if you just kill them then surely more will come along to take their place. Logically you are better off controlling the ones that are there than having more come along. Then you wouldn't have the problem of disposing of their bodies.

"I have my own opinion formed of your reply but I'll keep it to myself." "There are charter rules in place & I have no wish to publish these opinions." You really seem to have taken offence to what I have said, why? Your opinion on the matter of killing cats wouldn't be a problem to post here, if your opinion is on me thats a different matter. Please clarify what your opinion is on.

Trojan911

MsFifers wrote: »

Trojan911 - I've been googling for the last 15 mins trying to find any article that mentions how feral cats would harm livestock - and I can't find anything. That link you posted above doesn't work anymore - are you sure your information is correct about that?

Yes, the link now appears disabled as previously mentioned, and yes, the info was correct when it was available. I will look again for it. The website still appears to be down. Google the web pages: feral cats dieseses. The first one RMACA gives the info. That's the best I can do at the moment...

helena.ryan wrote:

Can you please explain to me how neutered vaxed cats can be any more of a threat to livestock then say the rats they kill or other wildlife, foxes, badgers etc. This is a genuine question, I really dont understand.

No, because all this is knocking the Thread off topic & I have no wish to hijack any persons thread. The OP posted a question which I took the time to answer my opinion with a link giving other options. The OP has taken the time to pose the question therefore should be entitled to get answers/opinions from other posters and not have to watch two posters bouncing their difference in opinion back & forth. So this is my final post on the matter of Stray Cats, that dead web pageshould come back at some stage & hopefully answer any questions you may have.

TJ911...

fits

I too would like to know how feral cats are a disease risk...

And btw I'm not against humane culling if they become a real problem, but would prefer the TNR option if I were in OP's position.

MsFifers

Trojan911 wrote: »

No, because all this is knocking the Thread off topic & I have no wish to hijack any persons thread. The OP posted a question which I took the time to answer my opinion with a link giving other options. The OP has taken the time to pose the question therefore should be entitled to get answers from other posters and have to watch to posters bouncing their difference in opinion back & forth.

TJ911...

I know that comment wasn't addressed to me but I would argue that this discussion is on topic as part of the OP's question was what to do with the cats after they have been caught.

Having continued to search (because I am now getting obsessed with this point! ) I really think that you gave the incorrect information about the disease threat from feral cats. The article you quoted begins by saying that feral cats are afflicted by diseases which can spread between them - these include the usual fleas, ticks, worms etc. Livestock are commonly treated for these things anyway - so where is the risk from feral cats?

I think you should hold your hands up if you gave incorrect information - as the impression you gave may lead the OP think they should put down the cats, when in fact they have another option.

Or else provide some evidence to back up your assertion.

I would propose that the OP gets help to get the cats caught and neutered, and then allows the cats to earn their keep on the farm by catching rodents.

Whispered

I also think this thread is on topic? Perhaps he does not want to post further as he has realised he may have given the wrong info? Also to get into a discussion then say that you do not want to talk about any more is a fairly juvenile way of getting out of a discussion where you know you dont have a leg to stand on?

---

just my opinion

Trojan911

helena.ryan wrote: »

I also think this thread is on topic? Perhaps he does not want to post further as he has realised he may have given the wrong info? Also to get into a discussion then say that you do not want to talk about any more is a fairly juvenile way of getting out of a discussion where you know you dont have a leg to stand on?

---

just my opinion

If you are trying to suggest I have posted incorrect info then stop there. I cannot be reponsible if a website goes offline. Wait for it to come back up. You have the internet at your finger tips ..... use it. Here is another link that explains the risks to humans & shows how dangerous domestic & feral cats can be. Even more reason to eradicate/spay them.

TJ911...

Whispered

from trojans link

"Conclusion
Although there are potential hazards for acquiring some diseases from feral cats the incidence is rare, and if common sense and good hygiene are combined when working with colonies, transmission of infectious diseases from colonies to humans can be minimized. Contact with other humans is more likely to be a source of contracting infectious diseases."


Also I dont think we have rabies in Ireland?

bushy...

Are any of these here: toxoplasmosis sarcosporidiosis ? I think the first affects unborn lambs

Trojan911

Now scroll down further past "Conclusion" & continue reading..... Good bye...

TJ911...

fits

Trojan911 wrote: »

Now scroll down further past "Conclusion" & continue reading..... Good bye...

TJ911...

I'm thinking you're from the 'cats are dirty buggers' school of thought.

A lot of those zoonotic diseases are not a problem in this country.

As for FIV etc... they are here, but only a risk to other cats.... I doubt if they're any risk at all (even a low one) to farm animals.

Trojan911

fits wrote: »

A lot of those zoonotic diseases are not a problem in this country.As for FIV etc... they are here, but only a risk to other cats.... I doubt if they're any risk at all (even a low one) to farm animals.

However, still pose a risk and that's where caution should be exercised thus my reasons for immediate termination should I ever be a farmer.

TJ911...

fits

Trojan911 wrote: »

However, still pose a risk and that's where caution should be exercised thus my reasons for immediate termination should I ever be a farmer.

TJ911...

I suppose you'd be adding foxes, badgers, rats, mice, mink, magpies, hawks and almost everything that moves to that list then as well I suppose....

Trojan911

fits wrote: »

I suppose you'd be adding foxes, badgers, rats, mice, mink, magpies, hawks and almost everything that moves to that list then as well I suppose....

They are already added, bar Badgers & Hawks which are protected under the Wildlife Act...

TJ911...

fits

Well I guess I'd have a different philosophy, I'd wait for them to cause a problem rather than pre-empt it...especially when the mentioned 'risks' are so low, and their rodent control is useful,

but I dont have a sig like yours.

MsFifers

Trojan911 wrote: »

Now scroll down further past "Conclusion" & continue reading..... Good bye...

TJ911...

ARe you just being deliberately provokative? Or is it that you are just glancing at these articles and not reading them?

eg Whoa - look! A list of diseases cats can get. Right then - shoot the beggers!

Those diseases FIV etc - are either only communicable between CATS.

Ringworm and other parasites are a risk to farm animals from various sources - therefore farmers dose their animals to prevent infection.

Toxoplasmosis sarcosporidiosis is the biggest risk from cats to other animals as they are the primarly host, but it can be present in the feces of any any meat-eating animal - including humans. Good farm hygiene is an obvious way of preventing any infection - and any good farmer will be implementing this anyway!

Now - PLEASE either make an informed comment - or else just admit that you have been sensationalising the risk from the poor wee kitties!

Our man in Havana

OK if the nastiness continues I will be forced to take action.

If you want to discuss zoonotic diseases start another thread.

on topic this thread is about what to do with feral cats - now one poster has said shoot them (cruel in my opinion) If they need to be PTS trap them & let a vet humanly do this - at least let these cats now what human kindness can be - even if its just a kind way to end their suffering.

I will keep my opinions about farmers to myself. Every animal has a right to life.

If anyone knows of a rescue group in Galway that can help with a TNR scheme please post here. If not please do not add more fuel to this fire & get this thread any more heated than it already is.

houndsoflove

I have 12 cats all spayed and neutered. The main breeder is called the mammy and is wild, i got a sedative from the vet and put it in her food. I had her in the house when she was eating and after 1 hour the sedative took effect and i put her into a cage and got her to the vet. She is now spayed Kitten problem solved.

Nicola.

whisht

We have trapped and neutered 6 strays in our area. ( not to mention 6 of our own) The vet gave us a lend of a cage, with some patience, throw food into the cage, only the tiniest pieces ( cant be operated on if they have eaten too much) when they get a bit comfortable jumping in to retrieve food, down with the lid.
You will have a VERY unhappy lad or lady on your hands, so an oven glove is advised for picking up the cage.
When you bring the cat home leave it in the cage outside but sheltered, drop in some small bits of food, and when you see them up and about you could let it out.
Please be careful though , they can be very wobbley and shouldnt be let out untill they are fully able to stand. They could wander onto a road. they will not be able to move to fast.
Please also inform your vet that you have given them a small amount of food to intice them into the cage. Also ask for disolving stitches!!!!
No fun trying to re-catch a cat to have them out!!!!

Dublingirl23

Trojan911 wrote: »

If you are living on a farm then my option would be to shoot them humanely. The diseases they can potentially spread may do more harm than good to your livestock or other pets. That or go to the expense of a vet calling out the farm to put them to sleep.

TJ911...

How nieve! The easiest opition is to get them spayed/neutered not "Shot" or PTS, these animals didn't ask to be strays. Trust me, I would never ever shoot any animal and I can't believe you would suggest that.