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Author
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Topic: Two small kittys on my back porch this am
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thirteen
Knowflake Posts: 24
From: Rochester Hills, MI USA
Registered: May 2004
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posted July 14, 2004 03:46 PM
 
I went to let my 2 dogs out this morning and there were two very cute, smally kittens, outside. One ran away immediately and the other hid in the bush but was looking at me for a while before he ran away. they were orange tabby type. My dogs seemed very interested in them, not hostile. Are they wild? I live in total suburbia so could they be wild cats? IP: Logged |
pidaua
Knowflake Posts: 2366
From: Annapolis, Maryland USA
Registered: May 2002
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posted July 14, 2004 04:44 PM
They could be what we call "feral" meaning wild in a way. They may have either been abandoned by their mother (through death or another measure) or left on your doorstep from someone trying to get rid of them. It is natural for them to run. If they hiss and scratch, then they may be feral, but the fact that one watched you probably means they were left on your doorstep. Now the question is, will you take responsibility for them or leave it up to nature? I would recommend, at the least, you find them and get them to a shelter - I prefer you find a vet hospital that will take in "good sams". That is just what we called animals that a good samaritan would drop off. More than likely a tech, vet or worker will adopt them or have to turn them over the county. You may also choose to foster them, feed them and then find them homes. Either way, it was not mistake they ended up on your doorstep.  IP: Logged |
trillian
Moderator Posts: 2073
From: The Boundless
Registered: Mar 2003
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posted July 14, 2004 05:07 PM
quote:
Either way, it was not mistake they ended up on your doorstep.
Ditto.
Please keep us posted.
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thirteen
Knowflake Posts: 24
From: Rochester Hills, MI USA
Registered: May 2004
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posted July 15, 2004 10:29 AM
You may be right, one at least was back this morning and he or she was a bit more confident with me and the dogs. The dogs got within about 2 inches of her face. I say her but Im not sure. My husb who refused to let me feed them yesterday saw it and said " do you think its hungary?" (softie!) We gave it some milk and she drank it all. If she stays around I will contact my vets office to see if they would take her. Im getting the sense that my dogs would like to play with her and look out for her. I think my poodle was a cat in his last life. He licks like a cat and i can just seem him licking this little thing.IP: Logged |
Rainbow~
Knowflake Posts: 1329
From: an enchanted cottage by the sea
Registered: Jan 2002
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posted July 15, 2004 11:18 AM
Thirteen....keep us updated on the kitty...*sigh* They are most affectionate pets (when they want to be  )Love,
Rainbow
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thirteen
Knowflake Posts: 24
From: Rochester Hills, MI USA
Registered: May 2004
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posted July 19, 2004 08:56 AM
Im sad, the kitty's are gone. The day after I fed the one milk too. I thought at that point they would keep coming back but not so.
It is probably a blessing in disguise. We have some major landscape work being done in my backyard this week and it probably would have terrorized the poor things. I hope they are safe.IP: Logged |
thirteen
Knowflake Posts: 24
From: Rochester Hills, MI USA
Registered: May 2004
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posted July 26, 2004 09:38 AM
I saw one of the kitty's this weekend. She was running like mad along the side of the house and i was able to watch her run into the thick bushes & trees at the end of my yard. I think that is where they are living. Im going to get some cat food and I already put out some water. I have no problem looking after them if they stay outside. I don't know what to do in winter though. IP: Logged |
trillian
Moderator Posts: 2073
From: The Boundless
Registered: Mar 2003
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posted July 26, 2004 04:20 PM
Start thinking about placing them now, don't wait till winter when you can't take care of them and your options may be few. Research no-kill facilities in your area or start asking friends who might want a couple of pets. If they are feral, there are organizations that spay/neuter the animals and then release them again. There are some organizations that take feral cats and let them live out their lives in peace. Contact www.bestfriends.org It's one of the most beautiful places on earth. They will have advice for you. IP: Logged |
Gemini Nymph
Knowflake Posts: 65
From:
Registered: Jul 2004
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posted July 28, 2004 06:10 PM
If these kittens show up again, I earnestly urge you to try and trap them, and if you cannot have them neutered and look after them yourself, take them to a shelter. I know some people here will not like this, but ferals are not ideal candidates for no-kill shelters and if you cannot fund their neutering and feeding yourself, nor can find a neuter-release program for feral cats in your area (they are not very common), it would be best to take them somewhere like a SPCA when they will be humanely euthanized. I am a cat lover, and have had cats all my life. I have a lot of experience with ferals (I have a special knack with them), and looking after them is a big responsiblity. It means not only neutering and feeding them, but looking after their environment. Domesticated cats shouldn't ever be "left to nature," and when domesticated cats are feral (that is, not socialized from birth to be comfortable with humans), many cannot ever become good pets or ever grow to really trust humans the way they have been bred by humans to do. It's an horrible dilemma with no good solution, because ferals cats aren't like wild animals. Without a lot of human intervention, a life for a feral cat is very harsh and usually very, very short (the average life for a feral cat is less than 3 years, whereas a normal indoor domesticated cat's average lifespan is 16). During that short life they can get attacked by dogs or wild animals, fight with other ferals, hit by cars, abused and tormented by unkind people, suffer from illnesses, be subjected to the elements, struggle to find adequate food and water and just generally live a life of fear, insecurity and anxiety. If these were truly wild animals, like a coyote or bird, it would be different. But feral cats don't fend as well for themselves as many people think. I remember once a feral tomcat showed up at my 4-plex, only about a year old and so thin he could barely walk, and a neighbor said to me, "Well, he must be stupid if he can't catch himself a bird!" He was confusing this feral cat with a wild animal. When humans domesticate an animal, we purposefully breed out of them much of their natural ability for survival so they will become more dependant on us, making them more "useful" to us as livestock or pets. So feral cats that are without people to look after not only them but their environment to be sure it's healthy and safe for them can easily face a fate far more cruel and painful than euthanasia. Cats didn't ask to be domesticated, and feral cats didn't ask to be abandoned. They just don't deserve to suffer because of what humans have done or have failed to do. The idea of euthanasia may seem distasteful to some, but if you cannot look after these cats yourself or find someone else who will, trapping them and surrendering them to a shelter to be euthanized is really for the best. It's far from ideal, but I believe as a last resort, it is far more compassionate than just leaving them to fend for themselves.
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Total Pieces
Knowflake Posts: 221
From: Los Angeles, CA
Registered: Dec 2001
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posted July 28, 2004 07:18 PM
Best Friends is the best thirteen. They were very helpful in helping research a No Kill shelter...Do it now while they are small and cute. Also if too much time goes by it will be hard to place them becasue they won't like to be picked up and played with... I wish you the very best... (I miss my kitties...  ) IP: Logged | |
Lindaland
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