I do care. Feral cats / kittens are not easy to domesticate
Take it from one who knows
I have 7 who live with us having been raised from a few days old.
Now over 4 years old
Best advice would have been for you to leave them where they were
The Op has said the feral kittens were large. It means that they are past their human socialisation period and will never be tamed enough for rehoming. They will soon be put down.
The Op has said the feral kittens were large. It means that they are past their human socialisation period and will never be tamed enough for rehoming. They will soon be put down.
So who has this helped, certainly not the cats.
You seem so certain of what's going to happen. No I won't leave kittens to freeze in the winter both vets I spoke told me they could be tamed at their age just takes a little longer plus I never mentioned the words "large" I said they were 8/9 weeks old certainly not large and they are not healthy one look would tell you that. Where was all your helpful advice yesterday when I was trying to sort something out for them, no mention of them being put down you were more interested in the cost.
Older kitten can be domesticated but its a long process. Yes RSPCA advice is leave alone but people that care about cats just can't. They deserve a chance. Yes some will never be domesticated but some can. So would you leave them too fend for them selfs . I couldn't. You must know that one.
Older kitten can be domesticated but its a long process. Yes RSPCA advice is leave alone but people that care about cats just can't. They deserve a chance. Yes some will never be domesticated but some can. So would you leave them too fend for them selfs . I couldn't. You must know that one.
A cat born in the wild can indeed fend for itself.
It does not depend on humans. nature works its magic on it. A wild cat has the same chance of survival as a say a fox or a bird or a badger.
humans meddling with it reduces its quality of life and indeed chance of survival.
A cat that's in the wild yes can fend for them selfs I know. But what happens when one of these becomes ill and needs help. Would you pts or help. I have had many ferals over the past few years and rehomed the two feral kittens I trapped the other week. Should I have left them. These where also about 9 weeks, they didn't stand a chance where they where. But yes I should have left them and let the get run over its only nature isn't it
Sometimes it may be necessary to put to sleep an otherwise healthy animal. A feral cat hardly has the best of lives and it may be kinder for sleepy times for them. It's not ideal by any stretch but ultimately may be for the best. Certainly better then ignoring the animals and leaving them to breed continuously and suffer without medical help or get run over or worse.
Of all the people I spoke to yesterday (and there were lots) vets, animal welfare, rescue centres, people I would deem as experts in this matters Not one told me it would be better leave the cats were they were.
I used to work for CP and we did indeed both go out to trap/neuter/return ferals and loaned out traps to members of the public for this purpose. We used to charge £10 for this.
I *tend* to agree with some of the views here that ferals should be neutered and returned to the wild. They aren't the same as domestics and can live perfectly well if left to their own devices.
We used to have crazy cat people calling up who seemed to do nothing but go out looking for feral cat colonies and strays and we had to tell them that we just don't have the resources to take these cats in. In most cases once a feral has gone passed 8-12 weeks of age its virtually impossible to domesticate (to the extent it would actually be cruel to try to keep it as a pet).
The only time we actively tried to domesticate/rehome ferals was if they were in particular danger given their location (eg if they were on something like a building site) or if they were suffering from an illness and we didn't have an existing colony we could move them to.
The rest of the time it was just a case of scooping them up, neutering them and taking them back to where we found them.
Vets will give emergency treatment up to a certain value, which is paid for by the RSPCA. The vet has to call the RSPCA for a log number. This generally only covers first aid, pain-relief, antibiotics and services such as euthanasia. There isn't a limitless pot for the free treatment of strays and ferals.
Also a minor point, but I'd like to make clear ferals and strays are very different things - ferals have always lived in the wild and have never had an owner, they react to humans with aggression and fear. Strays are cats that used to have an owner, and are domesticated, but have been abandoned, been lost etc.
The RSPCA don't deal with ferals unless they need to alleviate immediate suffering, because they are wild animals that are okay to be left alone. The RSPCA don't collect strays because it they are often assumed to have an owner.
sleepybelle
So, you dont have anywhere for these cats
Why did you get involved ?
You should have just left them
Now you are trying to pass them on to some one else
"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
Does that go some way towards answering your question?
I used to work for CP and we did indeed both go out to trap/neuter/return ferals and loaned out traps to members of the public for this purpose. We used to charge £10 for this.
I *tend* to agree with some of the views here that ferals should be neutered and returned to the wild. They aren't the same as domestics and can live perfectly well if left to their own devices.
We used to have crazy cat people calling up who seemed to do nothing but go out looking for feral cat colonies and strays and we had to tell them that we just don't have the resources to take these cats in. In most cases once a feral has gone passed 8-12 weeks of age its virtually impossible to domesticate (to the extent it would actually be cruel to try to keep it as a pet).
The only time we actively tried to domesticate/rehome ferals was if they were in particular danger given their location (eg if they were on something like a building site) or if they were suffering from an illness and we didn't have an existing colony we could move them to.
The rest of the time it was just a case of scooping them up, neutering them and taking them back to where we found them.
Vets will give emergency treatment up to a certain value, which is paid for by the RSPCA. The vet has to call the RSPCA for a log number. This generally only covers first aid, pain-relief, antibiotics and services such as euthanasia. There isn't a limitless pot for the free treatment of strays and ferals.
Also a minor point, but I'd like to make clear ferals and strays are very different things - ferals have always lived in the wild and have never had an owner, they react to humans with aggression and fear. Strays are cats that used to have an owner, and are domesticated, but have been abandoned, been lost etc.
The RSPCA don't deal with ferals unless they need to alleviate immediate suffering, because they are wild animals that are okay to be left alone. The RSPCA don't collect strays because it they are often assumed to have an owner.
I would be really grateful if you or someone else could answer this question for me, when ever the weather is bad wet, freezing etc, it absolutely breaks my heart thinking of the poor little kittens born out and living in those conditions, my question is: does being born in the cold equip then to live in the cold or do they just perish in a short matter of days or weeks?
I wish I could give them all a home
I would be really grateful if you or someone else could answer this question for me, when ever the weather is bad wet, freezing etc, it absolutely breaks my heart thinking of the poor little kittens born out and living in those conditions, my question is: does being born in the cold equip then to live in the cold or do they just perish in a short matter of days or weeks?
I wish I could give them all a home
Cats are naturally wild creatures and survived well in the wild before humans ever came along.
Even the domestics are biologically 'alright' to be out in the cold and wet, but they may not have the nous or fighting/hunting abilities of feral cats, which is why they are more at risk.
Cats are clever, and skilled at finding warm, sheltered, dry hiding places in the same way as rabbits, foxes or any other animal living in the wild. When I worked for CP we were picking up ferals that were a few years old - that implies that they have lived wild through at least a few British winters, and have survived.
That isn't to say if you see a particularly cold or hungry looking feral you shouldn't leave it some food or a towel in a box in a shed, but not every wild feral is a potential welfare case.
The biggest danger to ferals are man-made things like cars, roads, building sites, machinery etc.
Cats are naturally wild creatures and survived well in the wild before humans ever came along.
Even the domestics are biologically 'alright' to be out in the cold and wet, but they may not have the nous or fighting/hunting abilities of feral cats, which is why they are more at risk.
Cats are clever, and skilled at finding warm, sheltered, dry hiding places in the same way as rabbits, foxes or any other animal living in the wild. When I worked for CP we were picking up ferals that were a few years old - that implies that they have lived wild through at least a few British winters, and have survived.
That isn't to say if you see a particularly cold or hungry looking feral you shouldn't leave it some food or a towel in a box in a shed, but not every wild feral is a potential welfare case.
The biggest danger to ferals are man-made things like cars, roads, building sites, machinery etc.
Thank you so much for replying, and your information does make me feel better about the situation. I get so unbearably sad thinking about them at times.
Comments
Take it from one who knows
I have 7 who live with us having been raised from a few days old.
Now over 4 years old
Best advice would have been for you to leave them where they were
So who has this helped, certainly not the cats.
Exactly! you can't just leave the poor things
best of luck to the cat family & sleepybelle
CPL in Dundonald by any chance?
You seem so certain of what's going to happen. No I won't leave kittens to freeze in the winter both vets I spoke told me they could be tamed at their age just takes a little longer plus I never mentioned the words "large" I said they were 8/9 weeks old certainly not large and they are not healthy one look would tell you that. Where was all your helpful advice yesterday when I was trying to sort something out for them, no mention of them being put down you were more interested in the cost.
Yes it was the one in Dundonald
I think most people would have tried to help, they were so miserable looking.
A cat born in the wild can indeed fend for itself.
It does not depend on humans. nature works its magic on it. A wild cat has the same chance of survival as a say a fox or a bird or a badger.
humans meddling with it reduces its quality of life and indeed chance of survival.
For the record Feral and wild are not the same.
I *tend* to agree with some of the views here that ferals should be neutered and returned to the wild. They aren't the same as domestics and can live perfectly well if left to their own devices.
We used to have crazy cat people calling up who seemed to do nothing but go out looking for feral cat colonies and strays and we had to tell them that we just don't have the resources to take these cats in. In most cases once a feral has gone passed 8-12 weeks of age its virtually impossible to domesticate (to the extent it would actually be cruel to try to keep it as a pet).
The only time we actively tried to domesticate/rehome ferals was if they were in particular danger given their location (eg if they were on something like a building site) or if they were suffering from an illness and we didn't have an existing colony we could move them to.
The rest of the time it was just a case of scooping them up, neutering them and taking them back to where we found them.
Vets will give emergency treatment up to a certain value, which is paid for by the RSPCA. The vet has to call the RSPCA for a log number. This generally only covers first aid, pain-relief, antibiotics and services such as euthanasia. There isn't a limitless pot for the free treatment of strays and ferals.
Also a minor point, but I'd like to make clear ferals and strays are very different things - ferals have always lived in the wild and have never had an owner, they react to humans with aggression and fear. Strays are cats that used to have an owner, and are domesticated, but have been abandoned, been lost etc.
The RSPCA don't deal with ferals unless they need to alleviate immediate suffering, because they are wild animals that are okay to be left alone. The RSPCA don't collect strays because it they are often assumed to have an owner.
"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
Does that go some way towards answering your question?
seconded...
I would be really grateful if you or someone else could answer this question for me, when ever the weather is bad wet, freezing etc, it absolutely breaks my heart thinking of the poor little kittens born out and living in those conditions, my question is: does being born in the cold equip then to live in the cold or do they just perish in a short matter of days or weeks?
I wish I could give them all a home
Cats are naturally wild creatures and survived well in the wild before humans ever came along.
Even the domestics are biologically 'alright' to be out in the cold and wet, but they may not have the nous or fighting/hunting abilities of feral cats, which is why they are more at risk.
Cats are clever, and skilled at finding warm, sheltered, dry hiding places in the same way as rabbits, foxes or any other animal living in the wild. When I worked for CP we were picking up ferals that were a few years old - that implies that they have lived wild through at least a few British winters, and have survived.
That isn't to say if you see a particularly cold or hungry looking feral you shouldn't leave it some food or a towel in a box in a shed, but not every wild feral is a potential welfare case.
The biggest danger to ferals are man-made things like cars, roads, building sites, machinery etc.
Thank you so much for replying, and your information does make me feel better about the situation. I get so unbearably sad thinking about them at times.