# Ferals with Colds



## angelshelper81 (Mar 20, 2006)

I live in an apartment complex. We have feral cats here, probably a few dozen, not many more than that. For the few days, not even a week, I've been feeding them at night - just cheap dry food, but they seem to appreciate it, or at least expect it. I was going to take a night off last night and was told otherwise by the sweet talkative tom who sat outside my front door yowling 'till I made with the food. So CUTE!

The aforementioned tom apparently has a cold, and so do a couple of the other cats who've been showing up, and I'm not sure what if anything I should be doing about it. I can't take them in, even temporarily - my cage-free lovebirds would be cat snacks within hours if not minutes - and I can't really afford to pay for vet care myself. There is a cat rescue near here, but I tried to deal with them before when my mom had strays in her backyard, and they never even returned my calls. Taking the cats to the shelter is out of the question unless they'll obviously die anyway, because the local shelter has a policy of euthanising any sick animals that come in.

I don't have a lot of experience with cats, so I'm not even sure how good of a chance they have of shaking the colds on their own. I kind of think that having some kind of shelter might help (we've been getting a lot of rain, and it's still COLD at night), even if it's not acutaly inside, but I could use some advice on how to set something up without it costing an arm and a leg ($50+ for a dogloo? I can't afford a splurge like that...) or being useless.

Really, any advice would be good, and appreciated.

Thanks,
Ann


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Ann -- bless you for your heart toward these cats. I think that feeding them nutritious food to give their immune systems strength to fight their colds is about all you can do. Cats get viruses just like people do and they usually shake them on their own. Sometimes when the immune system is weak, a secondary bacterial infection sets in. These are hard to shake without antibiotics. Obviously you can't take the cats in to the vet for prescription medication, so the best you can do right now is help them fight it as best they can. Good nutrition, clean water, and better shelter if you can.

Best wishes!!


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Hopefully, you can get some information at this site:

http://www.alleycat.org/orgs.html#il 

It is not terrible difficult to make a shelter. A styrofoam box with the lid on the bottom, a doorway and some soft fleece will help keep the ferals and stray out of the elements. What concerns me is the upper respiratory problem. I am hoping that Alley Cat Allies can refer you to someone in your area. 

Thank you for caring for and caring about these poor animals. God bless you.


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## Sweetvegan74 (Jun 18, 2005)

Thank you Ann for caring about them (-:

If the cats eat daily they should get strong enough to fight off the colds. Sometimes a feral's eyes will tear they don't have colds just that their eyes get a little sensetive to the weather. 

Your best bet if you can is to start TNR. If the cats are strays (not feral) you should be able to pet them within time and put them in a carrier. If they are feral then a humane trap will have to be used. Check with your local shelter and rescues and see about getting discounts for spaying. If you feed a few you will soon be feeding dozens if not altered.

I hope they are strays so they could be rehomed (-: that is also a nice outcome.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

There are several threads at the top of this page (stickies) with low cost spaying and neutering in all states. Good luck!


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## angelshelper81 (Mar 20, 2006)

Hmm. The shelter in Ocean City neuters males for $25... I could swing that a couple of times a year at least, even if they don't give a discount for TNR. Or is it better to do the girls, even though they cost more? (Darn, I wish my paycheck stretched farther. Ah, well, I made my choice when I decided to work in the nursing home instead of going into computers like I 'should've'. :wink: )

At least one of 'em's obviously been someone's pet at some point. The cute tom who reminds me it's dinnertime loves to be petted and actively tries to come in the appartment, and there's a marmalade one that seems too big to be truly wild, even though he's very skittish. I'll ask the Ocean City shelter about finding homes for them, but even if they'll work with someone outside their area (I'm in a different county, even though I'm geographicaly close to them) I might not be able to do much. I can watch traps, but I can't transport easily since I don't drive, and I can't foster.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

I would get an opinion from the Shelter. A tom can ferilize many females, but if the females are spayed, your colony, at least won't have more kittens. I paid almost $200 recently to have my male neutered, so that's a wonderful price! 

I'm so glad you care! Don't forget night classes.


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