# Adopting feral cats in our town



## ~Kitty~ (Jan 2, 2005)

CatzRule and i live in a town that has a lot of ferals, or at least what we think are ferals because they are always wondering around and dont have collars. even though we have 3 indoor cats and are gunna get a 4th in about 2 months, but we were thinkin of taking 2 ferals and making a nice home for them in the basement level. they wouldnt be in the actual basement, just on the same level, and we wouldn't tell our parents about it right away and the other people in our apartment wouldnt notice them and they would still have access to the outdoors if they wanted to go out there. we already bought the collars and the food and we are just waiting for the cats! is Whiskas a good chose of food to use at first? we are also gunna feed them royal canine but we are also gunna feed them whiskas (if its good) because we can buy it at the gas station right down the street. 
any advice?


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## spittles (Oct 24, 2003)

~Kitty~ said:


> CatzRule and i live in a town that has a lot of ferals, or at least what we think are ferals because they are always wondering around and dont have collars. even though we have 3 indoor cats and are gunna get a 4th in about 2 months, but we were thinkin of taking 2 ferals and making a nice home for them in the basement level. they wouldnt be in the actual basement, just on the same level, and we wouldn't tell our parents about it right away and the other people in our apartment wouldnt notice them and they would still have access to the outdoors if they wanted to go out there. we already bought the collars and the food and we are just waiting for the cats! is Whiskas a good chose of food to use at first? we are also gunna feed them royal canine but we are also gunna feed them whiskas (if its good) because we can buy it at the gas station right down the street.
> any advice?


First off, ferals are FERAL. They are wild and you can never get near them. If they are strays, that is a different story. 

NO, Whiskas is HORRIBLE. If you want an okay food for feral that is cheap...here are a few good ones.

Maxximum(sold at Wal-Mart)
Authority(sold at PetSmart)
Purina Cat Chow(my last choice)

I don't know if that would be very wise to not tell anyone. See, what happened if the landlord saw them? She would most likely call animal control and the cats would be trapped and killed. I suggest you ask someone first.

Unless you want the population to keep going up, the cats NEED to be spayed and vaccinated. Where are you located? I could look up and see if they have any free programs for ferals in your area.

Thanks for caring!!!
Abhay


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## OsnobunnieO (Jun 28, 2004)

I know you just want to help and I'm sure you have good intentions, but I have to ask. How old are you?

I've read a few of your posts, as well as your friends' posts and it seems that you are all young. Not that its a bad thing, just that you aren't ready to take on this responsibility. Not telling your parents and sneaking around, although for a good cause, is not the way to help. 

I know you want to feed them a good food, but most of them are expensive. Where will you get the money to feed them? And if they get sick or hurt? If they don't get spayed/neutered you WILL end up with a lot of cats. I can promise you that.

If you want to help, you should contact your local humane society or similar organization. They may be able to find them homes, or at least find you a trap-neuter-release program to spay/neuter them before they send them back out.

Like I said, I know you just want to help but sometimes you have to think of what is really best for the animal.


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## rosalie (Oct 9, 2003)

Kitty; your friends and you are doing fantastic things and I know how much you want to help those ferals but please do tell others (your parents, neighbors, landlord) and ask a rescue group about it that they can help you do it the best way.
Ferals are pretty hard to care of and even for a stray, tame cat you want to make sure that you're able to give them food, shelter, vet care + spay/neuter_ and all that cost money..So you need others helping you..


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## ~Kitty~ (Jan 2, 2005)

well, my mom does know we are feeding strays. They are not ferals because we can get near them. sometimes in our town there are abandonned cats that use to be owned. i don't think my landlord would call animal control, we already have other cats running around and our main door is wide open sometimes so a stray cat could just walk in side (and a person). i would tell my mom after the first we or 2, just not the first day! if it got to much of a hasel, i would find a ver nice home.
we dont have stores like wal mart were we 3 live, we have Quali pet and they dont sell the same food. Why is whiskas horrible? 
Thanx for all the help and advice :lol:  
Kitty

p.s. i wont tell you my age, sry


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## OsnobunnieO (Jun 28, 2004)

If you leave a door open enough for cats to get in your house, is it possible that your cats can get OUT?

It would be such a shame if your new purebred persian wandered outside one day and something happened to it. There may not be a lot of people looking to take in strays, but if they see such a pretty cat walking around they may snatch it up a lot faster, and who knows what could happen then.

If you browse through the Health and Nutrition section you can find a lot of good advice on how to choose a good food. Also, visiting Dr. Jean's site http://www.littlebigcat.com and looking through her articles might be helpful.


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## ~Kitty~ (Jan 2, 2005)

No, no. i live in an APARTMENT building, so the MAIN door is open, the door where we all enter, not the door into my apartment.


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## OsnobunnieO (Jun 28, 2004)

Ohh, ok then.


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## Heather102180 (Nov 19, 2003)

Remember, if they are strays and they are hungry, they will keep coming around as long as you keep feeding them. Might want to make sure your parents know you plan on feeding them. 

Also, if they seem hungry and Whiskas is all you can afford than I think that is great!!!! Some say it's not the best for cats but if it's what you can afford than I say go for it! If there is a starving cat around and you have a bag of Whiskas, better feed it that, no matter what people here recommend regarding brands of food....


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## Gudewife (Jun 27, 2004)

And equally important, all of these cats need to be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and tested for FIV/FeLV. Feeding them won't help the stray cat problem much if they're reproducing and transmitting diseases to each other. A humane society, rescue group, or shelter can give you more information on how to go about this, but it is essential that each cat be desexed, vaccinated, and tested for the health of the stray population as well as for the health and safety of neighborhood cats who may come in contact with them. That's where the big-time responsibility of being a stray/feral caretaker comes in.


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## ~Kitty~ (Jan 2, 2005)

well, i understand i wouldn't be able to keep it for that long, because i would have to bring it to the vet, but the cat would probably already be spayed and have a few shots if it was an abandoned cat that use to have a home. I would probably keep it for a few months and then find a very nice home that would love it just as much as me and who doesn't already have 3 cats and getting a fourth soon!


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## rosalie (Oct 9, 2003)

Don't count on already being altered and vetted if it's an abandoned cat; many people don't alter their pets or keep them up to date with vaccinations so I'd rather do that before I try to find them a home; so it'll be easier find willing owners..if they don't mind having an intact cat, watch out..they don't sound like they would care for the kitty either..so if you feed and shelter them you'll have to have them vet checked too before you can find them forever homes.


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