What are the pros and cons for feeding feral cats?
HOLY MOLY! There are a million cats all over my South Philly neighborhood, and they look like hell. I am afraid that they’ll attack or give my dogs diseases, and they’ve already given them fleas twice. I contacted the PSPCA, and Animal Control, and was basically told to go pound sand. So, I called some feral cat agencies and they’re telling me I have to set up feeding stations, and make cat shelters, and trap them myself, and have them spayed/neutered. I DO NOT have time or money for this, but on the other hand, I feel terrible for these poor kitties! I was thinking of just feeding them, but have read that it attracts more cats and also makes them dependant on you(making it more difficult for them to fend for themselves). What is best for the cats? I cannot feed them regularly, and I really don’t want them in my yard(I can feed them in the alley behind my house)…. What do you guys think?
These are FERAL cats, and usually cannot be tamed. They are wild animals, and will bite and scratch and hiss if approached. They DO NOT make good housepets. They should be left as a colony, but spayed/neutered. My question is whether to feed them occasionally, or not at all(because I cannot feed them regularly)… Will I attract more? Will they become dependant on me? What is better for the cats?
June 19th, 2010 at 7:37 am
I think that that’s a great idea, i’m a big fan of cats dearly i know what’s best for them.
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June 22nd, 2010 at 5:36 pm
I agree that you should feed them away from your own yard, especially if they wont go on their own. I don’t understand why the cat agency told you to get them fixed, I would think that the humane society should come and get them. That way they would have a chance at a good home.
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June 27th, 2010 at 3:36 am
i would definitely feed them.
it’s really sad to see them out there with no where to go.
we feed them all the time.
if we’re at the store and there’s one outside, my mom will buy a can or two of cat food for them…
or if we’re eating my mom will buy them a hamburger or chicken or something.
we’ve even took a few home with us because we feel bad for them (we’re cat people… lol)
and as far as the flea thing goes…
if your dogs go outside they’ll get fleas no matter what.
fleas live in the grass.
and you don’t need to get them spayed/neutered.
there is no harm in leaving them the way they’re meant to be.
that is all you ever hear though.
“you MUST get them fixed”
why though?
it’s not really going to cut down on the number of cats there are.
for everyone that get’s fixed, there are 5 more of them that arent. ha
and besides. they just want the money. they could care less about the animals themselves.
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July 2nd, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Ralphie, just google ‘feline TNR Philadelphia’ and find out who’s doing it and who is doing it for FREE. Our local humane society in Milwaukee does it free, you will have someone over there who will also.
Rent or invest in a live trap. The shelter will lend one to you when you put down a deposit–you’ll get the entire deposit back when you return the trap. TNR means they spay/neuter, de-flea, de-worm, vaccinate for distemper and rabies, microchip and ear tip–then you come pick them up, hold the cat for 12 hours so all the anesthetic is out of their system, then release them.
No more kitten momies, no more tom cats fighting. It’s up to you then to keep a feeding station if you want–frankly it’s not expensive. I’ve had one going for 8 years now and we feed up to 14 cats a day with an 18lb bag of dry food (whatever is on sale with the coupons) and that lasts a good month to six weeks. It comes to less than $2 a week. A water bowl is out there too, and I use a heated dog water bowl in winter once it freezes. Food bowls are taken up at dusk if the raccoons start showing up, and put down again in the morning.
The cats come, eat, leave immediately to go back to their normal territory. The area around our house is neutral territory. No feces, no urine, very little spraying. I know the cats are not skin and bones, have a place they KNOW they can get food if they can’t find any for themselves each day, they’re healthier, are able to fight off infection better and are not suffering from starvation.
I don’t see a downside. If we have scraps, they get put out for the cats as well. They all know there’s clean water available at all times, and have not caused us any problems. None of them spend more than the necessary time in the yard, to eat. They’re welcome to, but they have their own areas that they prefer and they just eat and leave.
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