This comes today from : Pat Lemmons is a 66 year old woman who has owned cats for 10 years, knows cats and operates a retail web site for cat products. http://www.kittystoreonline.com ----------------------------------------------------------- Most cats adopt YOU, not the other way around. They very craftily sneak into your life by appearing on your doorstep with a pitiful look in their eye, which you assume to be 'hunger'. Being the kind person you are, you offer some tuna to the hungry kitty. That is, unless you are already feeding a cat or cats. In which case, you offer cat food. The timid cat hungrily accepts your offer. You feel better for having fed a helpless animal. You think you may never see the poor creature again, and...it was so cute! If you are a seasoned 'cat person', you know the 'cute' little cat will be back tomorrow. At this point, you hope the 'cute' little cat won't bring a litter of kittens or, Heaven forbid, be pregnant. You might as well go to the grocery store and buy cat food, you've been tagged. Dry cat food is easier and less messy for leaving outside. Don't forget to also leave a water bowl. You have now agreed to adoption. The law, in some cities or states, says "if you feed a feral cat, you are then responsible for its care and its actions" (such as pooping in your neighbor's flower bed). Most of us don't take that seriously enough to worry about it. The biggest problem most of us experience is that if you feed one feral cat, you may find you are feeding three or six or more. If you decide to keep the cat and claim it as yours, you need to gain its trust in order to transport it to the veterinarian for a checkup and necessary vaccinations. Then, arrange for spaying or neutering. Buy it a cat-safe breakaway collar that won't get caught on a fence to strangle it. Put at least a name tag on the collar, with your telephone number. If you don't want to pay for a name tag, put the rabies tag on the collar, which has the veterinarians telephone number. The vet can identify your cat by the vaccination number. Now, you are a cat parent and this precious creature has a good home. If you decide not to take responsibility for the cat, this leads to more serious questions. Can you afford to feed a neighborhood full of feral cats? Can you afford to have them spayed or neutered to keep a colony from growing? Can you afford to, at the very least, give them rabies shots? It really does become your responsibility to keep from adding to the problem. The best solution I have seen is the TSNR (Trap/Spay/Neuter/Release) programs adopted by some Humane Societies, SPCA's and even some city governments. The program usually loans you a trap, picks the cat up after you trap it, takes it to their veterinarian for spaying or neutering and then returns it to your neighborhood. Then, you can continue to feed the cat without contributing to a growing colony of feral cats. It does, of course, require time to take care of a large colony but it can and is being done all over the country. If you have a number of stray cats in your neighborhood, and would like to help, please contact your city or county humane society, SPCA or animal control to see if they offer the program. ------------------------------------------------------------ The SPCA would have worked before katrina-but we lost those services-so I had no choice but to become the Critter Cafeteria Lady.

Hi Joyce,

You have really gotten into this cat owership, haven't you.  I love your posts.  Very informative.  Not able to agree with it all, but will not argue.

I have been around cats all my life and it  a natural thing to me, and so glad to see you enjoying the little creators too.

Hugs,
Myrna

Yes Myrna-who would have thought it?!?! When I suddenly got babies-I did the same thing-just started reading whatever I could, shake out the excess, and use what works. I'm doing the same with the plants. All of this nature stuff was foisted upon me in the aftermath of katrina. There was just lots to do-most of which I had not been conscious of before-and there was me to do it. It is more ironic than I could ever tell you:)

Hi Joyce,

One of my neighbors "has" tons of cats...I say that loosely because he finds strays and takes them to the vet for vaccinations and worm medicine, and puts a collar on them, and then leaves them outside, he does feed them but they also get into everyone's outdoor trash if it isn't in a big bin...it doesn't bother me that much, at least I know where all those cats are from.  He has 2 that he keeps in the house all the time because they are pedigreed Siamese.  Anyway, it all depends on whether the neighbors are annoyed or not, most of the time, not...because at least cats are quiet and they do get rid of smaller annoying creatures.

That's not too far off in my future Kathleen! I was thinking about Myrna's post and trying to peer back into the past and I just can't picture anyone having had cats. I can remember the dogs-but no cats. The ones around here are interesting because they are all descendants and survivors of katrina-so they are different to say the least. God only knows what they ate while the city was evacuated for the months it took for the water to receed. Sneakers actually came up to ask me where's breakfast today and she was hanging out with her and Cali's mom. If I go for a walk, the neighborhood cats all seem to stay within their own 4 blocks. Except Steven's cat across the street-he roams as prince of the city.