Fellow cat lovers may remember my thread about the orange kitten who took up residence under our backyard shed last winter. I fattened up this kitten I didn’t want and didn’t name Donald, and then one day his doppelganger showed up and they had a big cat fight on our back deck and we didn’t see either one again. For a year.
Now we have two little butterscotch colored kittens, looking about 6 weeks old, living in the backyard. I started feeding them scrambled eggs and string cheese, but then today a big grown orange cat showed up to steal their breakfast. I don’t think it was their mama, because they were terrified of it. Maybe it was Not Donald coming back because he remembered there used to be food here.
Someone needs to do a census of the orange feral cats in this neighborhood. I can’t keep them straight anymore. I don’t know if mama has abandoned them or not.
Anyhow, this is getting distressing.
I can’t NOT feed them. I can’t bring them in the house, mostly because I can’t get close enough to catch them. Besides, Sis and I are both allergic and since my beloved Fluffy went to that great litterbox in the sky about 10 years ago, I will have lost the modicum of immunity I had built up. And I like not having asthma. And I won’t trap them to take them to animal control to be euthanized, either.
I don’t know what to do. Keep scrambling an extra egg every morning I guess. Keep 'em fat as possible until they can scavenge for themselves.
If they are 6 weeks old they are still young enough to become not feral. Is there a rescue group in your area you could call to see if they would take them?
More orange kittens argues that an orange tom is the dominant male in the area. Trap/Neuter/Release is the best option here, especially if you can find that one tom and get him fixed–vasectomy is actually the best option because he’ll keep servicing the local ladies without leaving any kittens behind. You don’t want to remove the dominant tom, because he’s a placeholder and if you move him out some other tom will move in on the territory. Best solution for your shed sprouting issue is a local tom shooting blanks.
Definitely find a rescue or work with your animal control people to get a trap, trap the tom, and take care of that pesky little testicle problem he has. If you can do this once you’ll probably solve your issue for at least a few years. My neighbor and I had the same problem with another neighbor with a rundown garage and a bad habit of leaving out food for all and sundry. Not only did it lead to a whole lot of feral kittens needing to be trapped and rehomed (she managed to find homes for a LOT of those little ones) but our local raccoon population took full advantage, to the point where distemper took care of quite a few of them. That was gross.
The whole neighborhood needs to be in on it. And please, please people don’t trap them and think it’s okay to take them to a nice country road and set them free. They will not survive unless they find my/A kind back door. Coyotes, foxes and feral dogs will hunt and kill them. If they find their way to a home, usually the homeowner will shoot or poison them. I, on the otherhand, have a big heart and cannot see them suffer. I have spent many years rescuing and treating and feeding dropped off, unwanted pets. I am currently nursing a bad bite from a dog who came to my back deck, I was trying to help. I work with a rescue group that have done great things in neighborhoods. More are needed.
Your profile mentions “almost Idaho”. Is that on the PNW side? Maybe we have another Doper close enough to take them (at least pick them up and help ferry them to a rescue group).
Oh , no, no no I didn’t mean you at all. I meant people who think they are helping by dropping off unwanted pets. I can see you are concerned enough to want to help. Feeding and helping strays is a honorable if thankless pastime. I for one , do thank you. If I were anywhere near you I would come and help. Try and find a rescue group.