| Feral Cat Help First visit the Alley Cat Allies website page at http://www.alleycat.org/faqs.html to determine whether you are dealing with a tame or feral (wild)cat/s and valuable info for each case scenario. On our website at http://forgottenfelines.petfinder.org. and clicking on the Feral Cat Help page link there. Here you will find links to invaluable information on helping feral cats including trapping and taming feral kittens or cats and also a couple of email/telephone numbers of feral cat organizations. Especially view the Alley Cat Allies website and click on Resources link for trapping, taming, and raising orphaned kittens, building inexpensive outdoor shelter etc information. Neighborhood Cats is a great informational website on feral cats also. To try and locate a volunteer or organization in your area who may be able to help: Go onto www.petfinder.com and go under states and then click on New York for a list of organizations and contact those in your area. Email best friends at [email protected] and see if they can refer an organization or person/s in your area to help. Sometimes the ASPCA in your area can help. If your area has a Pennysaver, you could go under the Pet Section to see what organizations are listed and contact them. [email protected] may have contacts. If the cat/s or kittens/cats are ill, until such time as you can trap the them, you can pick up a box of clavamox (antibiotic) from your local vet and put it in their food - ask your vet regarding dosage. And provide them some shelter from the cold and wind. (see below.) See our instructions for inexpensive outdoor shelters on our Feral Cat Help Page at http://forgottenfelines.homestead.com. If no organization or volunteer can help: In Westchester or Putnam counties, the Briarcliff shelter will lend you a have-a-heart trap for a reimbursable small fee. You could try and enlist one or two of your neighbors or coworkers where the cats reside to help you. Sue of Forgotten Felines may be able to lend you a trap and give instructions also if you live close enough to the Montrose area. The Simpson clinic will most probably be able to give you tips regarding ferals. Kittens 5-6 weeks old tame right away - at 8 weeks it takes a little longer and over 10 weeks it takes a while. The younger the kittens are, the easier to socialize. If one waits too long however, it takes months or years or sometimes they never really become socialized enough for a real home. In that case, a responsible warm barn home should be looked for if you cannot keep them yourself.. Once the kittens are socialized, we can help you place them. . If cat/s is feral (wild) and you cannot keep it yourself, you should look for a responsible barn home/s or stable/s by posting ads at the various pet feed stores esp stores that carry horse supplies. Feral cats have to be confined in a large cage, large crate, or inescapable room with litter box and food and water at the barn for at least 4 weeks before allowing to roam or they will disappear. If keeping the cats outside after altered after their recovery period, here are some outdoor inexpensive shelter/s to make or buy: Purchase her a dog igloo and put in 2 inch thick pink insulation from home depot (or blue from Lowes)on the bottom and cover with a wool blanket or straw ( not hay as straw sheds water whereas hay becomes wet and musty- and wool is used as it stays warm even when wet) or both.. Place the igloo out of the wind, rain etc in a sheltered area. You can make a shelter for them by making a box out of the 2 inch thick pink styrofoam (home depot) and putting it together with duck tape. place stray, not hay, on the bottom. place in a sheltered area out of the wind and rain. you will have to place something heavy on top also to prevent it from blowing away or turning over. Or buy a already made styrofoam cooler at the grocery or department store and duck tape the bottom to the top. Cut out a small door large enough for a cat entry. Cover with hooded litterbox cover or tarp or something heavy so it doesnt turn over or blow away. Place in a sheltered area out of rain and wind. If the cats/kittens are old enough to be spayed-neutered, go to our Low Cost Spay Neuter page for info on low cost spay-neuter clinics. If putting feral cats back where they originated after recovery period after being altered, see inexpensive shelters to make above. It cannot be stressed enough to have feral cats altered quickly, before the situation gets out of hand. |