I live in the 1st floor ( that is to say level 2 of the building,on the street side ),and in the back side of my appartement there is a terrace which is linked to some other terraces and roofs or other buildings.
There are a few street cats who come and go, for years, and sometimes I used to give them, through my window, some food ( french cheese, meat,fish, etc...)
But for several weeks, they come more often, and one of the cat even had babies, and now they are 8 cats who don't even look for food elsewhere, they just come every morning and everynight to my window...
The problem is that I felt pity, as most of us do, and those cats grow up fast and become parents very fast, and I'm begining to worry about that...
It's not just a problem of money ( food for cats everyday is not free, as these animals don't eat bread ), it's also the fact that I feel guilty feeding cats while there are humans starving...But I feel guilty too when these cats are watching me in my eyes, begging help.
2007-10-26 05:24:45 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ Europe (Continental) ➔ Turkey
I just can't take care of them everytime, because I am a busy man, and sometimes I am not at home during 2 days and nights.
Which also worries me is the fact that cats make babies everytime, and there is no way to control their reproduction.
I want to call the City Hall, but some people told me that the hygien office would kill them ( with lethal injection ).
I don't know what to do...
2007-10-26 05:26:06 · update #1
Dear Fatih, I'm doing exactly the same thing and I do not consider it a problem. Somebody, meaning the sensitive ones, have to keep these creatures alive.
On the back side of my office there are stray cats which are waiting for me with patience every morning to feed them. They give birth to kittens, but I cannot catch them to have them spaded. Once the give birth to their kittens they bring them along and all of them are staring at my back door until I appear.....You know, I love this.
Apart from the cats I feed with tons of weat the birds of my house's and office's area. If I don't nobody will. Not to mention the stray dogs too.
But believe me, despite the fact that I'm an atheist, I believe that these acts bring you back the good that you've done. It's as if I get a blessing....
Keep them there, they live for you and because of you, they are also a live reference to the nature we have all lost in the cities.
Try to reduce the cost by buying dry food, giving them some water too.
And don't think of humans starving, you cannot feed them with the left overs... And believe me, whenever I helped humans I was paid back with unbelievable ingratitude. While birds and cats escort me to my car....Can you believe that birds I feed recognize me?
And something I believe as non coincidential: My mother is 70 years old, all her brothers and sisters, even the younger ones have died, but she is healthy and vivid. She feeds and protects animals wherever she finds them.
She gives life, she gets back life.....
2007-10-26 07:25:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 17⤊ 1⤋
You can also just stop feeding them close your window blinds so you cant see them staring in on you. Before you started feeding them they found there food somewhere else. They will keep coming to you for a while but eventually they will stop. I did that also i brought in a little kitten and fed it. It left and brought back a group of other cats and they just hung around our yard for a while but ended up going back to the house they came from. Its hard because you want to help but there is only so much you can do. Maybe you can adopt
one of the kittens and try to find a place for all the other cat. It all depends on what you are able to do. Finding homes for the cats will require time and more money . Hope this helps. Good Luck.
2007-10-26 05:41:09 · answer #2 · answered by collie-ollie 3 · 6⤊ 1⤋
Maybe you could speak to other people in your neighbourhood and see if you could collect some money to have all the cats neutered and spayed or even speak to some vets or veterinary colleges. When they are neutered you could then try to find homes for them. Obviously not all of them will get homes because they are too used to living feral but eventually the problem will ease because they won't be reproducing all the time. They are doing something similar in Turunc because there was a real problem with stray cats and kittens
2007-10-26 05:32:02 · answer #3 · answered by Lyns 2 · 9⤊ 1⤋
That's the ultimate cat lover's dilemma. If you will take care of cats, you have to own up ALL the responsibilities. You can't only feed and do nothing else.
We had the same situation in our previous house. The landlord had one cat, which he fed in the garden. But cats multiply geometrically. That one female cat became 10 cats in just 12-18 months and that was when we woke up. We had the female cats neutered.
I suggest you and neighbors do the same. Have the female cats neutered. The dominant male cat of the area will probably scare away most of the male cats. If you can have the females neutered, you won't have to let people put them to sleep and you won't have more cats than necessary.
Edit: Fatih, our civilized city is a jungle for street cats. If you don't help control the population, they will do it themselves. I have seen kittens strangled and torn to pieces by male cats fighting for dominance of an area. Seen any lion documentaries? Exactly the same. You wouldn't want to see that. Please, PLEASE, have the females neutered.
2007-10-26 07:29:04 · answer #4 · answered by Totally Blunt 7 · 11⤊ 1⤋
I'm in the same situation here. Every morning cats come in front of my window to have their breakfast. I feed them without considering it as a problem. It's alright for right now. But I just can hope that the person who will live here after I move will be thoughtful enough to let them live. Feeding animals won't cost an arm. I'm sure you are kind enough to continue this situation.
2007-10-26 11:08:39 · answer #5 · answered by C. is taking a break! 5 · 9⤊ 1⤋
You will have to decide... quit altogether or continue to feed, knowing that you will eventually have 40 cats. Here in Houston, there are 400,000 homeless cats. Several vets will neuter for free or a reduced price, but catching feral cats is not easy. Our shelters cannot handle them because they are still full from Katrina pets that were abandoned. Like you, many kind souls are feeding these cats. I have one stray that comes to my patio, and I feed him. But he is very agressive and will not allow other cats in his territory.
One big problem here is disease and rabies because cats do interact with other animals like opposums and raccoons. If you are going to feed them, find something other than costly cheese and fish. Like you, I wish the city had a solution other than euthanizing them.
2007-10-26 05:35:44 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
I thought it was a reference to talabani's cats. lol. Kinda linked though. Like in the south eastern, they breed like cats and want the government to give them free money.
I would take all of the cats in, give away the kittens, castrate them and feed them until their death. Not applicable to real world social problems though :)
2007-10-26 21:19:00 · answer #7 · answered by genç türk 4 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Fatih if i were you i wouldn't call City Hall in France. I know that they make injections.
You will know better because i don't know if the same thing exists in France because in Turkey there are let's say "farms" for these kinds of cats, dogs (my father is a vet). They stay there and people come and take them if they want to own a cat,dog... Does this exist in France?
Talk to a veterinary.
2007-10-26 05:42:42 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 9⤊ 2⤋
Fatih Dear,
Listen to Dellarovere.. Believe me, he was the right point..
I know you are a gentle and caring person. Don't call the city hall and let the cats live.
2007-10-26 08:22:03 · answer #9 · answered by Ipek K 7 · 11⤊ 1⤋
Maybe you can ask a veterinary whether he has some contraceptive pills that you may mix in the food ?
2007-10-27 07:03:28 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋