Too many kittens

[Nate]

It's like, by the time I remember "Oh hey it's spring, I should get the cats fixed," it's already too late. They're pregnant and I can't do anything. Plus, it's so expensive to get a cat fixed. Getting cats neutered is cheaper but there's a couple of stray males so...it wouldn't solve the problem.

We have, at my last count, nine kittens. And that's just the ones we know about. There could be more hiding somewhere. And this is in addition to the 10 or 12 cats we already have.

It is a bit frustrating to say the least. I mean I love cats but food is expensive.

[Ante Bellum]

Wow...I feel sorry for you. I like cats too, but they do get to be a handful. Just a little bit ago a stray cat got pregnant, and after my mom had her fixed, declawed, and vaccinated, we learned that she didn't get along with another cat in our house and had to get rid of her.
...I'd have a suggestion but I probably shouldn't say...

[Tsukuyomi]

Awww, more kitties \o.o/ I remember the video you took a long time ago ^O^

Hmmm, can you take them to the pet shelter o.o?

[ChristianKitsune]

This may sound really harsh, but 10-12 cats is a lot for a household. (unless you live on a farm?) That's kind of on the verge of unhealthy for you and the animals that live there.

Perhaps you should look into surrendering the animals to the Animal shelter and keep like 3 of them? I know it's kinda harsh, but it will keep the costs down...

Also Spaying is really a lot better for your cats, maybe you can see if there are any programs in your area that are like "Pay what you can" type services, there are some in my area on certain days of the month.

[Fish and Chips]

I understand some societies consider cats a delicacy.

[CrimsonRyu17]

Put the kittens up for adoption or to a shelter for adoption.

My grandma and grandpa-in-law had a huge cat problem, I believe they had maybe 30 at one time that stayed outside. They fixed their female cats and now they only have those left. The rest of them died off or ran off after a few years.

If you have too many females then take some to the shelter and keep, like Kit suggested, 3 of them. Then get them fixed. If you can't afford to get them fixed then drop them off to the shelter too as they'll only keep breeding.

...I'd have a suggestion but I probably shouldn't say...

Pow pow meow meow? :>

That's always another solution to the problem.

[Ante Bellum]

Well, if that's what you're thinking, yes...I know of a couple methods as well. *waits to get beaten up*

[Nate]

I understand some societies consider cats a delicacy.

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This may sound really harsh, but 10-12 cats is a lot for a household. (unless you live on a farm?) That's kind of on the verge of unhealthy for you and the animals that live there.

They're all outside cats. None of 'em come inside. If they did we wouldn't have to worry about those stray toms.

[wildpurplechild]

I have a similar problem. Here's my suggestions: First, unless it's a no-kill shelter, you should try to find homes for the cats you can't keep, rather than just surrendering. Second, some places like shelters or vets offer discounts for spaying and neuturing farm cats. that's all I can think of for now, good luck!

Oh, Iv'e forgotten one: KITTEN ARMY!

[goldenspines]

I understand some societies consider cats a delicacy.

This post makes me sad. 8C



Sorry you are overrun with cats, Nate. I'd take a couple kittens off your hands if I could (aka: if I had the money, time, and place to keep them).

People have already given good suggestions in this thread (about giving the kitties to a shelter, not eating them. B[ ) But, you could try advertising in the paper or something, just saying "free kittens to a good home" then making sure they all go to nice homes (usually, most people can't resist "free" anything).

Or, you could keep them all and really have a mouse-free estate. XD Otherwise, I guess it comes to the point on whether it costs more to feed all these little guys (plus the kitties you already have) or more to spay the female kitties.


On a final note, I demand pictures of these kittens.

[Ante Bellum]

Some people take free kittens for bad stuff though...If you want a little more assurance that they go to a good home, put a small charge on them.

[ich1990]

Pow pow meow meow? :>

If this is what you are thinking, Nate, then I suggest you contact a local animal shelter before resorting to such a solution. Some shelters will take cats and, if they are unwanted, donate them for neurological research purposes. At least that way they can be used for more than fertilizer.

[Lynna]

Acctually, my friends are like stray magnets, and have had around 30-20 kittens born under thier care. The solution is simple: talk to your friends, ask them to talk to thier friends, and so let the chain continue on. put adds in the paper too. It works for them all the time. Also, get the cats spade, unless you're fine with letting them go on forever.
On another note, one of the offespring of one of thier cats is now my beloved kitty, and her younger sister lives in a house next door. Of course, in a small town, what can you expect?
And I second on pictures! more pics of adorable kittys are always a delight to me!

[Nate]

You guys haven't tried to give away animals, huh?

If you give animals away for free, people are actually less likely to take them, because they think that there's something wrong with them.

At any rate yeah there's a shelter around here but I mean I dunno, I'd feel bad about dumping so many cats on them, especially when there's no guarantee that people would adopt and then well, y'know.

Eh they're still really little so there's some time to think it over at least.

Second, some places like shelters or vets offer discounts for spaying and neuturing farm cats.

Pffft not around here. Also we don't have a farm so yeah. Still spaying is way expensive. Like I said, neutering is cheap. I guess because it's easier, but when you have strays you can't catch, neutering the males we do have won't help that much, we'd have to get the females taken care of (all the females we have are friendly).

[Dante]

You know... So much as I realize this is a serious topic, I believe I speak for others when I say that I demand pictures of baby kittens (and reading the other replies I know I do), simply because the internet needs more pictures of kittens. That and these are Nate's kittens... so they must be really awesome.

In any case, I think I agree with Nate that giving them away almost makes people less likely to take them. If you want to have a cat, you probably don't mind putting some money down to take them and the only thing it does really, is help alleviate some of the cost of food that the person had to put into raising them (and it doesn't even cover that). If you can't afford a small initial investment, then it isn't likely that you'll be able to afford the other things that the cat needs to survive.

I've also been given the impression that it might weed out people that may wish some malicious harm towards the cats (there can be some real sick people out there) and see "free" as more of an open invitation...

donate them for neurological research purposes. At least that way they can be used for more than fertilizer.

Alrighty, this is just kind of wrong, I think the other (also disturbingly wrong suggestion) was actually kinder. But- I had better be missing sarcasm here. >_>. THATS ALL I HAVE TO SAY!

[Wikiwalker]

Heheh, cats. I have the same problem Nate (don't worry I live on a farm), and add to that the fact that people are always giving me unwanted animals, or else I find them half starved in random places, like the time my family found six guinea pigs in an empty soccer field, that was an interesting day.

Usually newspaper ads for free kittens work, at least around here. I haven't had anyone inquire about research animals or mysterious restaurants yet (if they did I would probably hide the kittens and tell them they were all gone already) it's usually just families who want a new pet, farmers who want cute pest control, or nice little old ladies looking for adorable, fuzzy companionship. But then again around here has been turning out to be a far less typical place than I thought.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

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...I laughed and cried inside at the same time.

You know, I was going to pull out a self-referencing Asian stereotype, but I saw this.

[Mithrandir]

If you are looking for sympathy, I can offer that freely. Sometimes the single indoor cat we have can be a handful; I can't imaging more than 3. If you are looking for future advice, I'd suggest thinning the mix a bit myself - both for the cats' benefit and yours.

That quantity of outdoor catage can cause intense neighbor issues. I know someone who had a lot of outdoor cats and not a ton of room. In addition to making the neighbors very upset (garden digging, yelling at night, etc), they've had to deal with attrition on a quarterly basis, and it's very hard on them.

Anyway, it's just some thoughts. Good luck to you!

PS: As lucky would say, "Pics Nao or it dinna happen!"

[Ante Bellum]

Like I said, there are a few options that may not seem nice but, when it comes down to it, may be the only option left. I'd hate to seem like a heartless person, but...Sometimes you just have to do it despite a love of cats. Living out in the country, I've seen more than one farm with a severe overabundance of cats. Even one of our cats was rescued and brought back by my mom, but he was having problems with another cat so we had to send him to the Humane Society. (Ironic thing is, I really don't think that he should have gone. The other cat continues to cause problems and nobody's doing anything. And the cat that left was very playful, cute, and loved to cuddle.) Such is the thing with cats.

[goldenspines]

You guys haven't tried to give away animals, huh?

If you give animals away for free, people are actually less likely to take them, because they think that there's something wrong with them.

I'm sorry that you don't live in a nice community where people will actually trust one another to a certain extent. XD;;
Seriously, I can imagine worse things for people to do than screw you over with a kitten.

But, like Ante said, if you're worried about people thinking that there is something wrong with them because they are free, you can charge for the little guys.

Unless you keep them all, which is fine. But we still need pictures.

[ChristianKitsune]

Nate, have you contacted your local humane society or vet at all? I mean if you call them and tell them your situation, they might offer some kind of help.

Be like, "Listen, I know that Spaying is a service that is really helpful to cats and humans alike... and I have like 15-20 outside cats that are relying on me for food, what should I do? I don't really have the money to take care of them all..."

Just be honest and up front.

Because if you DONT spay them, we are looking at LOTS and LOTS of fuzzballs way down the line... because if one cat goes unspayed, then she has 5-10 kittens, and then they go unspayed, and each have 5-10 more kittens, and so on and so forth.. @_@ it can get pretty crazy, really fast. Considering cats can bring forth offspring 3-4 times a year. So one cat can have like 20-50 babies a year! Multiply that by 15-20 cats and so on and so forth.

In other words: LOTS of unwanted, and maybe unadopted stray babies. Humane societies and vets are really trying to stop this.

And to be honest, 20-30 cats in one area...yikes that's jut really unhealthy. Not only for the cats but for humans. But I lived in a neighborhood with tons of strays once, and all my kitties ended up acquiring Feline Leukemia....that's not a fun thing to watch any cat endure since there is currently no cure for it... but it's really spread easily.

It may be that a lot of the cats roaming around need to be put down, for the sake of the animals. There is a chance that because of the overpopulation there IS something wrong with them that can't be seen at a glance.

I know that's a painful thought, but the sad reality is that over population of cats leads to problems.

I don't want to make it sound like I'm looking down on your or anything. I think it's sweet that you guys took care of so many wonderful kitties. But from the things you guys have said you got to look at what's important.

1. Your financial responsibilities: Would you rather have food, or the cats?
2. Their happiness?
3. Health for both you and the kitties in your yard.
4. And like Mith said your neighbors.

There are a lot of things to consider here...and I'm sure it's a lot to take in. And I apologize if I seem to harsh.

[Ante Bellum]

Well, I didn't say that...But where I live, people can end up using kittens as bait when they get them free...I don't know how often that happens, I don't know many hunters or fishers around here. Just saying, some people may take the kittens for something other than a pet or mouser.

[bkilbour]

Fish and Chips, correct me if I'm wrong, but your next assertion will likely be "A bag and a river."

[CrimsonRyu17]

If this is what you are thinking, Nate, then I suggest you contact a local animal shelter before resorting to such a solution. Some shelters will take cats and, if they are unwanted, donate them for neurological research purposes. At least that way they can be used for more than fertilizer.

I don't think Nate wants to imagine his cats strapped in a stereotaxic apparatus and their skulls being drilled into. There are cats purely breed for this kind of research and stray cats that are taken in are usually "experimental" and serve no real purpose in the advancement of neurological research.

[ich1990]

Content removed as per mod request.

This is a widely debated subject with many influential and respectable people on both sides. Nate is a reasonable and educated adult; I am sure he can make up his own mind on the issue. Therefore, if you wish to continue this line of discussion, I ask that you both please PM me.

[Dante]

OK, apparently that's not ALL I have to say.

No sarcasm. What is wrong about this, may I ask? Humans have used animals for our own benefit for tens of thousands of years. I am not advocating animal cruelty, either. There are humane ways to do research.

Yeah. No. While I have yet to become a vegetarian myself, I think that's the road I may be headed, at least when it comes down to mammals and other advanced life-forms. And to this hypocrisy I am aware, and admit that I am wrong. And not just wrong, but outright evil.

The reason WHY we can use cats and other mammals for this kind of research is precisely because they ARE so similar to us and that includes emotional and physical components as well. Pain, fear, anger, love, the aspects that we so deeply define in our own humanity may well be components in the spectrum of our genetic brethren as well. The myth that we can humanely use an animal for our experimental research is in my opinion no more truthful then saying that one can humanely use a human being for the research. It's alive, it's experiencing what you're doing to it and is not simply a "ghost in a machine". Ultimately, I find little to believe that in their life experience, these animals feel any less the horrible about the experience then a human being would.

Now there may be a potentially natural apathy that humans might have for other non-human lifeforms. This may be true, and yes it may be convenient or even an essential aspect for improving our lives, but I will not consent that it is ethical when viewed outside of a slanted human perspective. If I am saved by these treatments, I am saved by a terrible evil, a deal with the devil himself, and at the least I should admit my darkness instead of pretending that the act is light and that no harm was done to some other living creature.

But doing something for thousands of years does not reconcile the evil inherent in the act. Experimenting on animals is a terrible act of unfathomable evil, whether that animal is human or otherwise.

[goldenspines]

Please take the animal rights discussion out of this thread and take it to PM right now, Ich and Pascal.
If you continue to take this thread off topic and into political and maybe theology territory, your posts will be subject to deletion.

[ich1990]

OK, apparently that's not ALL I have to say.

Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful reply, Pascal. However, I must direct you to my previous post:
[quote]This is a widely debated subject with many influential and respectable people on both sides. Nate is a reasonable and educated adult]
If you wish to discuss our differences further, please by all means PM me. As goldenspines has pointed out, this isn't the place for such a discussion.

[ADXC]

Well, I'm sorry about your predicament, Nate. It might be best to keep a few and sell the rest at a Walmart or something where they allow you to sell animals to customers that go by. Also, newspaper ads work well.

So everyone we must heed the words of a once great game-show man (Bob Barker), "Please help control the pet population by having your pets spayed or neutered!"

If we all learned nothing else from the Price is Right other than the exact price of a Bedroom showcase, we learned to keep out pets fixed!

[Nate]

we must heed the words of a once great game-show man (Bob Barker), "Please help control the pet population by having your pets spayed or neutered!"

If Bob Barker wants to give me money to spay and neuter my pets I'll be happy to do it.