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Urgent help - in Spain

8 replies

maxxymoment · 01/09/2017 07:54

I'm looking for some urgent advice from cat rescue experts. My family and I are on holiday in Spain on a Euro camp site.
A beautiful feral cat started turning up at breakfast and tea time for feeding and as cat lovers we were happy to oblige. I could tell she had recently had kittens. A couple of days in and we hear a lot of mewing and realise she had 5 babies and they were under our chalet. I think she may have moved them to be nearer the food source.
I've been feeding her lots of extra cat food and she doesn't leave them now to search for food. They are still milk fed although one started to have a go at the cat food this morning. I don't know how old they are, 4-5 weeks maybe but that's a guess.
I've done a LOT of traipsing round and eventually found a local lady who has a pet shop/groomers who rescues cats and dogs. There is not a lot of affection for stray cats here. She had a 10 day old black cat that she was hand feeding along with a couple of older kittens. Someone had taken it to her after finding it in the rubbish. It's eyes had just opened. She has a Facebook page and she definitely does rescue animals.
This lady is willing to take the kittens and care for them until she can find them homes. She would have mum too but I think it would be impossible to catch her. I can hand feed mum but getting hold of her is something else. I'm torn completely about the best thing to do. Is it better to leave them with mum and let nature take its course. Or take them from mum for a better future for them? We go home very early Sunday. My husband thinks we shouldn't interfere but is willing to drive the babies to this woman if we decide to take them from mum.
Thanks

OP posts:
Catzpyjamas · 01/09/2017 07:59

Please leave the kittens with their mum. You cannot be sure they are old enough to leave their mother and she will find a way to get food -probably the next guest in your chalet!

Catzpyjamas · 01/09/2017 08:00

Oh and she probably doesn't leave them to search for food because she's getting takeaway delivered by the nice tourist.

toomuchhappyland · 01/09/2017 08:05

Leave them with mum. This won't be her first litter, or her last. She will be very resourceful at finding food and her kittens have a much better chance with her than being hand reared.

In future, it's not recommended to feed feral cats abroad. They can come to rely on it and then it causes increased suffering when you go home. Plus the more they get fed in tourist season and better condition they're in as a result, the more they breed which just exacerbates the problem. I know it's hard when they're all so skinny but it is in their long-term best interests to ignore them.

Lozzie12 · 01/09/2017 08:23

We used to live in Cyprus and feral cats are completely normal there. As others have said they look after themselves. This cat will have many more litters. In Cyprus they introduced cats to the island to control the vermin and snake population. Put food down away from where people are living, if they are too close to tents / caravans and people complain then they may be culled by authorities.

maxxymoment · 01/09/2017 08:24

Ok
I'll leave them where they are. It's so difficult not to feed cats when on holiday. I was just hoping to find a rescue organisation that might trap and neuter mum and find homes for the babies. That's not going to happen here... I was hoping to avoid more feral cats and maybe give those babies a chance of a home which this lady will do. But I really don't want to take them off mum.
Thanks for the advice

OP posts:
Want2beme · 01/09/2017 09:42

Having lived in Spain, I understand the problem of feral/stray cats. I helped many a cat whilst I was there. My little white cat was a tiny stray kitten I found in the middle of the road - not so little now! If I were you, I'd ask the kind cat lady if she knows of any established rescue centres where you are and if she can help you make contact with them. It could be that a rescue organisation already has a trap & neuter programme on that area. There are so many kind people in Spain helping stray and abused animals. Its very hard t resist feeding, it goes against the grain not to.

AllToadsLeadToHome · 01/09/2017 19:58

Pets in Spain pets.tucatz.com/

maxxymoment · 02/09/2017 09:50

I'm in costa brava so too far away for that organisation. There doesn't appear to be anything locally. I've let the woman know via Facebook where the kittens are. I'm hoping that she might come for them. I doubt it though, I think she will take animals that are brought to here but isn't up for running around the countryside picking them up. They are starting to eat cat food now. I shall continue to feed them until we leave. A receptionist here has been feeding the mother too but she didn't know she had a litter. I shall let her know where they are too and maybe she could look out for them.

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