Feral/Farm Colony - progress so far

[KittyC4]

Hi,

I wanted to start a diary about our efforts to control a colony of cats which has expanded beyond control on my reclusive brother's farm.

However, I thought perhaps, I would share the progress with others so that I could receive a little guidance and support as well.

There has always been a small group of cats on the farm. They were working cats and more accurately described as semi-feral.

However, my eldest son, who has autism, has grown very attached to the cats and he has tamed and fed many of them. My husband has also taken over the role of feeding the cats. As a result the colony has expanded to about 30 adult cats and numerous kittens.

I knew something had to be done so I contacted a local charity who capture, spay, re-home (often on other farms) and arrange treatment for cats.

The charity have alerted me to a 'feral cat grant' as well, so there will be help with the costs.

Yesterday, the first action took place.

The cats all have names. So Fluffy and Pusshell (two poorly cats) were the first to be captured. These two cats have long term illnesses and I think it is almost certain they will be PTS.

Next, Hilux and her four, one -week old kittens were captured and Frishy and her four, two-day old kittens were trapped. The mothers and kittens will be kept together in a foster home until the kittens are old enough to be adopted. The mothers will be spayed and either re-homed or returned.

A young ginger tom (Corncat) was also trapped and he will be neutered and either returned or rehomed.

My eldest son was present and I was very proud of him. He loves the cats, but he understands that some of them may have new homes (I have not spoken to him about the poorly cats yet).

It is going to be a long job, but at last a start has been made.

There are several more mother cats with litters of very young kittens and several toms. I do not envy anyone who has to handle the dominant tomcat.

I will keep updating this thread, but if anyone has experience of this type of 'project' and has any advice that may be helpful, I would be grateful to receive it.

I am also really thankful for the charity concerned.

They are gorgeous! The mama is beautiful and the babies are so sweet!

The black and white boy looks as if he's saying, "See? I a good boy. I a very good boy."

The Tom cat definitely looks smug!

Hello,

The TNR grant form is now completed and posted. We are still catching the cats, but plans are being made for a much healthier place for any returning cats to live.

We have an old barn which is pretty intact. I am going to discuss, with the charity group, how make a better home in there, and attract the cats to rest there rather than the unstable pig sty where they seem to hang out.

I have included a few more photos. Each cat has his/her own story. The little, nearly completely black cat is a young female called Button. Her mother disappeared (a fox we think) and she and her sister (Spice) were sort of left on their own. Spice was run over on a country road and Button made her home under a hedge. Her mother kept her distance from the main colony (perhaps she sensed disease) and brought up the kittens to be more or less feral.

Button, however is a friendly little cat, tamed by my eldest son and we were sure she was pregnant. However, no-one has seen her kittens and she is in heat again, so perhaps her kittens have not survived or were still born. I have asked that she is trapped and neutered as a priority.

The cat in the trap is Peno, the dominant cat's brother. It is strange but the three black and white brothers do not seem to fight. Yet, there is a hierarchy between them.

The ginger cat is Cleo. Her kittens are being hand reared because they have cat flu. The kittens are doing well.

There actually seem to be two semi-colonies: the cats who live in the old pig sty and the cats who joined Button in the hedge.

The stories make me quite sad and guilty now. They recount predation, inadequate shelter and disease and when my husband and I could not visit to feed them, there would be hunger, particularly among the dependent cats.

Yet, the colony expanded so quickly and, to be honest, I did not know there were groups who would actually come out and help, nor grants that would do the neutering for nothing (I am donating, but donation is voluntary)..

There really does need to be so much more educating and publicity about the work of the various cat rescue charities.

Just a little good news. A large sample of the cats that have been rescued have been tested for FelV and the results are negative. This will make the tame ones much easier to adopt and will mean that the kittens will not need to be tested.

I met the foster person for the tortoiseshell and white cats and the younger (very friendly) cat will almost certainly be offered for adoption. Her rather more timid friend may be returned to the farm once arrangements are made.

Return to the farm, for any cats, will depend in us (as a family) being able to ensure the cats will get the love and provisions they need.

I want to change their main place of habitat. Currently, they shelter in an old pigsty which is not entirely weatherproof. Apart from the instability of the building, it seems to be infested with ticks.

I have thought about encouraging the cats to move into the barn, but perhaps the size of the building puts them off. It also does not offer as many 'escape routes' as the pig sty.

The other factor is 'training' my brother to feed the cats. For the past few years, my husband and son have undertaken the responsibility off feeding the colony, but there have been odd days when we have not been able to get down.

My brother thinks that the smaller colony should be able to sustain themselves through hunting. I do not think this can be guaranteed and hunger could lead the cats to wonder onto the road.

I have purchased a large quantity of cat food and asked my brother if he can just give the cats some bowls full of food and some fresh water in the morning and in the evening.

If he can do this, and a shelter can be found, we may be able to provide a good home for any returning cats, once they have been neutered and vaccinated.

They are some seriously cute kitten/cats and I am sure they will be rehomed easily. But people are quick to judge. My grandparents (both now dead) had a small holding and unintentionally ended up with lots of semi-feral cats, they never bought a cat but (unneutered) cats in the area gravitated to their sheds/barns to give birth and breed when they were too old to maintain the buildings properly. They ended up with a rescue sorting out the problem but I don’t think they ever donated as they didn’t want the cats in the first place.

My brother thinks that the smaller colony should be able to sustain themselves through hunting.

I'm sure I was told by a number of farmers that cats that are fed properly tend to be better mousers/ratters than those left to fend for themselves. It isn't the case that cats will kill to eat because they are hungry, they have an inbuilt "chase catch kill" instinct which they can carry out much better if they are already well nourished. Maybe your brother will listen to that argument regarding feeding them?

It's well proven that fed cats hunt better than starving cats.

Hopefully your brother can be convinced.

The rescuing is continuing. There are now about ten cats left at the farm. Another cat ( a young, ginger tom) had to be PTS. He had severe cat flu and did not respond to antibiotics.

The rescue charity say they have tried to re-home the semi-feral cats in safe outdoor environments (farms, smallholdings and stables). This is good news, because there were far too many to return to the farm

My main worry is my eldest son's mental health. The cats have been a huge part of his life and he has spent months/years taming them. Now, nearly all of the tame cats have gone. He is not taking it very well.

He met some of the charity workers yesterday and I think this has helped him feel he has some say in the situation. I am also trying to reassure him that the two remaining friendly cats will return to the farm. I think the problem in guaranteeing a return, lies in ensuring that the farm is a safe environment for the animals.

My brother is now feeding the cats in the morning and in the evening, so that is a huge step forward.

Can you knock the pig sty down?

If that was their choice previously they will want to return there and it definitely doesn't sound suitable with the tick infestation, etc.

If you can knock it down or perhaps just remove the roof they won't go back to it and are more likely to stay in the barn.

Could your son volunteer with the charity? Would helping other cats help him?

This is a lovely thread and your DS is lovely too.

Hello again,

At the moment, the farm is looking very devoid of cats. There are two quite feral females, the dominant tom in plain sight. The last of the really friendly cats was captured on Saturday morning. She is the almost completely black cat in the grass on one of the photographs.

The charity has assured us a small number will return, once we are all sure that it is safe. Yet, one more cat had to be PTS on Saturday because she was not responding to antibiotics. It seems to be some kind of respiratory problem that causes the problem.

I am donating to the charity. However, I know that the donations I make will not scratch the surface of vet bills, flea and worm treatment and so on for the number of cats and kittens that have been dealt with so far.

My eldest is helping us to create a safe cat space in the barn. We have asked my brother about removing the roof to the old pig sty, but he is reluctant to do so. Therefore, we spent some time yesterday cleaning out the sty and getting rid of the old straw (and a few ticks, hopefully).

My son is an exceptional young man. He has been through an awful lot and he regards the cats as his friends and family. One of his key workers told me that he can accept what is happening on a logical basis, but he finds the emotional impact very difficult to deal with.

I can fully empathise with that.

Can you have one or two of the cats at your home that your ds can keep as pets?

Hello,

We have three lovely cats from the farm who live with us. However, my DS lives in residential care and they do not allow pets. When he lived at home, the cats were a central focus in his life.

My DS rarely comes to the family home, so the farm is where we meet. It is only a short bike ride from his residence.

I do not think it will be ling before my son is able to live more independently, and he is really looking forward to having a cat (or two) once this happens.

Kitty, you have told this story so beautifully and evocatively. The story is not just about the cats, it is about you and your son who sounds very special indeed. Thank you for sharing it with us. I wish there were some way it could be shared with a wider audience.

Hello,

Yes, the story is about my family as much as the cats. However, the cats' welfare has to be prioritised.

In cases like this, it is vital to be honest and neglect towards the animals has occurred. The neglect was not intentional, but it must never happen again.

The difficulty lies in assuring the charity that we have taken sufficient measures to give any returning cats a safe and healthy environment.

Another difficulty lies in helping my son to realise that no-one has betrayed him or the cats by taking this action. Yes, many cats will not be returning to the farm and four have had to be put to sleep, but for the surviving cats, new homes will be found and a special few will return to be cared for by my son (and the rest of the family). My son rang me late last night and it is obvious he is really missing the colony.

I am going to contact the charity today to see if we can establish a time when one or two cats may return. I think my son will feel much calmer if he knows there is a date to work towards.

Poor young man. He must feel like a piece of himself has been chopped off. Reassure him that he will get through this and will be a wiser, better cat champion as a result.

Now he has knowledge to add to his innate cat taming talents. Help him see this as the brilliant opportunity it is, rather than just the 'clearing up of an unfortunate oversight which must never happen again'!

Yes, you are correct.

I do not 'blame' my son in any way. He has done some excellent work with the cats. No single person is at fault. It was just a situation that got out of control and resulted in the health needs of the cats going unchecked.

I know, you've described it beautifully! Reframing it in the best possible light isn't avoiding responsibility in any way, it's just a way of understanding the situation which may help him come to terms with all the changes.

I love the cat pics, and the way they all have names and stories, and I now know a lot more about feral colonies than I did. Thank you!

Hello,

My son is really missing the cats. He sees himself a little bit like a cat parent and, indeed, he has been present when some of the cats have given birth.

The charity have sent him some pictures of the little kittens who have cat flu and have had to be hand-reared. I have forwarded these to him so that he knows how well they are being cared for.

I thought I would share these with you. These little kittens were really quite poorly a couple of weeks ago.

Sorry, I could not attach all the images.

Oh good lord - that ginger kitten in your second post!!

Can your son volunteer with the charity and help lots of other cats?

Hello,

Yes, he volunteers as a cat socialiser at the RSPCA. Unfortunately, they can only offer him one afternoon a month, I usually join him. He needs some more cat-related activities.

Oh my days.... gimme gimme gimme...

Actually that's a great idea. I'm going to volunteer as a cat socialiser or cat sitter at a local rescue.

Thank you!