Quote From: ceildh1Personally I am passionate about the plight of stray and abandoned animals, and yes I get angry because the prevention is quite simple.
Spay and Neuter your pets- many States and provinces DO have programs for that purpose, check with your local animal hospital or SPCA, they would know, and if you cannot afford this basic surgery, than DON'T get an animal.
CHILDREN cannot be counted on to CARE for the animal, be a PARENT when your child asks for a puppy or kitten, if YOU DO NOT want to care for the animal, don't assume your child will, YOU will be the one held responsible for neglect and abuse of it, so if you can't be bothered be a PARENT and say "NO"
Farmers ( I live in farm country ) usually do have colonies of cats in their barns, cats tend to be unobtrusive to the livestock, and play their part by keeping the incidences of rats and mice out of the grain and feed, BUT many farmers have had to resort to CULLING out the colonies because of irresponsible pet owners who drop BOXES of unwanted kitties at their barn door.
Cats SHOULD be kept indoors, it helps them live longer healthier lives, and keeps them out of your neighbor's garden and it is a relief to the local bird and rodent population to know that kitty is behind the glass and can't hurt them.
There is no way, just from looking at the conditions on the previews, that this woman is registered or licensed anywhere as a sanctuary, no Humane Society would even consider it, the worst thing is most if not ALL of those animals will have to be destroyed, because the local shelter may not have the room, or they are infested with worms and other wonderful little parasites, not to mention the various bacterial and viral diseases that can run through any colony.
Unlike dogs, any cat owner will tell you, cats can be retrained and TAUGHT, as long as THEY feel the NEED, an adult cat used to being on its own with limited human contact can be converted SOMETIMES, for the most part Adult cats that have gone feral (wild) are not suitable candidates for a permanent home ( kittens will imprint good or bad feelings about humans within the first six to eight weeks of their lives ).
I rescued three feral kittens last year, the first one we found in an intersection of a town, we thought a rat was about to get run over, but on closer inspection, it was a kitten the vet thought she was only about four weeks old, she and her siblings were left in a ditch on the side of the road.
The other two are brothers born to a feral mother in a friend's back yard, we trapped them at about eight weeks old, all three live with me two kids, a husband and two dogs and a very put out seven year old cat , all of the pets are spayed or neutered, all of them are up to date for check ups and shots. But those kittens took work, the littlest is stunted in her growth, she is a little over a year and hasn't grown since she was six months, she was never properly weaned from her mother, she was too little, the boys had to be taught to use the litter boxes, and that kibble is actually edible, food dosen't have to squirm, but I am neither a sanctuary or shelter.
But I beg ANYONE considering killing your neighbor's pets, PLEASE call your local humane society and have them look into the situation, these animals are not at fault, and they do not do what they do to purposly annoy you, I get where you're coming from, what this woman is doing isn't humane or constructive, but she is obviously oblivious and has a problem ( other than the cats) that DESPERATLY needs to be addressed.
Thank you for saying all that!
I used to work for a vet and people were always dumping animals on us, either discreetly (left in boxes on the doorstep or on a leash tied to the doorhandle) or not discreetly (they'd bring it in, say "it's not mine", and run).
Many vets have foster pets on the premises anyway but please don't expect your vet to take in what you find. Not only can vets not afford this (believe it or not--it takes a lot of technicians to run animal hospital and they all have to be paid, although vet techs are not paid very well) but it's a huge emotional strain on the staff. Believe me, we don't want to turn away an unwanted animal but we can't afford it any more than you can, and most of us have already adopted all the strays we can handle. I fostered so many cats--at my own expense--I can't even remember them all.
If you bring a sick or injured animal to the vet's, it's yours (unless they offer to take it off your hands). You are responsible for paying for it.
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PLEASE spay or neuter your pets! They will be better pets, they will be better watch-dogs, they will be healthier, and it will save you a lot of money in the long run. Modern anesthesia makes it very safe and it is not cruel (we have good pain medication these days, too!). Your pet will never know the difference and will be spared a lot of health trouble later in life.
(Original Air Date: 11/15/06) Imagine discovering that your next-door neighbor owns over 200 cats. Ray and Dennis never thought their neighbor, Kristy, would let her pet collection get that big. Once friends, the three are now in a nasty and vindictive war because of the felines. Ray and Dennis say Kristy's property is one big, disgusting litter box, and they want Kristy to get rid of her cats. Kristy says she'll never part with her "cat sanctuary." Are Ray and Dennis playing dirty in order to run Kristy out of town? When is it too much, and where do you draw the line in the litter box? Then, Mike says his wife, Lori, keeps everything from used envelopes to empty food jars and medicine bottles, because she "might need it" in the future. He is ready to take desperate measures to put a stop to this. Lori says the thought of throwing her stuff out is her worst nightmare. Is Mike guilty of making nasty bribes to get his wife to change? What's really behind Lori's habit for hoarding? Tell us what you think!
