Care giving comes with a price.
By feralcat
@feralcat (426)
Canada
January 15, 2007 7:20am CST
I get calls in the evenings at times from peope who started to feed a feral cat(s) or stray cat(s) and need advice or help on ways to better the lives of these cats. I for one do not hide the truth of the responsibilities, the wonder and also the hardship of being a caregiver and the rewards and despair that comes with such a task.
I've often heard comments that these people feed these cats and try to set up a little shelter for them in their yards but how can they trap them or offer more to them. Already they are doing such a wonderful thing for the cats by sheltering and feeding them but I always tell people that these are only the beginnings of such a task and what many do not realize is that once you feed these cats then they are yours and it is your responsibility to care for their needs and health.
They ask me some of the experiences I've had in caregiving and as much as I hate having to have some of these memories resurface I tell them some of the things I've seen and dealt with and they always cut me short to stop me; that they can't handle hearing the truth of what it truly is like caregiving.
For those who already to this and know that there is a price involved to your heart and your soul I have nothing but respect for you and that you continue doing what you do even through times that leave you in tears and sadness. For those who want to get into caregiving please really think about how far you are willing to go and how much you can handle; it does comes with a price.
I've often wondered how come to this point I have not lost my mind through it all or how much can the heart take before it is emtpy and can't give anymore but for every little piece of heart that is broken there is always another cat out there that molds a different part of the heart into love.
6 people like this
11 responses
@moonshadow68 (723)
• United States
16 Jan 07
You might also want to warn people about the costs of adopting a stray cat. We wouldn't change it for the world, but we had no idea when we adopted our kitten how expensive she would be.
Because she had been a stray, and obviously in a low of fights, she was wounded when we decided to take her in. That meant a trip to the vet for antibiotics, shots, de-worming, flea treatment and ear mite treatment. Since she had obviously been in a fight with another cat, the vet also suggested a FIV test. BY the time it was done, the first vet visit was $143 and that didn't include her rabies shot. We had to take her back a month later for that when she was bigger.
Then, there were more shots and boosters (another $43), toys, litter box, food, more toys...well, we spoil her a bit rotten and now that she's old enough, microchipping and spaying ($150).
I would not change it now for the world, but I wish someone would have told me that my free stray cat was going to cost me $400 in the first three months I've had her. We still would have adopted her and she's part of the family now, but people should be warned about the cost of a stray.
2 people like this
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
15 Jan 07
Someone set out a couple kittys in an area where the nearest home was over a mile away. This is unforgivable. They were left there to die. They were not even able to suck from a bottle yet. We picked them up and brought them home. My youngest daughter put milk on her finger to get them to lick it off. She took care of them till they were healthy again. We tried to give them away but nobody wanted them. WE finall jsut took them to the vet and got their shots and kept them. WE keep them outside as we already have 2 in the house. That has been about 4 years ago now and they are happy, well adjusted cats now.
@feralcat (426)
• Canada
15 Jan 07
Bless you for caring for these babies. It is unforgivable what people do. There is a bridge not far from teh small town I live close to. The town is halfway between cottage area and the city and it's known as a cat dump site come fall time. They take cats to the cottage for mousing but don't want the bother to care for them back home and so they ditch them here. I've rescued a few from the clinic there that were to be euthanized. I've also tried to adopt the mout but nobody wanted them and I kept them.
Patches waas dumped at the clinic by her owner last year. She said she was moving and could not take her with her; how can you simply leave your cat to be euthanized when the animal is over 10 years old? I took her in but I knew she would not be adopted and so her home is with me now.
2 people like this
@Julia1970 (410)
• United States
15 Jan 07
It takes a special person to care for any cat. I am not saying this because I love cats, but because some people expect cats to reciprocate the affections shown them, like dogs do. I have fed strays from time to time and taken in kittens and they do break your heart. I have never done anything on the scale you are doing and I just wanted to say thank you. People don't realize how it can really break your heart. Blessings to you!
2 people like this
@feralcat (426)
• Canada
15 Jan 07
Thank you for taking time for these cats. The heart break never goes away and that's the sad part. Just knowing what they endure and that one look I often see and know but can't answer honestly kills me inside.
And thank you to you for caring for these kits also.
2 people like this
@feralcat (426)
• Canada
15 Jan 07
Thank you. Too often I've heard people get all hyped up about jumping in two feet without truly giving thought to the pros and cons of caregiving. It can literally drain a person physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritualy.
I've questioned often where I get the strenght to keep doing this work but I guess it's in my blood :)
1 person likes this
@Geminigirl (1909)
• United States
15 Jan 07
You are so right. When you start feeding a cat, then you see that it comes around regularly. Then, if you find that it does not have a home, you want to give it shelter with you. Then the next thing I want to do is see if it has been spayed or neutered. The list goes on and on. Lots of time, money, and emotions, but so worth it. It is like a calling. I guess for some people, you feel that doing these things is what you are supposed to do, and you can't turn away from it.
@feralcat (426)
• Canada
15 Jan 07
I think we are all born with a certain purpose in life. Often times callings we have no choosing but they simply coome to us. I never gave this much thought as it seemed something that has been a part of my entire life. Even as a kid any stray or wild cat I would somehow be able to have follow me home (although I cold not have nay cats) and I would sneek food out for them.
3 people like this
@jellylilyjujuluver (251)
• United States
15 Jan 07
I, too, commend anyone who takes on the task of caring for ferals.
There are a lot of feral cats at my work - in fact our newest baby was taken from the most recent litter that the mom cat had.
I guess that there have been several attempts at trying to get people to stop feeding them so that the local feral society could trap and spay/neuter the cats but have had no luck because the feeding doesn't stop. I understand that people's hearts are in the right place but, in the long run, it hurts the population and creates more homeless animals that end up getting killed, abused or diseased.
2 people like this
@enchantedemerald (454)
• United States
20 Jan 07
Care giving definitely comes with a price but also its rewards. I have experienced this personally through my dedication to humans, cats, and dogs. The gifts that we give from our heart are to help others and it does not matter if they are two-footed or four- footed. Many people only want to hear the good stuff and not the bad but I believe when you speak to others about your care-giving and its efforts you are painting a true reality picture of what they need to expect. Of course we all want to feed a stray cat but we also need to look at the responsibilities involved. I would hope that when people hear some of the responsibilities involved that they won't shy away from helping any animal. It is sometimes discouraging when people can't personally afford to help an animal and they have trouble locating resources in their own hometown. Even though care-givers have to go through a ton of sadness and disappoinment at times every effort that we make to help another living creature comes directly from our heart because we care.
1 person likes this
@highflyingxangel (9225)
• United States
16 Jan 07
It takes a really special person to care for stray animals and really put a lot of time and effort into feeding and offering a home to stray animals especially when no one else will do it.
2 people like this
@chargoans (939)
• United States
20 Feb 07
You seem to have a huge heart for the kitties. I too have a few ferals that I have taken care of. Thank goodness I always seem to catch them when I have no job, so I take them to a local shelter that has a free feral program for lower to no income families. It is a great program.
I was at a job for two years and I watch a feral community almost triple in size in that time. Right before I lost my job, I was able to catch and fix (spay/neuter) four of them (out of close to 20). Once we released those four cats, we never saw them again, and slowly the pack dissipated down to 4. Pretty cool if you ask me! Businesses remember me when I walk into them, and always keep me up to date on the wild ones out back.
@ElicBxn (63252)
• United States
20 Feb 07
Over the last few years in my neighborhood, most of the "strays" and "ferals" have found the fast food places down on the busy street. I did take in an old stray tom & fix him, feed him up, have his injury opperated on. Also, I found a few cats down at the nearest fast food place that looked like the cat I found when he was 4 weeks old in front of my house. I managed to trap & fix the mother & one of the boys - the other boy was too sly to get caught. I TNR them, and while mom either got hit or moved on now that she wasn't very pregnant, the boy I fixed still lives there 4 years later! There have been a few other cats that have shown up there, but they are never there long enough for me to catch them. Someone attached to the fast food place puts down food & water for the cats.
1 person likes this
