Hallson Gardens

Well my family and I have been over run by cats...our little momma cat rose, just keeps getting pregnant before we can get her fixed...not including her, we have 8 cats...4 out of 8 are about 8 week old kittens...I went upstairs this morning and found my two little girls had built a barracade on the floor against the wall,they were sleeping in the middle between wall and bed, in order to keep the kittens from getting to them while they sleep...lol...obviously we have a problem...if anyone wants a kitten let me know...I have 2 gray one's (lovingly named twinkle and star), 1 tiger stripe (named tiger), and 1 black (named midnight)...also have twin long haired yellow cats (approxiamtely 1 yr old) and a tiger stripe (approximately 1 yr old)....they have to go, because our house has been taken over...they are all good cats..very tolerant of kids...and dogs...just let me know if anyone wants one...talk to you all later....

mamawsdaughter, jessie

I feel for you ,Jessie, as I currently have 5 indoor cats and I care for 3 more outdoor cats. Yes...all were strays and six of them were from litters in the last couple years. I FINALLY managed to gather them all up and go have them fixed, so no more litters for me!! I'm such a sucker for kittens and once I let them in the house they are there to stay forever. As it is, I keep the outside ones in the garage at night and even run a heater for them when it is cold. I do like having them around because they keep the garden destroying critters somewhat under control.
I hope you can find good homes for the kittens. I didn't have much luck , because there is always a ton of people trying to give kittens away and people will only take so many.

I live, in an apartment complex between two ladies that adore cats. On the left the lady has two indoor cats. On the right is a lady that just likes to feed strays. Well Tony, my dog (14 years old) seems to be in trouble all the time It seems that when Tony wants out- there is always some cats waiting for him :???:because he seems to disrupt their wonderful lifestyle. Neighbor on right started feeding a new gray stray three weeks ago. This little girl cat lives in the woods but loves to come up for the treats, including the Toms that started moving in. Well ,the pretty little kitty gets herself pregnant. Now the war is on. My hosta garden is in danger because the cats love to do business there. My Tonydog can't go out unless he is under my guard. Oh yes and the lease agreement states that all "dogs" must be on a leash when outside on the property.
Lady on left complains because my dog urinates on the sidewalk? Lady on right tells me that I should get cats.
"How come I have to pay $20.00 a month for my dog when all of these cats are getting by free"? Well it's hard to control cats?(according to the Landlord)
Solution, not mine , but the lady on the right. Call the humane society and get someone to come in and trap the new mommy cat! That will take care of all the problems and then your hosta garden will recreate itself. - Enter the humane trap man
Last week the humane trap man worked to remedy the situation. They, the ladies on the left and right have a score of two opposums, one ground squirrel, 4 cats that belonged to neigbors and oh yes, the mommy is still on the loose. I just love watching the opera. My hostas are being destroyed by constant cat sex, my dog is paranoid and I have no alternatives. Back home our remedy was to Shoot, shovel, and Shut-Up. Can't do that here since a firearm can not be discharged in city limits.

I also don't understand why these ladies spend so much money on birdfeeders and seeds and then ask why there are so many bird feathers around the apartments. Duh!
can't wait until mommy brings the kittens up. It won't be long now.

Don't get me wrong, I can't remember, since I could remember, that I did not have to relinquish space for felines. It seems that they breed to punish me for having a dog.

CGlenn

So, why do people say that the cats get themselves pregnant. Seems to me it takes two, one of those obviously being an unneutered male.

Oh, yes just go out there in the yard and catch a "Tom" and ask him if he wants to be "fixed". After the last one that I attempted to catch, I decided to buy a bullet-proof vest. On the farm, I did manage to take several female cats in to get them 'fixed' and it seemed to remove them from their natural habitat-the barn and into my habitat. I did notice over the years on the farm that cats self-destruct. Don't tell me about the vet and how I should be taking care of the cat "gang", I could not get within 20' of them, yet they were not my cats. The "gang" did a great job on the barn varments. One time GNL and I decided that we should make records of the barn cats. After several days of research, we came to the conclusion:
#of cats-17, owners-unknown, #of males-unknown, # of females-unknown, # of kittens-unknown. Then two things happened that crashed the population. First, there was an eye infection that spread rapidly. Can't catch, Can't Cure!
Even tried a garden sprayer with boric acid. I did not want these critters to die, cause they work cheap in the barn.
The second realzation of decline was in numbers of the gang. After the loss of fifteen members of the gang, one of my farm workers noticed the problem. He told me that he went into the barn and a "Great-Horned Owl" was dining on one of the cats. I am trying to remember that course in college where we learned that once a population exceds it's capacity, then Nature will take it's course. Does anyone 'out there' remember this theory? I'm almost sure that it started with a "P", but I can't find my notes from 40 years ago.
CGlenn

Don't remember the theorys name, but do remember hearing about it. Nature does even things out, if man doesn't interfer.

Sorry about your dog and hostas . When I lived in apartments our cat had the same rules as my dog. $20 extra per month and if outside on a leash.

Tami

Yes..if outdoor cats aren't able to be cared for then nature will run it's course. Our vet told us that outdoor cats have a much smaller life span than an indoor cat. They tend to pick up infections and spread them easily amongst themselves and they will slowly die off. (of course, sometimes not before breeding and producing several more litters) Upper respiratory infections are common. Some of my indoor cats have "bad eyes" and we treat them often. Vet suspects it's an immunity problem.