but they will be done. The freindly ones that are coming, that are positive are the ones I will have trouble with.
If they are positive, there is no way I can keep them here. I would need to find someone that takes them that has dealt with this before. I am already overcome with healthy cats, or I would just take all the sick ones and let them live there life here.
I agree putting the ferrels through TNR will subdue the disease eventually through no more fighting, breeding ect. And this I WILL do. But this still leaves open the freindly ones, I could advertise them on an ad for adoption, but there is still no where I can keep them. I could continue to let them stay outside till they are adopted, but that is no life for them either. They are too sweet.
I am very frustrated with this issue, as putting them down is just horrible, and I am here trying to find another way, because it appears there are so many. And thinking of putting them down is making my stomach turn.
I will continue to search out all alternantives I can find, and groups that will come and take them. Thanks for all the advice and leads.
There seems to be so many different feelings on this issue, and Ive heard both sides. And I understand both sides. I am going to keep at this and find a way to help this babies. If anyone knows where they can go, please let me know. And again thanks so much for you in depth emails to this issue, it has helped alot, I was becoming very frustrated with it, and now I am going to get back into focus and figure this out!
Carrie
----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, February 25, 2005 6:49 PM
Subject: Re: What to do?
Dear Carrie:
My heart goes out to you for caring what happens to these unfortunate,
homeless cats. It is the irresponsibility of others that creates such problems for
those of us like yourself who care enough to try and help.
Just because some of the cats have runny eyes and/or noses does not
necessarily mean they are FeLV+...it is not unusual for even healthy feral cats to
develop minor URI infections, but if you have managed to catch others in the same
area who tested positive, it IS an indicator that there probabaly will be
others.
You would be better to devote whatever resources you have and are willing to
devote to these cats towards spay/neuter. Are there any low-cost prgrams in
your area that you can make use of? If the breeding behavior is eliminated,
the major vector for disease transmission will also be curtailed as it is the
fighting among the tom cats for territory and females and infected moms passing
it to their unborn nd newly born kittens that is most responsible for the
spread of this disease.
I don't know what you have to pay there for testing, but my advice to you
would be to concentrate on doing TNR (Trap Neuter Release) with as many of the
cats as you are able. It is really less important to be testing them than to
get them altered so they will not continue to breed. Most of the infected
kittens will probably not make it through the first year unless they are trapped
and given immunosupportive treatment, and even then many of them will not
survive long term. But most healthy adult cats are relatively resistant to
infection and many are able to clear the virus if they do become infected. FeLV is
not the most contagious and transmissabale virus out there.
If you are feeding this colony of cats, the best thing you can do for them,
after an aggressive S/N effort is to provide the healthiest food you can for
them (which is not dry kibble, though I know that is what is easiest to provide)
and include some extra Vit. C or other immune boosting suplements, and
worming/flea control meds you can put in the food to help in that regard, but I do
know that is asking a lot if there are any number of cats.
I agree that it is very frustrating that there seems to be no end in sight
and always new cats showing up to feed. It is impossible to save them ALL...you
can only do what you can do. If you do catch cats which are seriously ill,
unless you are able to hold and try to treat them, it is probably kinder in the
long run if they are euthanized. Many FeLV+ cats, given a healthy diet and
in a stable, low-stress environment, are able to live for some time with the
virus, but once they have crashed and develop serious symptoms such as lymphma
or non-regenerative anemia there is little than can be done to help them.
The best situation, of course, for an FeLV+ cat is to be indoors and not
exposed to other cats who may carry pathogens that will assault their compromised
immune system. But there are many instances where FeLV+ ferals manage to do
quite well in a managed colony and live a relatively normal life if they are
well fed.
You might try contacting any rescue organizations in your area to see if they
might be able to help you with some of the expense of getting cats
spayed/neutered and/or help with trapping. Some groups have low-cost vouchers
available. We have one or two organizations in this area that are devoted to helping
feral cats exclusively. There might even be help and/advice available from a
national organization such as Alley Cat Allies.
Bless you for caring. I hope something I've said will be helpful. If you have any further questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask.
Sally in San Jose
