Chrissy-
Blessings to you for helping these animals in need
out. I often chastise myself because many times it
seems I am more compassionate for these cats than I am
for my own human race. But the love is there, and the
only thing we can do to feel right is go with it,
which is what you have been doing. I understand about
the acquisition of cats. They are social animals. I
started out with two, and then along came a stray, who
I found a home for, but not before she had a litter.
I found homes for two of her kittens, but the third,
Cricket, I couldn't. Fell in love with him and that
made three. Then my parents moved to Florida and left
their 3 cats with me until they found a home. Well
they found a home all right, but the HO doesn't allow
animals outside the home, and my mom is allergic. So
now I'm up to six. The day my husband and I moved
into our home, a seventh stray showed up. Then my
sister decided to get a divorce and not take care of
her son or their 3 cats, so now I have ten cats and a
ten year old. LOL. The city has a limit of three, so
I pray that none of our neighbors find that out. Four
live inside and the rest outside, and the neighbors
have been wonderful about the cats it seems. Although
I am sure we are known as the cat people. My husband
isn't too happy about it, but what can I do? My goal
is to become debt free and buy some land and get a
barn like one of the other ladies on this site so I
have a place for these cats to go. In the meantime...
I wouldn't be able to euthanize Emilio and Frito
either, so don't feel bad. There is an organization
called Best Friends. www.bestfriends.org. They are
located in Utah, but they have a lot of sister
organizations all over the country that they partner
with. I support them financially because I believe in
what they are doing. Once I called them because my
ailing grandmother was feeding all these cats and they
kept multiplying because they were feral and she
couldn't catch them to have them fixed. BF called an
organization in Greensboro, N.C., where my grandma
lives and they came out and caught all the cats, fixed
them, and brought them back. There were probably 8
cats. BF is awesome. The main thing they are known
for is their sanctuary in Utah, which takes care of
hundreds of animals that are "unadoptable". People
take their vacations there to volunteer. It's really
neat. Anyway, maybe they can help you. And maybe you
will have luck with the Best Little Cat House in the
next month or so. Also, there are some people who
take in only FeLV cats, so maybe an ad in the
newspaper asking for help???
>From what I have studied about FeLV, and from what my
vet gave me to read, the transmission of FeLV is
either through bite wounds, birth, close casual
contact (grooming), and shared dishes or litter pans.
So hopefully, play fighting through a door won't
qualify, but you can't be too sure. Probably the
reason your vet hasn't been too reassuring or the
info. you get is contradictory is that the vet
professionals and researchers still don't know much
about FeLV. They are at a loss as well, although
strides have been made in the past ten years in
medical research and is ongoing.
There may come a time when you may have make the
decision to stop feeding any strays that come along,
and they will move on to the next house they think
they may be able to get food from. I know that sounds
horrible, but at some point, you may have to draw the
line, whether it be 5 cats, 10, or 20. If you don't,
you might end up on TV like these people who have 50
cats in their small apartment and the health
department and animal control are busting their door
down. ;P
Have a great day Chrissy, and take care-
God Bless You for your efforts-
Wendy
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