Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: Canterbury_cats (Sharon) on February 11, 2008, 10:31:05 AM
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Just taken a call from a lady whose daughter has three cats, 2 females and 1 male.. All given as presents. Both females on second litter, on calling again and one poss preg by the male... i question to peoples common sense and if they can afford to keep 3 cats!
Of course we will help neuter, but if the female is too far gone and we cannot spay. I question whether she really should consider giving this one up for rehoming!!
How can people take onn cats and not realise all this..All are under 2yrs old..
Really makes me livid..!!
She is on benefit (or course) and kids love them to bits. But oh by the way, just cannot afford to have them neutered...
Scream loudly at peoples inresponsibility. And of course they all came from a friend of a friend.
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Funny isn't it how people can't afford to have them neutered, but think they can afford to raise a litter of kittens >:(
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OMG don't even get me started on the subject of chavs and their animals :censored:
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We had this problem with a woman who lives in our avenue. ended up with thirteen cats. We put a lot of pressure on her to get them neutered and got her help with it and she did do so eventually but not before there were lots of little kittens looking for homes. Couldn't afford to have them done but can always afford to get drunk every day
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I dont see how if you sell 5 kittens for £50 each that one of those sales cant fund a spay instead of using it to buy few boxes of stella >:(
The i cant afford it excuse is a load of :censored:
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Update here.
The mum rang the daughter and the female is now too far gone.. The daughter dosnt like the vets i suggested she get them too. So really thats it.. Other then physically go along and pick these three up and get them done without her i dont see what more we can do..
Daft cow!! I bet she wants to have those kittens and sell them on etc, etc...
I am tempted to say to her if she ever gets back. Give us the mum and kittens we rehome the kittens and you have the mum back..! But i dobut she liked me attitude i gave her this morning (via her mum of course) about how irresponsible they have been.!!
Anyhows, there is only so much i can do...
Grit teeth and bare it!
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Maths was never my strong point, but even I can work out that allowing cats to have kittens is more expensive than spay/neuter. Oh, and by the way, I'm on benefits (illness) and my cats are all 'done'. The younger rescues are going to vet tomorrow, paid for by RSPCA.
The cost of spaying etc is high, but loads of ways to get help with this. Some people just don't care, or are too thick/lazy to be bothered. They'll have a shock when they have to buy all that kitten food. :shocked:
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these are approx figures but here it goes,
cost of spay = £70
cost of say 4 kittens (small litter)
litter for 8 weeks (frequent changes for higher volume of usage guessed 60litres) £20
Food for kittens & queen for 8 weeks £80 min (Wet & Dry diet - good quality)
so say £15 a week, thats assuming that they all leave mom successfully after 8 weeks and probably stay on a few more to find families for them.
then vet bills for sensitive tums, what am i saying they won't take them to the vet otherwise she have been spayed in the first place!
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Other then physically go along and pick these three up and get them done without her i dont see what more we can do.
This is what I usually end up doing, if you leave it to some people, they will never get done :censored: :censored: I even end up keeping some of the cats here whilst they recover from their op as I know, there is no way idiots will keep them indoors and keep an eye on them. If you want it doing, I'd say do it yourself and at least you know they won't be having any more ;)
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these are approx figures but here it goes,
cost of spay = £70
cost of say 4 kittens (small litter)
litter for 8 weeks (frequent changes for higher volume of usage guessed 60litres) £20
Food for kittens & queen for 8 weeks £80 min (Wet & Dry diet - good quality)
so say £15 a week, thats assuming that they all leave mom successfully after 8 weeks and probably stay on a few more to find families for them.
then vet bills for sensitive tums, what am i saying they won't take them to the vet otherwise she have been spayed in the first place!
cost of spay in Coventry approx £25.
Back street breeder means kittens kept for 6 week only.
No vet treatment (kittens come with complementary fleas and worms and if they get ill they die - or get beter).
No special food. Mum feeds kits and she's lucky if she is fed enough to sustain them and herself.
No litter required. Mum is expected to go out herself and clean up after kittens and when kittens are a bit older some newspaper.
Once the cats are 8 weeks old then kill or dump.
Therefore most of what they charge is profit.
As the rspca told me, there's no law about having some kittens but the tax man/benefit folks might be interested as it can b seen as a source of income.
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Don't you thinkyou are being a wee bit optimistic assuming the kittens will still be with mum at 8 weeks. I am betting they will be rehomed at 5 weeks, as soon as they look like they are going to start on solids ... >:(
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Ive even seen kits for sale at 4 weeks... :'(
I bet they have loads of children between them also.....they are not thinking of complications at the birth, afterwards if kits or mum is sick either!
I'd class myself as pretty confident when dealing with cats.....would not want to go through a birth etc though! I honestly could'nt cope! :scared:
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I'm on benefits (illness) and my cats are all 'done'.
Me too, HK. It was always one of the first things I considered when agreeing to take on a cat - I even got my old housemates cat neutered via a small local animal charity because she couldn't be bothered to organise it. (And her family were loaded - you know the main sandwich spread company? That's her grandparents.) I was pretty upset when after months of me caring for the little lad while she pretty much lived at her partners, she suddenly decided her mum wanted a cat and took him to live there. :(
Anyway, off topic. I find people who think it's acceptable to not neuter or spay their pets frustrating too. I go on a reptile forum and one of the women on there said she felt it was unnecessary as her cats were indoor cats. All her dogs are entire too from what I can tell.
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That's odd - my exes mum lived next door to a sandwich spread family s******s - is it the same one?
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I hate people like this - and sadly, with what some of them provide for mum and kits, and what they charge, they do make money. I would offer to pick them up and get them done, and hope they will say yes - that is how my neighbours cats got done.
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Putting in my own angle on the neutering debate it's this "don't care" attitude which not only makes for thousands of homeless miserable cats but has also driven our native wildcat close to extinction, vets should be able to insist on it if you're not some kind of registered breeder or something, people take animal life too cheaply.
Steve
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Hello Canterbury cats - can you issue neutering vouchers for a local vets for them to get the mothers done when they've given birth?
We also offer to pick the cats up, neuter them and then return them if they don't have transport. I would contact them again and see whether you can take the kittens in once they're born. Although this means swallowing your tongue sometimes about how ridiculously stupid they've been, I always feel that it's better to do this and get something done, than leave it to them.
I remember when I had the phone put down on me when I was harsh at someone who needed help to re-home her cats' third litter and I when I tried to ring back, there was no answer. I always kick myself that I didn't bite my tongue and regret that perhaps I condemed those kittens to a pet shop. If only I had been more polite, maybe we could have helped!
I'm in no way having a go, by the way! I was just trying to think of ways that they can get done and the kittens can be re-homed to suitble homes, rather than being handed out in the estate.
Jen
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Hi there
Well yes i do agree bite your tongue, i did ring the mum back and offered to do all that you say but apparently her daughter is still thinking about it.. !! I even offered to take mum let her have the kittens etc and give mum back and we rehome kittens. But she wasnt having none of it..
We do issue vouchers indeed last year we issued nearly 200 odd and i am always willing to help. I have the mums mobile number but not the daughter i have rang several times but i doubt I will be getting anywhere here..
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It's cases like that which just eat away at you don't they? You feel so helpless! :(
I had a gentleman call yesterday who wanted a kitten. When he gave me his address I said that we wouldn't re-home an outdoor cat there as I know the road VERY well. The road is not only a death trap for cats, but also for people (8 people killed in the past ten years). I explained what I felt and how you can;t keep kittens/cats in a garden as they wander. He lived at the first house in and I was really quite blunt about what might happen. At the end of the conversation I asked whether what I had said had made him think any differently and he just said no! He was going to a pet shop at the weekend as they had kittens in. I just ended the conversation by saying that I hope their new aquisition lives past it's first birthday!
I just can't get it out of my head that some poor wee thing is going to be sold into such a dangerous situation! >:(
Why do we do this job???!!!
Hopefully your couple might have a re-think, but if not, then you've done all you can, and we cant help everyone! (as my superiors keep telling me!)
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There's a woman who lives near me who only adopts a specific colour of cats ( I don't know her myself, a local shelter told me this ), she tried to adopt one a couple of years ago, and the local shelter asked me to go and nosey to see if she had a catflap etc like she said she had. I told the local shelter about the fact that although our area is very very quiet car wise, VERY quiet, and there is a huge green space nearby, I knew of 3 from my street that had been hit in this extremely quiet area. Apparently said woman told the shelter her cats were safe and didn't cross the road, or were careful.
This sent me fuming as one of her cats is always in my garden, comes and visits with the local street cat AT NIGHT, crossing the road to visit.
Of course this shelter, having an excellent homing policy, refused her, but she said she'd just go somewhere else. FFS.
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On the same subject, I could do with advice about a new boyfriend I've recently acquired. He has seven cats of both sexes, non of whom are neutered or spayed. I was at his place one evening over the weekend and it was a veritable orgy of cats bonking. He said that they've only just started doing it (I think one of the females is in heat), and doesn't yet have kittens/pregnancies. Without nagging (difficult :Crazy:) I tried to point out the importance of neutering: the health benefits and avoidance of unwanted kittens. His attitude was "I'd love more cats!"........maybe, until they are regularly kittening and he's overrun by inbreeding.
Also, one of the females had been mounted so many times that she had a bad wound in her neck where the toms had grabbed her. I told him the dangers of not taking her to the vet asap. He shrugged and said he didn't have the time because of work.
His cats seemed loved but he has no idea about their health needs. Next time I see him, I'm going to give him a simple but informative cat care book. I have a feeling this is ignorance and laziness rather than deliberate cruelty, but the end result is the same.
This relationship might last as long as it takes to educate him about cat care :stupid:
Any ideas? I want to avoid sounding like a nag - this could be counterproductive :shy:
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It's not a tough queston to answer, HK.
Anyone who fails to take a cat with a wound to the vet isn't an animal lover. He's after the furry comfort without responsibility of care and that makes him immature. A dud father in the making too - he's the sort who loves gurgling babies but won't change nappies. Anyone who allows cats to interbreed, needs to see photographs of deformed and dying kittens. I'm sure we can muster a few. :tired:
Dump the pleb, HK.
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I would give him some leaflets about FIV and FeLV too, and maybe some stats as to how many cats are in rescue across the country.
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Ask him, in an irritated tone (so he doesn't see it as a come-on), if he would want to see you treated like that >:(
His house must reek of tomcat pee!!! :sick:
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Can you get some vouchers for him and try to sort them out on his behalf? Cos once all the kittens arrive your gonna feel even more annoyed/obligated.
Maybe the girls could go missing....
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I thought about the vouchers idea, but he works. Can he still get them? Or should I pretend that they are for my ferals?
He's on the computer lots, so I'm giving him a Purrs link (just hope he doesn't realise who I am!) but not sure he'll come here. He has sent me a text in response to my nagging, saying he'll have the 'girlies' done, which is a start. He said nothing about taking the wounded cat to vet.
Trouble is, if he just has the females spayed, the males will carry on mounting, (a neighbour's tom bonked my knee once, I didn't realise he was doing it!). He's a typical bloke where neutering is concerned, not wanting to deprive the males of their fun (even when it's at the expense of the females' health!)
He lives in a flat and the cats don't go out, so any chance of cross infection is kept within the group. Inbreeding is the real problem. Would appreciate links to pics of the problems resulting from inbreeding.
As to dumping him: I'm going to try to educate him re cats first. If I can achieve this, then I'll have done a service for cats almost equal to that of my little rescue group.
I might try using the Mata Hari approach! ;)
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If she is going in to be fixed, they are scarcely going to send her home without attending to the neck wound - she wil be fine.
Oh, and rather than Mata Hari, I would be using the Lysistrata aproach - he can't have any until the boys can't have any :rofl:
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If the only way those cats will get done is by you saying the vouchers are for ferals is then its not lying!
Encourage him to get them sorted asap before anything starts growing inside :(
At least with the girls done they wont be increasing, these must be young cats if he hasnt had kittens before? Just wait til they start getting really territorial :evillaugh:
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I think he acquired the girls more recently than the toms, because I asked if they had already had kittens and asked how old the females were. He said "no" and "six months".
I like the idea, Blackcat, not sure if it would work yet.
Although I'm giving him a book about cat care, if anyone has links concerning the responsibilities of caring for a cat etc, please post.
Thanks.
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It's a shame you can't show him last weeks "Animal 24:7" - where the RSPCA ended up removing 61 cats from a house as the owner got 2 cats and didn't neuter. 55 were PTS :(
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Below is a picture of Andy Pandy, he was one of 15 cats and kittens found in a garden where they had been allowed to breed. He was one of the kittens found asleep on the mummified body of a dead cat, trying to get warmth. All of the adult cats were PTS as they had feline Leukeimia. Five of the kittens were saved and four had leukeimia as well. Andy Pandy died two days after this picture was taken, despite our best efforts to savfe his little life. We have recently found out that one of the other leukeimia kittens had died, at aged only 7 months. These diseases spread like wildfire and are preventable if people neuter and inject their cats. If a story such as this does not show him the damage that can be done, then there's no hope.
PS: I'm sorry if this story has distressed people, we tend to only use it when really necessary to shock people into understanding what can happen
[attachment deleted by admin]
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Poor baby
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That really is sad but hard hitting. I had to bite my tongue yesterday whilst sorting the cat I posted on Lost/Found. I think pictures/stories like that are great for educating people but sadly some of the aforementioned folk on here still wouldn't care.
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To be honest Smokey I tend to agree with you. I think that people are either going to neuter or not and although we can run campaign after campaign, we still can't beat back the tide of unwanted kittens. Just had a call today about a mum and 6 kittens in Bradford. Fortunately, Wharfe Valley branch has a wonderful foster room ready. It's a converted stable block with heating, water, toys galore and a loving foster mummy so at least these ones we can help!
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the unfortunate thing is that the owners of these male cats, do not see first hand the suffering they cause. The taxi driver I had a few months ago was like that. He had always had male cats, they had always lived to a ripe old age, they had never suffered illness (that he knew of) so how can one persuade such a person that his attitude is wrong. His view was 'why spoil their fun' and as far as his experience told him, that was a reasonable position to take. No-one with that outlook is going to neuter their cat. Never. Not in a million years. The people who intend to neuter their cat, or who wish their cat was neutered, will respond to campaigns and neutering clinics. The rest will go along happily living in their ignorance and no amount of campaigning will change their attitudes - they are ignorant and have no intention of being educated ... >:(
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To be honest Smokey I tend to agree with you. I think that people are either going to neuter or not and although we can run campaign after campaign, we still can't beat back the tide of unwanted kittens. Just had a call today about a mum and 6 kittens in Bradford. Fortunately, Wharfe Valley branch has a wonderful foster room ready. It's a converted stable block with heating, water, toys galore and a loving foster mummy so at least these ones we can help!
I thank goodness for your policy regarding neutering, I know I wouldn't have one of mine if it wasn't for that. Adel had gone round to some old womans house to take her queen for neutering and found my little one half dead on a sofa, riddled with fleas, full of cold, eyes completely closed and bunged up and generally completely listless. Adel rescued her and brought her back to health. I adopted her when she was six months old, and she is now a very happy girl.
She is on the left ( other girl adopted at the same time, they weren't littermates but brought up together by the fosterer ).
Btw, they were sat in the litter tray when this was taken, they are very close !
(http://indoorcats.co.uk/DSC000321-copy.jpg)
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Ignorance is unreal. My cousin rescued a young tom cat. I asked her if she was going to get him neutered and her response was 'not until hes a year old, he won't grow and fill out properly otherwise besides hes needs to go out and have a few scuffles' and laughed. Oh and her job? Why shes a vet nurse of course! >:( I can't believe the surgery employ her, I wouldn't let her within 10 feet of my animals. :censored:
There was never any chance of Charlie and Harry not being done - I don't want to be responsible for kittens being dumped on rescue centres - or worse :(
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Ignorance is unreal. My cousin rescued a young tom cat. I asked her if she was going to get him neutered and her response was 'not until hes a year old, he won't grow and fill out properly otherwise besides hes needs to go out and have a few scuffles' and laughed. Oh and her job? Why shes a vet nurse of course!
Worrying, and quite mad :Crazy: She must surely know the implications of an unneutered tom running about :Crazy:
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Ignorance is unreal. My cousin rescued a young tom cat. I asked her if she was going to get him neutered and her response was 'not until hes a year old, he won't grow and fill out properly otherwise besides hes needs to go out and have a few scuffles' and laughed. Oh and her job? Why shes a vet nurse of course!
Worrying, and quite mad :Crazy: She must surely know the implications of an unneutered tom running about :Crazy:
The cat was one that had been handed into the surgery as he'd be found dumped - obviously the result of unwanted litter himself! ARGH what a shame you can't pick your relatives!
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Thanks J - your cats looks so cute!!! It's great to get feedback on cats we've re-homed, it gives us faith we're doing the right thing!!!
I think if there's one thing that we could get into EVERY SINGLE cat owner would be NEUTER and CHIP!!!
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I'm wondering whether to contact the nice RSPCA inspector who came to see my rescues and tell her about this guy. I'm sure a word from her would be more effective than all my nagging. I texted him earlier to find out if he had booked his female with a vet on saturday. She has a really bad wound on her neck where she's been constantly mounted. He replied that the phone was always engaged! He always has some excuse!
Of course, he'll realise who sent the inspector and be fuming mad at me, but I'm more concerned about the cats than about him. If the same inspector sees him, I'm sure she'll go easily unless he refuses to get them done, and their health checked. He seems to think that vets are for other people, and not somewhere he bothers going. And he claims to love his cats :brick:
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why not take a more pro-active approach and say to him 'yes, I can see how hard it must be for you trying to organise this vet trip while you are at work. Why don't I do it for you, then all you will have to do is drop her off on your way to work and collect her at the end of the day' That way he will run out of excuses and either have to own up he does not want to do it, or comply with your suggestion and get her done.
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The only reason I haven't done this BC, is that I don't drive. When mine go to a vet I take them by taxi or friend (who works). So this would entail quite a trip to his, then round up either one or seven cats (if neutering) then getting them to vet and by (by taxi) then getting home, then picking them up to take back to his.
Thought: I would need keys to his place too.
I would happily do the organising for him, as I have plenty of time to redial. In fact I thought of this when I received his text, but checked the clock and it was past 6, which is when most vets in B'ham close.
I'll offer to do the organising, and see how this goes down. I think he'll come up with another excuse, like money.
The more I think about it, the keener I am to talk to the RSPCA inspector as I got on so well with her.
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no, you have not noticed the punctuation, the conversation goes that HE is the person who drops them off at the vet and collects them, not you. He has to do the delivery and collection, you do the booking ... I know you have mobility limitations, that is why I proposed this solution. After all, he has to take some responibility for the process ...
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I'm supposed to be seeing him tonight (don't much feel like it 8) ) and will suggest this solution. I'm also going to give him some cat care books I no longer need.
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great, he might be more willing once he has read the books ... Good luck! will send supportive thoughts your way