Hideyo,
I'm sorry about what happened with your neighbor and her colony. I'm praying that you are able to rescue Squeekie, and that Snoodle will miraculously show up to feed at your house. So many good intentioned people are just not committed to doing whatever is necessary to help these guys make the transition to a new home. Sometimes even those of us who are, can't always figure out how to help. I work with rescue groups in my area and they have been an enormous help in many ways, but I have yet to adopt out any cat in my care through them. I guess I just can't give up the illusion of control. I say "illusion", because as hard as it is to face, we aren't in control at all. All we can do, is the best we can do. And you know as well as I, some ferals will never acclimate to living in a house. I wish the woman had contacted you so you could have come up with a better solution than just dumping poor Squeekie out on her own like that.
Please don't beat yourself up for helping someone else take responsibility for these cats. I know how frustrating and disheartning it can be when people won't/don't take advise that you've learned through hard knocks might help them. People pay me to help train their dogs, and still don't follow my advise sometimes! You are already overwhelmed. For the sake of the cats already in your care, your sanity and limited resources, you have to allow others to help in whatever way, or extent they are capable of. As Tamara has already said, there just aren't enough of us to go around.
Much love, Nina
Hideyo Yamamoto wrote:
I have to definitely agree with Nina.
We, humans are the most powerful creature on earth, and can be the most egotistical and arrogant one, too by abusing the power we have over smaller (physically) creatures. In my mind, our lives are not any more important than any other creatures on earth. We have no right to end any creature’s life before their time come – we are supposed to protect lives of creatures who need us – but not to kill it.
I have a neighbor who eventually became a friend overtime as we happened to have the same interest – which is to rescue feral cats. She moved from one side of town to the other about 9 months ago and I eventually helped her move all of her feral cats she used to feed at her old house to her new home. Before I agreed to help her, I did warn her that she was about to change their lives, and they may not be necessary asking for the change or may not wanting the change (regardless of her good intensions), but as long as she does so (regardless that’s what they want or not), I would like her to make sure that she has a responsibility to take care of their lives for the rest of their lives. And she said, yes, and so, I helped her move all the cats and helped them get socialized –
She did not do everything as I had asked her to do, and she lost one of 10 cats in two days – I had asked her to keep these cats in a cage for at least week so that they can feel safe in their sanctuary and can get used to smell of the new house and feel secure again. But she got stressed out by one of the cats who was making a noise and she opened the cage and let the cat go outside – of course, the cat (Snoodle) had no idea where she was and never came back or seen. I put the flyers all over the neighborhood and tried to find her (the owner was not willing to spend the time on doing so), but never did. At this I regretted that I helped her out for the first time.
Fortunately the rest of the cats got adjusted ok to new life – but I just found out that she took one of the cats, Squeekie (who was a sibling cat of the cat who ran away) back to where she was 9 month ago – she got tired of her peeing in the house (which was because she never trained her to use the litter box as I asked her to) – and she forced to the corner in the bathroom and grabbed her (as she is still a feral cats), forced her to the carrier and dumped where she was 9 month ago, which she no longer recognize or remember – as the owner had closed down the crawl space that she used to live in 9 month ago any more.
I got so upset – this is considered to a suicide warrant in the rescue business – the environment is not a same for her anymore, there are new cats she never met, and new people, and she is so scared – so right now I am in the process of trying to find her and trap her back so that I can give her a home again.
I guess, what I am trying to say is that we do things for our very convenience and change their lives whenever we want and however we want – regardless of their wish – the neighbor has seen her, and I staked out by the old house for a couple of house last night, I think I so her – but she looked very scared.
Please please pray for me and sqeekie that I can find her and can trap her again –
I need all of your good energy and prayers!
Thank you!
Hideyo
-----Original Message-----
*From:* [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] *On Behalf Of *Nina
*Sent:* Monday, March 14, 2005 10:59 AM
*To:* felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
*Subject:* Re: OT:Tonya - killing ferals
Tonya,
I can't believe you would advocate killing ferals as a way to help their plight! Yes, their life is dangerous and they do sometimes suffer, but that doesn't mean they should be put to death. We humans are so conditioned to our relative safety that we sometimes forget how hard life can be on wild animals, on all wild animals. How many opossums, racoons and squirrels are killed each day on our highways, or poisoned from insecticides? Would you advocate systematically terminating any species not under our direct protection? I maintain a small feral colony and have cats that are healthy, happy and content in their circumstances. Even if all we can do is trap, neuter, administer one round of vaccines, and release them, they are still better off than if we turn our backs on them all together. Cats that are neutered are much less likely to fight and spread disease among themselves, if they are lucky enough to have a caretaker put out food for them they will live in harmony. They can and do, live, full, rich, happy lives. How arrogant it is to assume that only when they are in our houses and under our direct care are they able to be happy to be alive. Humans are the direct cause of these cats circumstances, the least we can do is step up and accept the responsibility of helping to maintain their numbers. Believe me, I understand the discomfort of thinking about these cats suffering and dieing out there alone, but killing them before their time is not the answer.
Nina
catatonya wrote:
Unless you can find a VERY safe place for the ferals and be sure there's someone to take care of them, I tend to agree with PETA. Even if the ferals have someone 'watching out' for them, I'm sure many of them are killed by dogs, hit by cars, shot, etc.... I think it's a very rough life for most ferals and in many cases it would have been better to put them to sleep. I see their point of view.
t
*/[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>/* wrote:
I can not believe PETA!!!!!!! They used to be known as the most radical animal rights group around (at the time that I did belong to them). This is welfarism at its very, very worst. How can a group that says it is an animal rights group advocate catching and killing animals? Isn't the right to live out your life without being killed the most basic of rights? Without that right, what good is any other? They are insane. I stopped contributing to them years ago based on other stances they took that I thought were crazy, but their position on ferals tops the cake.
Michelle
