Advice welcome!

[Bridgette]

My crazy, wacko upstairs neighbor is somewhat of a cat hoarder. She has countless cats in her apartment. A while ago, I heard her yelling at them and she threw (not literally) them out of her apartment. Well, since then, they have been living in the parking lot. There is this shanty of a shelter set up for them and our other neighbors feed them. Lately, other strays have been hanging around. There are now 10 or 12 cats just hanging out in the parking lot. One of the cats seems sickly. He is painfully thin. One of the females had kittens. It's a sad sight and it breaks my heart to hear them crying.

I am not interested in taking any of them in. Since I lost my cat to thyroid cancer, I can't bring myself to get another. I am still upset and I worry about having another cat with medical problems. On top of the cancer, Goliath (my cat) had a urinary issue where he would "clog". We eventually had to get surgery to widen his urethra. I spent upwards of $10,000 on him and I am not prepared to do that again.

Anyway, I want to get these cats to a shelter. There is a no kill cat shelter by me, but they won't come get the cats. I would have to trap them and take them there. I would be willing to do this, but my upstairs neighbor feels that they are still her cats and sees nothing wrong with how they are living. She doesn't work, so she is home basically 24/7. How can I go about helping these cats? If she saw me trapping them, I don't doubt for a minute that she would try to hit me. She is literally insane. Do I just continue to look the other way with these cats? I don't know why my landlord hasn't stepped in....

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

That is insane! If they aren't neutered or spayed they will continue to have kittens over and over again and before you know it you will have a billion cats. Can you maybe trap them on a day when your neighbor goes out?

 

[Bridgette]

I was thinking that, too. Maybe when I am off for the summer, I can be more watchful and see when she leaves. She is married, so she AND her husband would have to be gone. I really want to voice my concerns to my landlord and maybe he can FORCE her to do something. It's just a shame the way they live. One of the cats had kittens late last fall, and I don't think the kittens made it. Either that, or they left once weaned. And we live on a relatively busy street. I don't understand how she can do this to her pets. She still has 4 of them in her apartment.

 

[Doodle Bird]

At night maybe...try to get just a couple at a time. Then perhaps she won't notice until it's too late.

 

[Bridgette]

That would work, except there is a very bright motion flood light right outside. She has told me on several occasions that, since she is an insomniac, she looks outside every time the light goes off. Perhaps she is exaggerating. Would it be safe to set the traps at night and then scoop the cats up before work? Would they be okay in a cat trap for 8 hours or so?

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

The cats would yell over night to get out of the cages. You could stay up and go out to get them as you hear the trap go off. (attach bells or something). Your best course of action is to contact your local humane society. They can come and get the cats. Yes, they would probably put down any who are ill or need expensive care, but they would at least have a chance. You tell your landlord and he might try to poison them all; the place where I worked did that and I was furious but powerless.

The only other solution is to establish a managed colony of ferals. You would need someone to manage the colony and it can be an extensive job. The cats would be collected one by one, given a health check, spayed and neutered and then returned to the site. The cats in the feral pride then keep the other outside ferals from moving in. It works, feral cats don't get euthanized unless they are ill and you get to keep the cats in your area. Talk to your fellow tennants in the area and the neighbors about it. There is a feral cat organization in Baltimore, MD who manages many colonies down in MD and sends out info on how to establish this kind of caretaking. It is called Alley Cat Allies. The system is called TNR (trap, neuter, release) and was first used in England to control feral cat populations.

 

[Bridgette]

Wow! Thanks for all the information!

I would love it if they could be vetted and spayed/neutered! However, do you think it is cruel to have them live in this climate out in the elements? I see you are in PA, so you understand the harsh winters and some of the hot and humid summer days. I wish I knew how to build stuff; I would make them a little house. They are literally living in a pet taxi with a filthy towel in it. There isn't enough room for all of them in there.

I will try to get pics soon. I am just somewhat scared of this lady. I really don't know what she is capable of.

 

[kcbee]

I have heard of groups that will spay/neuter stray cats. In fact, I've seen them on the news. I don't know if you have any in your area. But it is worth looking into!

You could also call the humane society. Yes, some may be put down, which is sad. But if they are that ill they would die soon on the streets. Most of them will be put up for adoption and live happy lives.

Trying to trap them yourself sounds dangerous for many reasons. One, your own health and safety (feral cats can be vicious), and two, the fact that your neighbor sounds unstable.

What a crappy situation!!! I don't understand people.

 

[Shes_so_european]

I would call the ASPCA and have them take care of it. tell them your situation and hers and maybe they can convince her with the threat of a fine or criminal charges to give them up or take the original cats back in and or have the original cats and kittens fixed if she wants them outside and improve living outdoor conditions

 

[Cephus]

Trap the cats, if she attacks you, call the cops and have her put away. It's probably best for all involved. Get the cats to the shelter. If they're outdoor cats without any identifying collars or registration, they're not hers.

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

The feral cat info shows you how to build straw shelters for the cats so they don't get frostbite in the winter; just a matter of stacking straw bales in a certain manner and putting plastic on the bales to keep the rain from going straight through them. Lots of low cost, practical ways to manage a feral colony. Hay can be as cheap as a dollar a bale; three bucks or so in the city. Get your landlord's permission if you are setting up a feral colony. Maybe you could talk to the owner lady and get her to help; she says they are her cats. Make a friend of her instead of fearing her; not many mentally/emotionally impaired people are actually violent, but they often talk violence to make people leave them alone because of their insecurity. Try treating her like a person and not a crazy lady and see where it gets you. I can't imagine anyone who would embrace the idea of a managed feral colony than the 'owner' of the cats. And it solves the population problem.

 

[Bridgette]

I could try to set up some sort of colony, but I'm not sure my landlord would approve. I occasionally hear him yell at her about them. Once I am done with work for the summer, I am going to be a lot more proactive about the whole situation. Something needs to be done soon. There were 4 kittens about a week or so ago, but now they are gone. The mother cat looks awful. I will try to get pics one of these days when the lady isn't around.