Woman Helps Feral Cats Surviving on Bird Seed in Snow

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.care2.com/causes/woman-helps-feral-cats-surviving-on-bird-seed-in-snow.html




Editor’s note: This post is a Care2 favorite. It was originally published on January 9, 2012. Enjoy!

Written by Sasha Lilly of Ontario, Canada

A few years ago, I lived in a rather rough neighbourhood in Toronto, Canada. There were many feral and abandoned cats there, the result of people “freeing” their unwanted pets or simply not spaying or neutering them. The cats suffered terribly througout the winter, and sadly, many died by freezing or starving or in cars as a result of trying to find a warm place to sleep.

The motor of the car would remain warm for a few hours after the car had been turned off, and the cat would crawl in from underneath the car, cuddle up to the warm motor and fall asleep. They believed that they were safe, but it only took someone starting the car to kill or maim them. This is how the mothers of many kittens died, which meant that many babies were left to survive the terrible Canadian winter alone.

No one really seemed to care. I think they saw the cats as some kind of nuisance. I decided to tell as many people as I could about the danger of cats in their car, hoping they would check before they started the cars in the morning. I also decided to put out as much cat kibble as I could, to keep the cats well fed so that they could stay warm enough to survive.

One night in February, I was very sad as I had just broken up with my long term boyfriend. I had put food out for the strays about an hour earlier, and was staring moodily out the window when I saw two cats sneak into the yard. One was a large male, a short-haired marmalade who walked with a swagger. Behind him came what could easily have been mistaken for a rat.



Lu and Ian snuggling.

FULL story at link.

[nomorenomore08]

1. I love that picture of the little black one sleeping. He/she looks so content.

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. kick

[Eleanors38]

3. Save a cat by Banging on the hood before starting...

engines on cold mornings. Give them some time to clear out. As a mechanic, I had to pick out cat remains from the front of an engine, as well as replace a radiator, belts, a fan (proprietary), and a shroud. It was sad because the cat belonged to the car's owner.

[Samantha]

4. My neighbor told me to always toot the horn on my car before starting it

He said that would prompt any cats sleeping near the engine to evacuate. I always do this after also checking underneath the car because I have noticed some crawl under it to sleep.

We have a number of feral cats in our community. I feed as many of them as I can. It appears no one else cares.

Sam

[XemaSab]

5. Keep your cats in the house

n/t

[brer cat]

6. Thanks for posting these stories, Steve.

It is a pleasure to read them. K&R