A feral cat, and an owner's moral/financial dilemma

[City of Mills]

In November of 2002 I moved into a condo complex, and within a few weeks I became aware of a small feral/unwanted housecat colony on the property. Some kind soul had taken the trouble to build a shelter in a quiet spot near the wooded property line, and soon my wife and I began keeping up with it, stocking with water, food, etc. Our new neighbors told us the colony had been there for at least two years, and there were about 6 cats left in the colony (a no-kill shelter had swept through earlier and got almost 20 cats).

Eventually we managed to trap all of the cats - three clearly discarded housecats (people sometimes leave their animals behind when the move from these places), the other three a family (mom and two daughters) with the daughter cats being born feral. We managed to find new homes for the housecats, but ultimately we could not adopt out the mother and daughters. With time and patience, these cats eventually came around to us, the mother cat. The youngest (and neediest) cat was a small tuxedo named Gypsy - absolutely terrified of people, and just a pitiful, anxious mess altogether. To make a very long story short, The mother and her other daughter were eventually adopted by a family friend whom they learned to trust, and Gypsy stayed with us.

A few years have passed, the wife has moved on and I now find myself living with the company of my houscat Buddy and my ever-companion, Gypsy. Not that anyone I know would believe I have two cats - no one ever catches a glimpse of my mysterious 'black and white' cat. Gypsy spends her days living under my bed for the most part, only coming out when I am laying quietly on the couch watching TV. That's the only time I see this skittery, nervous cat look at ease. It's the only time I hear her purr.

Just this past week, I noticed Gypsy really bad breath and I became concerned - she had never been to a vet since she had been processed (trapped, examined, vaccinated, spayed) originally. She was a nightmare to transport - I have the emotional and physical scars to prove it. She never means to hurt, she was just so afraid of people. I'm the only one she trusts at all. Anyways, it turns out her teeth and gums are pretty bad (at 5 years old!), she will need several pulled and will need to have her mouth flushed out nightly for a few weeks. The total for the oral surgery would be about $1200, and the vet went over every item on the list and I felt his cost (considering what was required) was being very reasonable.

Folks, I just can't do it. I can't afford to provide the treatment that this animal needs to enjoy a reasonable quality of life. Who knows how much pain she is in right now, animals can mask pain so well sometimes. A few years back, a similar vet emergency came up with a cat we had (and still have to this day), he needed emergency surgery which came to $2500 and I'm probably still paying interest on it. I hate that I have to decide whether a living thing lives or dies based on my financial situation. It stings. This is unbelievably hard for me. But I have to be the grownup here. The worst part is knowing that I'm the only living creature this cat trusts, and I have to make this choice now.

Thanks for letting me get that out.

[MissB]

1. I understand.

There are no easy answers.

Have you considered talking to the local humane society to see if there are other resources for the surgery that may be more affordable?

You've done a wonderful thing by taking care of those cats all these years. Now you're faced with a painful choice, but I hope that whatever you do you take comfort in the fact that you were able to help the cats for so long.

[applegrove]

2. I'm so sorry for your dilemma. I wouldn't know what to do so I won't give you

any advice except to say you did a good turn for this feral cat and his mates. Don't forget that.

[Bunny]

3. You did right by Gypsy long ago, when you took her in and gave her a home.

Without you, she almost certainly wouldn't have had the many years of security and comfort that you've given her.

Please don't beat yourself up if you cannot afford her treatment. If no other options turn up, let her go - with a clear conscience and the many good memories that you have of her secure in your heart.

I know this is hard, but you're a kind soul and you deserve peace of mind. Take care. :hug:

[hatredisnotavalue]

4. Definitely bring the cat to a no-kill humane society

Let them make the decision if the cat should be treated. Those people can do wonderful things with domesticating little wild ones and making decisions on who should be treated. If you feel guilt, donate some cash on your way out.

I live across the street from a cat shelter of dubious reputation. Rather than pay the $10 drop off fee, people just let the cats out of their car and drive off. I drew the line at six, I probably could have 50 right now if I took them all in. One of my kids got bitten by one and we had to go thru the whole ER thing. Cost...$400. I took that cat to the humane society, 100 miles round trip, and have done the same with all of the others that show up at our door.

This is the way I handle it. There are children dying of starvation in the world, and I wish I could feed them all but I can't cause I have to feed my own kids. Do what you can. I buy a $25 bag of cat food every Christmas for the shelter across the street. I bring along a bag of food to the humane society when I have to drop off a stray cat. That's all I can do and I am okay with that. I wish I could do more, but I can't. But at least it's something, no matter how small.

Hope this helps :)

[City of Mills]

5. This is good advice

And I agree, checking with the no-kill shelters is a great idea...unfortunately, I foster for the area no-kill shelter and we're beyond capacity. It's unreal what people will do; I'd work the adoption days at petsmart (they loaned us the space, we didn't sell ccats) and people would drive up and leave their cats outside while we adopted out our cats inside.

I just hope anyone reading this and thinking about getting a cat considers adopting a pet from a no-kill shelter. These animals are in desparate need of a home, and they're often the sweetest, most gentle animals given the right supporting environment. So many people would look past the older cats at our adoptions and just ask us if we had kittens...

[ThomCat]

6. I am very sorry that you have to make that decision.

I know I'm very lucky that my cats are all far healthier than I am. I would be a mess if I had to lose one of my cats purely for lack of funds. :(

:hug:

I hope you can find a way to get her that care.

I also have a skittish rescued tuxedo cat. She has to be kept separate from my other two cats and from most people because she cowers under my bed. I keep the door closed and that's her private territory. She comes out whenever I'm in my room, and jumps up on my bed to play.

I have long thought that there is something about tuxedo cats that make them more prone to being skittish and neurotic. I don't know what or why, but most really fearful cats I've met have been tuxedos.

[bluethruandthru]

7. Is her treatment an all or nothing proposition?

I'm just wondering if some work can be done now and more as you can afford it. It seems a little extreme to talk of putting her down because of dental problems.

[suzaloola]

8. Well..

$1,200 seems very high to me. My friend recently had her cat have 5 teeth pulled, which left the cat with only 5 teeth. Then the cat was on pain meds for 5 days along with a week of antibiotics. $350.
Anyway sorry about your cat.

[FloridaJudy]

9. Do you have a local vet school?

Sometimes they'll do the work for free, or at a considerably reduced cost. I wouldn't pass her on to the local animal shelter: it sounds like Gypsy is not really adoptable, and there are more humane ways of euthanasia, not to mention the trauma of having her caged.

If you can't afford the work she'll need to enjoy a good quality of life, then I'd let her go. Some vets will make house calls to put animals down. It sounds like she's already been through enough in her short life.

I hate that you have to make this sort of decision. It's never easy. :hug: