neutering ?? help please!

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sootygold
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neutering ?? help please!

Post by sootygold »

Hi all, I'm new on here and need some advice please. Ive been feeding a stray cat in my garden for the last year or so - she must have been someones pet once as she knows how to use a litter tray and loves cuddles and being picked up. She had a litter of kittens somewhere a couple of months ago but kept them well hidden til last week when she turned up with just the one (presumably the only one to survive) who is about 8-10 weeks old and still feeding from his mum.
Now I have about six tom cats harassing her in the garden, all day and all night - I'm assuming she's on heat. I've absolutely had enough of the horrendous noise and fighting, and the fact that my own cat is terrified to go out into his own garden. I'm wondering of the solution is to get her neutered? I cant afford to pay for this but it looks like none of the local animal charities will help unless we are on benefits which we are not. So my questions are:-
1) will anyone help with the cost of neutering a stray if we are not on benefits? Cats protection are supposed to be getting a volunteer to call me but I've heard nothing from them. She's not my cat and I can't afford it on my own.
2) if she were to be neutered can she be returned to the garden straight away or would she need post op care? Given that her kitten is still feeding,(and extremely attached to his mum, though he is able to eat tinned food that I put out for her) is this a bad time for her to be taken away for the day? If its left any longer theres obviously a chance she will be pregnant as I believe she has been mated already by several cats.
3) Much as I love her, she is very aggressive to my beautiful gentle tabby boy and I cant have her to live with me. I also dont want her kitten to grow up feral. Is it possible to socialise the kitten so that he could live with me?
Sorry for all the questions - I feel so torn and confused.
Any advice very gratefully received.
booktigger
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Re: neutering ?? help please!

Post by booktigger »

What area do you live in? If she is a stray, CP should pay for the neutering - aftercare will depend on the vet, ours will keep overnight for them to get over the anaesthetic - if she is pregnant though, it will be a more invasive op, so she would need longer to recover. You might find after she is neutered that she isn't as aggressive - one of our neighbourhood cats was very aggressive, but once we started feeding him he is less aggressive - are you feeding her? You could try socialising the kitten, 6-7 weeks is ideal, but if he is a single kitten, you might have more luck.
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Jacks
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Re: neutering ?? help please!

Post by Jacks »

I don't have much experience in this area, but I had a similar thing happen before I got my first cat. I was feeding a stray cat who emerged with a single kitten at one point (I hadn't realised she was pregnant - knew nothing about cats). The local Toms then came after her again and they were fighting all over the place, trashing our solar lights, etc. I wish I'd known more at the time and trapped the mum to take her to be neutered (yes Cats Protection have arrangements with some vets and even Pets At Home vets will neuter for free if it's a stray you've been feeding for 2 weeks or over). As it was she vanished and left kitten behind - who I started feeding (as you have). Very shy the kitten would eventually come for food when called and rang a little bell and I would sit on the grass and talk to her, just to get her used to me. After a few weeks I managed to catch her in a carrier with food at the back, and took her to the vet. She was between 12 and 16 weeks old. We had her spayed and I kept her. She was cat no 1 and now at 4 years old is the most gentle, loving girl - still very wary of other humans, but totally adorable. Now I have 6 cats (all rescued) and wish I'd done something to help mum, had I known... I still wonder what happened to her :cry:

Please do take mum (if you can get her) for a chip check and if you pick the right vet (Cat's Protection will know which vets are in the TNR (trap/neuter/release) scheme) you'll get it done for free. Even if she goes on being a stray, she will be much safer and better off being spayed. My vet would keep the cat overnight after neutering for £18, which is pretty good I thought.

Take the kitten in. With a peaceable adult to learn from, this little one will have a chance to become a happy domesticated cat. I kept my wild kitten indoors for the first 10 months of her life (on vet's recommendations) and started letting her out once I knew that if she was ever scared, it would be to us and her home she would flee. She's never been a moment's trouble and loves her home and her life. Of course you'll need to get the kitten spayed as soon as she's big enough - they can start coming on heat from about 4.5 months, I believe, and then your resident boy might not be too happy with the males in the neighbourhood coming to call...

Please let us know how you get on.
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bobbys girl
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Re: neutering ?? help please!

Post by bobbys girl »

Jacks is right, some, but not all vets are on the scheme. Our local one is and will lend a trap so you can get the cat to the vets. We have done it with 'our' regular stray, 'Felix'. He was treated for injuries sustained in a fight and neutered at the same time. We thought he would just disappear after that but his visits have become more frequent over the years and he doesn't get into fights anymore (Bob STILL hates him though)
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