Author Topic: Any thoghts on keepong farm cats? (Read 16205 times)

doganjo · « **Reply #15 on:** August 27, 2011, 05:20:26 pm »

Quote

I am alergic to cats so I cant have them as pets

So am I! And to dogs! Do you think I am going to give up either of them? NO WAY! I just take a citirzene tablet every day for the rest of my life. No allergy. Simples.

plumseverywhere · « **Reply #16 on:** August 28, 2011, 08:13:25 am »

Its around 6 months of age for neutering, Buffy and you can rehome at about 10 weeks (so do earlier but we always wait a little longer). Boys have to have a pair of garden pea's before the vet will do the deed, our kitten bobby had several trips to the vet to have his pea's checked but alas, the speeding prison staff on our road got to him before the op could be done in the end.
The cat protection league will help with financing the neutering of feral cats - http://www.cats.org.uk/transport.aspx?404;http://www.cats.org.uk:80/what-we-do/neutering/feral-neutering

We have goats and sheep here and have always had cats. Our hay and feed is stored where the moggies can't get. we have some amazing rats brought into the house as caught by snowball, the siameseX, as they are attracted to the chicken house. sometimes the rats are dead, other times she brings them in for company (bless...)

Buffy the eggs layer · « **Reply #17 on:** August 28, 2011, 04:19:50 pm »

Thanks Plums,

I have contacted cats protection about nutering farm cats and they said that they would come and trap them all in a week or so. Given that they are just being weaned, Im guessing that they would keep them all and neuter mum in a couple of weeks when the kittens are old enough to no longer need her. Im not sure if they will offer me them back or just keep them and put them through their homing process.

Im concerned that the mum has what sounds like a little chesty cough. And now one of the kittens has it too. Could this be feline aids? and if so will they have to be put to sleep?

Buffy

plumseverywhere · « **Reply #18 on:** August 28, 2011, 05:28:52 pm »

I guess it could be a multitude of conditions bearing in mind that they are running wild and probably not vaccinated against anything. One of my older cats developed feline asthma, it was worse in summer and she coughed a lot. I made the decision to have her PTS as she was an outdoor girl and being trapped inside would have been torture for her I felt.
Could it be furballs? is she long haired?
Only person who can really help would be the vet but my limited knowledge of feline aids is that normally cats presenting with it (early stages) are losing weight and not eating with swollen lymph glands. I've seen many cats looking for homes via CPL who are positive to feline aids so not PTS but taken to very special homes. Of course the fact that this little lass is sexually active with goodness knows how many Toms will leave her predisposed to lots of nasty illnesses. another good reason for people to get their cats neutered

I'm glad she has found you, it sounds like she has arrived somewhere that she will get the help she needs and her litter of gorgeous kittens too.
If you say you want to home some I'm sure they'd give you the best possible chance to!! you've already shown these cats more love than anyone else for some time it seems. and...they already know their way about your place!

waterhouse · « **Reply #19 on:** August 28, 2011, 09:32:35 pm »

Jeeves, one of our ferals, collected a hideous chest infection that nearly killed him and allowed me to catch him and take him to the vet. That was nearly three years ago and from time to time he does his Darth Vader impressions but is generally ok.

Ferals prefer the tough independent life, don't catch well and don't like vets. Cloud of claws and fur comes to mind.

Buffy the eggs layer · « **Reply #20 on:** August 29, 2011, 09:36:26 am »

Thanks for the reassurance you two,

This bunch have certainly made the place home. they spend their time around the house, sunbathing and play firghting on the door mat. And are all keen to nip into the kitchen at any oppertunity to see what goes on there.

I have checked out the CPL and they want £85 to adopt a cat! If they want to take them and treat them thats great but if they would expect me to adopt them back it would be impossible.

My OH thinks we should keep them now but I cant afford to have them all vacs and sniped. The coughing does sound a little like a fur ball so may not be a cause for concern though they are not long haired.

Buffy

MelRice · « **Reply #21 on:** August 29, 2011, 10:45:49 am »

Our vet advised getting mum nutered as soon as poss after having the kittens...we did and it was not a problem at all. cant remember how old the kittens were when they were done but as soon as poss for them too was our vets advice. (mum was left too long and had her own babies when she was about a year old!)

Hopewell · « **Reply #22 on:** August 29, 2011, 11:44:47 am »

Kittens can be castrated/spayed from probably 4 months old. Actually Cats Protection vets will do them younger than that. Conventionally vets have said 6 months to do the deed but quite a lot of cats will be pregnant at 6 months - certainly in the on-farm or feral situation. The problem then is of course they aren't much more than kittens themselves and don't develop properly into the cats they should be. They will then be pregnant again maybe as soon as 8 weeks after kittening. Probably they will have a break from breeding over the winter but that's not guaranteed. In this run down condition they are prone to infections and cat flu in its various forms is not uncommon in these situations, so it may be the chest infection is part of this. Worms may also be a problem with ferals.
Feline aids (FIV) is sometimes an issue but it mostly just makes the prone to infections or makes it difficult to fight infections. Enlarged glands is more associated with feline leukaemia which in other ways is similar to feline aids - also a lot less common than it used to be.
If you are trapping these cats I would get them spayed/castrated. They could be injected or spot-on wormer while they are asleep, and if you are worried about feline aids they can be blood tested for it while they are asleep. Vaccinating for cat flu could be done but you'll probably never manage to catch them again for their second dose. -Usually if you trap ferals once, you don't manage it a second time.

Buffy the eggs layer · « **Reply #23 on:** August 29, 2011, 03:44:51 pm »

Thanks everyone for all your advice and knowledge,

I will see what cats protection say when they get back in touch. I did also notice on the site that they insisted that the cats are kept in for one month and that they are permanently kept in on an evening for the rest of their lives. Not sure that many indoorr cats would tollerate that.let alone feral cats.

Is it me or is modern life very complicated and expensive..... $:-\$

Buffy

Roxy · « **Reply #24 on:** August 30, 2011, 10:12:23 am »

I have a lot of farm cats - split over two farms. Some, I can stroke - mostly the toms which is a shame, as I would prefer the females so they can be speyed. They all come for feeding twice a day, but are very independent otherwise ......unfortunately if they are ill, are injured, my only option is to leave them and hope they recover, and they seem to. Tried trapping the females, but ended up with the boys in the cage. I did sucessfully catch 4 females and they are speyed.

I lost two farm cats to wheezy chests, and I do wonder if it was cat flu, or TB from the badgers. The vet was unsure, but said it could be a number of things with them being part feral. The kittens are all born healthy, and only thing we do get is sticky eyes, but kittens are easier to catch, and the problem can be sorted.

My problem will arise when we have to move them with the farm being sold. Could have to move the cats within the next 6 weeks. I have refused to leave them but have to accept that some I may be unable to trap. And also we need to move a long way off, so they cannot walk back. But at least I could get them all speyed or neutered.

goosepimple · « **Reply #25 on:** August 30, 2011, 11:22:24 am »

Oh Roxy, I just read this and you sound very caring. It's the price they pay for being wonderfully free that if they are ill they then can't all get the treatment you would like. Let's hope the people who buy the farm are considerate too, not everyone would bother to try to get them and have them neutered. Fingers crossed

Roxy · « **Reply #26 on:** August 31, 2011, 11:23:52 pm »

Thank you, Goosepimple.

I do think farm cats are pretty healthy with living outside. We have never had any serious illnesss, other than the ones with the wheezy chest. Sometimes they are limping, which is likely to be either a nail caught on something they pounced on to catch, or maybe a stone off the dry stone wall landed on their foot, but they come right, and we have the usual torn ears where the toms have been fighting. When they have coughs and colds, they curl up in the old caravan where they live, and go to sleep for a few days!!

I do manage to worm them - if you can imagine lots of dishes lay out wth cat food on, and wormer hidden among it. They are crafty though, and will not eat the tablets, but can usually get away with powder if its well mixed, or the liquid. As to fleas, I spray all their bedding, and them too if I can get near enough!!! The friendly ones, I do spot on on their fur.

goosepimple · « **Reply #27 on:** September 01, 2011, 12:54:36 pm »

We had a tom cat a long time back who lived until he was 19 - he limped for about the last year and a half of his life - we and the vet considered it to be arthritis - a few months before he died I noticed his mouth was gaping open - called the vet and to cut a long story short, he had fluid on his lungs, we had it emptied a couple of times and after each emptying he stopped limping, so not arthritis at all, must have been pain from his lungs/chest making it sore to walk. We eventually put him down as it seemed unfair to stress him with the lung emptying, so perhaps the limping may be hiding something more sinister, You can only do your best for the wee things though and it's always good to hear people taking proper care of things.

Buffy the eggs layer · « **Reply #28 on:** September 01, 2011, 08:43:00 pm »

Thanks Goosepimple and Roxy,

the latest update is that I called the RSPCA who were very helpful they are prepaired to check them all over, neuter mum and treat any health problems as long as the cats can be contained and caught. They wont be able to come for a few days so I set up the very large dog crate in the feedbarn where they sleep and fed them in it several times today.

I feel a little sorry for the cats and the chickens as much of my life has been spent training horses and dogs so the cats and chickens get trained the same way!

I plan to get them all coming to breakfast in the dog crate every day until the RSPCA man comes. Then I will be able to shut the door on them without them feeling trapped or freaked out.

Idealy the RSPCA would like to return them to me so I will keep the mum and I have found a home for a couple of others. Any takers for the remaining two?

They will be too young to neuter just yet but will be eligable for snipping through the RSPCA once they are of age.

Buffy