Still being bombared with mum & kittens, but not sure we can now help?

[Millys Mum]

He'll get more attention now Julie 

[dabs]

Ahh yes, I forgot to mention the emotional blackmail bit, don't you just love people? 

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

I just fielded a call from a woman who said "The cat will be fed tonight, tomorrow morning and then no more!" I called her back and said I'd passed her number onto the RSPCA who have logged her details and her message. Pinkbear Towers is full and OH is begining to sprout whiskers and a tail and we have more Felix pouches in the house than human food . 

Back to the pub! 

[dabs]

We are all in the same boat arn't we? Impatient public who think that you are there at their beck and call and refuse to take into account that you too have a life, a home and a family and in some cases a job, full time or otherwise. I have just shifted over to make room for 3 semi feral babies and that is me chocka in the house now, pregnant queen in the spare room, 2 crates in the front room and another foster snoring on the end of my bed. My front room stinks of tom cat cause of where the kittens were.  I am having two pens put up on Tuesday and I already have guests waiting to move in!

As frustrating as it is, I always shed a quiet tear when they have gone off to their new homes. But I think I shed more tears of frustration over the humans who have no idea of the lengths we go to. I think we should make all humans do a kitten season, they may learn then! 

[Dawn (DiddyDawn)]

I suggest you all switch your phones off and join me.

I wish    I'm now off to sunny Manchester to do some trapping so wish me luck, and have a drink for me 

[Canterbury_cats (Sharon)]

Monday... Took in a cat due to be PTS at one of the vets, been in care for 2wks, Thin as a feather. Now in a backup pen.
Took call for mum and two kittens being fed by a 90 year old person who can no longer cope
Cat dropped of by a member the public who contacted us about a week ago. Can had suspected cystitis told her to get it to the vets which she didnt do and then we filled up the pen, so she brought it in on monday when we had no room anyhows. Now at the vets

Tues. Abandoned cat outside our area being kicked!
Fiesty male puss at the vets dumped by member of the public. Vets keeping until we have room (may be Sept time)
Mum and kitten left behind when someone went into a hostel

Wed
Stray very poorly cat that needs trapping.. Sounds not very good. We can treat but not take in.
Email from someone who is disabled about a negleted cat that is trying to get into rescue,  took in one after being kicked but other she cannot afford to take in. He is a full tom, offered to neuter but again outside our area.
A women who has being going through domestic violence situation, cat cannot go with her. In tears down the phone.

All these calls in three days. !!

[Angiew]

Chin up, folks! I've fed and watered my furbabes (resident and fosters) and they are snoozing in the sun.  We get about 8 days of summer each year so why miss it?     

  is grey and raining here.........

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

I think we are all doing the best we can and feeling guilty is counter productive and pointless. Guilt never magic'd up an extra pen or a rehoming enquiry.  Sad though it is, we know there are too many homeless cats and not enough homes and eventually full capacity is reached and exceeded. With no homing movement, everything freezes and it highlights the true picture. 

Thankfully, this won't last for ever and we know that soon the homing will pick up. So its a question of making folks understand they have no option than than to be patient. We will take in their puds eventually, just not now. 

Chin up, folks! I've fed and watered my furbabes (resident and fosters) and they are snoozing in the sun. I am taking a leaf out of their book and I'm off to the pub for a nice jacket potato and shandy in the beer garden. I suggest you all switch your phones off and join me. There is no point in us worrying ourselves sick over things we can't change. We get about 8 days of summer each year so why miss it?     

[purrlover]

I know you are all bombarded I am the fosterer with the broken foot so feel really bad, but can't weight bare and my daughter who would help me is away till sunday. It doesn't rain but it pours 

[Angiew]

In the last 30 mins -

phonecall 1 - "I'm at the house thought you were going to be here midday to collect the cats" . It turns out to be the daughter in law of a lady who died. I had the original call yesterday about one cat. I said we could prob. pick it up on thursday, only to be called at 9am to be told the neighbour was keeping. Now out of the blue - 2 cats?? This particular caller was a teacher who had taken time off to travel 25 miles to get to the house and was also a full time farmer. (Don't know why this was supposed to impress me, I kept thinking you obviously didn't like your mum very much and a farm must have room for 2 cats surely!) - anyway , almost ran out of the door to collect then refused to be railroaded. Sorry, we're full and I refused to be lectured to.

Email2 - we're moving into shared accomodation this evening and have one cat I can't take and another cat I need to be fostered for a couple of months and I'll have back. (she phoned just before 9 and left the same message). Email back to say sorry no room, we have waiting lists and suggest she tries the other numbers on catchat. I also see she is trying to give these away via freecycle.

Email3 - Moving into rented accomodation. Need to get rid of 2 cats. no time limit specified, again is trying to put on freecycle and I had to suggest the free ad sites as well.

At the risk of becoming a ranting rescue, people deserve to be shot and I just hope I don't shout at the next caller!!!

We can all only do so much and we are doing it.

[Dawn (DiddyDawn)]

I spoke to our other local rescue a couple of days ago, they've turned down loads of mums and kittens, doesn't surprise me though as these were feral ones    If anyone does want a plea putting out if they are inundated, I'd be more than happy to help but can't guarantee anything with the time of year 

[Desley (booktigger)]

We are getting more calls about young adults, very few mums and kittens, although I know of two other rescues round here who have loads, and one was struggling to find homes for them (Will get an update on Sun), with very few people wanting to rehome. We are having to pass out other rescues numbers, but tell them to get back to us if they can't find anywhere else, and just had an e-mail off our new fosterer to say she has a broken foot, so her two fosters need putting somewhere.

[Dawn (DiddyDawn)]

I've had another call today about a mum and babies, it's a nightmare    This is a mum from a colony I was doing last year so will have to be sorted but thankfully mum can go back when the kittens are weaned.  If you're full, sadly theres not a lot that can be done, I'm just putting pleas out for any more that I know about and hoping for the best 

[Angiew]

Your rehoming them earlier?

sorry to clarify, only if they can take mum and babies in.....

[Millys Mum]

Your rehoming them earlier?

[Angiew]

It hurts to refuse doesn't it? Try not to feel too bad - its not your fault, not your problem (I know, that line of reasoning doesn't help really)

Have you tried a radio appeal/ appeal to local papers asking for one off volunteers with a spare room to help?
 I've even got people on a kitten waiting list to help - on the basis that they have the babies from whenever old as opposed to the 9 weeks.

[Teresa Pawcats]

I was already full last week and ended up taking in a feral mum and her kittens Tinkle Lu and Lulu, then I squeezed in Galadriel and then on Sunday squeezed in very Poorly mum and her 5 feral kittens. My doors are now strictly closed, today alone I have been unable to help a 2 year old and worst of all a mother cat and 2 feral kittens all I could do was offer alternate numbers for people to try, I feel terrible about the mum and kittens though in fairness I have told the caller to get back in touch if no other rescue will help.
At the end of the day we all do what we can and a little bit more and we get to the point where common sense must prevail, overcrowding encourages disease, with the best will in the world we can only provide a high standard of care for so many and then of course there is the financial aspect. I have no alternative but to refuse and pass on other numbers.

[Canterbury_cats (Sharon)]

I am not sure if many Purrs people are Kent based, but we are really suffering from kittens this year..and due to pens not being available we have stopped taking cats in completely.. We have several cats in our care that are too poorly to be rehomed yet so they are with us for much longer then the in and out ones..We also seem to of been targeted by local vets that we dont usually hear from with regard to strays and asking us to help.

Yesterday besides getting homes for a few cats we took in more then we rehomed and today i have another call from a mum and kitten left when people went into hostel.. Thats besides the call about the mum and two kittens i had yesterday..

Referred to us by the vets i don't see how we can help..

What do other rescues do when pushed up against the wall? I really dont know what to say to people now..