help needed with stray cats - in france!

[Ela]

Could your friend adopt them?

And then they can be neutered.

Or even pretend to have adopted them although if you are feeding them I suppose you may as well officially adopt.

I dont understand how a vet wont neuter a cat that isnt owned by anyone but will prescribe a contraceptive

I agree it seems daft. doesn't it?

[Millys Mum]

I dont understand how a vet wont neuter a cat that isnt owned by anyone but will prescribe a contraceptive which would need the animal to be checked on regularly? Long term treatment would cost more than a one off neuter.   

[Claire Hirsch]

Well done you!

Just a thought but if the cats are so hungry I think you or your friend do have a very good chance of trapping them and taking them to a vet.

Could your friend adopt them?

And then they can be neutered.

As I know you know already it really would be the best thing to do for all sorts of reasons. Reliable, better for health of females and also for males (no fights, disease, etc).

[maccat]

good news on our pettit chats! just come back from our visit to the cats and the vets (with the aid of our french speaking friend)

i think i mentioned this little french woman is feeding the cats, we found out shes been feeding them since they arrived. they have never had human contact except for the feeding so it will be a challenge to trap them and find a vet to neuter them.

looks like scraps eye was nothing more than a scratch, and is healing nicely. 

we have a solution for the 2 female cats, we have a female contraceptive pill to give them once a fortnight.  We can stuff it in a bit of chicken and throw it to each of the females. We did it this morning and as they were really hungry they scoffed it down.   We have put a worming powder in the food, not sure how effecive it is compared to tablets but its out only option at this point.  Fleas don't seem to be an issue at the moment, in fact the vet seemed to think they were in really good condition considering they are feral.

So although this is not our ideal outcome its def. a solution to the problem.  When we leave we will leave supplies for the little french woman to feed and care for the cats.

thanks to everyone for their suggestions and support on this one!  i am now very much inspired to continue with all my fundraising efforts.

NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER SURRENDER!

maccat xxx


http://www.petmillions.com - pet photo contest to help raise money for animal charities!

[Ela]

re  Elas post, no we can't adopt the cats we are here for a few weeks.

Clutching at straws now. Can't you even pretend you or your friend who is part of the community have adopted them.

[maccat]

the friend is english but uses the lcoal vets for her own dogs, so she is part of the community (been here a few years).  if we can get them into a cage, and they are not too distressed then i think we can get the vet to treat them.  at the moment we just can't get close without them hissing and growling.

re  Elas post, no we can't adopt the cats we are here for a few weeks.   the SPA (french shelter) is 2 1/2 hour away but i fear they will actually put the cats down.  unlike shelters in england, france only treat and care for cats which have high chances of rehoming.  this is becuase they have a distinct lack of funds compared to uk charities.  the other reason is shelters have little interest from local french people  - from what we know most french people tend to be happier buying a kitten from a garden centre.

will update with news as soon as we have something to report x

[CarolM (Wendolene)]

I bet the vet doesnt know how to deal with ferals and is scared!

I suspect you've got it one there Gill.  This is all so sad.  Its bad enough when nobody cares about the ferals but when you have someone willing to help at their own expense, its unforgivable that such huge obstacles should be put in the way.

Maccat - is your English/French speaking friend English or French?  This is an awful thing to say but if he/she is French you will probably get better results than if he/she is English.  You are living in rural France so you will know what I mean.

[Ela]

Can you not adopt the cats then the vet may neuter/spay them. Also  worse case scenario the vet 2 1/2 hr drive away but what a joy you would have knowing they had been 'done' and treated. If something is not done soon there will be far more worries as there will be more cats. As previously posted translation should be the least of your problems as there are many free translation sites.

There are no problems only solutions.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I bet the vet doesnt know how to deal with ferals and is scared!

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

I don't understand why these people will deal with ferals in one place but not others .... If they are trying to reduce the numbers surely all ferals should be neutered ... otherwise if you control the large population in one area and leave a small group in another area then logic tells you that in a very short time the small group will have developed into a large group as they all breed!  Now I'm no rocket scientist but even I can work this one out on my own!

[Claire Hirsch]

How about you pay the vet in full in advance.

Or give vet credit card details so he can take whatever money he needs.

Surely he can't refuse to neuter and treat the cats for any ailments- such as Scrap's eye if paid up front...

If he's worried that costs may escalate beyond an original calculation then I'd offer to pay way over the odds and he can either refund any money he doesn't use or set it aside "on account" for the next time the kitties need treatment.

[maccat]

a little old french lady approached us, she has been feeding the cats.  she won't take them in as she has 3 already. 

the french are really behind when it comes to animal care, they are reducing feral cats but only in large areas.  we are in a small village, noone really cares about trap and neuter.

we are now trying to contact the maire to see if he can help (with our money!).

our fight to look after these little kitties continues....as you say it makes you despair.  i feel like buying a home here just to house all the cats!

the good news is they are sleeping in our straw shelter, so they can escape the rain.  bad news litte scraps eye is getting worse, and we are not even close to being able to grab him.

thanks to everyone on this one...we now have an english/french speaking friend and we are now able to try and do something.

[Claire Hirsch]

Is it your local vet who's mad or French law?
I can't understand refusing to neuter a cat that someone is paying for.
Perhaps then the option is to pay for the cats to be chipped at the same time so they qualify for neutering?
This sort of news makes me despair. If vets and national laws operate like this then what chance of reducing the feral population?

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Hi Helen,

I know its probably a long shot but there is another person who logs onto this site ... Caroline in the sun .... who is in France.  I get the impression she may be fluent in French and may be able to help you out with talking to the vet http://www.chaptanservices.com/purrs/index.php?topic=998.0

Maybe you could email her.  I'm not sure how close or far you are from each other.  It's just an idea.

Good luck

Sam

[maccat]

we are in rural france - and the vet does not speak english. 

the local vet will not neuter them (even though we will pay) as they are ferral cats and not chipped and owned.  We would have to take them to the SPA which is more than 2 1/2 hours drive fro where we are.  we are talking to the brigitte bardot foundation to see if they can help - but i fear its a long shot.  there just arn't the programs like in the UK & US setup here.  the animal charities tend to focus on areas where there are large problems - i fear my 4 cute cats in a small town won't be taken into consideration.

we just can't get close enough to them at the moment, and with them being in a deralict building there are too many places to hide!

the eye does look a little better - so we are just crossing our fingers mother nature will sort this!

we are hoping to treat them for worms and fleas, we can slip the pills into food (which they yum up)

thanks for the advice all,
helen x

[CarolM (Wendolene)]

I've only just seen this thread so you may already have sorted the problem.  Can't offer any advice on trapping but as far as the language situation goes why not pop into the vets (since its only around the corner) and ask if he/she speaks English.  In my experience of France most professionals do.  I've lost count of the number of times I've struggled through what I wanted to say in French only to be answered in perfect English 

[Ela]

Obviously the little one need to  see a vet ASAP the longer left the more serious it will become, even if you put  the cat in enclosed shopping bag for a few mins it will be better than not going to see the vet. Alternatively the vet may have a trap or know where you can borrow one. I suggest you perhaps get a dog crate to keep it in once it has been to the vets and I hope all the colony will be neutered spayed and treated for fleas and worms. Perhaps you could type what you want to say in English and then translate it on one of  the many free translation sites.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Gorgeous cats

Sorry cant help but hope that someone can come up with a good idea.

[Millys Mum]

Please be careful if you try to pick him up, they freak very quickly, so watch your face.

[maccat]

hey sam,

i wanted to give them posh names as they are such troubled cats... i am so far from a prada and gucci life but as you say a girl can dream..

just been down to see them, they seem to like their new hay bed

helen xx

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Can't offer any advice I'm afriad.  Love the names you have given them .... I think their names say more about you then the kitties ... Prada, Gucci!!!  You sound like my kind of a shopper! LOL (shame it's only window shopping though  )

Hope you manage to get to the vet and get kittens eye sorted.

All the best

Sam

[maccat]

Hello Everyone

Some of you may know me from managing the petmillions.com website. 

I need some advice from anyone involved in cat rescue and welfare.  There is a group of stray cats living in a derelict house in this french village (where we are at the moment). The nextdoor neighbours are feeding them (adhoc but enough I presume by their health).  We have been here a few weeks and have taken on feeding them with a better diet catered around the kitten in the group.  The current shelter they have is wet, based on this biting winter cold we have turned a new dustbin into a shelter with straw/hay mix for warmth (which they seem to be sleeping in).  We are giving them a mix of dried and wet food including fresh meats whenever possible.

Here are the cats: http://www.tigerstep.com/images/chezchat.jpg   ( yes i have named them as they deserve all the attention they can!)

The little kitten on the left called SCRAPS, has an oozing eye, the lower lid is very swolen and blue in color.  We are getting closer to him, and i think i could pick him up for a few moments.  Can anyone shed any light on what this eye problem may be (based on experience of feral cats).  I may be able to pick him up long enough to wipe/clean it.  I am hoping to get him to a vet soon (one around the corner from this house which is perfect as not very far to take him) but this may be a struggle as I need to find someone who can talk to a french vet!

Any advice much appreciated

Helen x