Expert: Brandy - 1/24/2007

Question
Dear Brandy,
i had a few cats who i got neutered, so i had no difficulty, one year ago,a cat came from somewhere and stayed on here because there was food outside.she has given birth to six kittens since then. i don't know how to handle this, i want to make them go elsewhere but i don't know how to,there are no shelters also here who will take them.the neighbours are complaining, and i feel very low not being able to handle the situation.i want them to become independant and fend for themselves and go in another area.how do i do it? please help, i have always been very attached to cats,i don't want any harm to come to them,i just want them to go and look for food elsewhere. i can't even keep them hungry,my conscience doesn't allow me to.please help.

Answer
Please try to find out if there are cat rescue groups anywhere near where you live. Since you have neighbors nearby, it doesn't sound as if you're exactly in the middle of nowhere, and perhaps a local vet can point the way to a group that does rescue, or a group that will trap, neuter and release feral cats. You can also try organizations that are attached to large chains like PetSmart and PetCo who work with rescue groups, and even some breed groups have a rescue division, and will travel to help you with your cat, even if she isn't a purebred.

It's hard to 'make them go to another area', and those 6 kittens can easily and surprisingly quickly, cause a population explosion. If you stop the food, the mother cat will switch over to birds (not good), mice (good), and perhaps other pets' food bowls, making  you even less-popular to your neighbors.

I wish you a ton of luck, but please don't give up yet.