dumping cats in the country

someone dumped a little kitten in our snowbank yesterday, 5 degrees f outside..we have adult cats, they hate the kitten but we won't just let it freeze to death.

we brought it in and fed it..it was even house broken and very sweet..why do people do these things.

looking for a home for her now..as we can't keep her..our adult cats likely would kill her.

thank goodness you found her in time! how awful. I wish people would put an animal down rather then dump it in the middle of nowhere. she's a pretty little thing. maybe an ad on craigslist for a christmas kitten would find her a home. our old house was a dumping ground for dogs. every year there would be several dumped. most were eventually hit by cars. it was no use calling rescue organizations, no one ever had room. our little mango was one we kept. I am so glad we did. after overcoming some trust issues she became a great dog and is close to my daughter...she's great.....except around strangers...... she'll try and take their fingers off if they touch her

i put an ad on craigslist at about 10 am and by noon had a call and by 2 she was gone..to a lovely family..she was asleep in their arms before they left

Brenda what a great story . . . I love a happy ending ♥

What a shame that animals are treated that way.  It's only a few dollars to have one put down and free in our area to drop one off at a shelter.

Right now we have two new rescued kittens - Princess Buttercup and Westley (sister and brother).  They were dumped and about to become Ferrel, when a gal saw a bird of prey carry one of them off.  She formed a posse and rounded the last three kittens up.  She kept one and I took the two others. 

Our first rescued cat, Sweet Pea, doesn't like them but there is now an understanding I think.

beautiful..well the sad thing is..the people that dumped her could have put the same free ad on craigslist that i did and got the same response that i did..and maybe they wouldn't have put themselves in the category of evil doers..had they made a better choice.

I have 5 cats.

We've found or given homes to many cats over the years. 3 of our first 4 cats lived well into their teens as indoor only cats.

I'm so glad to hear of the happy outcome with the kitten you found.  Thanks for posting it!

I wish people would put an animal down rather then dump it in the middle of nowhere.


check ur local law this could land u in jail 


MORO - Walter Nettleton of Moro now faces three criminal charges after allegedly shooting his own dog and burying it in his yard.

A Madison County grand jury handed up an indictment today accusing Nettleton, 54, of aggravated cruelty to animals and obstructing justice, both felonies. He is also accused of possessing a firearm without a firearm owner’s identification card.

Nettleton allegedly shot the St. Bernard named Max three times with a .357 Magnum handgun on Oct. 21 and falsely told a deputy that he shot the dog with a gun he borrowed from a friend.

Sheriff’s deputies investigated after neighbors reported that Nettleton had shot a dog outside his home in the first block of Haven Street. The sheriff’s department, in a news release last week, said there was evidence the dog had health problems. Animal control officers exhumed the dog’s remains as part of the investigation.

Stephanee Smith, a spokeswoman for the Madison County state’s attorney’s office, said prosecutors believe the first shot hit one of the dog’s legs, the second its chest and the third its head. She said evidence about the dog’s health was not conclusive.

The aggravated cruelty law makes it a crime to cause serious injury or death to a pet except for euthanasia through recognized methods approved by the Department of Agriculture.

Jeff Squibb, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Agriculture, said the department follows the American Veterinary Medical Association’s guidelines on euthanasia. He said lethal injection is the preferred method of euthanasia for dogs but a lethal gunshot is appropriate when it is the only practical method available. When used for euthanasia, gunshots should be administered in such a way as to cause death quickly and painlessly, he said.

Nettleton’s bail was set at $20,000.

carbonout wrote:


....... the first shot hit one of the dog’s legs, the second its chest and the third its head. She said evidence about the dog’s health was not conclusive.

........but [i]a lethal gunshot is appropriate when it is the only practical method available. When used for euthanasia, gunshots should be administered in such a way as to cause death quickly and painlessly, he said.

Nettleton’s bail was set at $20,000.

that dude should be in jail. he isn't in jail for putting an animal down he is in jail because he is cruel or a complete idiot. it doesn't take three shots to kill a horse (usually) much less a st. bernard. that isn't putting an animal down that is torturing it. and quite frankly has no relationship to what I was talking about doing. shoot animals humanely is done everyday, it is not illegal. you can't euthanize food animals with drugs.

this morning I got an email and was basically told i was an idiot for putting the kitten on craigslist and giving it to the people that came.

"they probably were going to feed it to a snake" I was told

well they weren't..they brought their daughter and it was going to be her pet..not snake food..

but would they rather i let it die in the cold?

my husband also had heard about people going to jail for shooting animals so there was no way we would have put it down

my problem was..why couldn't the original owner had taken the time to put the ad in craigslist and probably get the same result i did..rather than haul it into a vehicle and drive miles to dump it far away from their house where it wouldn't have care or food when it was 5 degrees out??

I agree with you Leah. I was hoping that the guy from moro was a bad shot, or to grief struck to aim well. Youthanizing your family pet is not easy.

Sort of off topic but when i went to my grandpa's house in the summer i had to work. I sold Chickens like or cleaned. I had to clean them also. Anyhow lets just say my first few chickens sold cleaned didn't die very well for me.  I wish they would have. I couldn't eat chicken for years.

How wonderful of you Brenda, to find a home for that cat! People freak out about craigslist and the Internet, but if you follow common sense, it's perfectly reasonable the majority of the time.

Wow, not being able to hit a St. Bernard! That does sound like that guy was...well, I can't type that here.

You know, my daughter had pet rats when she was in grade school, and one was dropped on its head. It wasn't right, and needed to be put down. No way were we going to pay a vet bill for a rat, and we were all too squeamish to wring its neck or anything. So we put it in a box out in the back yard, the kids' dad pulled out his .45, and it took just one shot through the head. This from the guy who never could bag a deer or even a fish all twenty years we were married! If he could kill a rat in one shot, ANYBODY could take care of a large dog in one shot!

don't worry brenda. I highly doubt that kitty went to be snake food. there are some people out there that will do it but from my experience in the herp world....you would have got a pretty icky feeling from the people who came to pick it up and wouldn't have sent it home with them if that were the case. the only people I have known (yes, unfortunatly I have actually known people who did this with free kittens and puppies) were...well.....lets just say not the cream of the crop as far as humans go.

jocelyn- I have to laugh a bit about shooting the rat. was their anything left of it?   "thumping" rats is common before feeding them. grab them by the tail and very quickly swing them and wack their head very hard on something, then they are totally knocked out but you still get the dying neuro kicking stuff to entice the snake to eat it. small animals can be harder to put down then big ones from a practical standpoint! I have killed chicks by putting them in a sack and thumping them. I later thought that a scissors might have remove the head.

people talk about putting baby goats down by drowning them in a water buckets. ugh. I can't believe anyone would think that drowning is a pleasant or quick stress free way to go. 

seems like stray cats find there way here alot, whether dropped off that some appear like, and some I think just got lost and found a nice food source here, and stay.  Had a stray come here in July, was just a small little kitten, but had dark secrets that was unknown to me at the time.  The little rascal gave ringworm to anything it could, so I'm pretty sure any cat that comes here, that looks somewhat rough will be killed on site now.  At least that's how I feel at the moment.     I guess from various articles, feral cats are a big problem and killing them is recommended to protect songbirds.

here is a pic of the cat when he first arrived

I named him shrew, but he was nicknamed ringworm for awhile when other cats got it.  But they all look good now, including him.

i think a cat's place is in the home or in the barn, i feel terrible for all the non rodent creatures they kill, snakes lizards and birds are not okay with me, actually i would rather have all of those running around outside then dumb feral cats

dogs are more easily trainable, but i think it is important to train them not to harm defenseless and non agressive creatures

While we're talking about killing things, how about if we kill all the people who own dogs or cats, allow them to roam freely outdoors (or in barns, same diff) and don't get them spayed or neutered? Ooooops, that's a little extreme, isn't it!? Sorry!  Just kidding...a little...

Birth control is an extremely effectual way of reducing feral populations. Until people take MORE responsibility for their pets, this will always be a problem, and I guess you'll be busy killing a lot of cats & dogs. When an intact female dog or cat comes into heat, she roams, looking for a mate. Ditto for a male dog/cat who catches wind of a female in heat.

While it's very true that outdoor cats (feral or not) kill birds...so do dogs! Many people are in the habit of leaving their dogs outside, totally understandable. Predator animals hunt. It's in their genes. Maybe you can train a dog not to hunt, but how do you train one not to be curious? It doesn't take much to kill a baby bird. The dog simply picking up the bird in it's mouth would probably do it. If you are not present when the dog gets at a bird, rodent, etc. Don't you think it's instincts would take over? I do!

I had a robin's nest in my yard, when one of the birds was trying to fledge, he awkwardly flew into the neighbor's yard and plummeted down to the ground. Their dog was on it in a heartbeat. The mortality rate of most songbirds is about 80%, depending on where they nest. It's rough to be a fledgling.

Regarding songbird populations in general, the loss of birds is attributed to many things. 2 of the WORSE things that ever happened to native American songbirds are non-native birds. The Starling and the English Sparrow. Cowbirds are very detrimental to nesting songbirds. They kick the the songbird eggs out of the nests and lay their eggs instead. The songbird parents end up raising the cowbird instead. Other species of birds do this too, but the cowbird is infamous.  Pollution, loss of habitat play a big part in all this as well.

Regarding ringworm, it's not just cats that get it. Dogs, cows, goats, pigs, and horses can be carriers as well. It's just a fungus, not a "worm". Certain medications that are used for athlete's foot can be used on ringworm. If left unchecked, prescription meds may be needed.

http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/diseases/ringworm.htm

haha yep, I know what ringworm is, sounds worse than it actually is. and I got to experience it this past summer.  On most healthy things, it'll even disappear without any treatment after some time has past.  but it was indeed the stray that was ground zero.

Brenda Groth wrote:
someone dumped a little kitten in our snowbank yesterday, 5 degrees f outside..we have adult cats, they hate the kitten but we won't just let it freeze to death.
we brought it in and fed it..it was even house broken and very sweet..why do people do these things.
looking for a home for her now..as we can't keep her..our adult cats likely would kill her.

I really like cats and would love to have that feller take up residence at my farmstead.
I especially like the ones with those markings, they are the best kind ...
smart, good mousers, look after their master real good, hang around and chat while I work the fields and all that.
If you know anyone who might be driving this way any time soon he could pack his little Gladstone and head on down the cold
and dusty trail with them.

LFLondon
Chapel Hill NC

I had ringworm as a kid, made getting out of third grade a breeze 
I loved it even though none of the adults around did....

I got the ringworm picking up a stray cat while we were on vacation  

I live very far out in the country and this year my dog alerted to a cat. I have one cat and she was curious, but hissed at it. The abandoned cat wouldn't let the dog near him/her or me. I put food out for her where my dog couldn't get to it and the cat hung around. I thought it had moved on, but it turned it it was still here and it rubbed against me so I knew it had been a house cat. It made me want to cry because it was so thin--just bones with dull fur and several scabby places on it. It is starting to get a shine to its fur, but it is still horribly thin. I have not tried to determine its sex, because it is still a little frightened. I just pet it. I have fed it what it wanted. For a while, it wanted the dog food I ladle out for the dogs, but now it seems to want the dry cat kibble and the canned cat food. I offer it as much as it can eat. I did find some worm medicine I had to put in its food as well as powdered diatomaceous earth. As soon as I can, I will take it to the vet for further testing to why it doesn't seem to gain any weight. I am not worried about impregnation because my female cat is fixed.

At first, it would stay in the barn storage room. But now when I leave that door open, it comes out and suns itself. My cat still growls at it, but it does not return the growl and I figure they will eventually make friends, but I want to get the new cat to the vet before that happens due to the condition of the fur and skin to make sure the abnormalities are not contagious. I guess the vet can give rabies and other feline injections without knowing its history.

Does anybody have any suggestions?

I was wondering if you had any tips on coping with this sort of thing. A few days ago someone dumped a beautiful juvenile female cat at our place (I think part Savannah). She was so thin. My husband went to the store & bought litter box, litter, scoop, flea collar, & food for her. She was with us for 3 1/2 days, & she & I bonded very quickly...I'd never seen a more loving cat. But she started tearing things up in the house, &, at times, acted cold & disobedient to my husband. So yesterday we took her for a drive, (she'd been acting a bit stir-crazy, & we thought seeing some scenery & coming home & playing would be good for her) & she was enjoying it for a while. Then, she jumped up on my husband's lap, & started going bonkers. I pulled the truck over, because he was getting scratched & all, & before I could do anything about it, she leaped out the window & ran off into the country. We couldn't find her. I'm absolutely heartbroken, & I keep thinking I'm hearing her meow outside the door. But of course it's not her, there's nothing there. She ran off miles away from home. I hope the posters will turn something up, but I'm afraid she won't be coming back. It's kind of strange to me. I love animals, but I'm really a dog person. But I bonded so strongly with Moira (that's what I named her) that I've been crying a lot over it. How do I deal with this?

Dear Sherri, You are a dog person and not experienced with cats for sure. Most cats don't like riding in cars and she attacked your husband out of fear. If a cat must ride somewhere (to the vet to be spayed is a must IMO) they should always be in a safe crate. In a small space they are less likely to panic. Don't give up the search. It can take a long time to find a missing cat. She needs to be lucky once again to find a caring person like you who will help her come home again. As for her behavior in the house, if she is part Savannah (some wild genes) or just not experienced in a house environment, this will change. She needs time to adjust and toys of her own. Interactive toys (battery or human operated) are great.

As for barn cats: When feral cats have moved in, it is usually due to some food source available. If they are subsequently removed from the location, nature determines to restock the area with more of the species. This is natures way of keeping the balance. When balance is achieved, the overflow are driven away by the established cats and those will seek new digs and populate another place/farm or starve. Spay/neuter is important to keep peace with your neighbors and to benefit the cats. There will always be more cats dropped off so you will never run out of cats for your needs.

Adult cats will growl and hiss and even swat at a newcomer. The older cat is just establishing the pecking order and will eventually accept the new kid once he learns proper cat etiquette unless the inn is full as previously explained.

Thanks to all of you who appreciate cats! and a 10 thousand thanks to those who keep them indoor only cats and get them spayed or neutered. (1 female and her progeny can produce 10,000 cats in 6 years.)

Kat Green wrote:Dear Sherri, You are a dog person and not experienced with cats for sure. Most cats don't like riding in cars and she attacked your husband out of fear. If a cat must ride somewhere (to the vet to be spayed is a must IMO) they should always be in a safe crate. In a small space they are less likely to panic. Don't give up the search. It can take a long time to find a missing cat. She needs to be lucky once again to find a caring person like you who will help her come home again. As for her behavior in the house, if she is part Savannah (some wild genes) or just not experienced in a house environment, this will change. She needs time to adjust and toys of her own. Interactive toys (battery or human operated) are great.

As for barn cats: When feral cats have moved in, it is usually due to some food source available. If they are subsequently removed from the location, nature determines to restock the area with more of the species. This is natures way of keeping the balance. When balance is achieved, the overflow are driven away by the established cats and those will seek new digs and populate another place/farm or starve. Spay/neuter is important to keep peace with your neighbors and to benefit the cats. There will always be more cats dropped off so you will never run out of cats for your needs.

Adult cats will growl and hiss and even swat at a newcomer. The older cat is just establishing the pecking order and will eventually accept the new kid once he learns proper cat etiquette unless the inn is full as previously explained.

Thanks to all of you who appreciate cats! and a 10 thousand thanks to those who keep them indoor only cats and get them spayed or neutered. (1 female and her progeny can produce 10,000 cats in 6 years.)

Ditto and well said. I, however, only have two cats in the house and three in the barn. They have been there for ten years and counting, because they are well fed and watered. They still go hunting (cats will hunt for sport, they don't need to be hungry).

All my cats were either dumped on our road, shoved under my driveway gate. As Fate would have it, the barn cats are all males, so were cheap to get neutered. We do have stray cats show up, on occasion, but my barn cats run them off in short order. I manage to keep food and water where I know the strays can quickly eat, at least getting something in their tummies to sustain them until they hopefully find a home.

My dogs are also rescues off this road and the road below; we live fairly remote and people have no conscience that dump these animals. I often have to call Animal Control before I become the person I am trying to save all of them from. If I kept every dog or litter of pups that was dumped, I would have 50 dogs by now:(

I have a lifetime of horse experience, so I have also done my share of horse rescues. I recently laid my 29 yr old Arab to rest that I rescued 22 years ago. He turned out to be an excellent lesson horse for children. Non horse people would be astounded at the amount of horse abandonment these days. People have found strange horses tied to their farm gates, their horse trailers while parked at trail heads, actually put inside strange trailers at auctions. Try taking that on, especially if one doesn't have the knowledge, set up or finances.

Feral cats are reservoirs for many diseases, some of them harmful, even deadly, to humans. Be very cautious with stray cats. If you want to keep a stray cat, handle it cautiously until it has been examined by a knowledgeable vet. Until it is given a clean bill of health, keep it quarantined from your animals and your family, especially young children, pregnant women, the elderly and anyone in poor health. And, yes, get it spayed or neutered. Many shelters will euthanize any cat identified as feral, simply because of the risks and complication associated with them.

You probably aren't going to get ill handling a stray cat, but it does happen, so please be at least a little cautious.

I have humanely trapped over 600 feral cats for TNR (Trap Neuter Return) to reduce the population of ferals in my community. I have been badly scratched and bitten but have never gotten sick or infected. Cat bites swell due to a substance in their saliva but this is not infection and though painful it subsides in a couple of days.

Shelters euthanize feral cats because the law allows for it since there are more tame ones than there are adoptions anyway so they don't bother. People don't adopt a feral when they can adopt a tame cat by paying the $50-$80 in fees. It has nothing to do with illness. Remember, it is not the cats choice to be feral. He is only trying to survive in a world that has no room for him.

Most cats who land in the shelters are euthanized. More so than dogs. In the spring kitten season, so many cats are brought into the local shelter in my small town that the isles are lined with cats in a variety of cages and carriers for lack of space and by the end of the day they are gone and not adopted.

A dog that came from the animal shelter walked through fire to save my life, so, now I am a volunteer against animal euthanasia and abuse due to lack of human responsibility. If you don't believe that they have souls, just look into their eyes and if you don't become a believer, you are the one without a soul.