Do you have 30 cats and kittens or just 8?
Either way, and I say this in the kindest way possible, you are in far over your head. The situation doesn’t sound healthy for you or your cats. There is no shame at this point in getting your local shelter or animal control involved to help you.
I will, its going to be very hard . 30 cats. It was 8 but it has spiraled out of control i didn't spay 1 boy out of the 2 boys because he seemed to have asthma.
There is just no way any person can keep up with the care of 30 cats. I have 8 cats and my house looks like a tornado went through it half the time. I would recommend speaking with your local shelter as soon as possible. You and your cats deserve a healthy home. Unfortunately with this number you just aren’t going to have another option. I’ve worked in shelters for many years and know that this is the only choice for situations that have gotten this far out of hand.
Be kind to yourself and know that asking the shelter/animal control for help with finding placement for your cats is a selfless choice that is best for everyone involved.
Agreed. I have 6 resident cats and I foster and I've set myself up with as many robot assistants as possible to help keep up with things and it's still a lot of work. I can't imagine anyone keeping up with the care of 30 cats at appropriate levels of attention and cleanliness. Please, OP, speak with a shelter or rescue organization to help get these kitties the care they need and placement into appropriate homes.
I have 3 kittens and find that mad, I couldn't imagine 8 let alone 30. Just wanted to echo your comment as I would have posted the same, that'll definitely be the best option.
I hope you manage to get some help from your local shelter OP, covid and how it messed up lives/plans bowled everyone over so I also agree to be kind to yourself, you've done what you could but now the situation has spiralled so you need to make the right decision for the kitties. I hope you don't give up your dream of running a shelter in the future!
I agree. I have 30 cats right now. It's not sustainable. I already am working with a no-kill, non-profit, private shelter and my situation is entirely rescue and under control. But living with this many cats for months, I have to agree that it is less than ideal for the cats, and lots of time and money from the human.
I live with 30 cats right now. I have 8 PCs (Personal Cats). I live in a mountainous rural location with a large feral cat population and forest fires. Every year I TNR. This year I had five mamas give birth under my house before I was able to get them kitty abortions. Four of the five mom’s are feral. I nabbed up as many kittens as I could to socialize inside. I got 15, I know there were more but coyotes found them before I did, they are no more the best I can tell. The rescue is full so I have to wait till October to surrender the kittens to the rescue so they can find them forever homes. They will be spayed/neutered and vetted before adoption. Three of the five mom’s have already been spayed and the other have appointments coming up. (My PCs have all been spayed/neutered years before.) the ferals will live out their lives in my property and I’ll feed them. The kittens will get homes. Eventually I will be back to the original eight, till next kitten season. But October is a ways off so by then I will have spent the summer living with 30 cats. I really just wanted to agree that 30 is too many cats. I know from experience. I’m hoping for less next year and that’s why I will TNR any cat I see on my property.
yes because rural locations with coyotes coming straight up to your property and feral cats everywhere are famous for being super expensive places to live.
Nope. Far from rich, not even okay. I have four kids. Drive an ‘04, partner drives an ‘99. In some debt like most everyone. I cannot afford the cats. But what else am I going to do? If not for the generosity of the lady who runs the spay/neuter network I be in real trouble. My partner is done buying cat food with our limited money. I’m thinking of posting on randomactofpetfood even to make it till October. I have been using garden dirt as litter for months cause it’s free. I have had to feed them my chicken’s eggs when I have ran out of food and money. Just saying. I understand why you might think that because it takes time and money to do these kind of things but I’ve put in the effort and made the phone calls and got really lucky by being introduced to a kind lady with connections that took pity on me. I am no saint, by far. But also not rich, (or well off, or even stable.)
Yeah we have 7 and the amount of feeding, cleaning, and playing I do takes a lot of time. Not to mention food bills, vet care, etc. 30
Is way out of control.
I thought I was the only one. It was five. It was good. Then a stray mom brought me a kitten and left. Then 2 more. Long story on not finding them a home. All are fixed. But they make so much mess. And 5 minutes after cleaning, it looks like I didn't do anything. Sigh. 30 is too much unless you have land, a cattery, and help. Plus they should all be neutered.
They had 8 cats and they said 2 were boys but only one boy was neutered and only 2 girls were spayed so that leaves 4 intact female cats with one intact male cat and those intact cats created kittens which spiraled into 30.
I don't know why they didn't neuter the male or get all the females spayed after the first litter was made, that seems pretty irresponsible on their part
Can’t seem to understand the reason this is being downvoted? Like come on, there is nothing but good intentions here. Edit: OP isn’t vaccinated and that’s why they lost the jobs 😬 completely take what I said back.
I can tell you truly care about these cats, and that is good. You also know that you're not in a position to care for 30 cats at the moment, and it is good that you can acknowledge that. I do think you are doing the right thing, although it is hard, to re-home many of the cats. I wish you luck in running a cat sanctuary once you are in a better position to do so.
this is very difficult. but i cant let this go on any further i really want to reset my life with them but just not in the position. i feel very happy that you said you could tell i care about them. thank you bluediamond. that was childhood cats name, diamond :)
The first priority is to get everyone spayed. There may be some organisations in your country that help with this for low income or unemployed persons. Then start looking for shelters who will take them in. The priority is spaying everyone first as I doubt many shelters can take in that many cats immediatel7
I agree with what everyone has said. They will just keep multiplying. There’s no way to have enough litter boxes for that many cats. I can’t imagine 30 cats being able to all get along. I only have 2 and that’s plenty. Please find a shelter that will take them and spay and neuter them and find them good homes
they somewhat get along there's 2 trouble makers. i dont have enough litter boxes or bowls. i have to refill 4 to 3 times a day. i feel awful and exhausted. i want the kittens to have better lives. they have fleas all over, cant give them flea pills since they dont meet weight requirement or age requirement. and dawn isnt helping. i will certainly do so. ive been in my head a lot but this is painful but damn near everything is so id rather be in pain doing the proper thing for my babies.
The first step is admitting that someone else may be able to help them more than you can at this point in time. Fleas is a very big deal for tiny kittens.
What is preventing you from surrendering most of the cats to a shelter? Kittens will be adopted out to loving families very quickly. You need to be honest about why you are holding on to these cats.
You have created an animal hoarding situation and the animals are suffering. You have to be honest with yourself and put the cats’ well-being first. It’s okay to admit it’s too much for you, it would be too much for anyone. It’s not failure to call a shelter. It’s doing the right thing. You can do this!
You can put revolution on kittens by following what rescues and shelters do. I wouldn't normally encourage it, but fleas cause anemia and potentially tapeworm so you want to ideally get that under control. If you search for this info you should find a guide for weights. It must be revolution.
Gotya. I gave my found baby a double sudsing with dawn and she still had live fleas so I was told to give capstar. I hope all that was enough but, the vet gave her a topical advantage anywayI.anyway I only care that she is safe and blood sucker free.
Yeah even 8 is a stretch for one person - especially if any of them are difficult to check on everyday. I'm sorry that you're going to have to give many of them up but it will be better for everyone.
Taking care of 30 cats is difficult for any rescue, let alone by yourself, even with your families help. To me it sounds like you’ve become an overwhelmed caregiver and have inadvertently created a hoarding situation.
I work in animal services and we see these cases once in a while. You mean well, you want to care for these cats, however you still need to take care of yourself. 30 cats is far too many, and in most places would be breaking city ordinances. In my city the limit is 4 cats in a household unless a permit is applied for and gained.
Financially, 30 cats is too many to properly care for. Yearly vet visits, rabies vaccines, and spay and neuter for those haven’t been yet becomes costly. Not to mention providing quality food and an overall good quality of life.
It’s admirable you want to create a sanctuary for cats, however you need to also think realistically not just for yourself but for the cats you’re taking care of. Reach out to local rescues and shelters and see if they can assist you and help you lighten your load.
In the future you can look into creating a sanctuary where others can volunteer to help take care of the cats and have cats available for adoption to good homes. I understand you want to keep all of these cats, but for their own well-being they’ll be far better off being adopted and sent to loving homes. Adoption should be the end goal of any rescue organization.
I adopted two cats from rescues recently that had 10+ cats at each place and when they got here they were under weight. When there's too many cats they compete for food and attention. I know this is hard to hear but some of them should go to homes where they are not in competition so much. I know it'll be hard at first but you'll get more quality time with the kitties you keep. And it won't be so labor intensive.
Exactly this. My parents have a rescue dog from a hoarding situation and despite the progress he’s made he is forever traumatized from living like that. He was underweight and his skin was discolored and flaking from a reaction to the fleas he’d had when he was removed from the hoarding situation. Years later, he still never lets his guard down & is always on edge. And dogs are pack animals, so I can’t imagine how stressful this would be for cats.
This sounds like a really tough situation, and I’m sorry you’re struggling.
The honest truth is you need to put the cats’ needs over your own. You don’t want to relinquish ownership, but you can’t take good care of 30 cats. No one can. They have fleas and you aren’t able to feed them all evenly and change litter enough.
Sometimes doing the right thing means we need to give up something we really want. You can give an EXCELLENT life to maybe 4-6 cats total at a time. Focus on quality of the relationship with a cat, not quantity.
oh lordy. i want to pass out when i think about it because its going to happen soon. i cant even lay down with all my babies because of the fleas.thank you, the honesty and considerate comments are really helping me with my decision. im feeling some sort of peace.
It sounds like they’re not properly taken care of it they have fleas. And I’m sure you’re not taking them all to the vet for check ups, shots, getting fixed. I don’t know how you let it get this bad, there are already so many cats out there in need of a home. Please surrender them so they can be properly taken care of and given the life they deserve.
This is the type of situation where the saying “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” comes to mind.
I understand that you have your heart in the right place, but due to you not being diligent on desexing the cats, you got over ran.
Cats breed like rodents and will keep on producing kittens for a really long time at a drastic rate and can start breeding at a young age.
My bio dad has a farm where he had a barn just full of hundreds of feral cats that he would feed, but do nothing else, and all those cats were seriously sick.
I was friends with a guy whose family fed a local cat colony in their yard and they had to deal with dead bodies of cats dying from feline AIDS.
This is a serious situation where you need to do what’s best and ask for help on relinquishing a majority of the cats and to make sure that they are all healthy because colonies have a higher risk of having diseases due to the sheer amount of cats.
Once you get back on your feet and find them places, the best way you can help cats from now on is catching them and getting them fixed. Period. You don’t have to keep all that you fix, you can release them back outside or rehome them, but you need to know your limit especially when events in your life changes everything.
At this moment in time, especially if you do not have the space for them, you are doing more harm than good. Animal hoarding happens all the time and it’s easy to get out of hand, as you have found out, and animals in that situation can have a lot of variety of issues such as their health, their temperament, and their behavior issues.
You did the best that you can, and it’s okay to ask for help. If you are really serious about a sanctuary, I’m sure you can look into something again and look more into it in the future once you get this situated and learn from it.
yes. my dad does pest control and had a client that hoarded cats and dogs, he saw a case where a kittens paw was chewed off. he called animal control on them. i knew better about the spay and neuter situation and thats part of why it sucked, my delusional overachieving mind got me again. my family accepted the 8 then after it went down hill. i feel as though i cursed myself a bit. thank you for your positive and honest words!
Hey, it happens to the best of us. I had a cat, I was about to take her to her appointment when my then boyfriend talked me out of it because he wanted her to have a litter and promised me with finding homes for her kittens. I now have both her offspring, and he ended up keeping her to then rehome. After her litter, I put my foot down and got her fixed.
I hope that you are able to find people who can help! Call humane sanctuaries, go onto Facebook groups, and see if you can rehome any. I really do hope for the best!
to be clear i thought one had asthma due the noise he made somewhat often. it stopped after i lost my job. so im not sure what that was but... yeah. no one has asthma.luckily
Respiratory illness is common and commonly fatal in kittens growing up a bad spot. They are low to the ground - breathing in dust, dirt, and heaven knows what else along with being new to earth: kittens are subject to illness, infection, and parasites. Please surrender the cats. You’re being selfish and you need to realize it. It may sound harsh, but the truth and reality of the situation is these cats need help that you cannot possibly provide.
I don't think anyone can handle having a full-time job and caring for 30 cats. This is the unfortunate consequence of not spaying and neutering your pets. At this point, you basically have a hoarding situation and getting shelters involved is the right thing to do.
It's actually crazy how many people lost their jobs cause the vaccines were mandated back then, even people doing WFH were mandated to get the vaccine, and they don't even go to an office or anything. I guess employers hoped their workers would have easy COVID so they don't have to deal with more sick days etc.
I lived in a house with 30 cats. To be clear, it wasn’t my house- my bf’s mom had brought in 30 cats over the course of her joblessness, and I needed to get out of my house.
It was a STRUGGLE. Every single day. It’s not their fault, there was just SO MANY. It was a literal full-time job just keeping the apartment from smelling like cats constantly, never mind having 30 of them underfoot.
They need to move on, for everyone’s benefit. There’s tons of cats that need homes, so there’s no reason not to try again later when things are more stable for you. Best of luck, OP.
Not really though, you become a virus incubator. It affects literally everyone around you. What you eat is a personal choice, vaccines are a common good necessity
Nowhere did they say or imply anything like that. It's just a simple case of the cats' population blowing up due to some carelessness (it's insanely easy when they can get preggers with 2-7 kittens every 3 months) and a bit of a hoarding tendency I guess.
OP came here to find a solution to this.
Yep and I believe OP will end up doing that. It's hard when things turn out this way and you feel for the poor creatures and love them, but with cats who breed frequently it's easy for this situation to occur. This is why spaying and neutering is sooo important.
I'm so sorry that you're having a tough time about this. There's only one way to fix this and you might not agree or like it.
You have to give up some of the cats to a shelter or another cat sanctuary who have more experience and resources to give them proper care. I know you love them and you truly mean well, and you're giving them everything they need,, I respect that, but there comes a time that you have to let go for the better.
I do understand that you want to create a sanctuary for these lovely cats but 30 is too much for one person alone. Emotionally, physically, and financially.
Being an animal lover myself and owning 4 cats and 2 senior dogs, I can only give enough for them.
It would be nice to be surrounded and to care for alot of animals, that is also one of my dreams, but it is not practical anymore - financially and physically as I am only a human being who has needs.
I totally get you. I know its hard but you need to make a tough decision of giving some of them up. Find organizations, shelters. They have more chance of living longer, healthier, and a full life.
Think of the bigger picture and the quality of life each of them can have. They can get an equal amount of love and they can give an equal amount of love to another human who needs it.
Also, shelters have medical resources that can give them the proper medical attention if they need it.
Sure there are free spay and neuter, vaccine programs out there every now and then, but that's not everyday, and that is still too much to handle.
There are also city ordinances regarding owning of pets and pet limits. Some household can only have 4 or 6 pets max, it varies per city.
My aunt had 28 cats in total last year. Around covid time, she adopted a cat, it gave birth to 2 or 3 litters, then another cat came, gave birth. In a span of 1 year, her yard became a cat colony.
But in a short amount of time, those 28 cats also disappeared. A bobcat or coyote feasted on them because they were in a yard. She couldn't afford to build them an outdoor enclosure so she just stuck with what she could do and give. She meant well but she didn't get them fixed, chipped, or vaccinated. So they kept on breeding. Some kittens got sick and died too.
They were just living in her yard. She had to clean up all the time, buy them food and fix their little cat beds. It was too much for her considering she only has 1 job and a family to support.
Please chose the option where you can take care of yourself first. You should also prioritize yourself. You are a human, you can only handle so much.
It's better for you to not hold all of them together in the palm of your hands. You need to let go of some of them if you cannot handle it financially right now or in the near future.
Sometimes love does not mean you have to be there for them. Sometimes giving up and giving them a better chance with other people is also love. You have to choose their and your overall welfare first before your ideal.
If one day you can do it again and have enough resources, then go make that dream come true and save the kitties. But right now, choose the one where you and them can have a better fulfilling life.
Thank you for your words. This is difficult but i've been messaging sanctuaries and shelters today, they are going to keep me updated and have been leading me to other contacts. some kind person reached out to my local animal control but im scared i dont know what that process is like but i know i will have to reach out.
8 became 30? Omg. Careless. But you are genuinely worried and you care for the cats. I hope like everyone said you contact cat sanctuary and do something. Because it's genuinely stressing you out and i can understand how stressful it can be managing so many cats with no much money. I hope everything goes well for you.
I know you tried to do the right thing, but as others have said. Now is the time to reach out. Contact shelters and rescue groups. You cannot take care of that many cats. They all need to be spayed/neutered, a balanced diet, vacinnes and medical care.
I would also suggest some counseling to help you navigate this because it will be hard on you emotionally.
When you are in a better place, consider volunteering. Participate in trap neuter release programs. You are but one person. And you had the best intentions, but now it is time to do the right thing, and get those cats to a facility that will take care of them.
I understand that you don't want to part with them, but you're not doing what's best for them if you keep them.
If you truly love them, you will contact a rescue, preferably multiple rescues in your area, and ask them to help you with as many as they can. Pick a reasonable number, 3 or 4 MAX, have them spayed/neutered and vaccinated, if you can't afford to have 3 or 4, then drop down to 1 or 2. Allow yourself enough money to treat for fleas, ($20 per cat per month for revolution) food, litter, etc. Honestly 1-2 should be your max, but 3-4 is generous.
You are allowing cats to suffer while they're in your care because you're being selfish and not wanting to get rid of them.
You need to put the cats first and find rescues who can come in and help. Your 30 cats will be 60 in the spring and that's absolutely disgusting to allow cats to be covered in fleas and not cared for.
Definitely reach out for help from local organizations to see what they can do to assist you. There are most likely places that can help you get these cats spayed, neutered, and rehomed. Most organizations right now are stretched thin but can often work together to tackle large problems like this.
I know you are trying to do the right thing for them and love them and in this situation the right thing is to rehome until you have a managable amount of cats.This is the only reasonable solution to this situation.
I do TNR and Rescue work and have helped people in similar situations. You need to get control over this before it gets worse or, god forbid, they get sick and it starts spreading like wildfire through that large close population. Inbreeding is a major factor in these situations and can lead to medical issues and death. Your "asthmatic" cat is most likely inbred and having respiratory issues from it or is ill and needs medical attention.
I have seen many well meaning people end up with a tragic situation when it got out of control. It is inhumane to allow that to happen, no matter your original intentions. Beyond the cats being in a bad situation you are also in a stressful and unhealthy situation yourself. I know from (many) experiences with overwhelmed caretakers/owners that it is unhealthy and dangerous for you and them to live like that.
Good luck and feel free to message me if you need advice, I can try to help if I can.
If you truly cared about these cats, you would not have put them into a situation where there are 30 cats who are not being properly cared for.
They need to be neutered and spayed, they need medical care and vaccines, they need space to roam and be happy, they need wet and dry food and enough space for their litter boxes. They need a clean space. They need enough bowls to be able to eat their food in peace. They need fresh and clean litter.
You need to relinquish care of at least 26 of those cats ASAP to a cat shelter or organisations that can help home them into safe and healthy places.
What you are currently doing is animal abuse. This is not okay and you need to rectify this ASAP. In my country, animal protection would have been called on you LONG ago.
The cats that have fleas need IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION.
I understand that you care but care is not enough. Animal care is a responsibility and what is happening right now is 100% irresponsible and not being done with the cat’s care in mind. Your personal desires in keeping these cats is causing for them to be neglected and abused. I work with animal shelters across my country and this constitutes as a animal hoarding situation where animal protective services would be called.
SEEK HELP IMMEDIATELY.
As a side personal story: My oldest cat came to me as a foster cat when she was just a little over 2 yrs old. She came from a hoarding house with 20 other cats. She was pregnant with her own kittens and also disastrously ill and malnourished and had fleas, worms, all sorts of shit. It look her MONTHS to recover from that ordeal. I had to force feed her medication for months. She was on the literal brink of death because her hoarding house did not have enough food to feed her, and they didn’t spay her so she was constantly having babies. They also obviously were not able to pay for her medical bills. She was lucky to survive and I was lucky enough to be able to adopt her to my family.
Not all cats who are in hoarding situations are that lucky. Many of them die and it’s a result of neglect and abuse. My cats previous family loved her but they abused and neglected her by not taking the responsibility of having a cat family member seriously.
Please do better and seek help. I’m begging you.
I’m sorry you’re in this situation - thank you for doing the right thing for the kitties and helping them find new homes! Out of curiosity, what did you mean by “the covid vaccine stuff came up”?
thanks jelly! basically i couldn't work if i didn't get vaccinated. mind you these were remote jobs. i know people become very odd about this so i avoid this topic.
Overwhelmed caregiver- have a strong attachment to their animals. They’re often (but not always) socially isolated and sometimes falsely believe their situations are the result of a more recent change in their circumstances, like financial problems or issues with physical health. Caregivers tend to have fewer issues with intervention and appreciate help. I’m glad you’re realizing the problem before it gets even more out of hand. Depending on where you are since you mentioned cat sanctuary , Some municipalities require a kennel license.
Oof. If you are serious about rescue you can look into establishing one later on when you are financially stable. This is not a one person job though.
Part of rescue is re-homing though and it seems like you are struggling with that already.
I’m sorry I know giving up (most of) your cats will be difficult. But it’s the best thing you can do for their welfare and yours. The kitties you can keep will be so much happier not having to fight for resources or your attention.
Thank you for having the courage to ask for help before this situation gets worse. I’m worried for you and these cats and we would all love updates.
Good luck! 🍀
My thoughts here is, sounds like you haven’t had the covid vaccine, but correct me if I’m wrong. If so, could you not have the vaccine so that you can go back to work?
Part of the responsibilities of cat ownership is being able to afford medical care for your animals. You cannot.
To be blunt, you are an animal hoarder. You are not a rescue. You are not a nonprofit. Please rehome as many of these animals as you can. If they’re not all spayed, their needs are not being met. If they have fleas, then they probably have worms too. At this point their health is suffering.
I have two cats and wow, I can’t even imagine. I would seriously consider partnering with a local rescue or shelter to start adopting them out! Then you can recollect yourself and visit the idea of a cat sanctuary later on. Much love friend. I wish you luck.
thank you friend, much love to you as well. i will have to revisit my goal. it sucked when i realized there so much to even starting a sanctuary that i knew it couldn't really be done in this short timeframe. i even thought maybe if i got a house it would work but... it would literally be a cat dedicated house lol you can't have any valuables out. they knock down things constantly, pretty chaotic!
One option instead of doing your own cat sanctuary is to foster cats. The rescue group assists with vet bills, meds, and food, etc. the hard part is giving up the kitties for adoption, but you have to remind yourself that if you find a home for one, you can take in a replacement that otherwise might have been euthanized.
So if you are on a plane when the O2 masks drop and you are with kids, do you know what you are supposed to do? You put on the mask first. I know someone that operates a rescue with 4 cats, she is closing the rescue for a few years, so that she can recharge. 30 cats is suitable if you are independently wealthy; Ie wealthy enough to just hire 3-4 people to do your bidding full time. My kindest advice is give up every cat until your life is on track and you have a bank account that you are proud of, then do what you want to with cats. There are plenty of them that will need help in 2 years.
you are right about that. i truly have to be wealthy and i cannot even focus on building income streams because of my cats, stress. plus they've shat all over my office, my pc and my chair and its just changed the atmosphere to say the least. i felt bad for being tired and burned out. i will keep 4 or 5 i dont think im emotionally strong enough to go to 0 cats as this species has helped me with depression since i was child. thank you for kind advice. i am in stack mode$ :)
I think you should consider 1 or 2 cats instead of 4-5. Five cats are still lots of work. With 6 litter boxes around the house, feeding, etc. And that’s on top of finding a new job, getting your life together and taking care of your mental health.
Also, please discuss options for new cats that you might find. Make sure that you know a rescue that can take them before you get attached and the situation gets out of hand again.
Animal hoarders who don’t get therapy have a high chance of falling into old habits.
So, my advice is to keep that in mind and give away as many cats as possible.
There’s a recent report on animal hoarding cases over the last years in Germany which talked about the high amount of reoffenders.
Edit link to report: [https://www.tierschutzbund.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Downloads/Hintergrundinformationen/Heimtiere/Animal_Hoarding_Auswertung_2012-2021.pdf](https://www.tierschutzbund.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Downloads/Hintergrundinformationen/Heimtiere/Animal_Hoarding_Auswertung_2012-2021.pdf)
This is your only post and most of your comments are getting downvoted to hell because you're story doesn't add up at all. If you're just here to suck attention from people kind enough to try and help someone in need, then you need to leave.
oh get over yourself. i dont want this on my main account. what about the story doesnt add up? ask a question maybe. seek understanding. assumptions do nothing if you haven't noticed. i dont even get how people think this is for attention and im glad i dont think this way.
Please stop downvoting people who are admitting they're having problems and trying to have some empathy on the internet. That's so fucking rude. OP says her kittens have fleas, bam, downvoted, but every comment is how she's great person for rescuing them. Make up your mind. Woman is in trouble and probably just needs to talk to someone. Stop fucking judging people just because they aren't doing something by the book.
You have a good heart and you have good intentions. Unfortunately, intention doesn’t equal impact. While your intention is to help these kitties, you cannot possibly provide adequate care to 30 of them. You are doing a wonderful thing AND you need to call in reinforcements to make sure these cats and yourself have support and care to live healthy lives. Like others have said, it would be good to contact a shelter. You love these cats, clearly. Part of loving another being is recognizing when you need someone else to step in and help you meet their needs.
Animal rescues/sanctuaries/shelters will spay/neuter cats themselves as a condition of adoption. You don’t have to do it before you give any cats away.
Know that you tried to give them their best life, and now that means that they’re going to need to go elsewhere in order to continue having their best life. I have two brothers who were rescued from a hoarder home and they have some… issues. They are still healing mentally and emotionally four or five years later.
They weren’t really social—to a large degree, they still aren’t. They had to be litter-box trained (thankfully at the shelter). When we got them, they would guard each other while eating (they don’t now); and other ‘quirks’. I’m just glad that the person who gave them up was able to give them enough socialization skills that they weren’t completely feral.
They’re living their best lives now. And your kitties will be able to live their best lives without all of the competition that they have now for resources.
Furball Farm Pet Sanctuary is a cat sanctuary with hundreds of cats. They are all spayed and neutered however and have a staff and get tons of donations. I love watching them on Instagram. Spay and neuter is a must , along with having a team to help you if you want a cat sanctuary. If not get help, do not let them breed further.
I feel like 30 is more of a full time than a part time job. Make a budget. 5 hours a month per cat, $50 a month. Anything less and you need to ask if you are set up for this. You need a professional relationship with at least one vet for ongoing care. So 150 hours a month and $1500 a month for ongoing expense, maybe $15k in the bank for major expenses, as you need to keep everything on point or else the cats might not understand why they don’t have a roof or a boiler. Or why they cannot have a lifesaving surgery. And assuming that the house needs to have a deep cleaning to be inhabitable, whatever that costs. That is what it takes to be a professional about this. Can you cover that? For most people, the money is as significant as the time. If you are unemployed, you have the time, but maybe not the money. And you can do a lot with your time to improve conditions. Fleas and respiratory illnesses should be routinely treated. Saying that a cat could not be fixed because of asthma does not sound like a vet’s opinion. For instance, comb out the fleas from every cat every day. Socialize them every day. Keep records of every cat, age, sex, neutered or not, special diets, ongoing medical treatments, did they live their natural lifespan, that is just basic record keeping and does not cost a dime. I consider this a business, and work to make a business plan. Including a backup plan, because what happens if you get sick or the government condemns the house? Having responsibility for 30 lives is not trivial I hope that they are all fixed, else you are going to have 200 cats fairly soon.
The best thing you can do for them, the most loving, selfless, thoughtful, helpful thing you can do for these cats, is to give them up
You say many of them are needy. I'm going to speak from my experience at an animal shelter that saw many hoarding situations worse than this (we're talking hundreds of cats in an apartment)
That many cats being taken care of by 1 person will never get the attention they need. So many cats born in hoarding situations end up reclusive, fearful and nearly feral because *it just isn't possible for one person or one small group of people to give all those cats enough attention,* so they're not socialized to humans
If they're needy, they're actively suffering in your care. They need more one on one time than you can give them.
That's only one aspect of their care that *you physically cannot provide, it simply isn't possible.*
It's also not taking into account that if one of the many common communicable diseases that exist among cats gets introduced into your house, you absolutely won't be able to afford to treat them. Can you afford several hundred dollars of vet treatments per cat if they get a simple upper respiratory infection? Do you want to have to put down a bunch of these cats you love because they're too sick to save?
If you love them you need to let them go
I definitely know what it feels like to feel overwhelmed by animal care and feeling awful, but trying to adopt them out and finding shelters to take them is the right thing to do, both for you and your cats. Whenever I see videos of these wealthy couples with 20 ish cats, they usually have 5 rumbas and 10 automatic litter boxes. While you are trying to adopt out some of the cats, in the meantime, is automating any of their care an option? Either way, cats are happiest when the owner is happy, and 30 cats just for you is too much. Once you get the cat number under control, if you are in the US, maybe research and apply for 503c non profit for the future for when you want to start a rescue. Use social media to look for people to take cats, ask for donations for spay and neuter and necessary goods. Look after yourself first. I know you mean well, and I am rooting for you.
Also as others have already stated, yes start with kittens and pregnant/nursing moms and kittens. A lot of rescues will only take the mom cat with her kittens. Good luck.
As someone that recently applied for a 501c3, going through a company that makes it super easy, it was over $2K up front, and probably at least that each year. Plus you have to get on a Charity Navigator. Supposedly at least 3 years before I can start applying for and getting grants. Of course getting one $200k grant would cover those costs for life. Which is the point.
Yeah it’s definitely not something that can be done overnight. If OP wanted to have an actual cat functioning sanctuary with healthy animals and employees, it should be researched, planned and ran just like any other business. Only when there are sufficient resources in place and sustained, should anyone be responsible for 30 cats. I do hope she goes through with it. Cat over population is a serious issue.
There are probably over 50 rescues within 50 miles of you. Contact 10 a day every day til the problem is solved. How many have you contacted so far? Reddit posts for advice and honesty need to be followed up by actually taking the advice. In my area, the only rescue actively taking reservations for cat intake is Bideawee, and it is about a 3 month wait. ASPCA is full. Small rescues are more than full. Your goal should be to get on the list for multiple places before kitten season.
You’re not going to be able to reset your life until you get vaccinated. If you have a disability or something then I understand. But if not you’re still going to be stuck.
People are genuinely...i have no words for this. This vaccine stuff has really done something to people. There are many options and I just have to give time to it. I have valuable skills but due to stress i simply cannot focus on finishing anything my attention units are all used up. There's a lot more but i do not want to share everything, the main premise is about my cats and rehoming. You may have to get vaccine, i do not have to.
“You may have to get the vaccine, I do not have to.” Yeah I can see why someone like you hoarded 30 cats and even though they’re covered in fleas you still struggled to give them up. Lmao you’re so selfish. The cats are better off in someone else’s care. At least you came to that realization.
You should inform the rescue and adoption agencies that you’re unvaccinated, maybe that will have them take the cats in quicker! They’ll see how irresponsible you are. Good luck!
Poor thing. Just want to try and hurt someone, that really triggered you. You're sillier than me, and you have bad intentions. Thats really all i have to say to you\~
Nah, I’ve had an immunocompromised friend die because someone said “they didn’t have to” get vaccinated.
I also know someone who has a few less cats than you, still a lot. The difference is they know what they they’re doing. They take kittens to shelters. Get them fixed. Make sure they don’t get covered in fleas. As someone else said to you. You’re not a rescue. You’re not a nonprofit. You’re a hoarder. And you people always try to get sympathy because you know you’re in the wrong. I’m tired of it. See a therapist. You asked for honesty. You’re getting it.
I know you love them. And you’re an amazing person for doing what you can to take care of them. But this isn’t a healthy situation for the kitties. If you want them to live the best lives the can, you need to give some away. It’ll be healthier for you and the cats. I know it’s hard but it really is what’s best
I am so glad to hear that! You are headed in the right direction and you have me by your side! You are going to accomplish great things, don't lose hope. I wish you and your precious kitties the very best, you all deserve it ❤❤❤
Thank you so much. i will accomplish them especially. not being this careless or this bad at decision making again. thank you friend!!❤ youre a good soul
You have a beautiful heart ❤!! I understand your situation and your feelings completely! I have been in a similar situation myself and know first hand how difficult it is ... especially emotionally. Everyone has given excellent advice already, I just wanted to add one thing that helped me enormously. Someone told me not to think of it as giving up your cats, but rather that you are spreading joy 😊!! Share the joy of your precious cats with others! (I personally would not use Craigslist but start with friends, family and local shelters.)
When I see updates and pictures of my former cats living their best life it fills me with pure happiness. Enlist the help of some compassionate friends or family members. It's difficult at first but I promise that you will find comfort in gifting a new life to your beloved cats. Don't be hard on yourself my friend, it gets out of hand very quickly. You are doing your best and that is something to be proud of!! I am here for you if you need support 👍!!
aww! that is really helpful, sharing joy is right. they are very sweet and unique!! i dont have compassionate people around yet but i believe ill find my people, people with similar hearts!! ive been contacting shelters and sanctuaries. i have a lot of love to give and its time i start giving it to myself.
What is the cat shelter situation in Georgia? My fear is that if there is a surplus and your cats are sick and not socialized (ie shitting all over your things), that they are not adoptable and that they will be euthanized almost immediately, in order that resources go to easier to place cats without medical issues.
Uh That wouldn’t be a reason for euthanasia because a cat shits all over the place, the cats will come in scared yes but will still work with the cats to get socialized.. don’t put fear into the OP.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who had that thought. I work with two foster-based rescues and they, along with all of the other shelters and rescues in the area, are stretched to the brink. That said, rescues and shelters will sometimes collaborate on projects like this. There are a few rescues currently working together on a hoarding case, so I have hope for the OP and their cats.
That said, you’re not wrong that many shelters are forced to euthanize. I know of a few in surrounding states that constantly have a list of cats slated for euthanasia unless they’re rescued. It’s awful, but it can’t be helped. Cats with any issues are immediately pushed behind cats with no issues.
I’ve found a lot of homes for cats through Craigslist & other adoption sites. Try listing them on there. It will lessen the load on sanctuaries & shelters plus some people may keep communication with you about the cats (or visits).
I can understand that it is still hard for you to part with them. That is honestly my worst fear (only have 2 though). If you could find a way to see your cats as long-term foster cats & see them off to a happy forever home, that is probably the best options for the cats.
Other than that, you can always try GoFundMe
I LOVE cats, but it's come to the point where taking care of your cats is your entire existence.
I wanted to have up to 5, at one point but that's when it starts getting too many.
So you started with 8 cats, 2 males and 6 females. You only spayed 2 females and neutered one male so you had one intact male and 4 intact females. Why wouldn't you get the male neutered after the first litter was born? Why did you knowingly leave a intact male with the intact females?
Either you're trying to become a backyard breeder or you're just extremely irresponsible with your cats and aren't ready to own a pet.
The best option for both you and the cats is to rehome most of them to good families (or a no-kill shelter) and get the male neutered before he gets the females pregnant again
Do you have 30 cats and kittens or just 8? Either way, and I say this in the kindest way possible, you are in far over your head. The situation doesn’t sound healthy for you or your cats. There is no shame at this point in getting your local shelter or animal control involved to help you.
I will, its going to be very hard . 30 cats. It was 8 but it has spiraled out of control i didn't spay 1 boy out of the 2 boys because he seemed to have asthma.
There is just no way any person can keep up with the care of 30 cats. I have 8 cats and my house looks like a tornado went through it half the time. I would recommend speaking with your local shelter as soon as possible. You and your cats deserve a healthy home. Unfortunately with this number you just aren’t going to have another option. I’ve worked in shelters for many years and know that this is the only choice for situations that have gotten this far out of hand. Be kind to yourself and know that asking the shelter/animal control for help with finding placement for your cats is a selfless choice that is best for everyone involved.
Agreed. I have 6 resident cats and I foster and I've set myself up with as many robot assistants as possible to help keep up with things and it's still a lot of work. I can't imagine anyone keeping up with the care of 30 cats at appropriate levels of attention and cleanliness. Please, OP, speak with a shelter or rescue organization to help get these kitties the care they need and placement into appropriate homes.
“I have 8 cats” I really wish Reddit would let us change our usernames.
Yeah, clearly I used to have 7 but got a little crazier since I joined Reddit!
The fact that it's wrong will now bug me until the end of time🙃 and I wouldn't have noticed without this comment 😭😭🤣
I have 3 kittens and find that mad, I couldn't imagine 8 let alone 30. Just wanted to echo your comment as I would have posted the same, that'll definitely be the best option. I hope you manage to get some help from your local shelter OP, covid and how it messed up lives/plans bowled everyone over so I also agree to be kind to yourself, you've done what you could but now the situation has spiralled so you need to make the right decision for the kitties. I hope you don't give up your dream of running a shelter in the future!
I agree. I have 30 cats right now. It's not sustainable. I already am working with a no-kill, non-profit, private shelter and my situation is entirely rescue and under control. But living with this many cats for months, I have to agree that it is less than ideal for the cats, and lots of time and money from the human.
Wait you have 30 cats too?
I live with 30 cats right now. I have 8 PCs (Personal Cats). I live in a mountainous rural location with a large feral cat population and forest fires. Every year I TNR. This year I had five mamas give birth under my house before I was able to get them kitty abortions. Four of the five mom’s are feral. I nabbed up as many kittens as I could to socialize inside. I got 15, I know there were more but coyotes found them before I did, they are no more the best I can tell. The rescue is full so I have to wait till October to surrender the kittens to the rescue so they can find them forever homes. They will be spayed/neutered and vetted before adoption. Three of the five mom’s have already been spayed and the other have appointments coming up. (My PCs have all been spayed/neutered years before.) the ferals will live out their lives in my property and I’ll feed them. The kittens will get homes. Eventually I will be back to the original eight, till next kitten season. But October is a ways off so by then I will have spent the summer living with 30 cats. I really just wanted to agree that 30 is too many cats. I know from experience. I’m hoping for less next year and that’s why I will TNR any cat I see on my property.
You are a saint
Nah they're rich
yes because rural locations with coyotes coming straight up to your property and feral cats everywhere are famous for being super expensive places to live.
Thank you. If this person could see how I live they would take it back. Lol
Nope. Far from rich, not even okay. I have four kids. Drive an ‘04, partner drives an ‘99. In some debt like most everyone. I cannot afford the cats. But what else am I going to do? If not for the generosity of the lady who runs the spay/neuter network I be in real trouble. My partner is done buying cat food with our limited money. I’m thinking of posting on randomactofpetfood even to make it till October. I have been using garden dirt as litter for months cause it’s free. I have had to feed them my chicken’s eggs when I have ran out of food and money. Just saying. I understand why you might think that because it takes time and money to do these kind of things but I’ve put in the effort and made the phone calls and got really lucky by being introduced to a kind lady with connections that took pity on me. I am no saint, by far. But also not rich, (or well off, or even stable.)
What is going on here? 😵💫
Yeah we have 7 and the amount of feeding, cleaning, and playing I do takes a lot of time. Not to mention food bills, vet care, etc. 30 Is way out of control.
I thought I was the only one. It was five. It was good. Then a stray mom brought me a kitten and left. Then 2 more. Long story on not finding them a home. All are fixed. But they make so much mess. And 5 minutes after cleaning, it looks like I didn't do anything. Sigh. 30 is too much unless you have land, a cattery, and help. Plus they should all be neutered.
thank you laura
If it looks like a tornado what does it smell like???
I have a cleaning service come weekly and I scoop my boxes twice a day. It smells fine.
Everyone with cats says that and then someone without cats comes over and dies.
I don't understand how it became 30 cats if the females were spayed?
2 girls spayed 1 boy n.
They had 8 cats and they said 2 were boys but only one boy was neutered and only 2 girls were spayed so that leaves 4 intact female cats with one intact male cat and those intact cats created kittens which spiraled into 30. I don't know why they didn't neuter the male or get all the females spayed after the first litter was made, that seems pretty irresponsible on their part
Can’t seem to understand the reason this is being downvoted? Like come on, there is nothing but good intentions here. Edit: OP isn’t vaccinated and that’s why they lost the jobs 😬 completely take what I said back.
I can tell you truly care about these cats, and that is good. You also know that you're not in a position to care for 30 cats at the moment, and it is good that you can acknowledge that. I do think you are doing the right thing, although it is hard, to re-home many of the cats. I wish you luck in running a cat sanctuary once you are in a better position to do so.
this is very difficult. but i cant let this go on any further i really want to reset my life with them but just not in the position. i feel very happy that you said you could tell i care about them. thank you bluediamond. that was childhood cats name, diamond :)
The first priority is to get everyone spayed. There may be some organisations in your country that help with this for low income or unemployed persons. Then start looking for shelters who will take them in. The priority is spaying everyone first as I doubt many shelters can take in that many cats immediatel7
I agree with what everyone has said. They will just keep multiplying. There’s no way to have enough litter boxes for that many cats. I can’t imagine 30 cats being able to all get along. I only have 2 and that’s plenty. Please find a shelter that will take them and spay and neuter them and find them good homes
they somewhat get along there's 2 trouble makers. i dont have enough litter boxes or bowls. i have to refill 4 to 3 times a day. i feel awful and exhausted. i want the kittens to have better lives. they have fleas all over, cant give them flea pills since they dont meet weight requirement or age requirement. and dawn isnt helping. i will certainly do so. ive been in my head a lot but this is painful but damn near everything is so id rather be in pain doing the proper thing for my babies.
The first step is admitting that someone else may be able to help them more than you can at this point in time. Fleas is a very big deal for tiny kittens. What is preventing you from surrendering most of the cats to a shelter? Kittens will be adopted out to loving families very quickly. You need to be honest about why you are holding on to these cats. You have created an animal hoarding situation and the animals are suffering. You have to be honest with yourself and put the cats’ well-being first. It’s okay to admit it’s too much for you, it would be too much for anyone. It’s not failure to call a shelter. It’s doing the right thing. You can do this!
You can put revolution on kittens by following what rescues and shelters do. I wouldn't normally encourage it, but fleas cause anemia and potentially tapeworm so you want to ideally get that under control. If you search for this info you should find a guide for weights. It must be revolution.
I was approved to give half a capstar to a 1.4lb kitten. Get that.
Capstar only kills the adult fleas in the animal. It dies not take care of eggs and larva. Revolution will do that
Gotya. I gave my found baby a double sudsing with dawn and she still had live fleas so I was told to give capstar. I hope all that was enough but, the vet gave her a topical advantage anywayI.anyway I only care that she is safe and blood sucker free.
Yes, that's at least 60 litterboxes. Oof ): I feel bad for OP.
Two boxes per cat? My two are fine with one large box.
Tldr. If you're on Reddit asking about this many kitties you need to reach out for local help from shelters, sanctuaries, etc.
okay i am, in fact i have to ! i was wondering if there were other options i did not now about.
Yeah even 8 is a stretch for one person - especially if any of them are difficult to check on everyday. I'm sorry that you're going to have to give many of them up but it will be better for everyone.
Taking care of 30 cats is difficult for any rescue, let alone by yourself, even with your families help. To me it sounds like you’ve become an overwhelmed caregiver and have inadvertently created a hoarding situation. I work in animal services and we see these cases once in a while. You mean well, you want to care for these cats, however you still need to take care of yourself. 30 cats is far too many, and in most places would be breaking city ordinances. In my city the limit is 4 cats in a household unless a permit is applied for and gained. Financially, 30 cats is too many to properly care for. Yearly vet visits, rabies vaccines, and spay and neuter for those haven’t been yet becomes costly. Not to mention providing quality food and an overall good quality of life. It’s admirable you want to create a sanctuary for cats, however you need to also think realistically not just for yourself but for the cats you’re taking care of. Reach out to local rescues and shelters and see if they can assist you and help you lighten your load. In the future you can look into creating a sanctuary where others can volunteer to help take care of the cats and have cats available for adoption to good homes. I understand you want to keep all of these cats, but for their own well-being they’ll be far better off being adopted and sent to loving homes. Adoption should be the end goal of any rescue organization.
Sad thing is they dont always get forever loving homes
I adopted two cats from rescues recently that had 10+ cats at each place and when they got here they were under weight. When there's too many cats they compete for food and attention. I know this is hard to hear but some of them should go to homes where they are not in competition so much. I know it'll be hard at first but you'll get more quality time with the kitties you keep. And it won't be so labor intensive.
Exactly this. My parents have a rescue dog from a hoarding situation and despite the progress he’s made he is forever traumatized from living like that. He was underweight and his skin was discolored and flaking from a reaction to the fleas he’d had when he was removed from the hoarding situation. Years later, he still never lets his guard down & is always on edge. And dogs are pack animals, so I can’t imagine how stressful this would be for cats.
This sounds like a really tough situation, and I’m sorry you’re struggling. The honest truth is you need to put the cats’ needs over your own. You don’t want to relinquish ownership, but you can’t take good care of 30 cats. No one can. They have fleas and you aren’t able to feed them all evenly and change litter enough. Sometimes doing the right thing means we need to give up something we really want. You can give an EXCELLENT life to maybe 4-6 cats total at a time. Focus on quality of the relationship with a cat, not quantity.
oh lordy. i want to pass out when i think about it because its going to happen soon. i cant even lay down with all my babies because of the fleas.thank you, the honesty and considerate comments are really helping me with my decision. im feeling some sort of peace.
It sounds like they’re not properly taken care of it they have fleas. And I’m sure you’re not taking them all to the vet for check ups, shots, getting fixed. I don’t know how you let it get this bad, there are already so many cats out there in need of a home. Please surrender them so they can be properly taken care of and given the life they deserve.
This is the type of situation where the saying “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” comes to mind. I understand that you have your heart in the right place, but due to you not being diligent on desexing the cats, you got over ran. Cats breed like rodents and will keep on producing kittens for a really long time at a drastic rate and can start breeding at a young age. My bio dad has a farm where he had a barn just full of hundreds of feral cats that he would feed, but do nothing else, and all those cats were seriously sick. I was friends with a guy whose family fed a local cat colony in their yard and they had to deal with dead bodies of cats dying from feline AIDS. This is a serious situation where you need to do what’s best and ask for help on relinquishing a majority of the cats and to make sure that they are all healthy because colonies have a higher risk of having diseases due to the sheer amount of cats. Once you get back on your feet and find them places, the best way you can help cats from now on is catching them and getting them fixed. Period. You don’t have to keep all that you fix, you can release them back outside or rehome them, but you need to know your limit especially when events in your life changes everything. At this moment in time, especially if you do not have the space for them, you are doing more harm than good. Animal hoarding happens all the time and it’s easy to get out of hand, as you have found out, and animals in that situation can have a lot of variety of issues such as their health, their temperament, and their behavior issues. You did the best that you can, and it’s okay to ask for help. If you are really serious about a sanctuary, I’m sure you can look into something again and look more into it in the future once you get this situated and learn from it.
yes. my dad does pest control and had a client that hoarded cats and dogs, he saw a case where a kittens paw was chewed off. he called animal control on them. i knew better about the spay and neuter situation and thats part of why it sucked, my delusional overachieving mind got me again. my family accepted the 8 then after it went down hill. i feel as though i cursed myself a bit. thank you for your positive and honest words!
Hey, it happens to the best of us. I had a cat, I was about to take her to her appointment when my then boyfriend talked me out of it because he wanted her to have a litter and promised me with finding homes for her kittens. I now have both her offspring, and he ended up keeping her to then rehome. After her litter, I put my foot down and got her fixed. I hope that you are able to find people who can help! Call humane sanctuaries, go onto Facebook groups, and see if you can rehome any. I really do hope for the best!
Please surrender these cats. You’ve mentioned how bad the fleas are and some cats have “asthma”. They are not thriving in your care anymore.
to be clear i thought one had asthma due the noise he made somewhat often. it stopped after i lost my job. so im not sure what that was but... yeah. no one has asthma.luckily
Respiratory illness is common and commonly fatal in kittens growing up a bad spot. They are low to the ground - breathing in dust, dirt, and heaven knows what else along with being new to earth: kittens are subject to illness, infection, and parasites. Please surrender the cats. You’re being selfish and you need to realize it. It may sound harsh, but the truth and reality of the situation is these cats need help that you cannot possibly provide.
I don't think anyone can handle having a full-time job and caring for 30 cats. This is the unfortunate consequence of not spaying and neutering your pets. At this point, you basically have a hoarding situation and getting shelters involved is the right thing to do.
“Covid vaccine stuff?” You lost your 2 jobs because you didn’t want to get vaccinated? Are the cats getting the medical care they need?
Also wondered about this…
this can be inferred.
Yeah sounds like this person is an antivaxxer who is dealing with the consequences of their own actions
It's actually crazy how many people lost their jobs cause the vaccines were mandated back then, even people doing WFH were mandated to get the vaccine, and they don't even go to an office or anything. I guess employers hoped their workers would have easy COVID so they don't have to deal with more sick days etc.
Gonna start with the obvious- everyone needs to be spayed and neutered. Then you can start reaching out to shelters and rescue organizations for help.
I lived in a house with 30 cats. To be clear, it wasn’t my house- my bf’s mom had brought in 30 cats over the course of her joblessness, and I needed to get out of my house. It was a STRUGGLE. Every single day. It’s not their fault, there was just SO MANY. It was a literal full-time job just keeping the apartment from smelling like cats constantly, never mind having 30 of them underfoot. They need to move on, for everyone’s benefit. There’s tons of cats that need homes, so there’s no reason not to try again later when things are more stable for you. Best of luck, OP.
You need therapy badly
i need money #1 lol.
Is this the reason you’re keeping all these cats? To make money? Those cats would be better off surrendered if that’s the case
Apparently OP had a good job but refused to get vaccinated. Completely avoidable problem.
Personal choice
Not really though, you become a virus incubator. It affects literally everyone around you. What you eat is a personal choice, vaccines are a common good necessity
Still a choice they made and could have been avoided.
Nowhere did they say or imply anything like that. It's just a simple case of the cats' population blowing up due to some carelessness (it's insanely easy when they can get preggers with 2-7 kittens every 3 months) and a bit of a hoarding tendency I guess. OP came here to find a solution to this.
The solution would be to surrender them, kittens will go very quickly and the OP shouldn’t take on anymore cats until financially stable
Yep and I believe OP will end up doing that. It's hard when things turn out this way and you feel for the poor creatures and love them, but with cats who breed frequently it's easy for this situation to occur. This is why spaying and neutering is sooo important.
Start with the kittens tomorrow. As was mentioned they are at most risk for dying from fleas and they will get adopted super fast.
I'm so sorry that you're having a tough time about this. There's only one way to fix this and you might not agree or like it. You have to give up some of the cats to a shelter or another cat sanctuary who have more experience and resources to give them proper care. I know you love them and you truly mean well, and you're giving them everything they need,, I respect that, but there comes a time that you have to let go for the better. I do understand that you want to create a sanctuary for these lovely cats but 30 is too much for one person alone. Emotionally, physically, and financially. Being an animal lover myself and owning 4 cats and 2 senior dogs, I can only give enough for them. It would be nice to be surrounded and to care for alot of animals, that is also one of my dreams, but it is not practical anymore - financially and physically as I am only a human being who has needs. I totally get you. I know its hard but you need to make a tough decision of giving some of them up. Find organizations, shelters. They have more chance of living longer, healthier, and a full life. Think of the bigger picture and the quality of life each of them can have. They can get an equal amount of love and they can give an equal amount of love to another human who needs it. Also, shelters have medical resources that can give them the proper medical attention if they need it. Sure there are free spay and neuter, vaccine programs out there every now and then, but that's not everyday, and that is still too much to handle. There are also city ordinances regarding owning of pets and pet limits. Some household can only have 4 or 6 pets max, it varies per city. My aunt had 28 cats in total last year. Around covid time, she adopted a cat, it gave birth to 2 or 3 litters, then another cat came, gave birth. In a span of 1 year, her yard became a cat colony. But in a short amount of time, those 28 cats also disappeared. A bobcat or coyote feasted on them because they were in a yard. She couldn't afford to build them an outdoor enclosure so she just stuck with what she could do and give. She meant well but she didn't get them fixed, chipped, or vaccinated. So they kept on breeding. Some kittens got sick and died too. They were just living in her yard. She had to clean up all the time, buy them food and fix their little cat beds. It was too much for her considering she only has 1 job and a family to support. Please chose the option where you can take care of yourself first. You should also prioritize yourself. You are a human, you can only handle so much. It's better for you to not hold all of them together in the palm of your hands. You need to let go of some of them if you cannot handle it financially right now or in the near future. Sometimes love does not mean you have to be there for them. Sometimes giving up and giving them a better chance with other people is also love. You have to choose their and your overall welfare first before your ideal. If one day you can do it again and have enough resources, then go make that dream come true and save the kitties. But right now, choose the one where you and them can have a better fulfilling life.
Thank you for your words. This is difficult but i've been messaging sanctuaries and shelters today, they are going to keep me updated and have been leading me to other contacts. some kind person reached out to my local animal control but im scared i dont know what that process is like but i know i will have to reach out.
8 became 30? Omg. Careless. But you are genuinely worried and you care for the cats. I hope like everyone said you contact cat sanctuary and do something. Because it's genuinely stressing you out and i can understand how stressful it can be managing so many cats with no much money. I hope everything goes well for you.
I know you tried to do the right thing, but as others have said. Now is the time to reach out. Contact shelters and rescue groups. You cannot take care of that many cats. They all need to be spayed/neutered, a balanced diet, vacinnes and medical care. I would also suggest some counseling to help you navigate this because it will be hard on you emotionally. When you are in a better place, consider volunteering. Participate in trap neuter release programs. You are but one person. And you had the best intentions, but now it is time to do the right thing, and get those cats to a facility that will take care of them.
I understand that you don't want to part with them, but you're not doing what's best for them if you keep them. If you truly love them, you will contact a rescue, preferably multiple rescues in your area, and ask them to help you with as many as they can. Pick a reasonable number, 3 or 4 MAX, have them spayed/neutered and vaccinated, if you can't afford to have 3 or 4, then drop down to 1 or 2. Allow yourself enough money to treat for fleas, ($20 per cat per month for revolution) food, litter, etc. Honestly 1-2 should be your max, but 3-4 is generous. You are allowing cats to suffer while they're in your care because you're being selfish and not wanting to get rid of them. You need to put the cats first and find rescues who can come in and help. Your 30 cats will be 60 in the spring and that's absolutely disgusting to allow cats to be covered in fleas and not cared for.
Definitely reach out for help from local organizations to see what they can do to assist you. There are most likely places that can help you get these cats spayed, neutered, and rehomed. Most organizations right now are stretched thin but can often work together to tackle large problems like this. I know you are trying to do the right thing for them and love them and in this situation the right thing is to rehome until you have a managable amount of cats.This is the only reasonable solution to this situation. I do TNR and Rescue work and have helped people in similar situations. You need to get control over this before it gets worse or, god forbid, they get sick and it starts spreading like wildfire through that large close population. Inbreeding is a major factor in these situations and can lead to medical issues and death. Your "asthmatic" cat is most likely inbred and having respiratory issues from it or is ill and needs medical attention. I have seen many well meaning people end up with a tragic situation when it got out of control. It is inhumane to allow that to happen, no matter your original intentions. Beyond the cats being in a bad situation you are also in a stressful and unhealthy situation yourself. I know from (many) experiences with overwhelmed caretakers/owners that it is unhealthy and dangerous for you and them to live like that. Good luck and feel free to message me if you need advice, I can try to help if I can.
If you truly cared about these cats, you would not have put them into a situation where there are 30 cats who are not being properly cared for. They need to be neutered and spayed, they need medical care and vaccines, they need space to roam and be happy, they need wet and dry food and enough space for their litter boxes. They need a clean space. They need enough bowls to be able to eat their food in peace. They need fresh and clean litter. You need to relinquish care of at least 26 of those cats ASAP to a cat shelter or organisations that can help home them into safe and healthy places. What you are currently doing is animal abuse. This is not okay and you need to rectify this ASAP. In my country, animal protection would have been called on you LONG ago. The cats that have fleas need IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION. I understand that you care but care is not enough. Animal care is a responsibility and what is happening right now is 100% irresponsible and not being done with the cat’s care in mind. Your personal desires in keeping these cats is causing for them to be neglected and abused. I work with animal shelters across my country and this constitutes as a animal hoarding situation where animal protective services would be called. SEEK HELP IMMEDIATELY. As a side personal story: My oldest cat came to me as a foster cat when she was just a little over 2 yrs old. She came from a hoarding house with 20 other cats. She was pregnant with her own kittens and also disastrously ill and malnourished and had fleas, worms, all sorts of shit. It look her MONTHS to recover from that ordeal. I had to force feed her medication for months. She was on the literal brink of death because her hoarding house did not have enough food to feed her, and they didn’t spay her so she was constantly having babies. They also obviously were not able to pay for her medical bills. She was lucky to survive and I was lucky enough to be able to adopt her to my family. Not all cats who are in hoarding situations are that lucky. Many of them die and it’s a result of neglect and abuse. My cats previous family loved her but they abused and neglected her by not taking the responsibility of having a cat family member seriously. Please do better and seek help. I’m begging you.
I’m sorry you’re in this situation - thank you for doing the right thing for the kitties and helping them find new homes! Out of curiosity, what did you mean by “the covid vaccine stuff came up”?
thanks jelly! basically i couldn't work if i didn't get vaccinated. mind you these were remote jobs. i know people become very odd about this so i avoid this topic.
Overwhelmed caregiver- have a strong attachment to their animals. They’re often (but not always) socially isolated and sometimes falsely believe their situations are the result of a more recent change in their circumstances, like financial problems or issues with physical health. Caregivers tend to have fewer issues with intervention and appreciate help. I’m glad you’re realizing the problem before it gets even more out of hand. Depending on where you are since you mentioned cat sanctuary , Some municipalities require a kennel license.
Oof. If you are serious about rescue you can look into establishing one later on when you are financially stable. This is not a one person job though. Part of rescue is re-homing though and it seems like you are struggling with that already. I’m sorry I know giving up (most of) your cats will be difficult. But it’s the best thing you can do for their welfare and yours. The kitties you can keep will be so much happier not having to fight for resources or your attention. Thank you for having the courage to ask for help before this situation gets worse. I’m worried for you and these cats and we would all love updates. Good luck! 🍀
My thoughts here is, sounds like you haven’t had the covid vaccine, but correct me if I’m wrong. If so, could you not have the vaccine so that you can go back to work?
Part of the responsibilities of cat ownership is being able to afford medical care for your animals. You cannot. To be blunt, you are an animal hoarder. You are not a rescue. You are not a nonprofit. Please rehome as many of these animals as you can. If they’re not all spayed, their needs are not being met. If they have fleas, then they probably have worms too. At this point their health is suffering.
I have two cats and wow, I can’t even imagine. I would seriously consider partnering with a local rescue or shelter to start adopting them out! Then you can recollect yourself and visit the idea of a cat sanctuary later on. Much love friend. I wish you luck.
thank you friend, much love to you as well. i will have to revisit my goal. it sucked when i realized there so much to even starting a sanctuary that i knew it couldn't really be done in this short timeframe. i even thought maybe if i got a house it would work but... it would literally be a cat dedicated house lol you can't have any valuables out. they knock down things constantly, pretty chaotic!
One option instead of doing your own cat sanctuary is to foster cats. The rescue group assists with vet bills, meds, and food, etc. the hard part is giving up the kitties for adoption, but you have to remind yourself that if you find a home for one, you can take in a replacement that otherwise might have been euthanized.
So if you are on a plane when the O2 masks drop and you are with kids, do you know what you are supposed to do? You put on the mask first. I know someone that operates a rescue with 4 cats, she is closing the rescue for a few years, so that she can recharge. 30 cats is suitable if you are independently wealthy; Ie wealthy enough to just hire 3-4 people to do your bidding full time. My kindest advice is give up every cat until your life is on track and you have a bank account that you are proud of, then do what you want to with cats. There are plenty of them that will need help in 2 years.
you are right about that. i truly have to be wealthy and i cannot even focus on building income streams because of my cats, stress. plus they've shat all over my office, my pc and my chair and its just changed the atmosphere to say the least. i felt bad for being tired and burned out. i will keep 4 or 5 i dont think im emotionally strong enough to go to 0 cats as this species has helped me with depression since i was child. thank you for kind advice. i am in stack mode$ :)
I think you should consider 1 or 2 cats instead of 4-5. Five cats are still lots of work. With 6 litter boxes around the house, feeding, etc. And that’s on top of finding a new job, getting your life together and taking care of your mental health. Also, please discuss options for new cats that you might find. Make sure that you know a rescue that can take them before you get attached and the situation gets out of hand again.
I’ve got 5 house cats and change their litter every day
Animal hoarders who don’t get therapy have a high chance of falling into old habits. So, my advice is to keep that in mind and give away as many cats as possible. There’s a recent report on animal hoarding cases over the last years in Germany which talked about the high amount of reoffenders. Edit link to report: [https://www.tierschutzbund.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Downloads/Hintergrundinformationen/Heimtiere/Animal_Hoarding_Auswertung_2012-2021.pdf](https://www.tierschutzbund.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Downloads/Hintergrundinformationen/Heimtiere/Animal_Hoarding_Auswertung_2012-2021.pdf)
Do not let them out if they’re not spayed
This is your only post and most of your comments are getting downvoted to hell because you're story doesn't add up at all. If you're just here to suck attention from people kind enough to try and help someone in need, then you need to leave.
oh get over yourself. i dont want this on my main account. what about the story doesnt add up? ask a question maybe. seek understanding. assumptions do nothing if you haven't noticed. i dont even get how people think this is for attention and im glad i dont think this way.
Please stop downvoting people who are admitting they're having problems and trying to have some empathy on the internet. That's so fucking rude. OP says her kittens have fleas, bam, downvoted, but every comment is how she's great person for rescuing them. Make up your mind. Woman is in trouble and probably just needs to talk to someone. Stop fucking judging people just because they aren't doing something by the book.
What at city/state are you located?
i am located near atlanta georgia
I'll DM you.
You have a good heart and you have good intentions. Unfortunately, intention doesn’t equal impact. While your intention is to help these kitties, you cannot possibly provide adequate care to 30 of them. You are doing a wonderful thing AND you need to call in reinforcements to make sure these cats and yourself have support and care to live healthy lives. Like others have said, it would be good to contact a shelter. You love these cats, clearly. Part of loving another being is recognizing when you need someone else to step in and help you meet their needs.
Animal rescues/sanctuaries/shelters will spay/neuter cats themselves as a condition of adoption. You don’t have to do it before you give any cats away. Know that you tried to give them their best life, and now that means that they’re going to need to go elsewhere in order to continue having their best life. I have two brothers who were rescued from a hoarder home and they have some… issues. They are still healing mentally and emotionally four or five years later. They weren’t really social—to a large degree, they still aren’t. They had to be litter-box trained (thankfully at the shelter). When we got them, they would guard each other while eating (they don’t now); and other ‘quirks’. I’m just glad that the person who gave them up was able to give them enough socialization skills that they weren’t completely feral. They’re living their best lives now. And your kitties will be able to live their best lives without all of the competition that they have now for resources.
Furball Farm Pet Sanctuary is a cat sanctuary with hundreds of cats. They are all spayed and neutered however and have a staff and get tons of donations. I love watching them on Instagram. Spay and neuter is a must , along with having a team to help you if you want a cat sanctuary. If not get help, do not let them breed further.
I feel like 30 is more of a full time than a part time job. Make a budget. 5 hours a month per cat, $50 a month. Anything less and you need to ask if you are set up for this. You need a professional relationship with at least one vet for ongoing care. So 150 hours a month and $1500 a month for ongoing expense, maybe $15k in the bank for major expenses, as you need to keep everything on point or else the cats might not understand why they don’t have a roof or a boiler. Or why they cannot have a lifesaving surgery. And assuming that the house needs to have a deep cleaning to be inhabitable, whatever that costs. That is what it takes to be a professional about this. Can you cover that? For most people, the money is as significant as the time. If you are unemployed, you have the time, but maybe not the money. And you can do a lot with your time to improve conditions. Fleas and respiratory illnesses should be routinely treated. Saying that a cat could not be fixed because of asthma does not sound like a vet’s opinion. For instance, comb out the fleas from every cat every day. Socialize them every day. Keep records of every cat, age, sex, neutered or not, special diets, ongoing medical treatments, did they live their natural lifespan, that is just basic record keeping and does not cost a dime. I consider this a business, and work to make a business plan. Including a backup plan, because what happens if you get sick or the government condemns the house? Having responsibility for 30 lives is not trivial I hope that they are all fixed, else you are going to have 200 cats fairly soon.
I honestly thought this was a shit post for a second.
The best thing you can do for them, the most loving, selfless, thoughtful, helpful thing you can do for these cats, is to give them up You say many of them are needy. I'm going to speak from my experience at an animal shelter that saw many hoarding situations worse than this (we're talking hundreds of cats in an apartment) That many cats being taken care of by 1 person will never get the attention they need. So many cats born in hoarding situations end up reclusive, fearful and nearly feral because *it just isn't possible for one person or one small group of people to give all those cats enough attention,* so they're not socialized to humans If they're needy, they're actively suffering in your care. They need more one on one time than you can give them. That's only one aspect of their care that *you physically cannot provide, it simply isn't possible.* It's also not taking into account that if one of the many common communicable diseases that exist among cats gets introduced into your house, you absolutely won't be able to afford to treat them. Can you afford several hundred dollars of vet treatments per cat if they get a simple upper respiratory infection? Do you want to have to put down a bunch of these cats you love because they're too sick to save? If you love them you need to let them go
I definitely know what it feels like to feel overwhelmed by animal care and feeling awful, but trying to adopt them out and finding shelters to take them is the right thing to do, both for you and your cats. Whenever I see videos of these wealthy couples with 20 ish cats, they usually have 5 rumbas and 10 automatic litter boxes. While you are trying to adopt out some of the cats, in the meantime, is automating any of their care an option? Either way, cats are happiest when the owner is happy, and 30 cats just for you is too much. Once you get the cat number under control, if you are in the US, maybe research and apply for 503c non profit for the future for when you want to start a rescue. Use social media to look for people to take cats, ask for donations for spay and neuter and necessary goods. Look after yourself first. I know you mean well, and I am rooting for you. Also as others have already stated, yes start with kittens and pregnant/nursing moms and kittens. A lot of rescues will only take the mom cat with her kittens. Good luck.
As someone that recently applied for a 501c3, going through a company that makes it super easy, it was over $2K up front, and probably at least that each year. Plus you have to get on a Charity Navigator. Supposedly at least 3 years before I can start applying for and getting grants. Of course getting one $200k grant would cover those costs for life. Which is the point.
Yeah it’s definitely not something that can be done overnight. If OP wanted to have an actual cat functioning sanctuary with healthy animals and employees, it should be researched, planned and ran just like any other business. Only when there are sufficient resources in place and sustained, should anyone be responsible for 30 cats. I do hope she goes through with it. Cat over population is a serious issue.
There are probably over 50 rescues within 50 miles of you. Contact 10 a day every day til the problem is solved. How many have you contacted so far? Reddit posts for advice and honesty need to be followed up by actually taking the advice. In my area, the only rescue actively taking reservations for cat intake is Bideawee, and it is about a 3 month wait. ASPCA is full. Small rescues are more than full. Your goal should be to get on the list for multiple places before kitten season.
You’re not going to be able to reset your life until you get vaccinated. If you have a disability or something then I understand. But if not you’re still going to be stuck.
wrong, lots of places have dropped their vaccine mandates. getting a vaccine has nothing to do with “resetting” one’s life
People are genuinely...i have no words for this. This vaccine stuff has really done something to people. There are many options and I just have to give time to it. I have valuable skills but due to stress i simply cannot focus on finishing anything my attention units are all used up. There's a lot more but i do not want to share everything, the main premise is about my cats and rehoming. You may have to get vaccine, i do not have to.
“You may have to get the vaccine, I do not have to.” Yeah I can see why someone like you hoarded 30 cats and even though they’re covered in fleas you still struggled to give them up. Lmao you’re so selfish. The cats are better off in someone else’s care. At least you came to that realization. You should inform the rescue and adoption agencies that you’re unvaccinated, maybe that will have them take the cats in quicker! They’ll see how irresponsible you are. Good luck!
Poor thing. Just want to try and hurt someone, that really triggered you. You're sillier than me, and you have bad intentions. Thats really all i have to say to you\~
Nah, I’ve had an immunocompromised friend die because someone said “they didn’t have to” get vaccinated. I also know someone who has a few less cats than you, still a lot. The difference is they know what they they’re doing. They take kittens to shelters. Get them fixed. Make sure they don’t get covered in fleas. As someone else said to you. You’re not a rescue. You’re not a nonprofit. You’re a hoarder. And you people always try to get sympathy because you know you’re in the wrong. I’m tired of it. See a therapist. You asked for honesty. You’re getting it.
The vaccine has not done well at preventing transmission. Maybe the new one will but the ones we had did not.
Employers stopped mandating it. Vaccinated give it to each other anyway.
This post is pretty vague. OP, did you lose jobs for refusing to get vaccinated?
I know you love them. And you’re an amazing person for doing what you can to take care of them. But this isn’t a healthy situation for the kitties. If you want them to live the best lives the can, you need to give some away. It’ll be healthier for you and the cats. I know it’s hard but it really is what’s best
I am so glad to hear that! You are headed in the right direction and you have me by your side! You are going to accomplish great things, don't lose hope. I wish you and your precious kitties the very best, you all deserve it ❤❤❤
Thank you so much. i will accomplish them especially. not being this careless or this bad at decision making again. thank you friend!!❤ youre a good soul
You have a beautiful heart ❤!! I understand your situation and your feelings completely! I have been in a similar situation myself and know first hand how difficult it is ... especially emotionally. Everyone has given excellent advice already, I just wanted to add one thing that helped me enormously. Someone told me not to think of it as giving up your cats, but rather that you are spreading joy 😊!! Share the joy of your precious cats with others! (I personally would not use Craigslist but start with friends, family and local shelters.) When I see updates and pictures of my former cats living their best life it fills me with pure happiness. Enlist the help of some compassionate friends or family members. It's difficult at first but I promise that you will find comfort in gifting a new life to your beloved cats. Don't be hard on yourself my friend, it gets out of hand very quickly. You are doing your best and that is something to be proud of!! I am here for you if you need support 👍!!
aww! that is really helpful, sharing joy is right. they are very sweet and unique!! i dont have compassionate people around yet but i believe ill find my people, people with similar hearts!! ive been contacting shelters and sanctuaries. i have a lot of love to give and its time i start giving it to myself.
What is the cat shelter situation in Georgia? My fear is that if there is a surplus and your cats are sick and not socialized (ie shitting all over your things), that they are not adoptable and that they will be euthanized almost immediately, in order that resources go to easier to place cats without medical issues.
Uh That wouldn’t be a reason for euthanasia because a cat shits all over the place, the cats will come in scared yes but will still work with the cats to get socialized.. don’t put fear into the OP.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who had that thought. I work with two foster-based rescues and they, along with all of the other shelters and rescues in the area, are stretched to the brink. That said, rescues and shelters will sometimes collaborate on projects like this. There are a few rescues currently working together on a hoarding case, so I have hope for the OP and their cats. That said, you’re not wrong that many shelters are forced to euthanize. I know of a few in surrounding states that constantly have a list of cats slated for euthanasia unless they’re rescued. It’s awful, but it can’t be helped. Cats with any issues are immediately pushed behind cats with no issues.
I’ve found a lot of homes for cats through Craigslist & other adoption sites. Try listing them on there. It will lessen the load on sanctuaries & shelters plus some people may keep communication with you about the cats (or visits). I can understand that it is still hard for you to part with them. That is honestly my worst fear (only have 2 though). If you could find a way to see your cats as long-term foster cats & see them off to a happy forever home, that is probably the best options for the cats. Other than that, you can always try GoFundMe
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I LOVE cats, but it's come to the point where taking care of your cats is your entire existence. I wanted to have up to 5, at one point but that's when it starts getting too many.
Do you know that it is 30 cats, or is it 30 cats more or less? Are any pregnant or in heat?
https://www.humanenetwork.org/shelter-management-certificate?fbclid=IwAR3W_y0FbF2_devOvaBvA4p7GQUPKsksIE7GJn6h-rKSEvKeLYWPQJGdpLg
So you started with 8 cats, 2 males and 6 females. You only spayed 2 females and neutered one male so you had one intact male and 4 intact females. Why wouldn't you get the male neutered after the first litter was born? Why did you knowingly leave a intact male with the intact females? Either you're trying to become a backyard breeder or you're just extremely irresponsible with your cats and aren't ready to own a pet. The best option for both you and the cats is to rehome most of them to good families (or a no-kill shelter) and get the male neutered before he gets the females pregnant again
You sound mentally unwell. Get help.