"T/N/R, Adoptions, Rescue, Hoarding: Do they all go together?
When people decide to do TNR, they also must be clear on what they aim to achieve.
If you’re considering embarking upon this important task, be specific about what you can do well and what you can't.
It’s very important so you don’t get in over your head.
If you already trap regularly and believe that you can trap and adopt out every cat, you are mistaken.
If you think you can trap and take every cat that might not be in an ideal situation, you are also mistaken.
And if you think you can adopt out every kitten you trap, you are mistaken.
I am not talking about the person who traps once a year. I am talking about the person who does this on a regular basis.
Set your limits, goals and decide what you can and cannot do.
It’s not healthy for you OR the cats to trap them, keep them in cages and only HOPE one day they will tame.
Truly un-socialized cats don't really like you anyway, so why not spay or neuter them and be on your way.
There is a recent hoarding situation in Florida, in which the person both trapped cats and took cats from the city and put them all in cages. When officials busted the hoarder, they had 700 cats living in cages in their own filth.
Tragically, now the humane community has 700 cats to deal with. not to mention the suffering of these poor angels who could have been living their lives out in the place they were originally found.
A cat rescuer in California created a similar situation, albeit with fewer cats. I told him once that he really needed to TNR the older kittens, stop trapping for a while, and focus on getting the socialized kittens adopted. He said he felt “all kittens deserve a soft pillow to sleep on.”
Well, he didn't take my advice, continued trapping, didn't adopt out and he, too got busted.
Now people who were going about their own business helping cats had to stop and help him-otherwise these cats would have ended up at Animal Control and, as you know, no pillows for them.
Instead, their bodies would have ended up in trash cans instead, a scene that sadly plays out every day in America’s shelters.
No one wins this way, especially not the cats. Keep focused. Do what you do best. Have boundaries. Take good care of yourself and be ethical in all that you do with the cats. Make sure their best interest is at heart.
Remember: You are no good to them if you are in jail for animal cruelty and neglect."
Aug 02, 2011
http://www.straycatalliance.org/news/stray-talk/2011/jul-aug-sep/hoarding