We began feeding a male feral about six months ago.   At that time he was thin and his eyes looked infected.  After about two months he had filled out and his coat was beginning to thicken.  His eyes were no longer infected.  He always stayed his distance but he would sit by the sliding glass door like clockwork to be fed.  Then a smaller cat started appearing.  She was obviously pregnant but very thin.  We definitely didn't want to start a feral colony in our backyard!

Neither one of us knew anything about cats and we decided the responsible thing to do would be to call a city or county agency for advise.  Unfortunately, I spent the better part of three frustrating days calling every single agency dealing with cats looking for information as to what we were supposed to do with these two cats.  I was horrified to learn that the city and county agencies would remedy our situation by simply killing them!  I was dismayed to learn the number of cats that are put to sleep every single day.  I couldn't accept that as the only solution so I did some more research and ended up calling every single "feral cat person" in the area pleading for information and assistance. 

Unlike the city and county agencies, these organizations seem to have a network in  place to offer help.  All of them were overwhelmed with the demands of their mission to save feral cats but they were all willing to educate us and assist us with our dilemma. Unfortunately, none of them were in a position to take in two more cats. 

I got the most help from Spay n' Save.  Phyllis was very patient with us and our lack of knowledge regarding cats.  She was a godsend to say the least.  She guided us through the entire process of capturing the cats so they could be taken to the vet.  She even provided us with the appropriate cages for the capture.  We had already called several vets on our own to inquire about having the cats sterilized and were shocked to learn it was so expensive.  We were financially unable to pay the full price.  Spay n' Save apparently works with a vet who does the surgery at a deeply discounted price and we readily agreed to pay for both surgeries. 

Phyllis took both cats to her vet and then godsend that she is.........she kept the cats for us for two weeks while they recovered from the surgery.  After their recovery, we accepted our fate and agreed to have both cats released back into our yard.  Well, guess what?  We've all adjusted just fine.  We wake up every morning to find our two kitties patiently waiting for their breakfast by the sliding glass door.  The big tom cat has turned into the most lovable darling.  He rubs up against our ankles and "talks" to us the whole time.  The little female is fast warming up to us but still keeps her distance.  She watches the male interact with us and she seems fascinated with the whole scene.  When we talk to her she sits there and just stares as though she's hypnotized by the sound of a human voice.  They both stay in our large backyard all day sunning themselves and napping.  We live on a lake and have ten citrus trees..........this equals RATS, a big problem in many of our neighborhoods.  Not too many days went by at first without our kitties proudly presenting us with the remains of their catches.  As time passes, there are fewer and fewer rats.  I'm absolutely amazed that we didn't think of this solution a long time ago!!!  Our kitties are definitely earning their keep. 

This whole process has been a life changing event.  How many other people are out there feeding feral cats but can't afford to have them spay or neutered?  The cats continue to reproduce.  Folks like us are willing, but we simply can't afford to do the responsible thing and have the cats spay or neutered so the breeding problem persists. 

It's so simple......... We need more organizations like Spay n' Save to help neutralize the breeding problem.  There needs to be more publicity.  We need to be educated!  There is a solution.  Richard and I are proof.