PLEASE HELP FEED ORPHANED KITTEN

There is a resident kitten on the site that has lost its mother.

We have been feeding it, but are concerned it will starve once we have gone home.

It is in one of the front porches near to the entrance to the surface car park (near the secuity office - 3rd (ground) level).

Please can we all help to see that he is cared for ?

Your help would be appreciated.


Jo and Steve

You should take it to an animal welfare place. They may be able to find a  home. Wild cats in Spain have a great many diseases, it would need checking over before comming in to contact with anyone, particularly children on the site!

I agreee with Maud, I think if there are concerns about the kitten it should be brought to where it can be looked after. I have read about other complexes who had terrible problems with wild cats, and I would be concerned about infections being passed on to children and any preganant women through cats that have not received the required injections. 
I do understand your worries about the kitten Jo and Steve and I would not like to see it suffer in anyway, but if someone is on site and could get it to where it can be looked after properly and maybe given a good home I think that would be the best solution.
Tricia

Hi all There is a big problem with ferral cats in Spain. If you feed them they will make it their home, and very quickly procreate. They are sadly for this reason seen as vermin. Among a few possible diseases are Rabies, Cat scratch fever, Toxoplasmosis, Ringworm, Salmonella, Tuberculosis, Heliocobacter, feline aids, and feline leukaemia. It needs injections and continuing vet care, so should be passed on to one of the various rescue agencies. Regards James

The first thing we did  when we arrived on Veranda this week and found the kitten already IN SITU was to contact cat rescue centres, they were all full.

We did not bring the kitten onto the site, it was there already. We thought the humane thing to do was to CONTINUE what other residents had ALREADY STARTED i.e. feeding and sheltering the poor little thing.

We are back in the UK. Other residents will need to look after her now.

Please try not to apportion blame until the full facts are at your disposal.


Jo and Steve

Who has suggested that anyone has brought it on to the site?Or apportioned blame? It is described as a ferral cat and therefore obviously made its own way there. No one is blaming any one for the situation, just giving a justified opinion. It is inappropriate to continue feeding it and the site administrators should deal with it. The health and welfare of owners, visitors and most of all children is paramount. If someone is living on site and wants to take it on, getting appropriate vet care, good, but otherwise it should be removed.

I have not described it as ferral, I think Tricia did. And she hasn't even seen it.

It may be one, I am not sure.

We are back in the UK and obviously not around to deal with the situation in any way. If we were, we would go for a humane solution such as continuing our efforts to find it a home. It is becoming more and more domesticated as the days go by.

I guess it has been fed by various residents on the site for a few weeks now.

This being the case, it is my opinion that it is far too glib to refer to it being inappropriate to continue feeding it.

I will not be making any further comments on EOS about this, except to say that the more prolific contributors on this site may
perhaps need support from residents like ourselves on other issues as the months and years go by.

Let your conscience be your guide.

Jo and Steve

Here is the comment I posted earlier in the thread.

I agreee with Maud, I think if there are concerns about the kitten it should be brought to where it can be looked after. I have read about other complexes who had terrible problems with wild cats, and I would be concerned about infections being passed on to children and any preganant women through cats that have not received the required injections. 
I do understand your worries about the kitten Jo and Steve and I would not like to see it suffer in anyway, but if someone is on site and could get it to where it can be looked after properly and maybe given a good home I think that would be the best solution.


There is no mention of blame or responsibility for bringing the kitten on site, I was merely expressing my concerns, as I do know that there are major problems with cats in Spain
I am sorry that you are both upset about the kitten and I do understand your concerns.
I would hate to think that members of  the community  on Veranda could not express  concerns and opinions openly in the future for fear of not receiving support from others on issues that concern us all.
Best wishes
Tricia

How rude some people are! So we are not expected to voice our concerns unless we agree with certain members in fear that they will not support us in future. I would rather do without that kind of support, thank you. I voiced my concerns as a microbiologist and James' as a Vet. They were valid comments just the same as Tricia's, you do not need to see it to be woried about the implications of it reproducing and an increased diseased cat population, which is subsequently cruel to all  animals. 
If people cannot voice their concerns then the forum will become pointless!
Yours
Anne Morris

I did not think it would be contentious the subject of trying to ensure a little kitten on the site gets fed for the next few weeks until it is able to fend for itself.

On any other matter, I do not expect everyone to agree with me, far from it.

It could be the two respondents on this subject (including a vet?) are in the minority anyway.

This is a very serious issue and if anyone doubts what we are saying then it is easy to check via the internet. I could cast doubts on others postings, and put my qualifications up for all to see, but the facts speak for themselves, so check it out!

If various people on the site would be good enough to look after the kitten until we are next over on the 23rd November, we will follow Maud's advice and take it to the vet urgently during our stay.

Please help.

Thank you very much.


Jo and Steve.

Thank you for the PMs of support regarding the kitten. We are not obsessives, believe me, but like others we do not want to see a small defenceless creature die through starvation. How cruel would that be?

Please be assured we will take responsibility for getting veterinary attention for the kitten when we are next over on the 23rd November.

Thanks.

Jo and Steve

Dear Steve + Jo

We have been looking after the kitten, which we have named Martha, but we thought it was an Arthur.  We took her to the vet as she had a damaged tail.  She is due to have a partial amputation in a couple of weeks along with being spayed.  She has had her flu injection, wormed and a shot of antibiotics.  We will be going back to the UK on 12 December until mid January and we will be looking after her until then.  Our friends in Mojacar will look after her during this period with a view to adopting her.  If they don´t want her full-time we will look after her until we go back to the UK in May and hopefully find her a good home as she needs to have a proper family to look after her.  She is doing fine and is the sweetest little cat imaginable.  It is not fair on her to be looked after part-time by different people and that is why we are trying to re-home her.

We look forward to meeting you in November.

Best wishes
Jo + David Apt 4.08

p.s. If you´d like to contribute towards the vet bills, we reckon on Euro 200.

We are very relieved that the little thing is receiving care and attention and hopefully now that it has been looked at and treated by a vet this will alllay some other residents' fears.

Of course we will contribute to the bill, we are over from the 23rd until the 26th November.

Regards.


Jo and Steve

I have of late been kept awake on our complex  with the constant cries of female cats in season ,it is a loud and intense call ,4 am and it goes on and on. Then we have the raiding of the rubbish containers and the pungent smell of Tom cat spray on our terrace . 
They are a domestic animal that has gone feral and reproduced in numbers,they do not belong in a residential environment ,without owners and control. They carry disease and lice .

The animal should be treated in a humane manner and of course not allowed to starve ,the correct procedure would have been to take the creature to the vet and allow him/her to take the humane path for the protection of the community.

I also believe that those who love animals are usually descent and kind people,but we must face reality ,they are an introduced animal and they effect the natural balance of nature,they kill wild life and song birds,destroy plants and flowers ,spread disease and are dangerous when cornered or trapped.
They are also anti-social,disturbing my sleep is a big no no ,with the potential of entering my home through an open window,bringing with then scent and destruction.
Why should the whole community be effected and have to suffer the consequences,because of the sentimentality of a few.

This message was last edited by kenshaz on 11/2/2008.

All we can speak about is the ONE kitten. As you will see from an earlier posting, this kitten has been treated by a vet. It is going to be spayed this month.

It is being cared for responsibly by a resident on veranda, with a view to finding it a permanent home elsewhere.

The menace you are referring to has nothing to do with this particular kitten, it is the sort of problem you will find the length and breadth of Spain or any other country. There are many cats living in the hill to the rear of the complex for example.

Jo and Steve

Jo and Steve,
                        I understand your concern and I also realise that you are super people. I am just looking at the bigger picture,whilst people feed them they will return,and they are not wanted. They soften the hearts of a few and they become a plague in the community. I know that you have done the correct thing in respect to your visit to the vet and the kitten has been fortunate.

Cannot take credit for taking the kitten to the vet. This was done by another caring couple on Veranda. We would have done so but we were not in Spain at the time. Don't worry, I would like to think we are responsible people and will try our very best to be involved in sorting out a good permanent home for the kitten.

Dear all

As all the whinging has now stopped regarding Martha, some of you may or may not be interested to hear that she will no longer be on the Veranda site, apart from when our friend in Mojacar go back to the UK and then we will look after her.  We saw no other cats on site, apart from one, who used to come and play with her for a few minutes a day as it was all he could stand with her totally dominating him.  So, we hope that this can be an end to this matter.

Merry Xmas & Happy New Year

p.s. Many thanks to Steve & Jo for their contribution to the vet bill