Cat rehoming question

[farmchick897]

I live on a farm and seem to acquire these abdanded, stray cats.
I have vetted them and all of them have been spayed or neutered but I'm up to 9 now and really don't want that many. I would be happy to get down to 4-6. They are all outside cats but it cost me over 200 bucks yearly for all the shots and vet exams not to mention food, worming and what is cost to fix them. So, I'm worried about rehoming to a bad home or some sicko if offered free on craigslist. Add an adoption fee no one will even respond. If I take 3 to the animal humane will they sit in cages forever? I have looked into cat rescues and they take from kill shelters only or are full. Local shelters will just euthanize... Any advice on what I can do?

 

[SallyF]

Are they friendly to humans or are they pretty much feral? Cats in shelters are more likely to get adopted if they are socialized. I've rescued a lot of feral kittens and have had to turn some over to shelters because I couldn't find homes for them. I always made sure they were fixed, litter-trained, and people-friendly.

 

[farmchick897]

The ones I'm looking to rehome are very friendly and want to be indoor family cats plus they have med/long hair that will matte if I don't shave them down or brush. One is a beautiful calico with green eyes, one is a male pure white with one blue eye one green. The other is the youngest and recently spayed white female kitten.

 

[scrambledmess]

I adopted 3 feral cats from the HS because I needed cats in my barn and I didn't want to go through the hassle of getting them spayed. I liked that it was all done already. I also know that the feral cats know how to hunt. THAT was the biggest draw for me as we have mice and rats. I haven't seen any since we got the cats, so they are doing a great job.

If you don't mind them continuing to live outside, you shouldn't have too hard of a time finding homes for them if you advertise them as hunters and spayed. Every barn needs good cats. It is just the way of it

 

[scrambledmess]

I adopted 3 feral cats from the HS because I needed cats in my barn and I didn't want to go through the hassle of getting them spayed. I liked that it was all done already. I also know that the feral cats know how to hunt. THAT was the biggest draw for me as we have mice and rats. I haven't seen any since we got the cats, so they are doing a great job.

If you don't mind them continuing to live outside, you shouldn't have too hard of a time finding homes for them if you advertise them as hunters and spayed. Every barn needs good cats. It is just the way of it

 

[Appytaz]

I rehomed 2 kitten on craigslist - but I was very very careful. I called both vets to verify they kept their animals vaccinated and also did landlord verification that they were allowed to have pets.

 

[domino7]

Are there really that many sickos looking for free animals? Honestly, in all my years I have never known one. Of course, I've seen people mistreat animals, but not go to the length of adopting them to abuse.

I think you're lucky if you can give them away to be honest. Roughly 4 million cats are put down in this country every year. Good for you getting them spayed and neutered though.

 

[farmchick897]

Actually we just had a situation with a man getting free cats off craigslist and torturing them.
There are people who get free kittens to feed snakes too. These cats are too people and dog friendly to be
rehomed as barn cats.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Our local farm store sells vaccines for pets very cheaply. You can also order them online. If these are young, healthy cats, I don't think they need a full vet exam every year. My older pets go more than once a year. They don't even need vaccines every year, to keep up their immunities. Most vets are only vaccinating every three years, now. The only thing you need a vet for is the rabies vaccine and many areas have annual clinics for that, where you only pay for the shot. Some areas even have spay and neuter clinics. If it's more than the cost of vet care and you just don't want that many cats, I totally understand that.

Do you have any feral cat or trap and release organizations in your area? They are often a good resource for information. Let them know that you have been accumulating these barn cats that just show up and that it's becoming overwhelming for you. Maybe they will have some ideas or information to help you. Try google or try asking other rescues and vets for information, too.

 

[TigerLilly]

With CL, you never know for sure who you're selling to...but then again, I have gotten a lot of critters off there (mostly chickens...).
I would say to set a 'negotiable rehoming fee' of a reasonable amount to weed out the freaks. If you get a really good feeling about someone, you can always either lower the price or give them the cat for free. Personally, I'd want to recoup something of the money invested, but the main thing is that they get good homes. Good luck; I hope you find good homes for them!
BTW--I think it's great that you have invested in having them spayed/neutered! More people should do that...