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Cat rescue group advice needed
My sister is in an apartment complex and is trying to get a local stray rescued. She is in NC. He had been around for months, everyone "knows" him and he doesn't seem to have an owner. He is skinny though he eats well, has obvious fleas and ticks and an ear infection. He is very friendly.
Because he is outside, the local no-kill rescue cannot take him. They refereed her to a feral group (FCAP) who just responds to voicemail. She left a VM on Friday and hasn't heard back.
He sits outside her sliding door all day twitching his ears because they are infected. He really needs care ASAP but she doesn't want to risk taking him to a kill shelter.
WWYD? She honestly doesn't have $$ to take him to the vet - even if its $30 - she's on leave from her job due to illness. She can catch him and transport him.
Do no-kill rescues ever take in surrenders like this? Its just very frustrating to be dealing with rescues like this and see him/her basically being ignored.
Re: Cat rescue group advice needed
Unfortunately, most rescues won't take cats they believe are non-adoptable, simply because there are so many cats that ARE adoptable that cannot get homes. I believe treating him for the fleas would be great, but surrendering him to a shelter is a worse solution than leaving him be, since he likely will either be caged forever or eventually put down. I haven't heard of no-kill rescues taking cases like this, as he's a feral being turned in, not an owner surrender.
We had a feral tom around my mom's house a few years back. He was very friendly and we kept him fed. Our neighbor caught him and took him to the shelter, where they put him down the same day because he was a feral, even though he was sooo lovable. Very sad.
Perhaps your sister can look to her neighbors for assistance in getting a little bit of cash together to have him treated for fleas?
EDIT: I have to add though, that some ferals do get adopted and live great domesticated lives indoors. It's not all doom & gloom, it's just hard to find rescues/shelters that will spend resources on them. Best of luck to kitty!
So does she just need to lie and say he is her cat that she wants to surrender in order to get him into a no-kill? I swear the semantics of the rescue world are ridiculous, and yes, I know the rescue world quite well.
I suppose she could try that, or that a neighbor left it when they moved out, or something. Not really sure, I mean, if he's really lovable like you said, it shouldn't really be a problem. Lovable cats tend to get adopted faster than the less friendly sort.
Would it be possible for your sister or someone you/she know to volunteer to foster the cat through a rescue, in return for some small treatments for the fleas & ticks?
I disagree with the other poster: if he is friendly he is adoptable. I would call around to local vets and see if they have a discounted spay neuter program or can provide discounted vet services. We bring strays to the low cost clinic but there is a group here whose sole mission is free vet care for feral cats. With the cat rescues I would ask if they can sponsor vet bills if she agrees to foster him, usually the biggest reason for a no is that they don't have room. It is a gamble but she could surrender to a shelter if they would get medical treatment and then either adopt or offer to foster the cat. There is normally a long wait to get into no kill shelters but the ones I've worked with will always take strays.
The biggest issues are normally $ and foster homes, there is not enough of either. If you give me her geographic location I may be able to dig up some resources. Can she get a dose of revolution and put that on him at least?
ETA: In NC tell her to call marley Fund. Even if she isn't in their area they may know someone who can help where she is