Feral cats at Winn Dixie in Sumter Landing
 

Someone posted a while back about a man who feeds the feral cats at Winn Dixie at Sumter Landing. He/she mentioned that food donations would be welcome. I have some Purina canned food that our cat cannot eat. Who can I contact or where can I leave the canned food so that he could find it?

Hi. Thank you, sorry I haven't been on for awhile. His name is Tony, he works in Winn Dixie's deli dept. I would assume you can put it in a bag with his name on it and leave it for him at Winn Dixie.

I do not think Tommy feeds the cats any more as Winn Dixie and animal control told him not to--keep your post going as there are others who feed them!

Oh no! I did notice there were TONS of bowls there a while back and now there is nothing. But I haven't seen but just 2 kittens there recently. I hope they did not "do something" to them. Thank you for the info.

I hope the kittens find a home and are okay?

The Villages really needs to get on board with Trap Neuter and Release!!! I see Tavarres is going to start this program in their city. A couple of years back I trapped a few feral kittens and found a home for them with a farmer. Breaks my heart to know they will have kittens in 6 months if nothing is gone for them.... just sayin. TNR is the way to go. Solves alot of problems.

There was a gallon jug of water in the bushes recently. I couldn't see if there were bowls of food although I have not seen the cats and kittens anytime I have been there. I used to see them about 7pm and on.

If people keep feeding them, they will flourish, and continue to reproduce. Quit feeding them and let mother nature do her thing.

Kinda like our nations welfare system.

Cats chase rats....let's keep catch and release kitties here in TV...a little cat food will supplement their diet.

If they are trapped and neutered, they will cease to reproduce. They live out their lives catching mice and rats (lizards too). The town of Nags Head North Carolina does this with great success. The cats live under decks and walkways during the day and at night they patrol the area looking for mice and rats.

:BigApplause::clap2::clap2::clap2::BigApplause:

:thumbup:

That's why a Trap, Neuter and Release program is critical. Letting cats starve is not humane.
Have a heart. Many of these cats were loved pets before they became strays.

I am reading this thread from my New Hampshire home wishing I was back in the Villages to help these cats. Not only are these cats and kittens having to endure the extreme heat and everyday rains, but they need to look for their next meal. We need to TNR all of these cats and provide them with some food and water and then use them to keep the rodent population down. Please if you have a heart and a little bit of money to spare, help these cats. Thank you.

We have owls, hawks, kestrels, eagles, foxes, coyotes, and bobcats in abundance to control the rat population.

Two years ago we were staying in New Smyrna they have over 800 Farrell cats why don’t you go over to New Smyrna or Edgewater and ask them about feeding Farrell cats and do they think that it is a good thing to do.

If we have so many of these animals then why do we still have an abundance of rats? The humane thing to do with the feral cats that live in the Villages is to TNR them. This will stop them from having endless litters of kittens. The ferals in my neighborhood have been neutered and vaccinated and are fed once a day. We have no rats, mice or snakes. The biggest reward is that we have helped them. They have a life!

If feral cats stuck to a diet if rodents, that would be fine. But they also eat a good number of birds. I say get rid of them!

They also
 

Poop in my garden beds and nobody likes a handful of shizzzzzz.

Neighbor had rats in his attic and then some feral cats were seen...no more rats in our neighborhood. I vote for a catch, fix and release program. Near our stores would be a good idea. What is good enough for Disney World is good enough for me.

Thank you Lamplighter!

Big rats?
 

Sorry but I have never seen a cat with a large rat in it's grip. These things are huge. Talked to a lot of pest control people and they seemed to agree that rats were just too big.

Ha, ha. Rats come in all sizes....if you have seen monster rats, I'm outa here.
I think this topic has run its course and we are now in play mode. I've got more important fun things to do today.

I am finally here in The Villages (yay!) and will help TNR. I have a humane trap. If a few of us want to join forces, that would be fantastic. Please PM me if you are interested in helping keep the feral population controlled. Thanks!

Sent PM

Small cat vs. large rat, still no contest. Cats are fast and armed.

Not for everyone....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip05Al...ature=youtu.be

Food stations to entice and trap them for neutering is one thing.
Some folks make it sound like they intend food stations to be a permanent feature for feral cats. Is that what is intended?

If so,
I'd like an honest answer as to where these food stations will be.

Will homeowners/caregivers maintain them on their own property?

Will they instead sneak out to common areas and maintain food stations there?

AND.... how do you protect the food from being eaten by critters other than feral cats... or is that okay?
One poster said she'd been feeding feral in The Villages for the last two years.... no trapping, no neutering during that time.

The same poster has reported the cats have now been trapped and neutered.
My question is, are they still being fed at a feeding station?
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Also- is Winn-Dixie okay with food being left in the open, on their property, for animals?
I imagine the the health department may not dig that- or their landlord either, for that matter.

I have read that Disneyland (California) monitors and makes use of their feral cats to keep rodents down.

I have not read that about DisneyWorld.

good questions, how about answers now.
 

I hope people realize when you feed feral cats and any food is left out the rats also feed on it. Raccoons also like to feed on the litters of newborn kittens.

(ALSO from Jim??)
"I would also like to add one more question to the above. When the cats are trapped and taken to be fixed, are they also vaccinated against all the pet diseases which we as petowners do for our pets, including the city required rabbis? My neighbors love to brag about their feral cats they feed and let roam, but when I ask them about vaccinations, "oh they aren't mine". "
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Is the paragraph above part of your post Jim? You inserted it within my last post (when quoting me) making it appear as though I wrote it.
I did not write it.

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yes, cats are vaccinated at the time of spay/neuter

If you don't feed and fix them, they still are not going to go away. They will just be multiplying and have diseases. They are vaccinated and dewormed, ear tipped so people know they are being cared for, released, and then fed at food stations. Usually they are fed at a certain time of day so they know when to come eat and the food is gone when they are done. If you don't feed them, don't think they will just disappear. They won't. They will hunt, eat other wildlife and get worms and diseases and spread it. If TNR'd , they will maintain a life without starvation, can not multiply and have been vaccinated. They will live out their lives and keep to themselves, often not being seen much by the public anyway.

Okay, so part of my question is finally answered.... that is, that food stations WILL continue to be provided for feral cats after they have been trapped, neutered and released.
Next part of my question is, are these food stations to be situated/maintained on the volunteer caretaker's' own property?

Somebody else's property?
Common areas?

You say the cats usually eat all the food shortly after it is placed out. How long does that usually take? Minutes? A few hours?

Do volunteers stay there to observe?
Do volunteers then remove any leftover food?
How many cats usually show up- 2? 40?

I don't think one person can answer your questions. There are probably different individuals who feed and/or trap and neuter in many different areas of The Villages. Some of the people frequent the board and there may be others who do not.

Uptown Girl, are you asking because you are curious and feel empathy for these animals, or do you feel no one should do this? What Terri says is true, if this is not done all through a group that has protocols, everyone may do it differently. Usually the food stations are wherever the cats have been found and live. If in common areas, they are hidden in bushes or something. If someone feeds them on their own property that is because the cats came to their property and they want to help them. I don't think anyone who knows what they are doing will place food stations on someone else's home property. If its not their own property, it is usually in a bushy area near a parking lot or something. Most of the cats eat and then sit around and groom. Most of the time there isnt anything left to pick up as feeding them is expensive so we only put out enough for them to eat- at least that is me. And the amount of cats that come depend on the colony. If you don't TNR them, you will have more and more. If you can fix them, you will only have as many as are there originally. They are territorial so you don't usually get other cats from outside the colony joining in. They have to find their own territory. Hope I have answered your questions and have shed some light on how doing this can help the situation, not exacerbate feral cat problems.

I asked the questions because I really wanted understanding of what exactly is happening here in TV in regard to feral cats.
I posted these same questions in another thread on this topic and they were never answered.

No matter how noble the intentions, this is an independent endeavor not sanctioned by the municipality or the developer. As such, no one knows how well it will be carried out.... short term OR long term. There is no governing body, no quality control.
It may well be against the law in Sumter, Lake and Marion counties to feed feral animals out in the open or in public places, neutered or not.
I do not believe feeding stations will prevent the instinct to attack.

I would not want food stations on my property without my knowledge and consent.

Were it an approved program in The Villages, I would be silent.


If one is willing to look at the whole picture, for the highest good for ALL concerned, here is an example of numerous articles one might begin with:

Professional, Ethical and Legal Dilemmas of Trap- Neuter- Release

https://www.avma.org/News/Journals/C...225_9_1365.pdf

P.S. As someone who has/had toxoplasmosis (and can never donate blood), I know what feral cats can do. In addition, my 92 year old step dad was bitten while visiting a Mangrove preserve near Clearwater. The cats were hiding in shade beneath his auto in the parking lot. As he entered his car, he dangled his leg and had a chunk bitten from his calf muscle. The cat swallowed it.

That is exactly why there are no standard answers to your questions - because it's independent endeavors by compassionate residents.
I understand that you and your father have had awful experiences with feral cats and I'm sorry.
But many of the cats that are now feral were once beloved family pets, or their descendants.
The intent of the TNR Program is to ensure feral cats do not reproduce, and I applaud that goal.

:mademyday:

Unfortunately, TNR is expensive and government does not want to take on that responsibility. Every TNR I know of personally is done by rescue groups or individuals. Yes, there are vets who do discounted surgeries and vaccines, but the money for this comes out of individuals pockets, either privately, or through donations from individuals. No government money. That is why there are no protocols. If the government took some steps to help control this, things might get better. But the don't so unless we want those types of cats roaming, ones that bite and transmit diseases, we need to rely on the individuals who do TNR to get them vaccinated. They also get more familiar with people when they are fed on a regular basis (sometimes to the point of letting that person touch them) so they don't attack out of fear when they feel trapped (like beneath a car). Obviously that cat had no interaction with people and felt he had to attack to get out from under the car. I have a cat that I got up at Winn Dixie 2 years ago. She was feral to the fullest. At first she wouldn't let me even see her. As time went on and I talked to her as I put out food, she let me see her, then came closer, then I would hold out my hand and she would bat at it (no claws) to see if she could trust me. I trapped her, and as she was in the cage at my house after surgery, she would slam herself against the top of the cage and hiss so violently I thought she would hurt herself. That's how scared she was- she would have done harm to me if she could. On the last day (day 3) I let her out of the cage into a less confining area. She went back to her old self batting my hand (she felt less threatened out of the cage). I decided to work with her (and her sister). Today she is the most loving cat I have ever had. I have a new puppy and she will let him chew on her ear and face and she will wrestle with him without hurting him. I am so glad I gave her and her sister a chance. If I had not, they would still be out there in the thunderstorms, starving or maybe being hit by a car in the parking lot and my heart breaks every time I think of such a sweet cat living like that. But many do. The least we can do is try to help them. Its not their fault they have to live like that.......its ours.