Seeking Cat Rescue Organisation

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republique11
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Seeking Cat Rescue Organisation

Post by republique11 »

Does anyone know of an organisation that takes in and cares for abandoned cats, please? I'm in Ceret and urgently looking for somewhere/someone to take in an abandoned cat. Many thanks for your help.
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Sue
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Post by Sue »

SPA Perpignan or SPA Torreilles.
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Post by republique11 »

[quote="Sue"]SPA Perpignan or SPA Torreilles.[/quote]
Thank you very much, Sue. I rang them yesterday actually and they said they wouldn't take him. They told me to contact the municipal police who would send someone from the fourriere round to collect him. They would then keep him for 10 days only......
Have you (or anyone else) had any personal experience of the SPA? I'd really like to find him a good loving home.
Many thanks.
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Post by Sue »

There is a lady in Sorede that goes round the campsites in winter and leaves food for the cats who would normally be fed by visitors. She also collects up all the stray cats and takes them for neutering and speying but then takes them back to where she picked them up. I dont know if she takes strays. I have taken in 3 strays myself but I am sorry I have had no personasl contact with SPA.
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Post by Kate »

I recently interviewed the RSPCA at Torreilles and they seem to be very good and kind and have a policy of keeping until adopted. I also know that they are very full though, so that's not very helpful I think.
Helen Ferrieux who is a member of this forum is a lovely lady who has done a lot in the past (and present I believe) to help stray and lost animals, and she is always very happy to help and advise. You could PM her and ask if she has any suggestions.
Best of luck and keep us informed of any progress.

PS Have deleted the other posts asking the same question Republique, so that answers wont become confusing and scattered.
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Post by republique11 »

[quote="Kate"]

Thank you very much again to Sue and to Kate. Sorry, I'm new to this forum (and any others) so wasn't sure where to begin to post a message to try and get some help. Don't know what you mean, Kate, by PM and how to contact Helen? Do you mean just to post a message to her??
I also already have a 'rescue' cat and she is very distressed by the appearance of this latest abandoned cat hence I'm getting desperate to find a solution.

Thanks again. Denise.
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Post by Kate »

Hi again Denise?
If you go for example into this thread http://forum.anglophone-direct.com/ftopic10747.php you will see that the second post down is Robert Ferrieux. At the bottom left of the post, you should see
profile - PM - email and www
Click on the PM - this will open a box and allow you to send a private message to Helen (this is so people dont have to reveal their personal emails and risk getting spammed). Don't forget to put a title in or it won't go? Bon courage.
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Post by republique11 »

[quote="Kate"]
Hi Kate
I'll give it a try. Thanks so much again.
Denise
Last edited by republique11 on Sun 29 Jan 2012 17:01, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Kate »

Pleasure. Just hope you find a solution.
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Post by tia »

Hi, You have to send it to the the fourriere at first and then they decide what they do with it if nobody claims it. If it is happy living outdoors why not just leave it there, some associations will pay for it to be castrated. If it's just the problem of the other cat then that will sort itself out, most cats do not like new comers and it takes them a while to adjust .I have 9 cats and 6 dogs ( 4 of the dogs came from the spa last year) , I find dogs accept each other a lot easier than cats. I have 1 cat who lives outside all year round (her choice) and is perfectly happy. I have had to rehome a couple of rescued cats who could not adjust to the dogs but never had a problem with the other cats, they hiss and spit a bit at first but after a while they adjust.
Hope you find a solution, I would use the spa route as a last resort
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Post by Sue »

I agree Tia. We have a dog we brought with us from England and 3 cats (all of which live outside from choice) all of which were living rough. 2 come twice a day for their food and cuddles the other hangs around all day and wants continual cuddles. 2 of the neighbours cats come for cuddles too and there are another 3 or 4 who just come every now and then looking for food. They hissed and spat at each other at first but now all tolerate each other and take no notice of the dog whatsoever. All have been collected by the lady (called something like Mme Brico) taken away neutered/spayed and returned (free of charge). There are many families of ferral cats around us (now unable to breed further!) who live and thrive quite happily where they are. Like you say I would let it continue to run wild. I would only worry if it was obviously a lost family pet.
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Seeking Cat Rescue Association

Post by Robert Ferrieux »

from Helen
Hi - I don't disagree with Tia and Sue. If your own cat won't take to the outsider for the moment, you could always leave food out (but keep an eye on it or else you'll have all your neighbours' moggies coming...the grass is greener etc. etc). Make sure he has a warm shelter & plenty of water, of course. The cat will have to be neutered or else he'll be honouring all the local females. It's possible that in time your own cat will accept him.
As I've advised Denise in a PM, a very good idea is to phone the Indépendant: 04 68 64 88 88 after 5 p.m. and ask for Solange. She's a devoted person who runs the Animals Lost & Found column. She'll put in your message (e.g. Trouvé - très beau chat, mâle, castré, etc. etc. . Cherche foyer. URGENT. Tel ......) There is absolutely no charge and the ad will stay in for 2 or 3 days.
I always put ads with a photo in local shops and any available space (bottle banks, etc).
Let's try to prevent this thread from disappearing down the list!
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Post by Santiago »

I don't quite understand this level of concern for stray cats. There are lots of feral cats in France. They have not necessarily been abandoned or lost by someone. They were mostly born wild/feral and live that way. They don't all have to be someone's pet.

The feral cats serve a useful purpose in most towns and villages keeping the rodent population down.
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Post by Robert Ferrieux »

Oh come on, Santiago. Some of us are concerned about abandoned, lost and even feral cats. We do no harm. If we can help a miserable beastie, don't knock us. Ok - so you don't understand us - so be it! We get on with what we think has to be done, asking for help & advice from whomsoever can offer a bit of info. No doubt there are more important things to be done in the world: stop Iran from developing its atom bomb - forbid the production of plastic bottles - petition for the cancellation of Prince Andrew's Civil List ....but let us animal-lovers try to do the little we can ...

Helen

No hard feelings!
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Post by Robert Ferrieux »

from Helen

I'm not sending this to république (Denise) as a PM because others may be interested too.
More phone numbers which may be able to help regarding the abandoned cat.
There's an SPA refuge on the Avenue de Prades. Tel [04 68 54 45 34[/b]
Another refuge in Ille-sur-Têt. 04 68 84 18 93 and one in Perpignan. Tel 04 68 52 70 86

Another is the Association Phoebus (started by Mandy - some of you will know her) Tel;04 68 95 62 69 and another number I came across is 04 68 21 22 36 which is/was run by a lady called Paulette Marti.
I do hope we get some joy! Keep in touch.
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Post by Robert Ferrieux »

ps Could somebody let me know that this has been noted before the thread goes off. Thanks.
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Post by Kate »

Will add it onto the Useful numbers page on the main site (if I can find it!!)
Debbie and Noel

Post by Debbie and Noel »

Santiago wrote:I don't quite understand this level of concern for stray cats. There are lots of feral cats in France. They have not necessarily been abandoned or lost by someone. They were mostly born wild/feral and live that way. They don't all have to be someone's pet.

The feral cats serve a useful purpose in most towns and villages keeping the rodent population down.
At the risk of upsetting Helen (and others) I would like to say that I support Santiago.

I would even go further and suggest that feral cats in towns and villages may be a mixed blessing. Sure, they keep down rats and mice. But they also kill off a range of wildlife. In the short time I have lived in France I have observed the effects of the arrival of stray cats in the garden of a house I was looking after. They wiped almost out all the reptiles, three types of lizard and one unidentified snake. Only the geckos survived. Apart from the two that I found splattered on the walls. Of even greater concern was the fact that they eradicated a family of pygmy shrews. I understand these are quite rare animals. The number of garden birds also declined. The cats even hooked out some of the ornamental fish in the bassin.

I found out afterwards that a couple had moved in close by bringing three cats with them. The animals were promptly turned out to roam at will.

Is this carnage a worthwhile trade-off for the freedom to roam of a non-indigenous species? Wildlife here has a hard time coping with agricultural pollution and poorly regulated hunting. Do we have to add pet animals to the equation?



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Post by tia »

I can't see how cats have managed to wipe out the lizards, plenty of them living in my garden even with 9 cats( plus neighbours cats). I have lived here many years and there have always been cats and lizards. The cats like the tails of the lizards. Feral cats do keep the rodent population down but it is best to arrange to have them sterilised or castrated otherwise the population can get out of control. Friend of mine has horses and feral cats ( all sterilised or castrated) , there are 20 at the moment and still plenty of lizards, but rarely a mouse in sight!
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Post by Robert Ferrieux »

Do we have to add pets to the equation?
Debbie & Noel.

from Helen
Am I reading you right? You think pets too are a nuisance? Santiago has his reasons for disliking the presence of feral cats - fair enough - but to question the keeping of pets...?
Regarding the new neighbours and their 3 cats, they are perfectly right to let the beasties free to roam: cats, of all pets, mustn't be locked up in a house. If the moggies wander into other peoples' gardens, legally there is nothing one can do about it. Whereas an owner is legally obliged to prevent a dog from entering a neighbour's garden, cats don't come under this cat(!)egory. As for chasing/killing/eating lizards & birds, this appears to be the law of nature. If it's any consolation, eating lizards make them vomit!
Truly, Noel, no hard feeling (I hope). Like you, I'm a lover of nature. I feed the garden birds (well away from places the cats can get at them).. Heavens, I even save wasps from drowning in my swimming pool (much against my instinct for self-preservation).
Let's agree to differ, ok?
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Post by Sue »

I agree Helen. We have 3 cats 2 of which are still semi ferral. Between them our neighbours have 6 cats. On top of this we get 3 or 4 ferral cats that try and eat from our cats dishes, all of whom are fed outside. There are also about 12 ferral cats who live close by but just run at the sight of a human. We have a massive population of birds of all sorts, squirrels, crayfish, frogs and lizzards. The cats sometimes try to chase a dove or magpie (wish they would get some of the latter) but never have a hope of catching any. We also feed the birds with seed, fatballs and nuts. In fact the feeders are close to a shed on which one of our cats sleeps but he takes no notice of the birds nor they of him. All living creatures have to eat. The lizzards, frogs and birds eat insects etc, its all part of lifes chain. As a matter of interest I am wondering whether Noel is vegetarian or not.
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Post by tia »

We have a birds nest in the roof and every year we have little ones chirping their heads off just over our heads . They laid their nest 6 years ago while we were building the house and hubby didn't have the heart to block it up . Cats don't seem to bother them , the cats sit on the ground just waiting for one too fall out of the nest and the parents are up the top screeching at them as if to tell them to bugger off!! If they were that terrified of cats they wouldn't come back each year.
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Post by opas »

Oh joy! I love cats , I always had them when I was little.........to keep the mice at bay in our huge old house. I still like cats but will not hav a pet of any variety in my home as I do not want the responsibility of looking after them.
We had a real problem in our village with dogs soiling all over the place, blame that on the dog owner eh, dogs should be walked , kept on a leash etc, then the ferrier used to visit. The dates and times were published on the notice boards and lo and behold , no dogs wandering around that day! :roll: but beware the day after, the shovel was again needed.
Then the rules and regs were displayed in the village, pity they are not still there.... I am convinced one of included Cats and Dogs to be kept in the home.
Our garden is now a pile of cat shit :oops:
I am sick to death of clearing it up, smelling it, re putting the soil and plants where they should be...........

So if you want a pet cat or dog or any other animal, be prepared to look after it, feed it, give it a place to poo and wee.......preferebly on your own property, because your neighbours are probably fed up like I am!
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Post by Robert Ferrieux »

from Helen
[quote="opas"]will not hav a pet of any variety in my home as I do not want the responsibility of looking after them."
In fact you are very responsible, Opas. If someone is not prepared to look after an animal properly, it's most inexcusable to take one on (a kitten for the children...a puppy for Christmas......)
Opas[/b] Cats and Dogs to be kept in the home
.
On the other hand, Opas, I'm sure you mean dogs should be kept under control . As for cats, they cannot be controlled, the law says that you cannot be responsible for your feline wandering around the neighbourhood (as opposed to dogs). Also it would be most unkind to keep such a pet cooped up. (Rather like keeping a bird in a cage....horrible)

Opas
So if you want a pet cat or dog or any other animal, be prepared to look after it
Agree with you 100%, Opas
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Post by Sue »

I agree too Helen. Wouldnt dream of taking our dog out off his lead and without a pooper scoop bag. I think its cruel to have a cat (or indeed as some people do a rabbit) confined to the house. They should be allowed, in the case of a cat, to roam. Its strange there are 9 pet cats and around 4 ferral roaming our communal area but none ever use our personal gardens as a toilet. I understand Opas completely there is nothing worse when working your garden to come across cat mess.
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Post by Santiago »

You misread me Helen. I have no reason to dislike feral cats. In fact I think they are useful. We live next to all the allotments and the river I'm sure we would have more rodent problems if it weren't for the cats.

We also have 2 cats of our own, who roam wild. We've recently had the male sterilised and he doesn't do much roaming anymore, or anything other than lounging around and asking for food. I don't think he could even be bothered to chase rodents anymore.

When you have your own cats, it tends to stop other cats from crapping in your garden. That's why cat-lovers never see the problem :roll: It's not much fun trying to have a town garden vegetable patch when dozens of cats use it as a toilet, believe me.

I won't rise to Noel's agricultural polution bait.
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Post by Robert Ferrieux »

Sorry, Santiago !
Actually there is something which will discourage cats from coming into your garden - apart from, as you say, keeping some of your own as pets: there's a plant called rue which apparently emits a stink that felines hate. I don't know what it is in French (help, anyone?) & I've never found it myself, but it might be worth seeking.

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Post by opas »

Well the favorite toilet spots in my garden are going to be covered in Lidl hot chilli powder later today when the latest cat do da has been romoved........it worked last time I did this , but then i ran out of chilli to sprinkle, so cats get your plain yougurt ready :wink:
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Post by Sue »

Helen your plant could be Herbe de Grace or rue fetide or rue officinale or ruta graveolens.
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Post by Robert Ferrieux »

Thanks Sue. I'll try to see where it can be bought, for those interested..
All this began with Denise wanting to know if anyone wanted to adopt a stray.
Any joy, république11?

Helen
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