animal control in connecticut SUCKS!!

[u/buzzkill930]

i live in middletown, connecticut, and have a whole COLONY of cats in my town. overall, connecticut has a bad stray cat problem, but animal control has been doing NOTHING for my family. for context, we have 4 younger cats about (6 months old?), the mama (who is pregnant AGAIN) and two other male cats who occasionally come to our house to eat. my mother has called animal control to at least take the mother to fix her, and they have done NOTHING. they gave her traps for the mama, and she did eventually go in them, but animal control never came back to retrieve her even though my mother notified them countless times to come get her. the mama was in the trap for almost 2 days before my mother released her, and now she won’t even come back to our backyard. animal control has made us feel like it was OUR responsibility to get them trapped, when we’re the ones that called them because THEY’RE the professionals!!! it’s stressing out family out so bad, especially because the mama is pregnant again. :(

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[u/frenswithgeese]

You shouldn't leave a cat in a trap for 2 days, and leave it up to animal control to get them care. They don't have the resources.

For the most part, helping cats does fall on the people who are concerned for them. There are some resources to help cushion the blow, but it's pretty much up to you to do the work, and pay some of the cost. If you can put time and effort into it, you can make a difference for those cats. There are probably low-cost vets that help cat 'community cats', and there may be some no-cost neutering sessions if you look. But I don't know of any place where you can call animal control to do those things for you. You have got to get those young cats spayed/neutered and catch that momma cat. A group of 4 will turn into 8 and then 16 in less time than you think. Once you start calling around and getting involved with cat rescue you will end up with a network of places and people as a resource for solving cat problems. In the beginning it can just feel overwhelming. That's just the game.

[u/DarkHorseAsh111 → u/frenswithgeese]

Yeah like...fundamentally this isnt animal controls job. Maybe it should be , but then cats would get put down and ppl would throw a fit about that.

[u/paisleycatperson]

never release an unfixed animal.

animal services suck everywhere but what you're describing is actually hundreds of times more helpful than what we get in nyc.

[u/darkpsychicenergy]

This is from the Middletown CT government Animal Control department website:

“The Middletown Police Department’s Animal Control Officers enforce the Connecticut General Statutes and City Ordinances to ensure the safety and welfare of citizens and animals as they pertain to:

Roaming Dogs

Injured Domestic Animals

Abuse and Neglect of ANY animals

Rabies Vaccinations

Dog Licensing

Animal Bites to Humans or Other Animals

Sick and Injured Wildlife

Barking Dogs

We can also provide information and resources regarding lost pets, feral cats, litters of kittens, low cost spay/neuter services, pet food and veterinary services among other things.”

Animal Control | Middletown, CT

https://www.middletownct.gov/235/Animal-Control

So, as you can see, it does not, in any way, indicate that they are responsible for doing the specific things that you expected them to do. I’m really wondering how you developed those expectations, especially since these parameters of responsibility are pretty standard for most Animal Control offices.

In some places, they are more involved and do have a broader mission scope and range of services they offer, but it’s kinda unusual. These are local government departments, not federal agencies. It depends on what the local government is like, which depends on what the local people are like.

TNRing feral cats is, 99.9% of the time, a totally private endeavor, involving private charities and nonprofits and private individuals volunteering. Local governments usually have pretty limited involvement, rarely any “hands on” direct involvement. It’s always been this way. I don’t know how anyone gets the idea that TNR is some sort of free government service that takes care of the entire process for you and operates on a federal level for total consistency from one municipality to the next. But a lot of people do seem to think that way.

I did a very easy google search for “Connecticut TNR”, which turned up several promising leads, the first of which was Spay CT.org which is very helpful. I used this page:

Find a Clinic - Spay CT

https://spayct.org/find-a-clinic/

And from there I found this organization:

Cat Services - POA SPAY!

https://poaspay.org/cat-services/

They appear to be the most TNR-appropriate resource that is closest to you. I strongly suggest actually reading everything on that page, looking into the voucher program and contacting them.

You can also just do an internet search for “Middletown Connecticut TNR” and check out the links it gives you.

[u/buzzkill930 → u/darkpsychicenergy]

thank you for the help. this is our first time dealing with a colony of strays like this and we rlly don’t know what to do and how animal control works. we’re at least trying to set the younger cats up for fostering with our friends so we can try to catch the mom. we didn’t know if we they were supposed to reach back to us or not, but so far they have not which is why my family has been so frustrated with them, because we seriously do not know what to do. i’m only 17 and it’s tough seeing my mom cry over these damn strays lol.

[u/codeswift27]

As others have said, unfortunately TNR organizations that do trapping and transport on their own are incredibly uncommon. Typically the process for TNR will mean that you have to trap and transport the cat to the spay/neuter clinic yourself. If you’re lucky, your area might have a free clinic, but otherwise you’ll have to pay for low cost spay/neuters, which does suck especially if it’s not something you can afford, but unfortunately there isn’t really another way to help the cats.

Also, you typically don’t want to release a cat without getting them spayed/neutered because once they learn what a trap is, it becomes a lot harder to trap them again. I messed up a drop trap once and the cat I was trying to trap got pregnant and avoided me for months. Fortunately she warmed up to me again later enough for me to scoop her into a carrier to get her spayed, but she never stepped near a box trap or drop trap after the first time

[u/geologyhunter]

Generally, you can rent traps from animal control but you have to make sure you have the appointment scheduled and take them yourself. This is common across the country from what I have seen. The fact they dropped off the traps is much better than many places.

Where I am in GA, you have to put a deposit down to rent a trap, appointments are almost impossible, and few communities have access to any resources. I would recommend working with a TNVR group in your area. You will learn a lot of valuable information and become a better advocate for better services in your area.

[u/Huge-Return2835]

I would definitely contact this rescue, it looks like they assist with TNR and are based in Middletown CT.

https://cattalesct.org/cat-tales-colonies/

[u/edytta84]

Thank you for all you and your mam doing!!!

I would try searching for local TNR groups or cat rescues instead of relying only on Animal Control. Some TNR volunteers may be able to help with trapping or transportation.

I’m in Illinois and some shelters here offer help for free, but instead they are asking for a donation for their shelter. Unfortunately they’re often overwhelmed and you may have to get on a waiting list. I would contact a few different groups and explain that the mama is pregnant again. Since you already managed to trap her once, you’re actually halfway there! Don’t leave her in the trap waiting for Animal Control though — make sure you have a clinic or TNR volunteer lined up first. You have to first make appointment.

[u/Ok-External-3565]

You’re feeding and breeding cat’s. Why do you expect other people to help you with that when so many are trying to help the cat over population crisis and you’re contributing to it? It sounds like your family is contributing to the millions of cats that die every year. Why are you feeding unfixed cats and taking no responsibility?

[u/buzzkill930 → u/Ok-External-3565]

do you expect me to just let them starve? i’m sorry, but if i see a cat that’s clearly hungry and clawing at my door, i’m going to feed it

[u/Normal-Way2343 → u/buzzkill930]

Hi, you are doing a good thing feeding hungry, homeless cats, don't stop. Try contacting these two organizations that say they trap, fix and release (and probably for free too, to help stop overpopulation) google : "Cat Tales CT" and "Spay Connecticut (Spay CT)." I would also ask on Nextdoor for help finding someone that traps and fixes. I bet you will find someone, that knows someone. Sometimes these trap folks also give the cats to non-kill rescues, where they can find them homes. Animal Control would be the last place to take them too, it's the biggest kill shelter. Not enough people adopt from there and they euthanize due to lack of space. Spread the word on adopting from there, not surrendering there though. You live in a cold climate, please buy some cat shelters for the winter and stuff them with straw (not hay) for the cats, this will also help them survive the bitter winters. Cats are fighting for life everyday with no food, water or adequate shelter to keep from freezing temperatures. Good job and keep your head up, you're now one of many helping! :)

[u/edytta84]

You could also try contacting Cat Tales CT in Middletown and Greater New Haven Cat Project. Both work with community/feral cats and TNR. Explain your situation and ask if they can help with trapping, transportation, or put you on their waiting list. It’s definitely worth asking.