Rescuing kittens from a Brooklyn basement 

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It’s crazy how cats can reproduce.

I built a deck for a lady with a pet bird. She asked if I had a live trap for a mouse that she said was eating the birdseed spilled under the cage. I asked how many mice she had and she said “it’s just one” 😂 The first night we caught seven mice. Over the next few days we caught 15 mice. Cats are almost as prolific as mice

For mice, I have heard their ratios are: "for every one you see, there's probably 50--75 more." Maybe even more than that! Anyone know what the ratio is for cats?

Mostly likely they only Saw adult cats. The kittens were young. Mama-cat must not have taken the kittens to "feeding time" yet. But, yeah. If you have unsteralized cats, kittens will appear.

Yes the kittens are just being hidden. Almost guaranteed tgere are kittens in a cat colony. Cats (mothers, in the first weeks) are in general very protective of their kittens.

Another thing he didn't mention this time around. TNR groups typically do a lot of talking , negotiating and educating with neighbors. The hidden kittens would be a topic.

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Our fuzzy children make being disabled a joy - many cannot take the time to lay down and let one of the 'children' lay down & snuggle on our belly or lap. By loving your two children you're giving two more cats a chance at being adopted somewhere else! :)

When you're disabled, pets can be such a comfort. Mine even gave me the push I needed to start getting better! The best part is that no matter how much you can do, it always makes a difference in your pet's life and they will remember you forever!

Good luck!

Lol this would be me 😅

LOL! Lots of love from Liz and Ginger (picture left) in Australia.

Lurkmoar101. oh thank you so much! That is so precious that you do that and it’s so appreciated by a cat lover like me! Sending prayers and blessings to you and your fur baby family! Much appreciation again🙏🙏💖💖🐈🐾🐾

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In the next world.

And all mankind

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and all humans too

And we have a massive feral cat problem here as well!

@@MissIncorrigibleOfOz If only the cats helped with the mice instead of the endemic wildlife!

Imagine if we could somehow get them to develop a taste for cane toads too @@CaraTheStrange! And in this imaginary scenario, consuming cane toads would render them sterile.

I don't understand. Because when I get field mice, my two kitties always catch them. I guess it must be that some cats are good mousers and some aren't.😸

@@CaraTheStrange you have WEIRD cats. Cats are known through history to keep the mice problem under control. Cats litterary became peoples best friend because of cats natural ability to hunt, scare and kill mouse population. The big black plague happend in europe because the europeans stupidly tried to get rid of cats (they moronucly got in their head that cats was evil). Around half of europes human population died because of that major naivity and stupidity.

I think the landlord probably thought it was better to put them in the basement than to leave them outside on the streets. Especially when it gets cold. At least they would have some shelter.

I'd say the basement is better than out on the streets, but the cats are probably in and out, using that basement as home base, a shelter out of the cold and wet. Yes, they need rescue, TNR, and if possible, foster/adopt. -- Where I am (Gulf Coast) there are no basements due to flood risks. (Except downtown has an underground area.) This means stray and feral cats are around apartments, etc. I was so thankful that a local TNR group came by recently. I wasn't thrilled with al their policy, but I do understand. It does what they can. It looks like they may have missed one or two mama cats who were clever enough to avoid them, and of course, there will be yet more cats who get dumped or abandoned to renew the cycle. But it will still relieve some of it. Two friendlies get some care by cat-friendly ppl like me. One doesn't have a set owner. The other might, but he's been showing up regularly now. I already have two cats (and one just had kittens) so I'm at the pet limit. But the friendlies are welcome to shelter in a storm. If I could do more, I would. It only makes a tiny dent, but I am glad I can do a little. After a year, one feral still won't get too near, but comes regularly for food. The two friendlies are welcome. The strays and ferals who come and go, I'm OK with. My current two cats are both rescues from this very situation, kittens from outside my apts. in the pkg. lot who came around. Until I had an apt., I didn't realize the scale of the problem.

@@benw9949 God bless you my good man.🙏 What a good heart you have and a beautiful soul you are. What you have done and *do* makes such a difference. And if everybody were to just do what you've done and do, what a difference it would make in this world for all of these cats and kittens! Thank you my lovely friend for all that you give.☺💖😽🍀

@@benw9949 please get your momma cat and all the kittens spayed or neutered. Kittens can be altered as young as 2 to 3 months old, as long as they are healthy. Until then please (preferably always for their safety) keep them inside. Break the cycle. Thank you.

@@benw9949 thank you Ben💖 you’re doing such a big thing with the efforts that you are making and it’s so much appreciated to animal lovers like me! You have a wonderful heart, thank you for rescuing your cats that you have inside your house and making them part of your family! And taking care of the feral ones that come around! God bless you. Sending prayers and blessings to you and all the fur babies in the house and outside💖🙏🙏🐈🐈🥰

Lots of small *regular* donations can help too. My local RSPC Australia told me this. So I set up a thingy with the bank to donate every month.

I adopted a semi-feral kitty. He is not cuddly, but he loves grooming with my brush, playing with string and sitting in a sunbeam. We accept each other without judging.

@@tallSycamore As long as I ignore Mitzi, she will sleep on my lap. She loves being brushed and will now take treats from my hand. If I try to pick her up or move my hands too quickly, there will be blood. I still love her and know she will eventually grow out of her homicidal tendencies.

@@BrianNavalinsky - My little wildling won't tolerate being picked up. He makes his unhappiness known with a low soft growl. So far, he has never scratched or bitten me, but I know his boundaries. He does love having his ears rubbed, and barking at birds out the windows. I, too, hope he will grow more tolerant of being handled, with time and patience.

I have a semi-feral as well. She would have been released, but she has chronic colitis and requires a medical diet to survive. The poor thing was stuck at the shelter for a year because of a combination of things. She was angry, sick, overweight - she has a big round body, but skinny little legs, so is not the typical cute kitty, she is black, and she does not get along with other animals. I went to the shelter looking for the cat that needed the most love. And she is perfect in my eyes.

@@KrinchiD - You have changed the life of a little being who was miserable before you came along. Your kitty will never forget your kindness.

@@drunkvegangal8089 It is definitely true. I know a few people with channels and they've confirmed that the ads (if played through) bring in money for the channel. And of course liking the video, watching to the end, subscribing, commenting 👍🏽🔥

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@@jeandixon586: Will therefore like, comment, and watch everything through to the end. 🥰😻💕

Yeah, I'm commenting for algorithm since I cant donate.

Thank you! I already committed my last dollar to my local ( Australia) monthly. So I can't help here. But THANK YOU on behalf of all of us.

I’ve been to Israel and it’s absolutely awful there! (Feral cat wise, not that the whole country is terrible) I feel so sorry for all the cats there because a lot of them are very friendly, and there’s a lot of cat lovers there but unfortunately spay and neuter just isn’t really a thing. From a United States foster mom I hope things get better there!

@@willowbillow2078 Over the years things have changed here for the better but still the state does not take responsibility for the welfare of the animals, civil bodies and private individuals bear all the burden. And all instead of taking the subject to the educational aspect of compassion for the weak and thus shaping a better society

That's a very interesting idea. I've read that there are tiny, desolate islands around NYC one of which might be suitable for your concept.

A terrible fantasy, and I'll tell you why: Each and every loose domestic cat, whether sterilized or fertile, is estimated through actual studies to kill between 160-180 wild animals each year, according to actual scientific studies done in America and Britain, and published. Cats have been responsible for singlehandedly extirpating many wild species already. Gone, forever. The more species that are destroyed, the more likely that ecosystem is to collapse. Cats are the second most invasive species on the planet, surpassed only by the mice they were genetically engineered to hunt. They're really not very good mousers, despite subjective impressions of people. Other techniques are far superior, but that's another topic. They indiscriminately hunt everything they can find, it's what we bred them to do, and they're not a part of nature: you only find cats where you find people. Wildlife cannot possibly evolve quickly enough to accommodate a manmade predator that was bred in just a few generations. They don't belong outdoors, even on your fantasy island... it's a harsh and brutish life... So certainly, a cat island is a well intentioned but very bad idea. In fact, on islands and entire continents where they've been introduced in the past, they've had to be removed because of the destruction they caused in the ecosystem. And in some places, laws have already been put in place so cat owners can keep the cats they already own... but they must be spayed/neutered, not allowed to roam, and the owners aren't allowed to get more. It's hoped that this way, the law isn't too draconian, and the cat issue will gradually reduce. That should ideally locally stop the problem over time... just as this Brooklyn project is hoped it will do. At the very least, this Flatbush Cats project will reduce a lot of suffering, but in my opinion, the cats will still be out there killing anything they find, and may even themselves be harmed when, for example, they eat a poisoned rodent, get picked off by a hungry raptor, get hit by a car, mauled by a dog, poisoned by a deranged person or one who indiscriminately uses pesticides or bird poisons, used as bait training for dog fights, catch communicable diseases that vaccines don't cover, get abscesses from catfights... they spread toxoplasmosis and can even cause a miscarriage in women. That is the other half of the equation that TNR folks don't usually address. There is no perfect solution, but this group is focusing on feral and stray cats. At least these guardians will continue to try and treat their illnesses and injuries, and reduce their populations to a manageable number! It's a never ending job, because some people will still continue to dump cats in alleys and not fix them, for a variety of reasons. Education of the public is going to be the other important job, not just the spay/neuter clinic which has an immediate impact on the population explosion. They already do this, and he's even educated me with his videos. This is the only man who has been able to logically explain to me the motivations of TNR, and I do have sympathy and admiration for what he's undertaken. I have respect for him. His explanations were solid, not sappy or saccharine. But also... I've been a Federal and State permitted wildlife rehabilitator for 38 years, and 47-48% of the animals I receive are cat-caught. That's nearly half my patients. And many, if not most, of them die or must be euthanized! Cats are really good at what they do (dogs crush, but cats mangle, and dog-caught wildlife is rare compared in numbers to cat-caught wildlife). It's so avoidable, if people would just spay/neuter and keep their cats indoors, or contain them in a catio. By the way, I'm a cat person, not a dog person, I love cats and miss having them, but a cat in a place full of caged wildlife patients like mine wouldn't be a very good idea, and I envy those who have kitties. So please don't call me a cat hater. But they don't belong roaming outdoors, for their own sakes and for the ecosystem at large, as well as community health. They have the potential to come home with the diseases in their mouths of every animal they've caught. Any biologist, ecologist, veterinarian or wildlife rehabilitator will tell you the same thing. Cats shouldn't be roaming or be allowed to reproduce. And the Flatbush Cats project is doing something tangible about it, as well as an equally important role of educating the public. It's my job, too, but my job takes it a step further, an overview I'm forced to face daily, and sees what even fixed cats still do outdoors. So please... no cat island dreams. Cats were never meant to be in the wild, and they deserve to be spoiled at home. We know more now than we knew during ancient Egyptian times. They're not part of nature, they'd be an invasive and destructive presence even if you found an "island." Wildlife there wouldn't be prepared for it. I hope I've given you insight into why a cat island (or a domestic feral rabbit island, or goat island. any other domestically bred animal island we've already tried) is a really, really bad idea that will cause the cats untold suffering, and destroy its ecosystem. Introducing cats, or even wildlife that doesn't belong on a different continent, is a bad idea, We know better now. The best we can do right now is to at least stop the reproduction. That's what Flatbush Cats' goal is. And education will come along with it. So give a few dollars to them. Even the price of baby chicken, kitty litter and cat food has gone up! ;)

I agree that would be a great place to put them, especially if people are willing to donate for vet care and food for them

A powerful statement of truth!

@@jeandixon586 thank you

My cat has brought personally to me, in bed, a mole shrew (they are big!), a salamander, and about three tree frogs. Alive. All always alive. Usually between midnight and 3 am. But, as you say, no mice.

Not true, your cat is not a good hunter because she is not hungry and has not been introduced to a mouse as a kitten, I know since I live on a farm and my family had cats to control rodents for generations.

@@brimstonevalar6053 yes real cats are excellent hunters. The europeans even tried to get rid of cats in the old days. Result.... the black plague. Cats was so important to keep the mouse population under control.

Well done, thank you.. Are you able to set up a bank thingy so that they can get money every month? my local told me even five dollars - if they know it is coming every month - can help a lot. Lots of people with small amounts can really help.

They don't need capes.

They wont. Their interest in real hunting will get drasticly reduced. That "drive"/"kick" is important in many ways.

@@ruben7937 Isn't that instinct somehow connected to a cat's endocrine system?

@@ruben7937 Yeah, not a fact. Neutering has not reduced our cats' interest in hunting, I think quite the contrary.

Bingo! Even a domestic cat in my neighborhood is one of the best tree climbers and definitely is a professional hunter. I had to save a baby squirrel from him.

Even small amounts can help a lot! Thank you for donating ( I truly cannot)

One of their ear tips is squared off, indicating they’ve been fixed.

@@jldonovan67 Good.

Yes as far as I know that is mostly an U.S.A thing. To alert other maybe rescuers that individual cat has been fixed. To hopefully prevent people taking these cats into to "be rescued". Sadly they go from a probably ok ish out door life that they prefer to a pet shelter. Which is very likely crowded and under staffed. They run a very high risk of being euthanized.

@@wombat.6652 In my area it is TNR Trap Nueter Release and they are usually released where they were caught. The notch in the ear is so you can tell from a distance if that cat has already been fixed.

My thoughts exactly. Apparently this is considered normal in NYC and the building owners and superintendents get away with pretty much anything. It's disgusting and a disgrace.

Thank you Sensible and kind Cat Person.

That's the neutering and spaying is so important, otherwise they can't take care of themselves, get enough to eat, etc, and all they'll do is spread FIV and other diseases amongst themselves.