Ladybug, although you have a good point, and in an ideal situation I would have the four toms fixed, I don't think you understand the whole situation. First of all, they are not necessarily pets in that I sought them out and bought or took them from someone. They are "barn cats," or outdoor cats. Miss Kitty found us last year during the coldest part of the winter, and because I felt sorry for her, I fed her and gave her warm shelter outside. She had five kittens in May, which surprised me because she didn't look big at all. (OK, at this point, it was partly my fault for not taking her to the vet sooner to get her spayed.) I intended to keep two of the kittens and try to give away the other three. Then I found out that it was really hard to get rid of kittens.
I thought that I had really lucked out that four of the kittens were toms, because we are both retired, and I don't have an extra $1000 to get all of the kittens fixed and all of the shots and medicines they need. It's really only an option of keeping and feeding all six cats or taking some of them to a shelter (where they will eventually be killed).
We have a blue point Siamese in the house who is very pampered and loved, and has all the veterinary care and special food he could possibly need. He is my pet, and I take good care of him. The ones outside are not very tame, although they will tolerate being petted. I will get their rabies shots and FIV shots and feed them, but I really can't spend a lot more on them.
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