ADVICE needed on rehoming feral cats

Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m a volunteer at an animal rescue in Manhattan. This rescue is relocating and is looking to place five semi-feral cats that freely move around the shelter using the overhead rafters. They tolerate minimum human contact. I feed these cats wet food several times a week and they allow me to have moderate contact with them. Any advice on how I should begin rehoming these semi-feral cats?

Hi, and welcome to TCS. The rescue can't take them along to the new facility? If not, are you thinking a barn situation?? Or a foster situation?? All of these would require that when you relocate these cats they need to be confined somehow at the new location, otherwise they will split and run off fast and not know where to go and this could be a death sentence for them.

At the new location, wherever it is, they need to be kept in a small room, or a very large wire dog crate (with food, water, litter box, beds and a security cover) for up to a month or longer. This way they will acclimate to their new territory and surroundings and not panic when let loose. They will know where to come for food, which is the most important thing to these guys. It is very, very tricky relocating ferals, but it can be done.

You actually don't need to confine them in a cage for that long. A week is plenty if before you let them out you sprinkle the floor liberally with dry cat food and set out wet food and water for them. If the barn is big enough, they will bolt out of the cages and hide in the barn. If they are allowing you contact, is it not possible you can take them and work on socializing them and finding them a home? But you put them into a cage for a month that is way to long and it can traumatize them. Especially if they are used to free roaming on the rafters above the cats in cages.

The advice regarding the confinement for up to a month was given to me from Feral Fixers, Illinois who deal with relocating and placing ferals. I have done some work for them and relocated eight feral barn cats to several different barns in my area and going on the pro's advice doing it this way, the cats are more settled by then and stick around. Of course, it would be better to have a tack room, lounge, or viewing room to keep the cats in during their transition, but a VERY large wire dog crate works if there are no other options. A week to two week would probably suffice, but I always want to make sure they know where home is and their new territory and will stick around then for sure. Good luck and you are doing such a great service for these kitties

So how much contact do they allow? Can you touch them? Do they run away when you come? Or just when other people come? I seem to remember stages Elsa went through when I was socialiing her...

Contact rescues in upstate NY, western NJ and eastern PA to ask them if they can help in any way - if they can help with barn relocation or if they know anyone with colonies that may be able to take them into the colony.

Talking about dog cages and long time keeping. There are fosters who do foster in dog cages. And they claim they are successfull. At least forumite here does so and so she witnessed.

So one conclusion is, if a rescuer or fosterer in spe wants, but doesnt have any suitable room, not even a bathroom or bedroom, nor cellar, it is no reason to give up. Fostering, if in dire need, can also be done in a big dog cage as only disponible place... This is not the optimal - but can be done.

Next conclusion for the case here: One week is enough to let them get the scents of hereabouts, and some feeling it is here they do get food.
But a months does work - they happen to get somewhat extra socialized...
It is my hypothesis in any case....


Good luck!