Have not seen feral in at least two weeks...

One of the ferals that I feed outside my house has been missing for approx. two weeks...she once disappeared for about a week or so, and just showed back up again, perfectly fine. A young female that was dumped in our neighborhood had been starting to come at the same time feed lately, and I noticed that Bella would back off from the feeding area whenever she saw her, and seemed to be put off by her presence, so I thought perhaps she was coming to feed late at night. I was hoping that I would just see her again, like last time, but now I am really starting to worry.

But I am new to feral caretaking, and I am worried that I should be doing something else to find her...I have been trying to trap the new female cat, but have not been successful just yet.

I know that there are many dangers out there for these cats, and I am very worried about her. Thank you in advance for any help you can give me.

Also, the neighbor recently moved into assisted living, and I am having trouble remembering if I saw her after he moved...I believe I saw her at least once afterward, but am unsure...could she have gotten in the moving van somehow???

Hello and Welcome to the site! Thank you for caring for feral cat's It is not uncommon at all for the feral cat's in our care to disappear for even week's at a time and then suddenly appear looking well and business as usual. Do not fret, hard as it is. In caring for ferals, you have to come to expect this and somehow learn to handle it emotionally. We have absolutely no control over their safety or whereabouts. Now, I highly doubt Bella would have gotten locked in the moving van. There is no way most feral cat's would even be brave enough to venture into a van filled with someones possessions smelling like..... Well humans :lol3:. Ferals have an extraordinarily high level of self-preservation and just know how to stay safe and survive.

When a new cat comes into the colony, the social dynamics must change. Sometimes in a negative way and sometimes in a positive way. You may see your "regular" ferals run off if the newbie is dominant and unaltered. I would trap this new cat like you are planning and just keep up the great work you doing for the cat's. Getting them TNRd, feeding them and offering shelter. The rest is really up to them to work out

Thanks so much...it's so helpful to get support and advice from people that care about these cats.  I doubt she went in the moving van too, but it was mentioned on another forum that some cats do, and the neighbor just moved out...she's still missing, but I am hoping that one day she will reappear again, but am trying to make my peace with the idea that she may not, for whatever reason.

Will be trying to trap the other kitty this week/weekend... 

I think your Bella WILL return safely :cross: Just stay positive. We are always here to give support - day and night :rofl:... Keep us posted on trapping the other kitty. Hope it will be a success. Stay in touch

p.s. I have a feral cat named Dixie.. She often disappears for days or a few weeks at a time and then always returns. I have no idea where she goes off to. But I have been caring for her for over a year now and she always looks happy and healthy.

The good news in all of this, is I spoke to a gal I know that is involved with cat rescue, and explained about the new female - that is she is most certainly somewhat tame, as she was an indoor/outdoor cat for renters that left her behind.  I am going to trap her, get her fixed, tested and vaccinated, and on those conditions they will take her into their rescue.  They have taken another tame stray that I trapped a few months before and got him adopted out to the cushiest home.   

Is the missing cat spayed/neutered?

And yeah I seriously doubt the missing cat got into the moving van.

Your post gave me some comfort, as I've been feeding a feral cat for a year now and haven't seen him for 3 days, so I've been very worried. He's been gone for a day at the most but not 3 days. This is the longest absence. He's usually lying around outside or comes back when he leaves. I usually hear him crying early in the morning, which is my signal to feed him, but I noticed a new feral cat the last week is coming to eat and wonder if that's the reason the one I've been feeding, left. I  leave dry food outside for him but the birds and opossums eat it, too. There's also a bowl of fresh water outside my front door for them to drink. I'm hoping he'll come back.