I need help with ferals...

Hello. I've being feeding feral/stray cats for the last 2 years and just recently we (me and my husband) might be moving in a couple of months and I am worried about those 4-6 cats outhere; I never interracted with them 'cause they're always so scared and run away but they pretty much rely on the food I always put outhere everyday. They always come individually, never together, 2-3 comes eveynight and others randomly... Because I do not want to abbandon them when I'll move I thought about the TNR program; the cost won't be a problem but I'd like to find them a home before actually trapping them, I cannot take/add more cats in my house.
Plus, what if they come out positive to FIV or FeLV? Vets over here will only suggest to put them down. Where can I find someone willing to take care of them?
Just yesterday morning I realized that one of them, I believe a young male, has ringworms in his feces/diharrea and I am very concerned about it especially 'cause last night he didn't showed up as usual so...maybe he's already very sick...
I tried to called any society, shelter, organizations in the area but nobody answers or do not want to deal with ferals and help me out with it.
What could I possibly do? Please help, any suggestion would be appreciate.

Try going around to any farm areas? Asking if perhaps they'd be interested in taking a cat or two as a mouser- that usually seems best for the wild one's unless you have someone who is willing to take the time to take em in and try to socialize/turn into a house cat? As for the FIV and FeLV, yes-if they come up positive for them all vets i've came across suggest putting them down. Doesn't mean you have to, but it would be very hard to find a home for a cat that tested positive for FIV- it is going need treatments and constant care in order to live with this disease for as long as it can. And most cats with FeLV get an estimated 6 months - 3 years to live, with many problems leading up to that. There's no cure for either, so sadly- if any of the cats came up positive you probably wouldn't have much a choice but to put them to sleep if you cannot find them a caretaker. You wouldn't want to just put them back and allow them to continue to spread the virus' through the rest of the kitty populations, as sad as it is

I actually recently took one of mine to get tested for both [negative, thank goodness!] and the vet said it was pretty uncommon for it to come up positive. I wonder if she was just saying this to calm my nerves? Does anyone know how common these diseases are?

Thanks for your response, infortunately this deseases are very common in cats especially . I would take a cat with this desease in my house but I already have 2 healthy cats in; years ago I took in a very young feral female that tested positive to FIV and, because of a very unscrupulous and bad vet ( I was very uneducated about cats back then plus I trusted the Dr.) he convinced me to do all the procedures anyway saying it was going to be ok.....that poor creature got soo sick and was in soo much pain that, after trying to save her life in a different clinic and after fighting for her life for 3 days, we have to decide to put her down. This happened in 2009 but to me is like yesterday and I would never forgive myself for letting that happened.
Anyway, I do agree with you about not "allowing" that desease to spread and I also know that a FIV positive cat could live months up to several years....but not a lot of people can afford to take care of it and deal with the vet costs.

I'll try to look for farms/farmers, although I believe there are farms around me but don't know where yet.

Thanks again.

Blakat said:

I thought about the TNR program; the cost won't be a problem but I'd like to find them a home before actually trapping them,

Click to expand...

I think there is some confusion here.

TNR is about neutering and releasing back.

Preferably combined with fostering and adopting of these apparently easy to foster... But most of the adult and very ARE released back into their old revire, or other suitable place, even if the the group does have some fostering homes.

The TNR:ed cats shall preferably have some caretaker in the continuation too.

What you are talking  about is trying to adopt them out (after neutering where they were not neutered before, right?).

It is of course very difficult to find adopters for completely feral/semiferal cats, who are shy even for their long time caretaker...   Barn cats may perhaps be an option.

The problem is although, you seem not to neutered them before?

Next time you do something similiar, ie taking care of ferales - think neutering!!!

It is a good deed to give food to the hungry.  But it becomes excellent and really praiseworthy first when you also plan for neuter and or adoption.

In short. Dont feed them if you arent planning for the next necessary step.

To the questions you ask, what if they are "positive" to the test. Im not expert on these questions, but I try to answer while Im on.

The tests are sometime false. So if money isnt no big problem for you, retest them.

There are also more reliable tests, although they are costly, that is why they usually use the cheap  and quick standard test.

FIV isnt very contagious. If the cat is friendly, and you do have an adopter, it can be tried.  With a little luck they can have many years of good life.

Release back??  perhaps. Spayed they will not be into the same amount of fights. And if the cat is friendly, so perhaps... I dont know.

Our forumite LDG is knowleable here. PM her if the question arises for real.

Felv is more serious as it is more contagious.  There are people who do have them, living good lives many years,  so it doesnt need to be a death sentence by definition, but you must know what you do, and the situation must be good.  Ie a good adopter..

Release?  Nay, I think the risks too great.  Better to give them a merciful end.

Tx for caring!

Good luck!   *vibes*