The right thing to do if you catch a lactating female?

I'm not in this situation but I would like to know what the right thing to do would be?

You care for feral cats and want to trap them and get them all fixed. You catch a female and see she is lactating, but don't see kittens in your yard and don't know when she gave birth.

Do you:
1: release her knowing her kittens might die without her if they are too young, risking never be able to trap her again.
2: get her spayed and hope the kittens survive on their own, if she is released she may never go in the trap again and continue adding to the population

I've heard both options suggested from various clinics.

This is one of the most difficult of all situations, IMO. I do know that Feral Fixers would go ahead and spay her though. I honestly think I would release her..... because I could not bear knowing that there are kittens out there that will just starve to death. I would hope to be able to set up an immediate feeding shelter in the hopes that she would return for food and nutrition. Usually the females will eventually bring the kittens to the feeding station anyway and then I would trap the whole family. It is a terrible situation to be in though, to have to make that decision.

bugmankeith said:

I'm not in this situation but I would like to know what the right thing to do would be?
You care for feral cats and want to trap them and get them all fixed. You catch a female and see she is lactating, but don't see kittens in your yard and don't know when she gave birth.
Do you:
1: release her knowing her kittens might die without her if they are too young, risking never be able to trap her again.
2: get her spayed and hope the kittens survive on their own, if she is released she may never go in the trap again and continue adding to the population
I've heard both options suggested from various clinics.

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wow.. that's a tough one.  I just went through this, except the mama cat was a starving stray and not a feral.  It took a few weeks but eventually I got to pet her. And I knew where the kittens were.  I waited a month to be sure they were running and scampering around before I took mama to the vet.  And after catching her I took mama cat to the site every day for nearly two weeks until I caught the babies, so that she could care for them.  Very time consuming, but very worthwhile and I have no regrets.

I ABSOLUTELY agree with ferallv in that, if she is producing milk and you don't know where the kittens are, I would wait and just let her out and set up a feeding station.  My mama brought her babies to the station to eat.  That's how I caught them.  If they are used to eating somewhere, they will come.  Young and old alike. 

I do believe in TNR, but I would just release her too.  It would weigh too heavy on my conscious otherwise.

That's a hard decision.... 

We got the lactating mama we trapped a couple of months ago spayed.  Then again, we saw her babies and knew there were already eating solid food and wouldn't starve without her.  Another mama cat DID NOT bring her babies to us (I don't know if they didn't survive or what) and she ended up pregnant again.  I'm at the point that I would rather err on the side of "spay and pray" than to let her keep breeding.

TX_Kat said:

That's a hard decision.... 

We got the lactating mama we trapped a couple of months ago spayed.  Then again, we saw her babies and knew there were already eating solid food and wouldn't starve without her.  Another mama cat DID NOT bring her babies to us (I don't know if they didn't survive or what) and she ended up pregnant again.  I'm at the point that I would rather err on the side of "spay and pray" than to let her keep breeding.

Click to expand...

You're right tx-kat......  very hard decision.  I hope I never have to go through that again.  I like the terminology "spay and pray"..
 

Just last week I was in this position. I received a call about a stray "kitten" behind a nursing home. When I came to

get her (it was a young cat) and I went to pick her up, I could feel full mammary glands.

The workers were positive she was a drop off and had not seen or heard any kittens. The cat had been there for 3 days and was getting skinnier and skinnier.

My theory was that if she was feeding kittens, I should not feel full mammary glands.

So, I took her home and asked the workers to walk around over the next day or two and listen for any mewing. When her glands decreased in size over the next 24 hrs, I felt better about my decision to take her. If she had nursing kittens, she would have become more engorged.
It was only when I got her home, did I notice she had a severe injury to a hind foot. Thankfully, she is at our local shelter getting the care she needs.