Will feral cats try to find their way back home?

I have spent over a year getting a feral cat to trust me. I have been very successful with Clipper and his friends. It is obvious someone in my apartment complex has taken these cats to get fixed. They all have clipped ears. I have fallen in love with one who I have named Clipper. We now have a special bond and he trusts me. He loves to eat, of course, and loves to be petted and his belly scratched. It has taken me over a year to get to this point. Unfortunately, I was laid off from my job and now have to move. I tried putting Clipper into a cat carrier but he flipped out. It was going to be a long drive to my new place and I couldn't bare having him so frightened so I let him out. Now I regret leaving him there and I am really lonely without him. I just don't know if it is the right thing to do.....taking him away from his original surrondings and all of his sibblings that he had grown up with. He is about 2 years old.

Do you recommend me trying to bring him home again? I asked a couple in the apartment complex to look after him but it takes alot of time for him to get comfortable with someone and I know he loves me!

Any suggestions?

You can do as you wish, both ways are possible.

If you want to adopt him for good, you can surely organize it somehow.  Try to have him as your indoor cat...

Good luck!

I have a cat who now lives in an enclosure. He was the neighborhood cat for a year or so when I trapped and fixed him. I fed him while the enclosure was being built but he still made his rounds. I do not believe anyone else was feeding him but he did have stops at various houses. He was never that friendly but would tolerate a pet or two while he ate. He's been in the enclosure for about three weeks and is king of all he surveys. Cats do not like change but if change comes, they adapt. If you really think he can be an inside cat and you have the time and patience to make that happen, go for it.

Clipper will freak out in the carrier - that's understandable. But don't worry, he'll be fine. A word of caution - make a vet appointment for him first. That way, when you get him in the carrier

Sorry, hit "send" too soon. Anyway, when you get him in the carrier, you can take him to the vet and then home. One less trauma. Have the vet check him for worms, fleas, general health.

When you get him home, give him a room alone. Set things up (litter box food, something to sleep in or on). A place for him to hide (maybe a box) is good too. Leave him there for a few days, visiting with him often. You can sit and read out loud to him. Your gentle voice will reassure him. Once he's comfortable, he can have the rest of the house.

Good luck and thank you!

And to your original question, yes. He will try to make his way home, definitely. That's why you need to be sure you can commit to having him as an indoor cat only. If he is let outside, I can guarantee he will try to get back to his original home.

I would definitely try to go back and get Clipper! What a wonderful "love" story. Hun, they ALL flip out in a crate.... but I promise you they also calm down just as quickly as they flip out and then don't make a sound. AWWWW, you just didn't know. It is still worth your time and effort to go back and try to trap him again. Either by way of Havahart trap or the crate method again. You might have to feed him in the crate for a few days first to get him trusting the crate again by feeling safe to go in and out before you shut the door. Clipper will freak out again, for sure. Just remain calm and put a towel over the carrier. Take him straight to the vet for a check up before you bring him home to a room that you will already have all prepared for him with all of his necessities. I know of many, many feral cats that have been socialized to a person the way you socialized Clipper. :nod: They turn out to make wonderful, indoor kitties. Yes, you must keep him indoors, forever, safe and sound. OR you could build an enclosure for his enjoyment for part of his day. How far do you live from where you moved? Can you go back each day to feed him and reconnect with him? I surely hope so. All my best to you and Clipper. Keep us posted!!!!

Agree with all, you and Clipper deserve full time, permanent love. 

Go back for him! I think. If your heart and conscience is saying, "Go get him", then go get him! Like the others said, use a Havahart trap or the crate. However, you'll need to get him used to your house.

Then, there's the other side of the story. You said Clipper has "friends"? If he sees them often (or if you see him seeing them), does he seem attached to them at all? Cats sometimes get depressed when you take them away from their friends, especially if one of them is possibly his littermate.

Didn't mean to put another thing in your head, but I thought I should put it out there. For the longest time, the three original ferals we fed would group together and come at the same time, the happiest they could be. But now one goes on random "vacations" for three to four months at a time, and the other has mysteriously gone missing (after we saw a black and white blob on the road; he was a tuxie! :c). Now, every time they come back, IF they come back, they seem to barely recognize each other. But it's certain, their personalities were MUCH bubblier and happy when they had each other. Now the one girl who stayed is sort of...grumpy.

to relocate a cat is a tricky job. first, you have to get them in a LARGE dog crate with room for a litter box. put the crate in the new location for 2-3 weeks. . feed and visit the cat there daily.
then let it go, leaving the crate and food still there.

the cat has to adjust to the new smells and acquaint itself with the new surroundings, plus know where its food is. if it trusts you, it will get used to you being there also.

sadly, if u start feeding a stray/feral cat and earn its trust, u should never just leave. it will not know where its food source is and may run trying to find u. good luck.