Just wondering - time/effort put in rescue

I have a general question for you feral/stray cat rescuers: how much time and effort do you put in your cat rescue activities ?
In terms of hours or just a general description.
I am new to this and I feel like it takes a lot of time on top of working full time..
For example, these last couple of days I get home from work, go to the vet, go back home, go set a trap, wait, go back home if trapping not successful or to spca if successful, take care of a feral kitten at home, feed strays etc,..,
I find this to be a lot of work, but I can not not do it knowing there's something I can do.

Thank you so much for taking the time to help out the strays and ferals  in your area.  It is so time consuming.  I think it can be very hard to find a balance.  I spend hours each day working with my ferals and rescued strays.  Of course there is also the time and financial commitment of feeding and caring for them.  I find that it is not a job/activity that you decide one day you don't want to do.  When feeding ferals/strays it is a lifetime commitment unless you find someone else to help you out.  I find that as soon as I get things under control and come up for air, another cat shows up.  I find myself tired at the end of the day, but I cannot imagine not helping these cats.  I do find that I have to let go of my high standards when I am away and allowing others to help take care of the cats.  Others will not perform the duties to the extreme that I do, but I have to have peace of mind knowing they are being fed and cared for and that is ok for a few days.  I sometimes feel overwhelmed and just take a deep breath and remember that I am helping and doing my best one cat at a time.  I cannot set out to save the world full of cats, but I can do my part to the best of my ability.  I don't know a set amount of hours, but I do know it is an every day event.

I only had to care for a colony of 7 cats last summer for 3 about months, after which time my neighbor and I trapped and adopted 5 of the 7 ferals on our block. One went AWOL after we trapped her last kitten, and the other, Muffin, remains on my porch--too smart to be trapped and too stubborn to come inside--my perpetual pet feral.  We trapped the cats on my porch or in the patch of woods by her house, so it was easy in the sense that we were by our homes. Two or three times a week we would set the trap in the evening, prior to sunset, for about an hour. She'd be sitting on her porch two doors down watching the trap while I sat on my porch. She'd try to keep the raccoons from going into it as it got dark, and I'd try to keep the papa feral, Muffin, away from the trap by feeding him chicken on my porch because not only would he not go into a trap, he would nudge his kittens out of it if they went in. We'd be texting back and forth to pass the time. At sunrise a few times a week I'd work alone for about a half hour trying to trap them. Total time spent is hard to calculate.

While we were caring for the cats and kittens, my neighbor and I would feed them. The birds tended to eat up the dry food we left out (starlings are the worst!) I would awaken at daybreak and bring out wet food in paper plates near their nest, and my neighbor would feed them in the evening. It was a commitment of time and money, but it paid off when they got trapped and we adopted them. Since the end of August, I've only had to care for my one outdoor feral, Muffin, but that requires getting up daily at daybreak to feed him since I won't leave food out at night. It also requires caring for him when he's sick or injured and worrying like crazy if he disappears for a few days. One is enough! We will see if more appear on my block this summer. If more do, then I will trap again. 

I admire people who take care of cat colonies long-term because it does require a lot of commitment of time and energy. It's helpful when the task is shared by more than one person.

ShadowsRescue said:

I find that as soon as I get things under control and come up for air, another cat shows up. 

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This is so true !

msaimee Yes, sharing task must be really helpful. Knowing my neighboors, it is NOT a good idea to tell them I am even feeding stray cats...

If you have a large amount to trap look into posting ad online.  I have helped out trap watching/holding cat overnight at my house for gas money.  I personally would get a vet refference that the person can be trusted but I was never asked for anything.  Works out good as I pay nothing yet have experience with ferals so know to leave them be and show up in AM so they can get worked up.  Personally I would NOT ask neighbors/people close by as when things are in your own backyard people tend to act a lot different.