Feral cat after spay isn't moving or eating

Hello everyone,

Well, we, after 3.5 months, have finally completed what we wanted to do.  Spay both Stripey and Blackie.  Of course, what we came out with is a pet cat (Stripey), 5 kittens (4 found homes and one passed away), and now, Blackie has been trapped, spayed, and is in a new home.  We put together two cages with the litter box in one and water/food in the other.  They are partially covered on the top and some of the sides.  Blackie was fixed yesterday so she has been on pain meds and has one day left.  We believe she has used the litter box and she has managed to pull down some of the blankets and pulled them into the cage to lay on.

We fed her at 4am this morning, and she ate, but hasn't at all the rest of today.  She is in isolation in a shed, that has been kept around 76 degrees with a circulatory fan and small lights we turned on during the day.  There isn't much noise at all.  Should we completely cover the cage or am I over reacting with her not eating yet?

We fed her for days prior so I know she has an appetite. 

Our hope is we work on her to trust us as she and Stripey seem to get along (that's how we met them and they have been up close over the last few weeks without any incident) and it would be nice to have two cats on our property.

thanks in advance

If she still isn't moving or eating today, you should take her to the vet who spayed her. Most vets don't charge an exam fee for post surgical visits. Are you able to take her temperature to see if she has a fever? She could have a post surgery infection in her uterus, or may have had a bad reaction to the anesthesia. My feral, Mia, had a very bad reaction to her spay surgery and for days afterwards wouldn't eat or move. I had to force feed her with a syringe. She had developed an infection after the surgery and also had liver and kidney damage from the anesthesia which thankfully reversed itself when she fully recovered.  Most cats feel better the day after the spay, not worse, so if she doesn't improve today, you may want to call your vet.

Some female ferals are just not strong and healthy enough to handle the anesthesia and the surgery when they're trapped, so if in doubt, it's better to have the pre-surgical lab work done to make sure the cat can handle it, or to hold off on the trapping and spaying until the cat has been eating for a while and appears healthy. I doubt this is the case with your kitty since you were feeding her for a few months before the spay, but infections can still occur after the surgery even in healthy cats.