Another Feral

Hello Everyone,
Another feral showed up 3 days ago. And of course I have been leaving out food. Since I go into work when it is dark and get home when it is dark, I have not been able to get a good look at it. It is a gray short hair, older looking cat and very afraid of people. I will be off this weekend and hope to see more of it.
I am so glad my husband is a cat lover because we are at our limit now and this will make number 6 (3 inside, 2 outside). My plan is to TNR and feed it if it will stay after that.
It makes me so mad, because I know this cat was someone's pet and they move away and leave their pets or drive out to the county (which is where we leave) and dump their pets .
I will post an update if I can trap this one.
Clara

Good luck, I had two new ones show up last night as well. One pure black and one gorgeous and vivid long-haired calico! Never seen them before, and they were definitely feral.

Thankfully we've just had the two show up so far.... (and Funny Face is still here ).

Good luck & keep us posted!

I know it angers you but THANK YOU for caring enough to get it fixed and feeding it. Each cat you fix means one less cat having offspring.

Katie

Of course I have named the feral cat Smokey. For the past week I have been feeding him in a pet carrier. At first he would run in take some of the food outside and eat it, but now he stays inside the carrier and eats . Wednesday night he gets locked up so he can go to be fixed early Thursday morning .
Right now Smokey has been fighting our other feral and I am hoping that after Smokey is fixed he will calm down and stop fighting the other fixed male. It should take about a month? Does anyone know if the two will stop fighting? Hoping if someone who has alot of feral males that have been fixed could give me an answer.
I am new at this TNR stuff, but can not stop now
Thanks,
Clara

Can I ask a question about TNR? Once the cat has been neutered, does the Vet hold them for a day or 2 or are they released immediately the next day? I remember when I spayed my female we had to use special cat litter to avoid infection. Do you keep the feral in your house before releasing it??

The Vet I use at a reduced cost, you take them in at 730am and pick them up the same day at 430pm. You leave with a list from the Vet of does and don't (the same as when you have outpatient surgery) Here is what I do. If it is a male cat (a mature cat not a kitten) I let it lose in my garage and they usually leave and go out side. With the females I have a laundry room in my house where I can close the door, french doors so I can see in, because the females need 48 hours of undisturbed quiet time. It takes the females longer to come out of being put under and they need to be away from unfixed males for two weeks. That is why when I put them outside they have the garage for shelter. The females do require more care, because they are having major surgery where as the males do not.
Clara

A few of my male ferals will swat at each other, but there are no serious fights after they are neutered. Cats are territorial by nature, and neutering calms them down, but doesn't entirely remove the territorial instinct.

These two males one fixed the other not go all out with the fighting. There are times they look like a ball, half grey and half black. and the un-neutered male is starting it. The swatting is no big deal the two that are fixed now do that. Just give me strength for the next 30 days
Clara

Clarabelle, you are doing a wonderful job and a wonderful thing!!!! Of course I'm wishing you LOTS of strength!!!! I'm so glad you're keeping us posted. It's this that always brings the extra smiles.

And Sweets - when we have female ferals spayed, the vet uses dissolving stitches so she doesn't have to be taken back to have stitches removed. Depending upon the weather, we board them with the vet for two days to a week before releasing them. We've never had any problems (knock wood).

Smokey is in the Pet Carrier YEA HOO one more male feral to be fixed today. We are off to the Spay/Neuter Bus now
Clara

Great job!! Each cat fixed means at least 1 less litter next year.

Katie

WAY TO GO CLARABELLE!!!!! You GO girl!