Newbie with Ferals - 5 month old with healing broken leg

Hi all,

I have been currently trapping a colony of 11.  The reason I got involved (did it 4 years ago as well), was when I saw the 5 kittens that were born (I first saw them at around 2 1/2 months.  About three weeks ago, I saw one of them limping.  We have construction going on next door and so I thought he might have stepped on something and had something in his paw.  When I finally trapped him, they said that he had a broken femur by the hip and it had already began to form bone around it.  I thought it was getting better - and was shocked.  I ended up taking him to my vet and there were options.  I could not afford surgery.  She saw him running and jumping to get away, and said that he did not have too much nerve damage.  That he needed rest for 4 weeks for it to heal.  That he would probably have a limp and arthritis as he ages.  He is currently in my basement in a dog crate.  I am taking care of him and administering pain meds.  

I just got a new kitten and my daughter who has two cats is returning next month to stay.  Is it possible to turn a feral cat into a house cat?  He sometimes blinks his eyes at me, and others growls or hisses.  I've read some info on how to do all of this, but I'm not sure I have the patience.  

My question is, if he has just a slight limp when he's healed and little nerve damage, do you think I could let him back out with his family?

Thanks in advance.  I spoke to the woman who is feeding them and explained everything to her about ferals.  I want to stop feeding them after they are all sterilized because I can't have them all in my yard (even though I built a hotel cathouse for them with heater and all).  They can sleep there if they need to, but I do not want them hanging out and killing the birds and squirrels that I always fed.  I have only 3 cats left to steralize the colony. I explained to the woman that if any of them are sick or injured or any new ones come, to please let me know (she's a few doors around the corner).

Please help.

After four weeks, he will be acclimated to your home.  He will begin to see it as his territory, so it may be easier for him to become an indoor only cat.  You can introduce him to the new kitten (there are several threads on this site with tips for that) and he and the new kitten will have to be introduced to your daughter's cats as well.  That is something you should take as slowly as possible.

The blinks are the way feral cats communicate they want no issues.  Staring into his eyes would be a challenge, so look at his forehead or ears and blink back.  You're saying 'We're cool, man."  I would say if he's been blinking, he's willing to negotiate a peace in this new circumstance.

Neutering him will make a big difference in his wildness, too.

Thank you for helping him - and the lady.  Spaying and neutering is the only way to keep the population under control.

If you decide to release him in your yard, he would probably not fuss with the wildlife too much if he is well fed and has shelter.  But he sounds like he has a chance of being socialized enough to become a housecat.

Thank you for all of your wisdom.

I hope you're right.  I have been doing some research and some say yes, and others say no, it's not possible to tame a feral cat.

My heart breaks for the ferals outside.  I built a house from my own little hands with two shelves an attic platform.  It's big enough to fit all of the cats comfortably (four stories).  I made windows out of plexi-iglass; have two escapes with flap doors; straw and a heater.  The first day I put it out, one of the cats went in it.  After that, I haven't seen any go in, however, the new house still has no doors next door, so I imagine they're still camping out there.  It's going to get cold soon and they're just about closing it up, so we'll see.

Right now I have one that I just picked up.  She's the sister of the guy with broken leg.  They probably all could be turned around, but nobody wants them!  So sad.

I live in NY in Queens.  There just isn't enough help to control the issue.  Since I started this, I have been hearing horror stories of how many people feed cats but do not have them neutered.  They watch kitten after kitten die, and yet, they don't  anything about it.

The Mayor got involved 4 years ago and supported the program, but now it seems that all has dropped off.  We have a new mayor so maybe I'll try and write to his office.

I just wish that more was televised about what to do, how to recognize if they're sterilized; the local laws, etc.

I've just been disheartened about the whole thing.

Thank you again.