Spayed Feral cat question

I have a small colony of ferals that I care for and just started TNR.  I trapped a mom and her 2 kittens on Thursday, dropped them off Thursday evening and on Friday they were all spayed and neutered.  When I picked them up Friday night I was told that I needed to watch the Mom because when they were doing the spaying procedure her insides were just "disintegrating".  They gave her an antibiotic cocktail and pain meds.  They told me to hold her for two days before releasing her but I needed to make sure she was eating, peeing and pooping.  She wouldn't eat Friday night but ate Saturday and today pretty good. (I'm giving her canned food so she gets liquids in her as well).  She has peed but hasn't pooped and I was wondering if anyone knew if it would be ok to release her tomorrow?  She is still in the trap that I caught her in as she is a pretty nasty cat and can't be touched. 

Thanks for any input as I am very new at this!

Hi Cindy, welcome to TCS! I just joined about a month ago myself, and this community has been a really great support system.

First I want to thank you for stepping up and helping these babies! So many people just look with pity at homeless animals and never do anything tangible to help. Even feeding them regularly is a huge help, but you've gone the extra mile to help ensure these won't be producing any more offspring. You've saved a lot more than just their three lives in doing that.

My first choice is always to bring the cat into a home where they will be safe and well-cared for. I know that TNR programs are very successful though and some cats are very happy living outdoors in a colony as long as they have a steady source of food and clean drinking water. My concern with this particular cat is her health. Any idea how old her kittens are?

I've done a lot of work with ferals and strays over the years. I'm curious about the vet's comments, that her insides were disintegrating. How specific were they? Do they suspect a degenerative disease? Did they test her for any known illnesses? Do you have medicine that she's supposed to continue taking?

I'm wondering if there's any way that you can keep her rather than releasing her? It sounds like she needs more significant care. If you would be able to take her in permanently or at least foster her until a suitable adopter could be found, we can give advice for how to calm a feral cat and integrate her into your home successfully. I just recently took in 2 new strays/ferals and while there is definitely an adjustment period, they have settled into their new lives as indoor kitties really well.

If that is out of the realm of possibility, I would feel more comfortable helping you connect with a local rescue that would be willing to take her off your hands and get her into a permanent home.

If she is being aggressive, it's because she is scared and in pain. There is a lot you can do to help calm her, and the medication can help with her pain. Once she is less tense from fright that will help with her pain levels, too.

So before I prattle on...what would you like to do? Would/could you consider keeping her if she is able to adjust to indoor living with you? Would/could you foster her while working on an adoption? For me, releasing her is not a good plan.

If she is indeed feral, keeping her inside will be a long process.  It is not impossible - many of us have former ferals, some really, really feral, who now live happy inside lives.

The real issue is probably - can you do that?  If not, don't feel badly.  She's gotten more from you in this short period of time than she'd gotten before.

But I would definitely keep her a few more days.  Even if she's a little cramped in the trap, she is safe.

When I had to do this, I kept the trap on pee pads inside my tub.  Helped with the clean-up.  I once had to keep a female for almost two weeks.  She calmed down a lot during that time, partly because of the spay but also because she got used to the routine.

However long you keep her, can you try to talk to the vet about particulars?  Juleska brings up some good points.  What exactly were the issues?  If they were something that could come back to harm her in the years ahead, that is another argument for keeping her inside.

Blessings on your for taking this on.  Its a big job!