help

Hi

So I have two feral cats Midnight and Shadow,

Midnight was brought to us by someone who had TNR fix the kitty and needed a barn home.

Shadow just showed up in our barn we have no  idea is Shadow is a female or male if he/she is fixed, our nighbors have a few  barn cats they never  neutered/spayed there cats , they never come over to our house but there Tom cat came over the first week of January, we think Shadow may be pregnant she looks big but we are unsure.

We have a table in our barn with lots of food and water, what should I do? 

Thanks

So Shadow found the buffet at your house and is joining MIdnight for meals? How do they get along?

I'd suggest borrowing a humane trap from a local TNR group or a shelter and trapping Shadow. Take him/her to the vet and they will be able to tell you gender and whether he/she has been spayed or neutered. How close can you get to Shadow? Is he/she a true feral? You should be able to tell pretty easily by looking if Shadow is an intact tom. 

Agree with the above.  Regardless of whether Shadow is male or female, the best thing you can do is spay or neuter.  If she is pregnant, you can make a decision to terminate the pregnancy.  If she's feral, this may be your first option, as she will teach the kittens to be afraid of you and they will end up feral and hard to catch.  If you don't get them all spayed or neutered, you''l have more cats than you can count!

If she's semi-friendly, you could bring her inside to have the kittens and then try to find homes for them.  Sadly, that may not be easy.  If you take this route, make sure ahead of time that you have their spay/neuter surgeries done before they go to their new homes.

If you are able to keep her as an inside only cat, that'd be great.  Thank you for helping Shadow!

Hi

Yes Shadow just showed up,  they both  get along fine.  shadow sat in the barn door way when I was walking out to my car I have slowly walked up but she/he  ran away I did not get very close I have walk out to the barn everyday to fed them and she jumped down from the loft and   there is a hole so she ran under the barn floor  she has been under there a lot lately I know she is under there atleast my dog knows.   I don't want more cats at all there  the Tom cat might of came over earlier then the first week of January and I did not see him, I think I will  try traping Shadow  hopefully without getting Midnight or my other four indoor/ outdoor kittys.

If the Shadow  is a female and she is pregnant I really think Shadow  might have had them already she likes going under the barn floor she does come out offen.  why else to you think she is might be under there?  I am really unsure right now.

what if I trap her and have  shadow spayed/neutered and she already has them is that alright? if shadow is possibly a female and pregnant just wondering

Thanks  again

If she's already had the kittens, you should try to locate them before you trap her.  Vets can do a "flank spay" which does no interrupt the flow of milk for nursing mothers, so that's an option, depending on how old they are.  You can also bottle feed them if necessary.  Getting them at a young age will help you socialize them, too.

If you go into the barn at night and listen carefully, you may be able to hear them.  I would try to determine if she's had them, and how long ago, before you trap and spay mom.

Ok that's what I was thinking trying to locate them if possible, I will try to listen for them next time I go out to the barn

Update

I have seen Midnight and shadow a lot over the last few weeks eating from the table in the barn, So i walked out and shadow was eating she was not to quick to move then ran to hiding she looks round so she is about 4 weeks i am guessing if she is pregnant i could see her clearly she is a beautiful
Russian blue

And I caught the nightbors Tom kitty over visiting again today he is a little scared he is a really pretty tabby kitty

Thanks for your help

Another Update

So I have seen both barn  Cats  a lot lately Shadow does not seem like a feral kittys she is not that scared I think someone might have dropped her

Here is the huge question

My neighbors Have many cats all barn cats they don't feed them enough an never give them attention there Tom cat the same one that came over the first week of January will not leave he keeps bothering my female cats ALL neutered/Spayed I came home to see my kitty Locket asking inside and the tom kittys was after her poor girl I need to do something I am done with him coming over here

Should I put him down? or have him neutered? I am not asking my neighbors permission they don't care one bit about there animals makes me sick

There cats  will keep getting pregnant if I don't do something to at least eliminate   the kittens born each year

Thanks

OH please don't put him down.  Consider doing TNR on him.  It will take him a bit for his hormones to settle, but he will stop wandering and be a much nicer and happier kitty.  Maybe he will choose to stay on your property and learn to get along.  Is he sociable or does he seem friendly?  Possibly he could be adopted out to someone who would care and love him.

Not neutering the barn cats is irresponsible.  I don't know how someone can have "barn cats" and just leave them be to kill the mice and rodents and not care for them.  The least they could do is stop the production of so many cats and kittens.

I would just trap the poor tom and hope that he will settle down.  I had to do TNR on an unruly tom who would not leave my other feral boys alone.  My feral boys were neutered and frightened to death of this cat.  Once neutered he settled a bit, but I soon learned he was not completely feral.  Most likely someone abandoned him and he had been out and about on his own for a few years.  My feral boys did not care for him at all.  So this little tom ended up in my house.  It took him awhile to adjust, but he is now just the sweetest soul.  I am so happy I gave him a chance. 

I hope the best for this one.

Yes, please do not put him down.  Neutering him is not only the kindest solution but the best.  If you put him down, the chances are very high that another cat will come in to fill the void left by his absence.



I also had an irresponsible neighbor who let his cat breed and breed.  I neutered or spayed as many as I could.  Because he didn't care, he never realized they were fixed.  I found homes for almost 60 of the kittens. There were many others who were either hit by cars or who joined a colony on the other side of the neighborhood.


Just wanted to add that the colony on the other side of our neighborhood is run by a very responsible woman and good friend. Every cat in her colony is fixed and gets a yearly check up at the vets. She has a beautiful set up with houses and feeding stations. Some of her crew are indoor/outdoor but most spend their lives outside. They all get flea treatments in summer, too. At one point, she had 40+ cats. I think she's down to around 30 now.

If I ever come back as a feral cat, I want to live with her!

killing him shouldn't even be an option, 

Everyone is right!  Please don't even consider killing him.  Just get a trap and get him fixed.  He'll be a great complement to your feline barn crew.  Some of the absolute sweetest cats ever are neutered males.  Please, please, PLEASE don't put him down.

Kittens Mom said:

 
Unless Willard was living in the neighborhood. .  . .

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You made me really laugh with that comment! 

I totally agree with you about prosecuting folks like this.

Wow I am overwhelmed with all the help

No I really don't want to have him put down he is such a beautiful kitty I picked him up he is scared do to the lack of attention, so I will find away to have him Neutered I just found out the family  is going to Florida for two  weeks so that is perfect I will hopefully can have more of there kittys Spayed and neutered while they are gone, It is so common for people not to care thinking they are live off anything they get and they cant.

Thank You so much

And Shadow is it too late to have her/him neutered/Spayed?  I have been busy and have almost forgot about her I really don't want any kittens at all can not afford to have them all Neutered/Spayed and that is a must for me to have that done

Thanks

thank you for taking care of them 

Addeline said:

 
And Shadow is it too late to have her/him neutered/Spayed?  I have been busy and have almost forgot about her I really don't want any kittens at all can not afford to have them all Neutered/Spayed and that is a must for me to have that done

Thanks

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It's never to late to get a cat spayed/neutered.  Is there a rescue group in your area that could help you out?  If you call and tell of the stray cats/kittens all around, they may come with traps and get them all fixed or at least help you.  Do you have a low cost spay/neuter clinic in your area that will help with cost?  In my area vouchers are offered to help defer the cost.  Some people can get the cats spayed/neutered for free and others for just $10. 

Do a google search for low cost spay/neuter clinics as well as rescue groups.  It won't be long before the rescue groups will be over the top with kittens.  Kitten season will be here quite soon.

Hi 

Yes Companion  Cats will spay/neuter for $30  That is one of the lowest prices around

Shadow might be pregnant at about 6 1/2 weeks so is it too late?

Thanks