I am new to this forum and am happy that I found it. I've been searching for somewhere to turn with questions and issues surrounding feral caretaking. I trapped and fixed 6 strays/ferals that were hanging around on our property since last September. Three of them were kittens born to a female we named Lucy. We decided to keep the kittens instead of adopting them out so that they could stay with their mother. In all, there are 4 females and 2 males. Since they've been neutered and spayed they've been living peacefully and contentedly in our yard, which is surrounded by a tall wall and fencing and is quite spacious and a haven for cats. They have a private feeding station and shelters filled with straw that they love. We have been caring for them for about 6 months and it is so fun to experience their antics and the wonder they bring to our life now. Although I'm not able to pet any of them yet, they are slowly bonding with me, anticipating feeding time and running around with joy when I come out with their daily meal. They are so well fed now that they have put on weight and pretty much own the backyard. Now that you know my history, here's my question:
There has been another cat that comes around on occasion although I don't see him/her all the time. For the sake of this discussion, I will refer to him as "he." I see him coming from down the street, he turns into our driveway and goes to the back yard. We have an opening at the bottom of one of our fences where they come in and out. I'm not sure if he is homeless or whether he is just "visiting." Sometimes I see him in the back sitting, but at a distance away from the others. This morning he was there while I was setting up the feed bowls for my colony, but he was just watching, but he wasn't anywhere near the feeding station. He looks well taken care of (not skinny or malnourished looking, fur really nice). I can't tell if his ear has been tipped, either. My colony cats seem to accept him although I'm not sure they're letting him near the food. I would guess it would be up to them if they wanted to share their food with him. They don't seem to be chasing him away.
What should I do? Should I try to take a picture of him, make a flyer and distribute it around to find out if he belongs to anyone? Should I try to trap him and take him to get fixed? What if he's already fixed and I do that for nothing? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
There has been another cat that comes around on occasion although I don't see him/her all the time. For the sake of this discussion, I will refer to him as "he." I see him coming from down the street, he turns into our driveway and goes to the back yard. We have an opening at the bottom of one of our fences where they come in and out. I'm not sure if he is homeless or whether he is just "visiting." Sometimes I see him in the back sitting, but at a distance away from the others. This morning he was there while I was setting up the feed bowls for my colony, but he was just watching, but he wasn't anywhere near the feeding station. He looks well taken care of (not skinny or malnourished looking, fur really nice). I can't tell if his ear has been tipped, either. My colony cats seem to accept him although I'm not sure they're letting him near the food. I would guess it would be up to them if they wanted to share their food with him. They don't seem to be chasing him away.
What should I do? Should I try to take a picture of him, make a flyer and distribute it around to find out if he belongs to anyone? Should I try to trap him and take him to get fixed? What if he's already fixed and I do that for nothing? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
