Lost whole feral colony! What could have happens

Guys please help me!  I am 56 years old and have had ferals for ever.  But I have never had anything like this.  I have 5 ferals that just arrived at my house 5 months ago..  A teenager who had just been spay and four unfixed babies.  i trapped and neutered all.  For 5 months I have feed them 2 xs a day.  The have a shed with heat and a deck they live under.  they are very healthy.  6 days ago when i went to feed there were only .  I did not think a big deal and figured the other would be along.  That night I went to feed and there were none.  They are all gone.  How could 5 cats all disappear ?  Even if a coyote got them, it could not get 5 cats in 1 day and they live way up under the house.  I have never had a feral leave a food source.  Thoughts?  Ideas?

One of the mysteries is that one of the 5 had a clipped ear and was recently fixed when they arrived.  I have asked all neighbors and no one knows or is caring for these cats.

Elizabethmoir said:

 
Guys please help me!  I am 56 years old and have had ferals for ever.  But I have never had anything like this.  I have 5 ferals that just arrived at my house 5 months ago..  A teenager who had just been spay and four unfixed babies.  i trapped and neutered all.  For 5 months I have feed them 2 xs a day.  The have a shed with heat and a deck they live under.  they are very healthy.  6 days ago when i went to feed there were only .  I did not think a big deal and figured the other would be along.  That night I went to feed and there were none.  They are all gone.  How could 5 cats all disappear ?  Even if a coyote got them, it could not get 5 cats in 1 day and they live way up under the house.  I have never had a feral leave a food source.  Thoughts?  Ideas?

One of the mysteries is that one of the 5 had a clipped ear and was recently fixed when they arrived.  I have asked all neighbors and no one knows or is caring for these cats.

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I am sorry that your sweet ferals are missing.  I would wonder if somehow they were trapped by another neighbor.  Hopefully not poisoned.  I would check with your neighbors by posting signs or even going door to door.  

Yet it also could be possible that something scared them and they are just hiding out.  Give them time.  I dearly hope they return to you.  It is the very hardest part of caring for feral cats; not knowing what happens to them.  I wish I could insert GPS markers on them so I knew where they went.  

Do you happen to know where they have shelter?  Is it possible they use another property for shelter and are now getting food there?

Have you been out to call for them?  Also check with the local animal control or humane societies in case someone trapped them and took them to a shelter.

My heart goes out to you.  Please update if there is any news.

They shelter on my property, but I have seen them cross the street.  The weird thing is that when they first came it was four 8 week old babies and a 6 month old.  When I trapped her, I learned that she had been spay recently.  I could never figure it out.  I would say dumped but too hard to catch.

Anyway they disappeared 3 first and then last 2.  we do have coyotes but 5 in 1 day and these cats live way up under the house and in a closed shed that they access through a hole in the bottom.  Still praying for them and will call neighbors.  To get them someone would have had to trap.  No one around here would take the time to do that.

I'm really sorry to hear they've gone missing. Maybe a coyote came past and they all ran off and hid somewhere? Do you have a trail camera you could leave out in the place you usually feed them? It would allow you to check for the cats and also keep an eye out for other wildlife.

Strangely but happily I spotted 2 mid day
I went to feed and they ran. They usually are scared of me at all. This gives me hope that something scared them. Great idea. I am setting up a wildlife camera now. Fingers crossed for the other three!![emoji]128008[/emoji][emoji]128062[/emoji]

They were most likely trapped and taken. Again, just to make my point: THEY WERE TRAPPED

Although I can't be 100% certain, this just happened to me and my colony. If one cat disappears, that is normal. If they all disappear, then they were trapped.

Everyone always says coyotes. Coyotes. It must have been the coyotes, right? WRONG. People say that because they don't want to admit some jerk of a human being was trapping them.

Whoever did it, will not admit it. Have you noticed any of your neighbors were not happy with the cats? Did any neighbor ever comment about them, even if they seemed just curious? Did the feral cats ever go in other peoples yards?

I'm sorry to say but most likely someone trapped them, dumped them somewhere, and they are gone. For them to disappear that quickly is not a normal phenomenon.

My colony had 2 go missing on a Monday, then 1 on Tuesday, then on Saturday I found a 4th cat crying in a trap. I saved her, but the damage was done.

Since it is illegal to dump cats, whoever did it will not admit to it.

I agree the culprit is usually dumb neighbors. I heard a woman bragging at lunch about getting rid of her neighbors colony. People are so dumb and don't understand.
Happily that does not seem to be the case here . Cause this morning after 7 days 4 of my 5 babies were back. Very hungry and a bit skittish . Now I am just missing 1. My lesson so far is that even ferals should be chipped .
Thanks for every ones advice, good wishes, and prayers. Now just hope my last baby comes back