expectations

I have just trapped and spayed a little calico from mybackyard. She is ~1 yr old and over the weekend I kept her in the garage with food,litter box (which she used) etc. I was hoping that she might warm up a little but she is pretty much hiding in the garage for the most part, seems completely nocturnal, and I am not sure I have any hope at all of helping her past her fear. I have gone out and sat quietly, but she hides when i am there. I potentially have another one out there that might be pregnant that I would like to get before she gives birth.
In any case, I guess my question is.. is the one I have now just plain feral, and should i return her to the wild, at least knowing she will not contribute to the population?

I think it totally depends on your circumstance. There is nothing wrong with just spaying or neutering, and releasing the feral kitties. At least you are ending overpopulation, and helping them live a safer life.

But if you have the ability to try to tame a kitty, and a home for them once they tame, that is certainly nice, too.

It is hard to say if the cat is a true feral or a dumped pet unless you spend some time with it. And if you don't have the time to try to tame it, I think it is kinder to release than to try to keep them locked up.

Ferals can sometimes be "tamed", but it takes a long time. I have a kitten at home (Jasmine) who was caught at 5 weeks, and has been with me since about 10 weeks. She is now about 7 months old. Just in the past week has she started climbing on my lap, and that is only for food. And she was just a baby when I got her! She will never be a cuddlebug like Gar and Festus. Her sister on the other hand tamed fully, and has been adopted out.

It just varies so much with the cat, and your situation.

thanks for your advice. I was feeling like we were doing more harm than good since she seemed so terrified of us. So we decided to let her back out. Hopefully, she will continue to come by for food and shelter.

Originally Posted by Twinka

thanks for your advice. I was feeling like we were doing more harm than good since she seemed so terrified of us. So we decided to let her back out. Hopefully, she will continue to come by for food and shelter.

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You can build her a nice shelter and I'm sure she will appreciate it. Thank you for caring for this girl.

Katie