We trapped another of the many ferals (we're finally making a dent after 2 years!) in our neighborhood Wednesday am - and it's a girl! We've got a system down with the females - release them into a large dog crate with a cat carrier inside, litterbox, food (hard/soft/mackerel) and water, plus we cover the whole thing with two sheets so they can't see outside.
Always worked like a dream in the past - - but this poor girl. 2 yrs old. Totally feral. Trying to decide how long we hold her. She went right into the cat carrier (they all do - it's cave-like and filled with towels) Thursday morning after picking her up. Sometimes they don't eat (never know about drinking) that first afternoon/evening - - - but it's now almost noon on Friday and this one hasn't even touched the warmed up mackerel I pushed over right in front of the door of the carrier. Didn't appear to touch a thing overnight, which is a first. Obviously at some point soon I need to worry about dehydration.
She wasn't in heat or pregnant, so it was a routine spay. We like to keep them in for a minimum of 48 - prefer 72 - hours after we get them back here, but I'm starting to worry about her hydration, etc. Thoughts on whether it's best to early release if she doesn't eat soon - - or do we tough it out till tomorrow morning? (obviously if she starts eating we'll let it go a little longer). Our weather here is supposed to be upper 60s at night/high70s/low 80s during day - -scattered showers. So weather isn't really an issue if we release her now.
I like to give them as much time to heal as possible - but for the first time in all we've done - wondering if I'm doing more harm then good.
Thoughts?
Thanks!
Always worked like a dream in the past - - but this poor girl. 2 yrs old. Totally feral. Trying to decide how long we hold her. She went right into the cat carrier (they all do - it's cave-like and filled with towels) Thursday morning after picking her up. Sometimes they don't eat (never know about drinking) that first afternoon/evening - - - but it's now almost noon on Friday and this one hasn't even touched the warmed up mackerel I pushed over right in front of the door of the carrier. Didn't appear to touch a thing overnight, which is a first. Obviously at some point soon I need to worry about dehydration.
She wasn't in heat or pregnant, so it was a routine spay. We like to keep them in for a minimum of 48 - prefer 72 - hours after we get them back here, but I'm starting to worry about her hydration, etc. Thoughts on whether it's best to early release if she doesn't eat soon - - or do we tough it out till tomorrow morning? (obviously if she starts eating we'll let it go a little longer). Our weather here is supposed to be upper 60s at night/high70s/low 80s during day - -scattered showers. So weather isn't really an issue if we release her now.
I like to give them as much time to heal as possible - but for the first time in all we've done - wondering if I'm doing more harm then good.
Thoughts?
Thanks!