I Released My Feral And She Hasn’t Come Back

[MichelleJ]

I started feeding a young feral female about 18 months ago. We established a routine every morning and early evening she would come eat from the front porch. Several months into the process, a kitten showed up with her, apparently her baby, now weaned and old enough to eat. We didn’t see him again for a few months and then he started coming every day just like her. When the weather turned cold, I made an outdoor shelter for them, but they would never use it. I noticed in February she looked pregnant again so I researched TNR and purchased a trap. We caught the male first, and I had him neutered and vaccinated that day. I reset the trap that afternoon and caught her. She was about to deliver, so I put her in my gym downstairs. 5 days later, she had 5 kittens. I took care of all of them and she slowly got used to me coming in and handling the babies. I eventually got her to lick treats from my finger, although she would never let me pet her. After the kittens were weaned, I found homes for 3 of them, and I knew we had to re-trap her to be spayed. It took almost 3 days to get her to go back in the trap. After she came home, she wasn’t recovering well, and after consulting with a vet, they gave me an antibiotic to treat an upper respiratory infection she had gotten during her surgery. She completed the meds after 10 days, and she appeared healthy again. She was no longer wheezing, and she was eating and active again like before. I opened the window on Saturday where she layed all the time and left the room for about an hour and she was gone. I left the window open so she could get back to her food, but I haven’t seen her since. I’ve put food back on the front porch where she always used to eat, but she hasn’t come by. I’m worried that something happened to her. Is it normal for them to just disappear once released?

 

[shadowsrescue]

Thank you for taking such good care of this kitty and her kitten. Getting the cats spayed/neutered was the very best thing you could do for them both. Life for an outside cat is so hard, but you made it a little bit easier for them both.

Once released it is very hard to know what a cat will do. I have had some of my TNR ferals come back a few hours after release. I had one who didn't come back for 8 months! Most return within a few days. Yet she may be making up for lost time and out having fun in the warmer summer weather. She may also have stumbled across another food source.

Keep putting out fresh food/water for her and try calling to her. She may very well return again soon.

As for the winter shelter, did you have an entrance and exit hole? Many times a cat will not go into a shelter without an escape route. I always start with 2 holes and after time I am usually able to cover one of them up.

 

[MichelleJ]

Thank you for taking such good care of this kitty and her kitten. Getting the cats spayed/neutered was the very best thing you could do for them both. Life for an outside cat is so hard, but you made it a little bit easier for them both.

Once released it is very hard to know what a cat will do. I have had some of my TNR ferals come back a few hours after release. I had one who didn't come back for 8 months! Most return within a few days. Yet she may be making up for lost time and out having fun in the warmer summer weather. She may also have stumbled across another food source.

Keep putting out fresh food/water for her and try calling to her. She may very well return again soon.

As for the winter shelter, did you have an entrance and exit hole? Many times a cat will not go into a shelter without an escape route. I always start with 2 holes and after time I am usually able to cover one of them up.

Thank you for the advice, I will keep putting the food and water out and keep my fingers crossed! I still have the first male and am domesticating him, he's getting friendlier every day, and 2 of her kittens that I couldn't find homes for and they will be part of our furry family now. I just hope she will return for feeding. I didn't have a second hole in my winter shelter, but I will make sure it has one this next season. I didn't plan to be "that person with 7 cats", but I guess it's just the way things work out sometimes. We are just a bit bigger family now!

 

[orange&white]

My feral, Misfit, went to the shelter for TNR four days before she gave birth to a litter of four. They kept her 8 weeks to wean the kittens, then let her milk dry before spaying her. When I picked her up, I kept her Friday night and into Saturday, but sunset Saturday she started yowling loudly to be set free. I let her go.

She was gone for about 3 weeks, then made an appearance for a day or two and then disappeared for about another 10 days, before she finally decided that my backyard is her permanent territory. She sleeps in the house now and comes and goes as she pleases during the day. She's never out of earshot anymore and most of the time, she is just hanging out on the patio or on some shelves I set up for her in the shade right off the patio.

I expect your feral knows where to get the good food (at your house) and she'll be back. I'm sure the entire TNR process is stressful for them, but females will usually chose a very small territory to call "home". Hopefully she'll come back to you soon. Thank you for helping her and the other feral...and the kittens.

 

[MichelleJ]

Good News!!! DejaVu was waiting for her breakfast on the front porch this morning! She still runs into the bushes when I come out to fill her bowl, but she looks great and I'm so relieved!

 

[shadowsrescue]

Such good news!!!! Thanks so much for letting us know. I am sure you are so very very relieved. Hopefully she will decide to use her shelter this winter!