Needing advice on what to do with 3 strays!?

[Dovey]

Hi,
I've been wracking my brain on what I can do with the strays cats I've been taking care of from the past month. There's a total of four that I need to TNR but I'm not sure how to do that for multiple cats without scaring them and losing their trust. I am considering taking the 3 that seem to be siblings however I already have 4 cats and will be moving shortly. They're already used to being fed day and night that they wait at the door for food so I dont think they can be left to fend for themselves. I am able to pet and pick up 2 of them. I've tried reaching out to 13 shelters but none can take them however I've already become attached to them. I'm reaching out for help since I'm running out of time, any answers would be very helpful, thank you.
(I'll probably TNR the 4th cat because she does seem more feral and use to the neighborhood compared to the others)
My problems I need help with is:
How do I trap multiple cats to get fixed?
If I do TNR them before moving and lose their trust how would I regain it in time before moving?
I think they might be close to a year old, how do I move them into a new environment and adjustments?
How am I suppose to transport them and get them use to other cats? (They have come inside and seen the other cats only some hissing involved)
Thank you

 

[Babypaws]

I had a feral cat who had a litter of 5 kittens back in August (her second litter). I had kept her first litter of 3, plus I already had 9 indoor cats so there wasn’t anyway I could care for new kittens (I wish I could have). I didn’t know who to call to get them TNR so I posted on this site. I live in eastern MA and someone suggested the Animal Rescue of Boston. I called them and they came out and was able to trap the kittens and the mother. They needed to come out 3-4 days in order to get them all. They don’t leave the traps overnight. They were very good. I asked if they could return the mother cat to me since she was familiar with the area. They did but the first 1 1/2 days I didn’t see much of her...I know she was looking for her kittens but she slowly would come to the door, as she was doing for the past year to be fed. it took a few weeks but she was back to normal. Normal being she still wouldn’t let me pet her, I could only come about 2’ from her and then she’d run further away.

 

[moxiewild]

Sorry, I’m unclear on a few things.

Can you take all four with you to the new place? Even if they stay outside? Or are you intending to keep them inside?

If at all possible, I would not leave the feral. He may be feral, but you’ve made him dependent on you for food the same as the others, and you’d be taking away his companions (including you!) and leaving him all alone :/

It is highly unlikely that you would be able to regain trust that quickly, at least not without a drop trap, and especially because you’re inexperienced. I’ve TNR’d hundreds of cats, and even I would not try that unless there were really and truly no other options.

If you plan to release kitties outside at the new place -

The cats you take with you will need to be contained for 3-6 weeks. Otherwise, their homing instincts will tell them to run away to find their old home, and cats rarely survive that journey.

You can contain them in a room in your home, in a modified dog kennel, in a cat enclosure, in a shed or garage, or in an XL dog crate (one per cat).

If you’re planning on making them indoor only -

Then just trap, spay/neuter, and isolate them in a room together at the new place.

Give them 2-3 weeks - possibly months, depending on how they’re doing - to adjust to life indoors and their new environment before you start doing introductions with your cats. If and when you get to that point, you can come back here for advice on how to go about it.

Do you have traps already? Or do you have a plan?

Because you should really start trap training them now. This means getting them used to the traps and going into them to take food/bait while the trap is a zip tied open.

That way when it’s actually time to trap, you’ll have virtually guaranteed success.

Are the cats always together?

For the most part, as smart as cats are, they often aren’t dissuaded from entering a trap after seeing other cats be trapped (although occasionally they are).

Trust also rebounds quickly, so don’t worry about that.

The most convenient way to go about this would be to trap train now, and start actually trapping a week or so before your move (depending on how well the trap training has gone).

You can either get them neutered as soon as you trap, or wait until you move. Again, doesn’t matter since you’ll be containing them for a while either way.

If 4 more cats is too many for you, then I’d strongly suggest trying to rehome the two socialized cats.

When I’m trying to find rescue placement, I typically end up contacting 40+ rescues. I live in Texas, so you probably don’t have that many, but you really need to cast a wide net.

If you would be willing to foster those two for a while, then this is also something you should tell every rescue and shelter, as it will greatly improve your chances of securing rescue sponsorship for them.

The rescue will provide you with food and supplies, cover vet expenses, and do the legwork of finding them a home. You basically just cat sit for a while!

You can also try rehoming them yourself.

I know you are attached, and this won’t be easy, but if allows you to not leave the feral behind, then it might be worth it so that everyone gets a home.

Please let me know if I misunderstood anything or if you have questions! Thank you for caring for these guys!

 

[fionasmom]

I would also not leave the feral as it is probably more dependent on you than you realize. In your situation, I have trapped the day that I needed to remove the cat from the property, then gone to the vet for spay/neuter, and then to wherever the cat was going. Some are more successful than I am with this, but I have had serious issues with ever retrapping a cat who was trapped one time. Exceptions have been previously TNRed ferals who had no caretaker and were desperate for food, so they chanced the trap, but that has only happened twice in my life.