Urgent advice on relocating

[turtlemoons]

Hi all, I’m in Austin, TX. I’ve been caring for some feral kittens since birth. There are five and they’re around 8-9 months. One kitten, Oranges is fairly socialized and loves cuddles. The other four are sweet, but very shy. They are comfortable with me, but do not like being touched. They live in the backyard of the home I’m renting and sleep in the yard or on the porch. They are very nice around other cats and opposums and raccoons.

I am losing housing on April 1st. The plan was to take them with me to a new place. However, my partner and I have not been able to find housing, and I don’t know when we will.

Is it feasible for me to have them confined in an air bnb until we are able to find housing? Should I leave them? I do not think the owner of the house will welcome them or allow them to stay. Neighbors are also not an option. I have reached out to local rescue groups, but no one will take them. They advised me to leave them. I was hoping to find an individual with a colony or capacity for outdoor cats. I realize I dropped the ball and was not able to get them spayed in time for a lot of reasons.

Any advice would be helpful. This is a very stressful situation as I am also facing houselessness. I just want to do the best for them and for them to be able to be happy and safe as I love them so much.

 

[Antonio65]

I have no words of help for you, I'm so sorry. But I would like to tell you that your cats are stunning, and it's so clear how much you love them and they love you in return.
I hope you find a quick solution to this issue.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Since they depend on you for food and shelter it would be cruel to just leave them. Please please do not leave them if they are not spayed and neutered. They are going to reproduce like bunnies. Get them to a clinic ASAP. You will have so many kittens on your hands if you do nothing. Also leaving so many not spayed/neutered will only contribute to the massive over population of cats without homes.

You have been feeding and caring for them for many months so technically they are your cats. They will adjust to inside living and they may do better inside. I have 5 former feral cats living inside my house now. One of them didn't come inside until he was 8 years old. They have all adjusted. Socializing is so much easier inside a confined space.

If you need to trap them for spay/neuter that is the ideal time to keep them inside. If you set them free it is very very very difficult to retrap.

 

[turtlemoons]

Since they depend on you for food and shelter it would be cruel to just leave them. Please please do not leave them if they are not spayed and neutered. They are going to reproduce like bunnies. Get them to a clinic ASAP. You will have so many kittens on your hands if you do nothing. Also leaving so many not spayed/neutered will only contribute to the massive over population of cats without homes.

You have been feeding and caring for them for many months so technically they are your cats. They will adjust to inside living and they may do better inside. I have 5 former feral cats living inside my house now. One of them didn't come inside until he was 8 years old. They have all adjusted. Socializing is so much easier inside a confined space.

If you need to trap them for spay/neuter that is the ideal time to keep them inside. If you set them free it is very very very difficult to retrap.

Thank you. My issue is that I am going to be houseless April 1st as I stated. I definitely don’t want to leave them. I’m asking about the feasibility of caring for them while potentially staying at an air bnb until I find housing.

 

[Avery]

Thank you for taking care of these beautiful kittens and for wanting to give them a forever home. Here are my thoughts.

If an Airbnb is willing to take them, it isn't ideal but seems like a decent short-term solution. I'm assuming that you plan to stay there, too? Hopefully, it isn't too tiny a place and you will have room for litter boxes, food bowls, toys, etc. What you are really looking for is someone to foster them on a temporary basis, maybe even just a month or two. Do you have a friend or family member who would be willing to do that? Reach out to everyone you know! Could any of the rescue groups provide that help? You definitely need to get them all spayed/neutered as soon as possible, and perhaps the vet or one of the techs would be willing to keep them or would have another client who could foster them for a while. Call a few vets if necessary. You can offer to pay for food and litter or even offer a donation if a rescue group can help.

It sounds like it would not be safe for you to leave them but I'll bet you will find a solution if you do lots of networking and get creative. Good luck and keep us posted.