r/Feral_Cats

We are hoping to trap, spay/neuter, and rehome all five kittens and mama. But don’t want to do it too soon. How old is this kitten?

Two pics of the neighborhood Valentino in the trap and one of him taunting me, so near and yet so far, prior to the beginning of a better life for him! I’ve been trying to catch him for more than a month! I think someone dumped this semi-friendly boy 2 years ago, to then be the daddy and/or lover of every female cat in the neighborhood!

Not my pic, grabbed everything off Google image search. Y'all are heroes, keep it up!

Hey there - a week ago I posted about a feral mama I spay/abort TNR’d who was hit by a car.

I mentioned her baby kept coming by - a little orange runt from her litter last summer that - based on color and a very quick look the only time I handled them as a kitten - I assumed was a boy…

Whelp - she’s a mama! I just found these kittens in my yard inside old cat carriers so I quickly closed them but then talked to my neighbor who said they’ve been in her yard and there are three babies.

I don’t know how old they are and I don’t know what to do! I only trapped two of three kittens and not the mama or the third.

I’m 98% sure these babies are going to be between our yards for the next little while because that’s where this orange mama was born and me and two of my neighbors are feeding them wet cat food and chicken and treats.

I want to adopt at least one of these kittens, but I don’t want to distress mama and babies too much and I also don’t want to TNR mama while she’s nursing.

I’m thinking I should let them out and get proper traps to catch the whole family this week, if the babies are old enough to be fixed.

What should I do?

TLDR; new cat in the neighborhood has beef with (practically) our outdoor feral that has been here ~1.5 years

So over a year ago we started feeding this cat on our deck… turns out she was pregnant and had kittens… she developed trust, brought them to us. We ended up rescuing all 6 and taking them inside after a few months. Still have 3 and the others adopted out. The mom doesn’t wanna come inside but we did the TNR and she pretty much lives on our deck. Has a few outdoor houses, is there every day.

We’ve had some other cats come and go over that span of time and even before she showed up. But she is the OG and the only one who has stayed. The alleged father comes by once in a while and they coexist.

Just a few months ago a new cat showed up. They swooped in for some meals. I’ve seen that cat lunge at the mom / they scare each other off mostly with the new cat having the edge. The mom will go to our side or front on occasion now which she never really did. Tried to open up our garage and she was curious but didn’t wanna stay.

Anyway, anyone have a similar experience or advice how to handle? Want to help this new cat but the mom of our kittens aka our A1 day 1 outdoor cat has precedence.

Pic 1: mama OG (“Joan”) carrying kitten a year ago
Pic 2: new cat (“friend”) who is tryin to swoop and actually unfriendly lol

Bean is home!

He is lethargic and I can tell he’s scared so I’m just sitting in the room with him and trying to let him have his space but knowing I’m here. He has not left the windowsill and that’s ok. He is shaking a little bit. Our dog is not happy but we’re keeping them separated. If it just doesn’t work out with our dog, we are going to foster Bean until we can find his forever home.

Whatever the outcome is, he will not have to go back to the streets.

This is my first time doing any of this, and any advice and help is very much welcomed, as I am a nervous wreck!

OK, I had posted something and tried to edit it and totally messed it up and accidentally deleted it, but I found this kitten in one of my neighbors driveway who we have all been trying to help this litter of cats and we are currently waiting on traps to become available to catch the male who has been the main issue. There are two female cats who could be the mom which i know for sure one of them was pregnant because it looks like she has been feeding. i’ve been feeding them for a couple months now and I have been trying to look for the kittens as she hasn’t looked pregnant in a couple weeks. I found this one in the driveway screaming and both of the cats were across the other carport not caring. I think it’s hungry because it was trying to suck on my hand and the mom clearly doesn’t care about it. I did pet it which I guess I could have messed up with doing that, but I didn’t know what to do besides, pick it up and try to move it away from the end of the driveway so it wouldn’t get hurt. I then found five other kittens that looked a lot older and stronger. I called the humane society and said to check on them periodically to make sure they weren’t abandoned, but they also can’t take them until they’re eight weeks. i’ve never dealt with a kitten like this before and just wanna do the right thing. Also, i have two adult cats one is indoor and the other is indoor/outside which she was actually one of the strays that had started this whole litter so i’m worried if i were to bring the kitten inside if i needed to… it wouldn’t go so well.

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I wanted to share my recent experience to help others make informed choices. After socializing a young semi-feral cat (Panther) in my garage for several months—he was healthy, eating well, no longer limping from a paw wound—I trapped him for neutering, vaccines, flea/mite treatment, and wound care at the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon.

FCCO euthanized him without prior contact or discussion. I was notified only afterward. Experienced feral cat rescue professionals who reviewed wound photos determined the injury was treatable with antibiotics in his stable environment.

FCCO provides valuable high-volume spay/neuter services for truly feral cats. However, for semi-socialized cats or those with manageable medical needs, caretakers should consider private veterinary clinics that can provide individualized assessment and treatment. Always clarify policies in advance regarding communication and care options.

I have since provided detailed feedback to FCCO and encourage others to research alternatives when extended care may be needed. Resources like private vets in the Wilsonville/Tigard area or rehabilitation-focused rescues (e.g., Meow Village) have been recommended by experts.

Preventing unnecessary loss is important for all of us who care for community cats.

I finally trapped one of the older toms in my colony for TNR. He has had eye problems for months. I finally saw them up close yesterday when I trapped him, and I'm convinced it's an infection or something. When I picked him up from the vet, they said the vet looked at his eyes, first thought it was an infection, but then decided it was old scarring.

I'm looking at his eyes now, and they look wet and red, almost as if he is crying blood, and I'm just not convinced that's scarring.

I really need a second opinion bc I want to get him proper care, but I'm not sure what he needs care for.

Here are some photos (the bright gold eye is from the flash of the camera)

EDIT: I am taking him to a different vet this morning for a second opinion. They said that since he was sedated yesterday, he won't be able to be sedated for at least 7-10 days. So they're going to look at him while in the live trap, and see if he's amiable for an exam or treatment. Hopefully we'll have some answers soon! 🤞

Posted two days ago about the stray that we care for that had an open wound in her head. She didn’t come around yesterday but I got all of the trap stuff prepared for when she did.

This morning I saw her and was able to bait her into the trap pretty easily so I know have her and am headed to the vet so that she can get checked out.

The local humane services recommended an animal service clinic that operates within our county. My main hope is to get her medical treatment and then be able to bring her back to her home in the yards of our community. If they say that I’m unable to do that then I will go across town to the animal hospital that confirmed on the phone that I will be able to return her back to her home as long as I cover the cost of treatment.

Here’s hoping for our little buddy!

Link to the original post

He has only been by once since he wandered into trap. This pic is June of last year. He has only vanished like this one time a few years ago, and returned six months later like nothing happened.
I miss him, we all miss him and I look out for him often. Was hoping for a seventh summer and a possibility to adopt Paul. It still could happen, he calls the shots and always has. He has another spot or two and that’s ok. Just wanted to update all a bit. Ups and downs in the feral game and many of you already know. Paul and I are still here….

Also she's enthusiastic about me doing TNR but she hasn't for 20 years. She bought traps for me and found food donations. However...

She doesn't want me to trap in her yard. I think because she thinks the cats won't like her anymore.

She said she could just grab the kittens when they're 6 weeks old but she has a rotation of 3 or so different excuses: they're still too little, these ones are too shy (ma'am I know that's why I want in your yard to trap them)

I need her on my side and be friends with her but I'm so mad. Anyway I'm new to all this, but how do I freakin' succeed here? I expect it to take some time.

This morning the cats were very food motivated and I had like 12 or 13 in my yard. Good news is I caught 3, one in each trap!

When we moved into our house, there were two feral cats we fed. Then we saw six more. Then we saw kittens everywhere. You can see where this is going! We spoke with our neighbors and everyone said they aren't their cats but they feed them. Cool. We decided to start trapping and getting them fixed and vaccinated. Kind of like a backyard TNR for my neighborhood. I spent two years getting them to come for food and not to be terrified every time they see us. Well, I've trapped a mom and her five babies. I set up a kennel by putting two 42' cages together (picture attached). It's got hiding spots, food, water, pretty much everything a cat could need. I made the mistake of catching mom first and instead of leaving her in the trap until her vet appointment the next morning, I put her in the big kennel. I put all of her kittens with her. Kittens are doing great, super playful and eating chicken out of my hand. Mom is super depressed... she is eating and drinking... but she yowls this sad mournful sound and a soundlike she's calling her kittems. She did just get out if heat and is more than likely pregnant now. She also injured her face a little bit on the first day trying to squeeze out of the cage. It's swollen and red but not bloody. She been caged for three days. My dilemma is - do I just wait until she calms down more to try to get her in a travel cage to get her to the vet, or do I move quickly to get her out of the cage as soon as possible even though she's stressed now. I don't even know how I'm going to get her in the travel carrier after she's calmed down... any advice is appreciated!

i recently moved into a new apartment complex and there is a HUGE feral colony. in the backyard area, theres at LEAST eight, with that including three kittens. this girl caught my eye first as 1. shes spayed and 2. shes TINY… pictures do no justice. her whole head could probably fit in my hand. but anyways.

ive been feeding her pretty much daily (i named her ineffa, yes after the genshin character lol) and tho im confident shes a feral (or stray at the very least) shes unusually… friendly? but in a non consistent way.

1. when she hears me open/close the sliding door, she comes RUNNING with her tail pointed straight up. she meows at me as well, a lot for a cat that i think is feral, which is what makes me think she wasnt born outside ykwim??
2. shes not afraid to eat near me or from me. ill put her bowl maybe a foot from me (i usually sit outside while she eats) and she eats just fine. sometimes she’ll even push the bowl INTO my leg lol. she eats tube from me fine and ive hand fed her treats as well.
3. all this to say, as soon as i make any movement, she runs. she doesnt go far, just to the stairs, but i end up having to coax her back over. ive been slowly introducing the idea of me touching her. sometimes while she eats, ill ever so slightly graze her ear with my finger. she used to jump back but now ive been able to tap her head and she’ll just jump a little.
4. only a few days after i started feeding her regularly, i saw that she would just WAIT at the door😭😭😭😭😭 she lays or sits there for a couple hours after i feed her, and she’ll even rub against the door. but as soon as i open it, she runs.

so my question is kind of open ended, but can anyone explain her behavior?? thank youuuuu

We acquired our first feral cat in November, and I do believe she was truly feral. We cared for her and fed her and tried desperately to trap her without success. She got pregnant and we continued trying to trap her to no avail. It didn’t seem to matter if she went hungry from us, she would never go in the trap. But during her pregnancy, my husband started being able to handle her more and more (not me, the one who sat outside in the elements with her all the time 🤣). When she had the kittens, we were able to track them down and in doing so, we figured out that she had multiple food sources in a 2 block radius.

Eventually she moved her babies to our garage and we got all three into homes and we had earned her trust (and narrowed her food sources!) enough to just get her into a carrier at that point. One of her kittens went to our next door neighbor while the other two went to a friend. Sprinkles got spayed and started hanging around their yard, so they let her in to see her baby, and now she’s living in their house. I wish so much we had avoided her pregnancy and litter but all the babies have been fixed and immunized.

It is true that socialization saves lives!!!

I am posting to multiple subreddits as I'm desperate. I am very new to this TNR stuff and have caught my first feral kittens. Four of them (three pictured). The experienced trapper I've been working with says they are roughly three months, and we don't have the bandwith, or space to foster the semi-feral kittens. They seem so young and like they could come around and be socialized, but I have no resources or contacts for that. 

They are currently in cages recovering from their neutering and I guess would be released tomorrow and Thursday. I feel awful releasing them as there are so many adult cats already in this neighborhood not getting enough care. 

Does anyone have any suggestions or local contacts or anything? Kind words that I'm not a monster for releasing these little things once they've recovered

This TNR stuff just breaks my heart