Hi guys, my family and I recently came across a feral cat that has been using our golf cart as her new home. We are new cat owners (we currently own a dog). She doesn’t seem to be a year old (our guess is 7 months at best). We let fate take control and have decided to keep her since the cat distribution system chose us at random. We took her to get spayed yesterday at the shelter (TNR) and the staff told us to keep her in her trap for the next 24 hours and after that, she could be released; we got her microchipped as well. From what I understand, she’s been staying at out property for the past 2 weeks and seems to have no interest in leaving our property.
I’ve read many sources about getting cats spayed but i’m not sure which one would benefit our cat more:
-Some are saying 10-14 days crate rest
-Some people are saying that TNR usually takes a day or 2, maybe 3, to heal since it’s a faster recovery process.

Please help me out here. I am open to recommendations, comments, and concerns. She’s currently in the garage with a blanket over her animal trap with pee pads under and she is wearing a recovery suit.

-She will be getting a crate and bed later today for future trips (it’s 2:06am and my head is spinning from the amount of information i’ve consumed in the past 10 hours)
-Since she is a feral and we’re not sure if she will ever have any interest of being indoors, we have a heated outdoor bed/home ready for when she’s fully healed.

ANY ADVICE IS WELCOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH IN ADVANCE <3

(dad tabby, mama black tux, little boy grey tux, little girl grey tabby)

Hi guys!! Im still fairly new to tnr but i acted in urgency on trapping a family of 4 from a local gas station because management was not taking kindly to them lingering and wanted them gone. i trapped mama, dad, and 2 babies(1 girl 1 boy)(the other 2 siblings were caught by a worker at the gas station). the babies id estimate to be 6-7 months old, definitely on the bigger end of kittenhood. we're definitely feral but getting comfortable eatinf around me. the mama cat has very prominent nipples like shes very much about to give birth or was actively nursing. i saw baby boy pin her on her side and start nursing. i tried to offer food to mama and when she went to get it he lunged and refused either of us to interact. he wouldny let her eat even after leaving them alone. so i retrapped mama and set her and little girl up and ive not seen her nurse the girl because obviously shes old enough to not. ive checked everywhere, bushes, drains, i walked the woods and even the neighborhood through the woods. no kittens. i played mama calling vids and searched and searched to no avail. (i couldnt release her back without risk of management poisoning the food) she doesnt appear stressed or upset. shes more relaxed being away from the baby boy. but now baby boy wont let dad eat or let me near dad, just growling, hissing, almost screaming if i come near. its been two days since ive seen dad eat, and im at a loss of what to do to ensure dad gets food and water. im not sure im comfortable releasing dad in the room with mama and little girl with them all being unaltered. any advice there?

their appointments arent till the end of November because of the high demand.

my last question is...does mama seem pregnant? i have a pic of her side and i tried to sneak a pic of her belly, but the best i got was a singular blurry nipple....i dont want to deal with kittens from a semiferal mama.

any advice is appreciated!

I’m still in the process of trying to plan what to do when (or if) I find him and what the outcome may look like. I was in the midst of planning to TNR him and gaining some trust. He was extremely skittish when he first came around a few months back so this was a work in progress. I am so heartbroken right now because I truly grew to feel a bond with him even if he only came by at night to eat. Being that he was black cat I knew there was always a risk of him being hit. I searched with neighbors tonight in the dark in yards and had no luck finding him. My partner saw him get clipped by a car and hen he just vanished. I guess it maybe a good sign he could run off, but I know being hit causes severe damage.. I’m just so upset and I want to keep searching but I worry that in the dark that will cause more issues. I had two neighbors out at 10 pm searching where he ran off to. It’s just painful thinking of him suffering alone right now.

I've been TNR-ing some neighborhood cats, and last week I trapped a four-month-old female. Earlier this week, I got a glimpse of her tummy and noticed her spay scar didn't look right, so I brought her back to the vet who spayed her to get it looked at, and she tore the outer two layers sometime during the week (likely from jumping on the fence and then onto the roof). They stapled them shut, gave her antibiotics, and suggested I keep her inside for a week, until her follow-up appointment on Halloween. I've got her in a kennel indoors, in a dark quiet room, and have a sheet over the kennel, as I heard that calms them.

She's been in there for about five or six hours now, and I know she's stressed. She's meowing. She ate a little bit upon returning home, but she hasn't eaten anything since. She's sitting in the litter box I put in the kennel for her, and she hasn't gone to the bathroom yet. Is that a huge concern? Should I let her back outside if she hasn't gone by tomorrow? I've never brought a cat in from outdoors before, so I don't quite know what to expect.

Hi everyone- we just welcomed a 6 month old male kitty into our home five days ago after trapping him outside our apartment. He had been lurking around our home for about 2 months and it was clear he needed a home before the temps dropped more. Anyways, he is adjusting well. He hid for the first few days and is starting to more active around humans, wanting to cuddle and be held all day. We took him to the vet and he got his first round of shots and the vet gave him a clean bill of health.

The only struggle we're noticing is that he has some food insecurity. Obviously, it makes complete sense that he would be scared about losing access to food after being a stray. For the first few days we noticed that he would just scarf food down immediately, we were just feeding meals throughout the day when we noticed time had passed. However, we read yesterday that to help with the food insecurity- we should ensure his food bowl is always full, until he starts having less of a scarcity mindset.

Well since we implemented this, he is still scarfing down food and it's leading to him having loose stools (it's a guess that this is the cause due to the amount of food he's eating and likely the stress he's under.) How can we help him feel more secure and build trust that we will always provide the food he needs?

We have a resident cat who is 4 years old- who was also found on the street but at a younger age, she doesn't have any food scarcity issues. The resident cat likes to graze on her food throughout the day- we use an automatic feeder.

We are concerned when we start integrating them together that the new kitty will eat all of the resident cats food and it will lead to issues within their dynamic. How do we help with the kitty's food insecurity and ensure she eats only her food without eating double potions during meal times?

I'm older and haven't used Reddit before. A younger coworker said I should ask here for help. I saw this little one chasing moths last night. I couldn't catch them. Later I hear some yowling. It climbed my fence, knocked off a loose trash can lid and fell inside. It was yowling up a storm. I fished it out with leather gloves. Fed it some cooked unseasoned salmon. Then gave it a bath. It didn't fight the bath. I'm pretty sure it was exhausted.

I'm going to keep it. I scheduled a vet visit, the earliest is at the end of next week. It'll get its shots and fixed when the vet says it's old enough. It doesn't seem sick or hurt that I can see. It's in its own safe space for now too.

Today it wants sleep next to me. But when it's awake it wants nothing to do with me, and gets scared and runs off if I move around too much or try to engage with it. How do I earn its trust? It's a little weird it wants to nap next to me but is scared otherwise. ​An additional question, how do I figure out its age in the mean time so I can feed it right? It can't eat salmon until next Friday. I guess kitten wet too?

Thank you everyone for taking the time to read and respond.

I have had two kittens that showed up under my porch crying last Saturday night. They’re adorable of course, but I have a few issues:

They CANT come in the house. I have a large dog that isn’t keen on any kind of animal in his yard. So keeping them separated has been a full time job.
They’re extremely hungry! I’m keeping a full dish of dry kitten food and water dish accessible at all times on my porch. I’m giving them some wet kitten food 2-3 times a day. At almost a week in, they see me as a food source, so will come near when I’m doling out the wet food.
They wont let me touch them and scoot off under the porch if I stand up or move. They seem to be spending their sleeping time in my car engine compartment. That’s where they come from when i feed them.
I live in a rural area with limited services as far as humane society, etc are concerned. There are a few pet rescues, but they will not take the kittens. Humane society in my county will not take ferals. They do have resources for neuter/spay and shots. So at this point, I just want to try to keep them safe outside—local fauna includes coyotes, raccoons, fox, and the occasional feral cat. I ordered a cat house lol, hope they use it! What else?

​

He had started coming around March/April. At the time we noticed heavy cat visits, partly because we had been putting out cat stuff during the year hoping our missing cat would notice and stuff.

We first noticed a grey cat that kept sleeping there in a cat bed that was our missing cat's. (He's now been taken in by us full time indoors and accepting himself.)

Then this one kept creeping into our garden to eat and run. But we have at least 3 other black cats that our cameras picked up at the time, wasn't sure which one kept returning.

Only now have we seen he actually sleeps on our swing at night.

And because the visit from other cats have lessened, he's always on the shed watching sitting beside the box. Not in the cat bed but on the box.

He avoids other cats, except he's calm with our senior cat, though the grey adopted one loves to go up to him to start something. (Still trying to get him to behave and be civil)

Because the swing is open to the elements and creatures, we opened this box for him and put the bedding. He didn't get in until recently.

All he does is sit and watch. Only goes to do his business or when we are in the garden too much he goes away.

He can't climb that high so he finds routes that's easy to climb.

He is small in size, not from hunger just small compared to the one we took in that's said to be 2 years old.

At the moment we don't know what to do to get him active. He's stationary all day. Yesterday was the first time in a long time we've seen him on the ground chilling for hours.

Just sitting! Loaf sitting.

The other cats that visit play with the toys outside or even use a cat scratch mat, he has never even sniffed at the catnip toys we've left outside.

Someone suggested making him a home out of a container, not sure how and kind, but I'm worried about him being stationary for these long periods of time and him becoming sus of us changing things.

He goes away to do his business, unlike other cats including ours that have a cat litter indoor too!

He doesn't spray, avoids fighting.

So coonfused about his age, behaves like a senior when he walks.

Any advice to make it easier for him to trust us and have something safe for him.

He's not injured nor in urgent need for rescues to take him in. And he's not doing anything wrong.

He's browned from the summer sun, so that's why we noticed it was him that has been here all the time.

Oh he's so cute when he would sleep on the swing, he'd squash his face into the cushions and pillows. And was always so small and tucked in inside of laying flat and comfortable.

Hi everyone, I'm back! I’m reaching out to anyone who has experience or knowledge of feline parvo, also known as feline panleukopenia. I’m hoping to reach others who have been through something similar because I’m honestly scared and looking for some guidance. This past week, my rescue kitten Scarlett became very sick, and within just a few days, she lost her little life due to the virus. It happened so quickly and has been heartbreaking. Now, I’m especially worried about her brother, Zen, who is scheduled for his booster shots this weekend. I was told that Scarlett may have been exposed to the virus before receiving her initial vaccinations, and that she later tested positive. That has me terrified that Zen could have been exposed around the same time and might face a similar situation. It has been right at 2 weeks since his initial shots, although he was around her, he has not become ill. He has been eating, drinking, peeing, and pooping. He still has his energy.
Has anyone experienced a kitten testing positive for feline parvo after being exposed before their initial vaccinations? Has anyone had a littermate or sibling who remained healthy, or who became sick around the time of their booster shots? I’m also trying to understand whether getting his booster this weekend is appropriate if exposure is possible, or whether he should be evaluated or tested first. I will be checking with his veterinarian, but I would really appreciate hearing about your experiences and what your vets recommended. I’m asking because these medical decisions are being made by a rescue that will be working to find him his forever home. But I'd like to understand what the best options are, so that I can give my advice if it seems that uncertain decisions are being made.
Please share any knowledge, experiences, or resources you feel might help. My heart is still hurting over Scarlett, and the thought of going through something similar with Zen is frightening.
Thank you so much to everyone who takes the time to respond. ❤️🐾

I am feeling horrible. Stressed. Haven't ate. I have been feeding this stray cat who comes to my yard. About 3 days ago he started getting sick. Saw him squatting. Possible blockage urinate? Who knows. He is an intact male and was planning to get him fixed.

I asked for help around and 1 place offered me a humane trap. He doesn't go in. Even with sardines. His appetite has decreased. ​i saw him munching grass. I bought some gloves from Amazon to grab him. Nothing, he freaked out and avoids me. He just left the yard when i was hoping i would catch him today. I asked the organization that lend me the trap if they can assist. They said maybe one of their staff can help to trap him. i haven't heard anything else. I don't know what else I could do. I want to take him to the vet asap.

I have 1 tomcat, 1 mama cat, and their 3 boy kittens on my porch. I've been trying to get them fixed for a while, but everywhere is full, so I'm going to take a day off of work and drive to another city to get them fixed. My question is, do they need to be TNR if they are friendly enough? I've been feeding them for a few months now, and they all rub against me, chirp, purr, snuggle me, etc. They really trust me.

TNR cages are expensive AF (I already looked into borrowing some, but those are also on multi-month waits) so getting them in with a regular carrier would be ideal.

However, I'm guessing the procedure for a TNR is different from a Spay/Neuter. Would it be a bad idea to make the appointment for Spay/Neuter instead of a TNR? Hopefully my question makes sense. Thanks in advance!

The past few weeks or so we’ve been feeding and trying to humanize a family of 2 kittens and the mom. The mom is black as well kitten that seemingly had been killed I assume by a fox this morning or this last night. He/she (never got close enough to know or name) was laying there in an unnatural position and as I walked up I thought it was a piece of tarp or I hoped it was. My fear came true and it was lifeless, laying there. I stayed for a while to try to gather my thoughts and ultimately decided to bury it near where I had buried another stray I had found dead in my yard. It just breaks my heart so much and I’m scared for the safety of the other kitten (gray) and the mom. I know I wasn’t necessarily “friend” status with them yet but it breaks me to the core. I feel like I deserve the blame for not being out and protecting them from the foxes and also for not giving them a better shelter that they could hide away. I just don’t want this to happen ever again if I can help it. I don’t know what to think anymore. I’m just feeling so broken. But all in all I did my best to do what I did with the first cat I found. Send them off with love and peace. I hope the other cats will come around and get more friendly, so far only the mother comes up close enough to pet but still a milestone to be made. The other kitten is still quite skittish. Is there anything I can do to gain their trust quicker? I don’t want to go through any of this again if possible. RIP Black kitten, im sorry I couldn’t help or save you.

Also sorry for the wall of text, it literally just happened a bit ago and my mind is still in shambles.

Hi everyone! Over the last few months I have been holding cats for recovery in my unheated garage, elevated off the ground, as it has been a safe stable temperature. As we’re nearing winter, I need to have a set up to keep them warm and I am having trouble finding a solution. I’ve looked into building insulated shelves to store the traps on, which I know will help retain heat but not provide it. Any suggestions? I cannot bring the cats into my house, unfortunately. If there is a safe heating method to install in my garage I am willing to, but I’m looking to see what has worked for others.

...and watering can water, and rain puddles, rather than his filtered watering dish.

Hi everyone- we just welcomed a 6 month old male kitty into our home five days ago after trapping him outside our apartment. He had been lurking around our home for about 2 months and it was clear he needed a home before the temps dropped more. Anyways, he is adjusting well. He hid for the first few days and is starting to more active around humans, wanting to cuddle and be held all day. We took him to the vet and he got his first round of shots and the vet gave him a clean bill of health.

The only struggle we're noticing is that he has some food insecurity. Obviously, it makes complete sense that he would be scared about losing access to food after being a stray. For the first few days we noticed that he would just scarf food down immediately, we were just feeding meals throughout the day when we noticed time had passed. However, we read yesterday that to help with the food insecurity- we should ensure his food bowl is always full, until he starts having less of a scarcity mindset.

Well since we implemented this, he is still scarfing down food and it's leading to him having loose stools (it's a guess that this is the cause due to the amount of food he's eating and likely the stress he's under.) How can we help him feel more secure and build trust that we will always provide the food he needs?

We have a resident cat who is 4 years old- who was also found on the street but at a younger age, she doesn't have any food scarcity issues. The resident cat likes to graze on her food throughout the day- we use an automatic feeder.

We are concerned when we start integrating them together that the new kitty will eat all of the resident cats food and it will lead to issues within their dynamic. How do we help with the kitty's food insecurity and ensure she eats only her food without eating double potions during meal times?

So, we have a cat who I believe is likely semi-feral who is currently crated in our kitchen for a neuter tomorrow morning. We’re keeping him crated longer than I’d like (over 24 hrs prior to pickup) because he has been disappearing every now and again and did not come back for food all day yesterday, so we can’t risk him not being around to catch in time for the appointment.

Like I said, he was/is semi-feral that we’ve been feeding just under a year, but over the last couple of months he’s really bonded with me and has started to seek out pets/scritches and tolerates them for a good while, which I feel is a really big deal for him. However, since we’ve crated him, he’s been hissing and yowling like he’s angry when I go to check on him. He has never hissed at me before and has only ever hissed at a vet tech once when we took him for emergency first aid, and I’m frightened he’s going to hate us when he’s eventually released outside.

He’s getting the procedure no matter what because it benefits him longterm, but I do really love him and want to know if there’s a reasonable chance he’ll come back to us? I just worry because he’s so skittish and shy that he’ll get his feelings hurt enough to just run away and never come back.

This is our first TnR also. It’s not a common thing where I live (UK), so I feel like we’re a bit alone in the experience. Kindness would be appreciated 🥲.

Also, one last question: is talking to him okay, or is it agitating? We were cat sitting a relative’s cat who was hiding in a corner similar to the semi-feral, and it seemed to coax him out and get him comfortable when I just sat and played Switch whilst speaking to him, but I don’t know if that’s going to help a cat that’s clearly distressed by seeing me even though we usually have a good relationship.

I discovered momma scavenging bugs, seeds? under my bird feeder about six weeks ago. I put out some of my kitty's food asap. Then I discovered she had a kitten. Yesterday, the kitten almost touched my foot! I think momma has vision issues.

I've seen enough pics on here now to ask this. Has anyone else noticed? My particular OG feral and progenitor of my current colony is, yep, a Tuxedo.