Feral queen disappeared...

[catwoman79]

Hello, I do some tnr in my city and was taking care of one female past few years. I was unable to trap her, she outsmarted every possible effort, every trap, and had litter after litter.. first litter of 4 kittens she lost (2 died as she could not get to them after she hid them, 2 were found crying and fostered), next litter, kittens were taken early by neighbors, she was left behind.. I live in very NOT cat-friendly town (condos) with many neighbors not keen of cats and outrageous regulations. That also prevented me from trapping, feeding, helping. I always had to sneak around .. a few weeks ago, she was pregnant again, tried to trap with no success, she was still showing up regularly to feeding twice a day and when called... last time I saw her 5 days ago and she looked skinny which made me think she had kittens, but then she was not seen by anyone, she did not show up for food at all, food was gone sometimes but I live in wooded area and that could be any animal. I am so worried that something happened to her... is this normal for a queen to disappear like that and not show up to feeding? I am just devastated and sick worried about her..

 

[vyger]

I live in a rural area so it's nothing like a city but I still have a number of ferals here. I have noticed that most of the females tend to stick around once they have established that it is a safe place with food and water always available. They would sometimes disappear for a few days and then be back. The boys on the other hand tend to wander more. Although right now I have a tuxedo tom who has been here for almost half a year. The distance he allows between us has been shrinking and he no longer runs away in terror but we are not friends yet. But I see him almost every day so it looks like he has decided to stay. So I would say it's a little unusual to have one disappear for a long period of time once it has become established but it is possible that it found another place to eat. You just never know. I have had some hang around for more than a year and then just vanish without a trace. You always hope for the best, like they got taken in someplace, but if they don't come back you might never really know what happened. I had one that was here for almost 5 years. She was very timid at first. She had several litters before I got her fixed and she and a few of her kittens were always around. Then one day last year she vanished. No sign of a struggle, no body, no nothing, just gone. So it's really hard to say. As far as normal? Sometimes it's pretty hard to say what normal is.

 

[catwoman79]

Thank you so much for your reply, I went to feed today and still, nothing. I am really upset and start thinking that something really happened to her, I want to be hopeful but it is very hard in this situation. I really appreciate your response.

 

[Sarthur2]

Dealing with strays and ferals is always a challenge, and can be heartbreaking when you get attached and they disappear. No matter how “street smart” they are, sometimes they become ill and die in the woods or get hit by a car. New mothers often stay away for a few days nursing newborns and living on the placentas they ate.

I had a little stray guy show up this past fall. He was half grown but not feral. After a couple months of him hanging out daily I got him neutered but he was not allowed in the house because he chased my cats and began spraying. A month after he was neutered, he didn’t show up and I was worried sick over him. I called and searched to no avail.

The next morning, there he was on the front porch in “his” chair. However, one look and I knew something was wrong. He could not stand up and his eyes were glazed in pain. I don’t know how he even dragged himself home.

I took him straight to the vet. He had been hit by a car and his hip was dislocated. Luckily, x-rays showed no internal injuries, but he spent 2 days at the vet and came home and was sedated and on pain meds and crated for 2 weeks, then had to stay inside for a few more weeks. He is completely healed now, is as tame and sweet as can be, sleeps in my bed, and no longer sprays or chases my cats, but he could easily have been killed by the car.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed that your gal returns soon. I understand the anguish. Keep us posted!

 

[catwoman79]

Dealing with strays and ferals is always a challenge, and can be heartbreaking when you get attached and they disappear. No matter how “street smart” they are, sometimes they become ill and die in the woods or get hit by a car. New mothers often stay away for a few days nursing newborns and living on the placentas they ate.

I had a little stray guy show up this past fall. He was half grown but not feral. After a couple months of him hanging out daily I got him neutered but he was not allowed in the house because he chased my cats and began spraying. A month after he was neutered, he didn’t show up and I was worried sick over him. I called and searched to no avail.

The next morning, there he was on the front porch in “his” chair. However, one look and I knew something was wrong. He could not stand up and his eyes were glazed in pain. I don’t know how he even dragged himself home.

I took him straight to the vet. He had been hit by a car and his hip was dislocated. Luckily, x-rays showed no internal injuries, but he spent 2 days at the vet and came home and was sedated and on pain meds and crated for 2 weeks, then had to stay inside for a few more weeks. He is completely healed now, is as tame and sweet as can be, sleeps in my bed, and no longer sprays or chases my cats, but he could easily have been killed by the car.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed that your gal returns soon. I understand the anguish. Keep us posted!

Thank you do much for your response, and thank you for sharing your story, you did absolutely save his life!!! And thank you for positive bibes... so apparently, she was seen , came for food and ran off.. I did not see her but was ys it was her so I am hopeful she is there but taking care of the little ones..and started seeing newcomers that I want to tnr one by one . It will be a challenge but for now I am so happy that she may be a ok. I will keep looking out for her in the next few days..