For the past 5 years, I've been taking care of a female feral cat at my apartment building. She had kittens one year, and I ended up catching the kittens, putting them in foster care (they were all adopted!) & having her spayed & released back behind my apartment (this was all with the help of a local-ish feral cat organization). I've been feeding her ever since.
I've been thinking of moving for a little while now to an area about 30-40 minutes away from the town I'm in currently, but one of the main factors holding me back is the guilt I feel over leaving her behind. I've never been able to touch her and she runs away if I get too close, but she's often waiting for me to be fed. I think she's getting up there in years - she's likely a senior cat by now.
She does spend a lot of time next door at another apartment building, where I think she finds some sort of shelter outdoors with a few other ferals in the neighborhood. I'm unsure if they feed the cats as well.
Can anyone give advice on what to do in a situation like this? I can't try taking her in currently because I have my own indoor cat with feline leukemia - & I couldn't have more than one cat in an apartment anyway, it seems. But I also can't help but think that taking her in at this point in her life (or rehoming her) & trying to domesticate her might not be the best thing for her - it might even be traumatic.
I've been thinking of moving for a little while now to an area about 30-40 minutes away from the town I'm in currently, but one of the main factors holding me back is the guilt I feel over leaving her behind. I've never been able to touch her and she runs away if I get too close, but she's often waiting for me to be fed. I think she's getting up there in years - she's likely a senior cat by now.
She does spend a lot of time next door at another apartment building, where I think she finds some sort of shelter outdoors with a few other ferals in the neighborhood. I'm unsure if they feed the cats as well.
Can anyone give advice on what to do in a situation like this? I can't try taking her in currently because I have my own indoor cat with feline leukemia - & I couldn't have more than one cat in an apartment anyway, it seems. But I also can't help but think that taking her in at this point in her life (or rehoming her) & trying to domesticate her might not be the best thing for her - it might even be traumatic.