how long is it okay to hold feral cats before returning to colony?

[thewarriors]

hello! i am currently working with a feeder who is planning to hold a pregnant mother and release her in 3 months after birth. i’ve been trying to google it but can’t seem to find an answer. would anyone know how soon after the kittens are weaned to release the mom? i’ve heard that if the mom is held for too long, she’ll forget her colony?

also, i’ve heard that tnr’d cats should be released no later than a month after they are trapped or they’ll forget their colony. does anyone know anything about this as well?

thank you!

 

[MackerelTabbyStripes]

That seems way, way too long to me. Is this person opposed to spay-abort or is it not available where they live? I understood that was best practice in these cases. I think as long as the cat is going back, it's best to minimize the time away, just two days is best if possible. If relocating I think they have to be caged a month or a bit more, and even then the relocation might fail, but it would stress them out a lot to be kept in longer so it's a balance.

Is the mom friendly, just living outside in a colony? Then maybe it's OK. But if she's very feral I don't think she would be able to be a very good mom to kittens in an environment that terrifies her constantly.

 

[gilmargl]

There are no golden rules - you will have to act according to how the mother cat reacts to being kept enclosed in either a room or a crate, Ideally any cat, including a feral from a colony should stay with her kittens for 12 weeks. She would not be neutered before the kittens have at least started to eat normal food and then, when she's fully recovered from the operation, released back to the colony. I have never heard of a cat not returning to her feeding station after 3 months absence.

Unfortunately, ferals are not predictable. Some adjust to some sort of life indoors, others try to climb the walls and often manage to escape leaving their kittens behind to be bottle fed. Fortunately there are very few true ferals in this area - just unwanted cats left to fend for themselves. These are usually fairly easily tamed and can be rehomed. We have 3 official feeding stations for the few remaining rather old ferals.

Feral cats living on farms, who are tolerated for keeping mice and rats away, are still a problem. As the colonies are fairly well enclosed and monitored, and the farmer wants to keep the cats and kittens, we leave mother and kittens in-situ until the kittens are old enough to be neutered, Then they can all be trapped and neutered in one concentrated action and can be returned as soon as they have sufficiently recovered. (Just to complicate matters, these cats are usually all solid black).

Keeping and treating a sick feral is no easy task. So long as a mother feral cat has kittens to look after she may be compliant but there's no guarantee. And, if she is compliant, she may be suitable for rehoming.

 

[fionasmom]

I agree with both responses. In my experience, I have never held a cat for that long before release. The most has been a matter of 2-3 days. However, I never had to keep a pregnant mother cat, or never thought to do so. After the kittens were born and reached about 12 weeks and were able to eat on their own I would trap and mom and have her fixed, then return her to the litter. Kittens were trapped after that. I do see that your friend is probably trying to avoid that situation.

Spay/abortion is something I have done any time that it was possible. It may not be an option that you want to pursue though.

If the mom is to be held that long, she should be observed for signs that rehoming might be possible. As to whether or not she will return to the colony as a member is completely unpredictable. It might also depend on other cats who have joined the colony in her absence.

 

[thewarriors]

Yeah i offered to spay/abort but the feeder declined. She’d rather the mom birth the kittens in her apartment and adopt them out when ready.