I am soliciting opinions. My vet doesn't have the answer and I probably will only have one opportunity.
We have been feeding a feral cat colony for 12 years. At the peak, we fed over 30 animals. We were successful trapping and neutering and the colony gradually reduced to four. The others either died or found new homes.
We recently relocated to a new neighborhood about 5 miles away. We sold our house and the new owner originally agreed to continue the feeding if we provided the food. After a few weeks she changed her mind. Two of the four cats appear to have found alternate food sources. The other two will not leave the property and are obviously starving. They will wait until death to be fed.
To avoid the obvious, I have rescued the two and will attempt to relocate them to our new location. We expect this will cause problems with our new neighbors but now I feel there are no alternatives.
The problem is, when I release the animals will they remain in the new territory? I am nearly certain that they won't and will attempt to return to their original home where they were born as they really haven't bonded with humans. It is extremely unlikely that they would survive with canyons, major housing developments, major roads and freeways separating old from new.
My current plan is to isolate them in a spare bathroom and try to bond with them before the release. This is risky for my household as we have other cats that must be separated and are exclusively indoor. There is no option to convert these 12 year olds to indoors.
Any thoughts or experiences would be appreciated.
We have been feeding a feral cat colony for 12 years. At the peak, we fed over 30 animals. We were successful trapping and neutering and the colony gradually reduced to four. The others either died or found new homes.
We recently relocated to a new neighborhood about 5 miles away. We sold our house and the new owner originally agreed to continue the feeding if we provided the food. After a few weeks she changed her mind. Two of the four cats appear to have found alternate food sources. The other two will not leave the property and are obviously starving. They will wait until death to be fed.
To avoid the obvious, I have rescued the two and will attempt to relocate them to our new location. We expect this will cause problems with our new neighbors but now I feel there are no alternatives.
The problem is, when I release the animals will they remain in the new territory? I am nearly certain that they won't and will attempt to return to their original home where they were born as they really haven't bonded with humans. It is extremely unlikely that they would survive with canyons, major housing developments, major roads and freeways separating old from new.
My current plan is to isolate them in a spare bathroom and try to bond with them before the release. This is risky for my household as we have other cats that must be separated and are exclusively indoor. There is no option to convert these 12 year olds to indoors.
Any thoughts or experiences would be appreciated.