Long story short: Over the last few years, I have been caring for a feral colony which lives in my backyard. A few months back, one of the adult females had a healthy litter of 6. Working on the TNR...one down...two to go.
When the kittens were approximately 5-weeks of age and started to wander from the "nesting" area, I became nervous for their safety (and health) and started bringing them in.
Out of the six kittens, I have two which I am keeping, two went to foster homes and two remain outside. The two outside, I was never able to catch and they are now 10-weeks of age. Without an excellent foster home to go to with dedicated socialization, I feel it is best that they remain with the adults from the colony.
I volunteer with my local Humane Society at their adoption center and do some in-home fostering for them whenever possible. The two kittens that went to a foster home are now at the adoption center. Both of them were sick 2 weeks ago and now one of them is back at the vet's with a bad URI.
I am truly 2nd guessing my decision to take those kittens from the colony. I am starting to think that I (we) should leave those babies alone out there if there is a mother to be found unless we have a good definite home for them to go to.
It makes me wonder which of these sets of kittens are better-off?...the 2 kittens waiting to be adopted sitting in a cage and taken out here & there during the course of the day...that are sick every-other-week OR the 2 outside that are free to romp and living with their blood-line colony. I watch them through the window as they chase leaves, sprawl out in the sun with their family, learning new things & getting bigger everyday and are just plain free. I watch them with a genuine smile and warm-heart.
I'm a firm believer in "nature will take care of nature"...really second-guessing what I have done. Feeling very guilty.
When the kittens were approximately 5-weeks of age and started to wander from the "nesting" area, I became nervous for their safety (and health) and started bringing them in.
Out of the six kittens, I have two which I am keeping, two went to foster homes and two remain outside. The two outside, I was never able to catch and they are now 10-weeks of age. Without an excellent foster home to go to with dedicated socialization, I feel it is best that they remain with the adults from the colony.
I volunteer with my local Humane Society at their adoption center and do some in-home fostering for them whenever possible. The two kittens that went to a foster home are now at the adoption center. Both of them were sick 2 weeks ago and now one of them is back at the vet's with a bad URI.
I am truly 2nd guessing my decision to take those kittens from the colony. I am starting to think that I (we) should leave those babies alone out there if there is a mother to be found unless we have a good definite home for them to go to.
It makes me wonder which of these sets of kittens are better-off?...the 2 kittens waiting to be adopted sitting in a cage and taken out here & there during the course of the day...that are sick every-other-week OR the 2 outside that are free to romp and living with their blood-line colony. I watch them through the window as they chase leaves, sprawl out in the sun with their family, learning new things & getting bigger everyday and are just plain free. I watch them with a genuine smile and warm-heart.
I'm a firm believer in "nature will take care of nature"...really second-guessing what I have done. Feeling very guilty.