Neutering sort of feral kittens

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So I moved into my house a couple of years who and we had a cat visitor who I presumed belonged to one of the neighbours. She wasn't particularly interested in food, she would just pop into the garden or occasionally walk into the house to say hello and go away again.

Then she disappeared for a while and came back with two sweet kittens. They raced right into my house the first time the appeared and were so friendly. I thought aw the neighbours have a few cats now. Didn't think much more about it.

The kittens kept coming round to play and soon ended up getting pregnant too. I was quite annoyed at this stage that the owners didn't have them neutered. Eventually they too went away for a few weeks and then reappeared a few months later with a gang of kittens each in tow.

Then one of my neighbours moved house and maybe coincidentally but maybe not, the cats started spending all of their time outside my house. I now have a gang of about 13 cats and kittens permanently on my doorstep!

Now they seem to be community cats and go round all the neighbours houses looking for food and attention (some are v friendly and some aren't keen) I'm still not sure if they have an owner but the original (now grandmother) cat turned up one day after having been spayed (side all shaved and surgical scar) so someone has taken the time to do that.

Anyway I have decided enough is enough and contacted cats protection and I am going to try and trap a few tonight to take to the vet tomorrow to be neutered. Two things I wanted to ask really:

1. Am I doing the right thing? I know this will be really stressful for the poor cats and I feel so so guilty at putting them through the trauma even though it is necessary.

1. Any hints or tips? I have borrowed a trap from the vets and they say I have to trap them tonight. Seems a long time for the poor things to be scared in a cage.

Calling @thecatneuterer
This lady is amazing and really knowledgeable about this kind of thing OP.

Thanks for the shout out. Of course you're doing the right thing OP! And well done for taking the initiative and doing something. If no one does anything there will be literally hundreds of feral cats on your doorstep in a couple of years - and thousands in say ten years. The stats are: IF A FEMALE CAT MATES EVERY TIME SHE COMES INTO SEASON AND ALL HER KITTENS SURVIVE AND BREED, THERE COULD BE UP TO 21,000 EXTRA CATS IN JUST SEVEN YEARS! (sorry for the caps - it was a copy and paste).

In reality of course the numbers will be drastically reduced by predation by foxes and illness, and of course starvation eventually as you won't be able to feed thousands of cats!

As for keeping them in a cage overnight - well, they won't like it, but they'll survive and any 'harm' is outweighed a million times by the good it will do.

However, the burning question I have is, where will they still while they are recuperating? They can't go straight outside after a general anaesthetic - they need to stay in for at least the night. And ideally they should be kept in for 3 or 4 days. What has CP suggested about that?

Thanks both! No one told me anything about keeping them inside for days! I'll have back stairs between the garage and the back door they could stay in but I'll have to get a bed and a litter tray then won't I? I don't have any cat paraphernalia, I'm not even that mad about cats to be honest I mean they're cute and I like them but I wouldn't go looking for one as a pet. How have I ended up taking on responsibility for this

Find a local cat rescue charity on Facebook. Even call the vet to find one, there is one in my local area who has an account at the vets and will trap and neuter and if possible rehome.

Have you actually made appointments at the vet off your own back? I just paid £78 to neuter my boy cat and yea he has to stay in the house for a week after. Female cats need more care again, are you taking them home after or will the vet arrange care with cats protection?

I called the local pet rescue and they just said they would put the cats on a waiting list and to get them neutered in the meantime.

Yes I've made appointments myself with the vet and cats protection are sending me a voucher for the cost. They said they aren't doing trapping here at the minute.

I'm a bit about it now. I can't really commit to having a load of feral cats in my house for weeks at a time. I have two young children and I rent my house.

If you are in the Midlands contact Stray Cat Rescue Team.

You are doing the right thing.

In Northern Ireland @Pearfacebanana but thanks x

If you can only manage to keep them in for one night after the op that will have to do. Even if it means leaving them in the trap again. It's so important to get this done.

I'm going to have to flea spray my car aren't I not envy

13 cats now needing to go in and be operated on because one person didn't spay their pet cat.

You are essentially fostering these cats once you trap them and they will need a few days or more of looking after, post surgery. Makes not too much as often they don't need a follow up appointment and as long as they are passing water they are ok to just be kept in for a few days.

Females need keeping to a small area where they can't climb or jump up for a few days, though obviously have space to move about and use a litter tray.

You said you are taking "a few in" which means yours going to need a few litter trays as they don't often share and these aren't house trained cats in the first instance.

You really need help with this, the cost of feeding, vet fees if there's any follow up care (infection etc) and food/litter.

You're not in Manchester area are you? I know a local person that helps with this sort of stuff, she traps and arranges neutering etc

Generally most areas have a person that while not being a rescue is known as the cat person to go to

I’m in NI too and Belfast Kitten Rescue rehomed a litter of kittens from a stray that gave birth in our greenhouse. She mentioned having to deal with a colony of cats so she’d have plenty of experience I imagine!

There were two older kittens that needed neutered too, I didn’t feed them the night before and then put a bowl into the trap in the morning. I could only catch one at a time in the trap so I managed to tunnel the one I caught into a cat Carrier but the second cat was way too wary after seeing the first one get caught so I ended up trapping him the next week the night before the vet appointment and keeping him in the garage overnight.

Good luck OP. You are doing right thing. Flea problems are highly seasonal (summer pests). I doubt hugely you'll find any in your car.

Females need keeping to a small area where they can't climb or jump up for a few days, though obviously have space to move about and use a litter tray.
This really isn't necessary. They shouldn't go out the first night after neutering as the anaesthetic makes them groggy and also affects their temperature regulation. It's ideal to keep in for a few days to make sure the wound is properly healed, but the moving around doesn't do any harm. And if there's no other option it's ok to release after the first night. We do it quite often if we find the female we've trapped is feeding kittens, and the cat is always fine. Sometimes we even release on the same evening if the op was in the morning.

I wonder if they would like to take my bunch. Might email them. I'm a fair bit away from Belfast though but I know the names are sometimes misleading!

I have two in the trap this morning. It's a start! I'm a bit spooked by the cats protection website which says you have to neuter every single one or you might as well not bother. I'll try my best but it's a mammoth task!

Cats protection were sod all use for me tbh except for letting me hire the trap…

The kitten rescue is two women who were running it from their homes so I don’t think they’d have room for all of yours but it’s worth asking just in case she can point you to more help!

I'm wondering if you live near me, I have similar.
I took in original mum cat and had her spayed(she'd had about 4 litters before I kidnapped her ) but selfish 'owners' have just the remaining to breed, me and neighbour are feeding them.
Cat charities won't touch because they have 'owners' and RSpCA have done nothing despite my repeated calls.
There are very young kittens wondering about about throwing up int the street, a cat with CH wobbling around and starving adult cats constantly pestering for food.
I now have vouchers to start getring then neutered. I hate people sometimes.

Each cat you neuter will have a hugely better quality of life afterwards. It's worthwhile to neuter every one you can catch.

That sounds awful. I think my cat zero has had two litters and these are quite healthy little cats, no throwing up in the street or anything. It's much easier to get cats neutered if you own them, trying to get them in traps in a massive pain in the arse.

My two have been deposited in the vets, I'm also getting them wormed and de flead which will cost a fortune no doubt but needs must. The I'm taking them home in the trap and hopefully will get a couple more in on Monday - I have to say the vets have been very helpful.

Cats Protection were brilliant for me. You don't have to 'hire' a trap; and they will provide a voucher for a local vet to neuter.

You are absolutely doing the right thing unless you want about 40 cats in six months!

Boys are easier to neuter than girls and can be delivered back the same day (you need to get them to the vet in the early morning). They may keep the girls in for a day or so.

Don't worry about having to keep them in your house. But if you have been letting them in, you absolute need to de-flea all soft furnishings etc.

Well done what a kind and caring person. I hate people who take in pets then don’t look after them properly. All mine are done I think it’s the responsible humane thing to do. Well done you! 👏

You are an absolute star for doing this.
Like the other poster says, just keeping them in overnight in a carrier until the anaesthetic wears off may have to be good enough. It's still better than a life of frequent pregnancy and the risks to the cats associated with that.
These are resilient cats and will have safe places they can hole up and sleep it off in.

Well done OP, you are doing a brilliant job.

Thank you so much for doing this, our neighbours cat is currently pregnant with her 10ish litter since we’ve been here (5 years), her excuse is vets won’t spay while cat has nursing kittens (doesn’t sound right?) and by the time she stops feeding she’s pregnant again. It’s just laziness though 100%.

She rehomes most of the kittens but keeps the odd one, they never get neutered/ wormed either. We ‘stole’ one of her first kittens when he was around 18 months and once he was neutered & healthy he went from looking like beat up stray 10 year old to a shiny playful young cat, best thing we’ve done. Just wish I could get the mum too.

Morning! In case anyone was wondering how we got on, the little cats have recovered well and I have released them this morning. I thought they would be very traumatised after being in the cage for so long but I gave them some breakfast before I let them go and they purred and purred. I opened the trap halfway through - the female cautiously made her way out and joined her brothers and sisters. The little male went back INTO the trap to finish his food I thought they might disappear for a few weeks in a huff, I'll be glad if she stays close so I can keep an eye on her wound.

I've left the trap outside with food in it so the other cats can investigate it. Hoping to catch some more on Sunday night for neutering on Monday.