Feral cat - please help!

[Vixenmum76]

hello

We have two cats and rent on a farm. As we are renting we are not able to put in a cat flap and so our cats come and go through and open window. Lately, however, a feral cat has been popping in at night and helping himself to food. I have caught him in the act a few times - he really is feral and goes berserk when he sees me. On the odd occasion he has weed on the sofa - hence why I know he's a he. One of our cats has tried to defend her territory against him and lost (blood was shed); the other is too scared to try. Our vet suggested humanely trapping him and taking him to a rescue but I am not sure if this is a viable option. Any suggestions gratefully received - I do feel a little sorry for the poor chap.

What I've done is borrow a trap, castrated/neutered and re-released.

We are also on a small farm. In France there's no point taking a feral cat to a shelter.

We had 3 of our own. One that turned up and never left and two that appear occasionally-mostly when lactating i think. If I manage to catch them in between litters I'll have them spayed too.

Have you tried calling RSPCA?
www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/cats/straycats

They catch and rehome feral cats

@PlanDeRaccordement Not in my experience they don't. And no one rehomes feral cats as it's more or less impossible. Of course you can't take a feral cat to a rescue - what will they do with it? Only friendly cats can get homes. But you can certainly borrow a trap to get him neutered and then re-release. You would also need to borrow a pen to keep him in for a few days before releasing to give the wound time to heal. Once he's neutered he is less like to be a problem, and if you put food and shelter for him outside he won't have a reason to try to break in.

@thecatneuterer
From RSPCA website
“Try contacting your local RSPCA animal centre, Cats Protection or other reputable organisations.”

Then from Cats Protection
“Cats Protection offers Trap, Neuter and Return schemes (TNR) for feral cats, which can help to limit disease.

If you'd like more information on feral neutering, please phone our helpline on 03000 12 12 12, choosing option 2 (lines open from 9.30am-1pm).”

Cheers xx