This is more of a 'wild' than domestic pet question

[Siwsan]

There is a group of feral cats living somewhere around the foundation of my house. They set off my Blink security camera, every night (sometimes ALL night), and flee from humans, during the day so I'm pretty sure most of them aren't outdoor pets. Lately, though, one of the has been sitting on my porch, meowing VERY loudly, at night. Of course, I don't hear it until I check the camera feed and by that time, it is gone.

So, I guess I'm in need of suggestions about the best thing to do, about this. I have an old, large pet carrier and I've removed the door so I can put it outside to give them a drier, more secure shelter. I'm heading out to buy some sort of organic bedding. Is it a good idea to also be setting out food?

My end goal is to try some sort of catch/fix/release because one of them looks suspiciously plump so I think she might be pregnant and I don't want this population to explode. I'm going to start wandering around the perimeter of the house, at different times of the day and night, to see if I can hear any mini-mewing. My brother has some experience with handling ferals, and knows a place nearby that has very reasonable rates for the 'fixing' portion of the process.

Anyway, any first hand experiences and advice that can be shared will be greatly appreciated

[Maeve]

1. You can get advice here

https://www.alleycat.org/our-work/trap-neuter-return/

or here: https://prettylittercats.com/blogs/prettylitter-blog/how-to-humanely-deal-with-feral-cats

[Siwsan]

2. Thanks!

[Maeve]

3. I added a second link too

My neighbors do this--great people!

[Siwsan]

5. I'm going to hold a 'strategy' meeting, this weekend

I never realized how popular my yards was, until I got that security camera. I'm probably going to have to find a better position for it so that my phone isn't chiming throughout the night.

[PSPS]

4. Contact a local rescue group. They might trap them and handle it for you.

[Siwsan]

6. Great idea. Thanks.

[Bayard]

7. The guy yowling on your porch

Probably a tom looking for a girlfriend, or a female in heat. These populations can explode faster than you would believe, and the in-breeding can be pretty bad.

The most cats we've ever taken to be spayed/neutered at once, was 16, several years ago. Low cost clinic. Except for a few that died, we still have all of them, for a total of 25. Supposed to be barn cats, but they mostly stay on our front porch. Socialized and friendly. I vaccinate everybody once a year.

Definitely call your local rescue, and not the pound. They don't sound like pet quality. Although I've been surprised at a few ferals that show up here at the farm, and turn into lovebugs.

[iscooterliberally]

8. I had this problem in my old neighborhood too.

Cats were showing up everywhere. I checked with our county and they had a program where you just printed out a voucher. You caught the cat and brought it in with the voucher. They would spay or neuter the cat and give it a rabies shot. They would also put a notch in the cats ear so if it got caught again in the future it could be released since it was already fixed. If you need a good trap, I bought a Tomahawk trap and it works well for feral cats or just about anything that can fit in there. The first animal I actually caught was an opossum. We named him Gary after Sponge Bob's pet snail and let him go in the side yard. Here's a link to the place where I got the trap:

https://www.livetrap.com/

Good luck and thanks for taking care of the kitties!

[Siwsan]

9. Thanks -

I'm trying to figure out where to put my makeshift 'shelter'. Unfortunately there's no snow, right now, so I can't track where these cats are currently bedding down. I'll probably just try the side of the house that I see the coming and going from, put some bedding in and dry food in and by it, and just wait and see. My neighbor's security light illuminates that side of my house so I can spy on the area from the guest room window.

My brother has a live trap and I think he might also have a trail cam so that might help me figure out the best place for the shelter. I just hope we don't catch a skunk!

[iscooterliberally]

10. oh man... I hope you don't catch a skunk either! Yikes! n/t