Query re semi-feral cat we're minding

*Honey*

Hi all

We two semi feral cats living in our garden, my hubby has been feeding them for about a year now and is madly in love with them both (father and son). I, however, am cat phobic - I don't mind looking at them through the patio door as they are quite cute but I wouldn't touch one of them in a fit.

The problem we now face is that we're going on holidays soon and we're terrified that the cats are only eating at our place. Sometimes they seem to eat within seconds, sometimes it does seem like they're not that hungry meaning they've been fed elsewhere. We just can't get a sense of whether someone in the area is also feeding them. If we knew they were, we wouldn't worry but we're just not sure about it. They haven't been neutered either - again because they're not ours (the son is the son of one of the neighbours cats but we don't know if they bother with him anymore either). We cannot take them into the house given my phobia even to care for them if they got neutered. I also don't know if a cattery would take them as they are, without any shots or neutering but, to be honest, we couldn't afford that anyway.

I hope you can see our problem - we care for these animals that aren't ours as best we can but now we're going away, we fear they may starve. Should be contact The Cat Protection League (or equivalent) and get them rehomed entirely? That means my hubby will have to say bye forever and he's madly in love with them.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Whispered

Hi honey, fair play for feeding these two boys. If you cannot look after them due to your phobia then the kindest thing to do would be to get them rehomed. They will get into fights, never know the comfort of a bed they're not supposed to be on, rarely, if ever get the love they deserve. They will also add to the problem of feral kittens. It's a pity about your husband, but the kindest thing to do would be to contact a cat charity and get some help. I know how hard it is to give up an animal you have been caring for, but they will be better off.

As for going on holiday, you could ask a neighbour to continue putting out food while you are gone, then take over again when you get back?

boomerang

Hi Honey,

First of all, whether or not these cats should be rehomed, would depend on how wild they are. If they shy away from human contact and are not comfortable with being handled, then it's unlikely they could be rehomed. How tame are they?

You could easily have them neutered, which would be so beneficial to them both. All you need to do is borrow a cat trap and bring them to the vets. They'd be discharged the same day. It's a very un-invasive procedure and as AFAIK, no stitches are involved. It's just a teeny tiny incision and it's very quick. You could feasibly have them neutered, ask the vet to keep them overnight after the op until the anaesthetic wears off, and then bring them home and release them the following day. It's not that expensive to neuter a male cat. Maybe a rescue group local to you could go halves with you on the cost.

When you go away, is there a nice neighbour that could leave out food for them for you? If not, you could simply buy an automatic feeder for about a tenner, and leave it out for them filled with food. That would easily do them while you are away. Here's what they look like: