Should I trap/neuter/release or trap/neuter/take him to a shelter?

Question

I have two feral female cats that frequent my backyard. I trapped them, had them spayed, and released them and I feed them and give them water. They have lived happily this way for a couple of years. Now suddenly another, much larger cat is showing up in the evening and early morning and chasing them and yowling. The girls don't fight, they just run. I don't know for sure, but I believe the new big cat must be a male. He may be adoptable because the first time I went out to chase him away, he wasn't scared of me until I ran at him clapping my hands.

Yesterday I heard one of my girls crying because he had her trapped on top of the fence and I had to chase him away. Today I heard an awful noise in my yard and he was fighting another male (someone's pet, I think).

If I trap him and get him neutered, will he stop all the noise and stop harassing my precious girls? I was really hoping to care for just the two. If I care for him, too will I be inviting more trouble?

Answer 1

lol..You sound exactly like me! Getting him neutered may help the aggressiveness but...males tend to be very territorial. If you are happy with the girls then trap him and take him to the humane society. They will see if he is adoptable. Good luck!

Answer 2

I, too have had similar experiences. About 5 years ago I found a litter of kittens born outside. Only one survived, but since I'm allergic to cats , I let her live in the garage, and brought her in when it is cold. Eventually I had her spayed, and stray male cats still come around. One of them decided to adopt us, and he is not neutered. About 4 a.m. every morning he starts yowling. There have been a few stray males who come around. As long as there are irresponsible people out there who allow their cats to roam without spaying or neutering, you'll probably always have a problem. We had our little female spayed about 3 years ago, and the males still come around. The only advice I can give you is that you have to do what your heart tells you. I can tell that you are an animal lover, and it would probably be difficult for you to call a shelter...but if you are afraid of fights, or diseases, you have to do what is best for your girls. He would stop the noise if neutered, and once neutered, he'll calm down alot. We also have a male house cat for 8 years, who for some reason I'm not allergic to. There was a drastic difference in him after neutering. Good luck with any decision you make, and I congratulate you adopting the 2 ferral cats...most people would have run them off and not bothered with them.

Answer 3

He may just be chasing your little girls because he is still intact--neutering him may change this--on the other hand he could just be a big guy who doesn't like anyone else... only by going ahead and doing the neuter and releasing will you know--the sad thing is that if you were to take him to a shelter his best bet is euthanasia because feral cats usually will not domesticate enough to be considered adoptable for pets.

Answer 4

What a wonderful person you are! unfortunately, when you started feeding them on a regular basis, they just became your loving outside cats now!
The male cat is trying to take their territory. If you neuter him most likely he will not leave the girls alone unless they stand up to him.
I truly admire your dedication to spay/neuter and release!
I have 6 cats that I rescued from KITTY ANGELS, 2 are Ferrel and are FANTASTIC!!! I have an insurance plan for each cat through Banfield Vet which gives me ALL shots, etc and a monthly physical for one low fee. Banfield Vet is part of some PETSMARTS, they all eat IAMS hairball controlled food. I would never adopt if I did not ask myself all the questions I am asking you.

Also, I help in fostering animals that are left out in the frozen weather left to die. That is exactly what happened to one of my kitties from KITTY ANGELS, they rescued him. Taylor, the kitty, spent 2 months in the hospital, their cost and I adopted him from there. People just left him in a blizzard and he could barely stand when they rescured him.
They also have a spay/neuter release program so if you contacted KITTY ANGELS (www.kittyangels.com), they might be able to take him in and either neuter him and release or if they feel he could go to a home, they would adopt him out.
Please, I do not collect cats. Someone if they have the means which I do, could help with the animals thrown away after the "cute" part for them ends.

Answer 5

Generally I would not suggest bringing an animal to the shelter, however in this case it might be wise. Because this male has already sexually matured the chances of a neuter putting an end to the unwanted behavior is very slim. He will likely continue to harass the girls, and spray your property since his hormones have already taught him the behavior. At best you would notice a decline in regularity, but not an end. Unfortunetly, after a cat has passed sexual maturity essentially all a neuter or spay does is prevent them from reproducing.

Answer 6

Well... I would suggest stopping adopting these cats! lol. Two is more than enough for you to handle. I'd suggest trapping him, getting him neutered, get him a physical exam to rule out any transferable and/or hereditary (sp?) diseases and then give him to a shelter to be adopted. I wouldn't release him... There's way too many stray cats in the world who end up getting in some bad trouble (such as ran over by a car or killed by a large predatory animal) and it's just too sad to contribute to that. The chances of him stopping this unruly behavior after being neutered is slim, considering how big he is and fiesty , he's probably 2-5 years old and at this point, he has learned behaviors that are no longer fixable by taking away their testosterone. Just like marking... He may be one of those cats who won't be able to be house trained properly because he's become acustomed to a certain "wild" lifestyle. You never know, though... Proper training and a loving home can do wonders for an animal. Either way, get him fixed, get him examined and try to find him a home.

Oh and I just have to mention... I'm not acussing you of doing this but the person above me might be one... Cat collectors, despite the fact their heart is in the right place, end up with a bigger problem. You end up with so many cats that you can't keep up and things go bad really fast. They end up not being properly fed, there's greater chances of disease and infection, they're not always well house-trained so you end up with a big, ugly mess for a house that is a breeding ground for bacteria and parasites that causes bad infections in animals... It just gets really bad, really fast and these people aren't doing these animals any favors. Most of the animals found in these situations end up having to be put down because they're beyond repair. It's a sad fact of animal collecting.

Answer 7

It's nice to be nice but there comes a line marked "sucker" and you are dangerously close to it. Taking care of 2 feral cats is more than most people do.
Trap Mr. Bully Cat and take him to a vet to be fixed and checked out. If he is adoptable, have a shelter clean him up and try to find him a home. He sounds like he should be an only child any way.

Answer 8

You could go ahead and try him at your house after he is neutered. If he doesn't work out try to find him a home.

Answer 9

i could not discover that Sheltering Sky in me, nor over me, nor around.... so, i think of that i've got on no account had it, yet there is somebody, a alluring Princess that each and on a daily basis provide me a bite of it , a bite of Her own sky basically for me, in basic terms to make me stay . She is my daughter..

Answer 10

He might not be feral...the vet or shelter will be able to tell right off the bat.