<p>Just to conclude this - good news and bad news.
I trapped the cat, and covering the cage indeed got it far less agitated. Took it to the homeless cat clinic where they found it to be a “he” and in good condition. He was neutered and had the ear clipped. </p>
<p>He hadn’t eaten till the evening and couldn’t tell if he’d drunk any of the water, so I decided to keep him overnight. He began to eat after about 10 pm and I began to smell urine too. By 6 am he looked good, was ready for breakfast and did a fast exit through my back yard, seemingly with no problems.</p>
<p>Bad news - even after removing all reminders of the trap and keeping food out, all through the night on several occasions, there’s no trace of him for several days since that morning. Don’t know if he’s just scared or p**d off at me, or he’s met a worse fate. “I told you” all around from DW and the kids, but hopefully he’s OK.</p>
<p>Dad<em>of</em>3, don’t worry, the chances are very strong that he will be fine. He probably figures he doesn’t want to go to the vet again and he has no way to know you won’t trap him and send him again.</p>
<p>I would not assume the worst. I’d bet he’s doing just fine wherever he’s tucked himself away for the time being. He may or may not come back. I hope he does for your sake and for his (food). If he decides to keep his distance, you’ve still done a good thing. He won’t get in as many fights now that he’s neutered and you’ve made your own little dent in the feral cat population. Good things!</p>
<p>Keep leaving out food, even if you don’t see him for a couple of weeks. Since he’s been in your yard for a while, his scent will be there and he’ll likely return. I’m glad that your trapping effort was obviously successful. Thank you so much for getting him fixed.</p>
<p>He must be on cc and read the posts from yesterday. When I looked out of the back door where I used to put his bowl, he was waiting for the first time since the snip snip. A bit more jittery, but he had a full meal and settled in the box with the straw again.<br>
Thanks all.</p>
<p>My cat was once a feral kitten I adopted 15 years ago. She is now an indoor kitty, and shows no inclination to go out into the big bad world… although she is still a mean mouser, and sometimes prefers to poop on the carpet :-/</p>
<p>All of our cats growing up were formerly feral or strays that adopted us.</p>
<p>OK… I’m definitely not a cat person, probably a result of growing up in a home with cat haters. Then it didn’t help that H and both Ds ended up being terribly allergic to them (think constricted airways and eyes almost swollen shut), but I had to follow this thread to see if the darned cat returned. So glad he did! Thanks for what you did, Dad<em>of</em>3.</p>
<p>Thank you sooooo much for doing the right thing.
Would you consider making him an indoor kitty? I have taken in strays and ferals in the past and albeit it does require a great deal of patience, it is well worth the effort. I lost my most beloved feral 5 years ago…he was at least 22</p>