YMMV
Spaying is the most important issue. In addition to population control, it is important to prevent female cancers, avoid pregnancy stress on the body, and prevent STD’s and other diseases they can catch from feral males during mating as well as avoiding any physical harm that can also come from mating.
Kittens must be human handled before they are 12 weeks old in order to be socialized. After that it is extremely difficult if at all possible. If they are to remain outside, you may be able to handle them when mom goes to hunt for food.
I once took in a feral who was days away from birthing. The lady who was supposed to release her after weaning the kits crapped out on me. She ended living under my sofa until she passed years later. She had the run of the house with a couple of her kids (very well socialized pets) while we were out or sleeping. If we were home and awake, she was under the sofa.
As for fleas:
During the 1970’s I had 6 indoor cats. One liked to talk to a stray thru the screen. Yup, fleas jumped in. The house became infested. I bombed the house, bathed each cat while sitting in the tub wearing jeans (protection!) and bombed again the next week to get any newly hatched fleas. All for naught, the infestation was back in full force. I had avoided flea collars (popular back then before the invention of Frontline type products) because I’d heard they could cause irritation.
I decided to try the collars but instead of putting them on the cats, I put one in the bed where most of them curled up together to sleep. Fleas do not live on the animals; they jump on to eat and then jump off to live and lay eggs in the carpets and furniture. Eventually every flea must have made it to the bed area because that one collar killed every freakin’ flea in the house!
I don’t know if they collars around today are as effective since that was back in the 70’s.
Spaying is the most important issue. In addition to population control, it is important to prevent female cancers, avoid pregnancy stress on the body, and prevent STD’s and other diseases they can catch from feral males during mating as well as avoiding any physical harm that can also come from mating.
Kittens must be human handled before they are 12 weeks old in order to be socialized. After that it is extremely difficult if at all possible. If they are to remain outside, you may be able to handle them when mom goes to hunt for food.
I once took in a feral who was days away from birthing. The lady who was supposed to release her after weaning the kits crapped out on me. She ended living under my sofa until she passed years later. She had the run of the house with a couple of her kids (very well socialized pets) while we were out or sleeping. If we were home and awake, she was under the sofa.
As for fleas:
During the 1970’s I had 6 indoor cats. One liked to talk to a stray thru the screen. Yup, fleas jumped in. The house became infested. I bombed the house, bathed each cat while sitting in the tub wearing jeans (protection!) and bombed again the next week to get any newly hatched fleas. All for naught, the infestation was back in full force. I had avoided flea collars (popular back then before the invention of Frontline type products) because I’d heard they could cause irritation.
I decided to try the collars but instead of putting them on the cats, I put one in the bed where most of them curled up together to sleep. Fleas do not live on the animals; they jump on to eat and then jump off to live and lay eggs in the carpets and furniture. Eventually every flea must have made it to the bed area because that one collar killed every freakin’ flea in the house!
I don’t know if they collars around today are as effective since that was back in the 70’s.