I know that when I've had my own (indoor) cats spayed, I supervise them and check their incisions daily for a couple of weeks to be sure that there is no inflammation, etc. I have a friend who is tending a mom and kittens in the wild (trying to socialize), while waiting for space in a rescue to open up. She is concerned that mom may be going into heat again and there is a tomcat hanging around. I don't know how tame this mom is (i.e. she might freak out if she had to be caged for a couple of weeks during recovery - which would be her situation here, if I had her spayed). How to people who are involved with true ferals do the TNR - how soon is it safe to release the spayed females back into their colony? Thanks for any insights.
We had a small feral colony in a practice I worked at several years ago. We'd try to keep the females in as long as we could. If they were really freaked when we caught them we'd let them the next morning and hope for the best.
I'm sure there are some TNR communities on the Network that can give you some more specific answers. Many communities also have their own TNR organizations. Your friend should contact them.
Margaret Muns DVM
I'd agree with Dr Munns, the sooner they are released, especially if they are still taking care of a litter, the better. The spay incision is usually tiny and complications are really quite rare.
My daughter volunteers with SOS, a low cost spay/neuter group in Columbus, Ohio and they do a lot of feral TNR. The cats leave with a shot for pain and a long acting antibiotic shot and are returned to the colony as soon as they are well recovered.
Nora