Community cat back to location after vaccine

Hello When can I return a 6 month old community cat to its original location after trapping and vaccinating (after second dose of FVRCP)?

Hello - and thank you for being concerned about your local community cat.  The trusted CATS protection website contains a helpful blog called What Are Feral Cats which you may find interesting, and an information sheet:  https://www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/lost-found-and-feral-cats/feral-cat By law, all pet cats in England will need to be microchipped (and therefore registered to a responsible owner) by 10 June 2024.  An exception has been made with regard to feral cats.  The definition of a feral cat, however, implies that the cat is not dependent on humans, cannot be approached i.e. is effectively living wild.  This doesn't sound to be the case with the individual. A 'community cat' then, looking at the guidelines and rules that are coming in, may well need to be microchipped to a designated owner or representative in the very near future;  it may be something to bring up in your community.  Regarding vaccination - assuming that this is the cats' first vaccination course, there is usually a second one to be done soon (a small no. of weeks) after the first, and in order to guarantee safety from disease, the vet will usually recommend a minimum amount of time for the vaccine to work before the cat is released again into the public domain (this may change from vaccine company to vaccine company).  You might take the view, 'Well, Tiddles has been going out unvaccinated up until now - the chances of them encountering cat-flu / leukaemia etc in the next few weeks is one we're going to have to take' - if so, we recommend that you talk this over with your vet / community first. I hope that something here is helpful.

Hello Liz,   Thank you for your reply and information included... The vet said that the minimum amount is 5 days after the second dose before the cat can be released .. however, I feel this is too short..I am afraid that th3 cat would be still weak with lower immunity due to vaccination after 5 days, and thus am asking for your advice.

I see.  You will find official advice, based on data / science etc, published by the drug-company on the vaccination data-sheet.  A data-sheet is that piece of paper covered in dense text, which you'll find, by law, folded up in any medicine box.  Your vet may have removed the data-sheet from the vaccination box in order to take out your vaccine; however, they certainly ought to know its contents.  I don't know which vaccination was used in this case so can't look it up for you (and legally I'm not allowed because the cats' not under my care), but multiple weeks is typical.  Commonly however, especially if a cat might have been vaccinated in the past and if they have already been living between households without vaccinations for a long time, an assessment may be made that the welfare risk of confining the cat, is bigger than the liklihood of them picking up the disease in those few days.  It sounds as though you will have to communicate with the other owners in order to get to the bottom the decision making in this case.

Again, I hope that something there is helpful

Hello Liz,   Thanks again, it is not vaccinated yet, am weighing the odds of leaving him unvaccinated and releasing or vaccinating him and keep him at a friend's for 2 weeks after the second dose then releasing him. I am not located in UK.. Thanks 🙏🏻