Hi --- I have been getting all cats in my neighborhood neutered and
vaccinated (yes, some belong to irresponsible neighbors who are
oblivious to what I'm doing --- but  hey, they let their cats come in
my yard to fight & spray).

Three of these cats are feral strays and had stuck around so I put out
food every day and have cat beds on the front porch. The problem is a
big bully cat came up and repeatedly attacked them. Two disappeared. I
had the bully neutered and hoped he'd go back home. He didn't. He's
not feral (actually loves people) so I took him in.

The next day one of my missing ferals showed up, but I'm very worried
about the other one --- Brutus. He's been gone for 6 weeks now. I've
asked one neighbor about him and am going to put out fliers this week.
I really believed he would have come back by now, but realize I should
have asked around much sooner.

** How far away can feral cats smell food ? (or any cats for that
matter - I'm just assuming ferals need to have a little keener sense
of smell than my spoiled housecats).

I've been putting put tuna heated in a microwave out for the last
week. Is there anything else that stinks to high heavens that could
possibly bring this cat home if he's still in the neighborhood?

Now I really regret doing the trap-neuter-return thing (though I
applaud groups that do it on a large scale) --- I've just always been
oppposed to outdoor cats due to the hazards of the world. I regret not
taking these cats in, but I already have 15 indoor cats, and older
ferals are tough to deal with.

Thanks,

Sheri