One really frustrating aspect of it all is that I've been trying to get a local spay-and-neuter mobile operation to come over to trap and neuter the ferals. I don't have a car, so trapping them and transporting them myself is a problem (not to mention the expense). But I can't get the mobile unit dispatched unless there are at least 10 ferals in a colony, and they won't do it unless there's a caretaker for the colony--i.e., someone's feeding them.

Just recently, I've seen enough cats showing up for meals that I figured I could convince them to send out the mobile unit, but I hesitated to have the cats operated on and released while there's still a chance of nasty weather.

But now I discover that the city won't allow anyone to feed more than five ferals, and you can only do that if you don't have any inside cats! So unless you're breaking the law, you can't get help with spaying and neutering.