“ I would just shoot them, but mom made me understand that neutering and re-release is a better method of diminishing their numbers than extermination attempts.”
I’d shoot. Problem solved instantly.Why waste time and money neutering them and clipping ears.
BTW, same treatment for feral attorneys!
By neutering them and releasing them they occupy areas that would otherwise be taken by viable breeders.
They clip the ears so they can identify and release the already neutered ones they trap.
Usually you can keep the kittens and get them reasonably domesticated. The hardest part is getting the kittens without losing a finger.
My mother has been at this for 30 years. I probably helped civilized about a hundred feral kittens. It is actually fun, to me.