Assuming you are in a rabies-endemic country, of course.
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNBAH/bulletins/26c41b1
Friend was bitten by one of the feral cats she was feeding and taming.
Animal control caught cat, that was sick acting and had it submitted for testing.
Cat was positive.
Friend had to go thru the series of shots, not fun.
Rabies is too serious, vaccinate and be careful with wildlife.
This is why I would hesitate to use feral cats in my barn. My barn cat WAS a feral kitten–took me 5 months to gain his trust; as soon as I did, he went in for neutering and shots. Now he’s my best buddy, almost like a dog, and goes in for his yearlies like my house cats. Amazingly he is really good for my vet–no biting, scratching, etc., just tucks into my arms while the vet checks him out and gives him his vaccs.
Vaccinations are cheap insurance to be safe from Rabies.
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They just found a rabid raccoon 3 or 4 miles from my house. My 3 barn cats are vaccinated (as are my horses and dogs). The cats got their first vaccine while being spayed/neutered as kittens, and now get the rabies vaccine at inexpensive rabies clinics every 3 years. Once was from the county health department, and the second time was a clinic at the feed store. I think it was about $10 per cat at each place. That’s a low price to pay for preventing something that will kill you.
My cats get Rabies shots as needed when my vet does spring shots for the horses. If any show up and I can catch them they get a trip in for spay/neuter and shots, a follow up booster shot the next year then worked into the regular schedule.
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Yep, mine are all captured in the morning of Spring Vet Day and spend a few hours arranging themselves precisely equidistant from each other in the sun room and complaining about the indignity of captivity. After the horse is done the vet comes in and I drag each of them out from under various shelves and boxes to get their shots.
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