Thanks, Liz - I'm prepared for utter rejection and never seeing her again, but her main attachment seems to be our neutered year old cat, who's allowed out by day but in before dark. She puts up with his very rough play, and sits on the deck crying for him after dark, and is waiting when he comes out at daylight.

I'm frankly amazed she's come this far. I'm worried I won't be able to give her much in the way of after surgery care, but I guess it's still a better chance for her than having endless litters or catching distemper.

As for the neighbours - the wife feels guilty about the whole thing, the husband has developed a fingers-in-ears attitude: he can't afford the vet care and won't take 'em to the SPCA. I admit, I figure she'll have no chance at the SPCA, they're overwhelmed with tame cats, and so are the few no-kill cat shelters.