I know @sneakypete ... I have too. I made my bones as a hunter and trapper getting rid of varmints for farmers and ranchers... Among them, feral cats that can become a blight, bringing disease and parasites to barn and house cats. So I removed them.
That said, we have also had cats walk in and become exemplary and long lived barn cats. we've nursed young feral cats back from the brink of death, and have had feral mamma cats come get us to care for ailing kittens.
So it depends on the situation I guess. I ain't without mercy.
@roamer_1 I feed the stray cats abandoned behind the dumpsters at a local shopping center every day. Found a new-born black kitten yesterday whose mama obviously dropped her off by the dumpsters hoping someone would rescue her. I say this because my experience with feral cats is they quickly abandon a kitten or two if they think they won't have enough milk to feed them all.
Also,it was obvious this newborn kitten did NOT walk to the dumpster on her own. The kitten was laying in a little hole,and when I first spotted her,I was wondering "What is that black thing?" until I got the food and water all put out,and went to look,and damned if it wasn't a kitten. So tiny she was smaller than the palm of my hand,and once I picked her up,she immediately moved towards my half-folded fingers to warm up.
I drove to the nearest vet,and they were closed,so I drove to the next nearest vet 30 miles away,and damned if they weren't closed,too. I forgot all about memorial day.
Anyhow,I took her to a local farm woman who not only likes cats,but needs a bunch of them to keep the mice,snakes, and other varmits out of her grain bins. This woman has been through this before,and had the special milk powder for new-born kittens,as well as knowing how to use it.
Hell,I even learned something. I had no idea that to get new-born kittens to have a bowel movement after eating/drinking the special milk,you have to take a moist rag and wipe their butts with it. For some odd reason they won't have bowel movements and will die if you don't.
Called her around noon today,and she is working with her tractor with the kitten sleeping in her t-shirt pocket,and doing great according to her.
I had planned on trapping (capture cage) all the young females I could find and getting them spayed before this happened,but got sick and was unable to do it,so now I have bigger problems.