Two of our three ferals are skittish, so we keep our distance. I would rather they felt comfortable getting their food; that generally means staying away from them. The third is very friendly. We can freely approach him, but in an abundance of caution, we usually just give him a few pets. We're trapping him tomorrow and getting him snipped. Jess, you might see if there are any local groups that assist with feral cats, e.g., by offering low cost spay and neuter services. Indyferal is one of our local groups. They have a ton of good information on their website.