New here- advice on future release (or not)

[MiracleNipples]

Hi- Cat brought home a wee babe 2 weeks ago. So far so good!! She must have been just a few days old then as she still had umbilical scab.
So my uneducated guess on current age is 2 1/2 weeks. Hydrated, heat pad, puppy replacer, eating, pooping, peeing, sleeping. Squirming.
If nothing unexpected pops up... I think we’re good! QUESTION: How do we release her when it will be winter here when the time comes? We get snow, ice and freezing temps. Im thinking we’ll need to keep till spring, and then, my goodness, how to release her after feeding her for so long. She wont even know she’s a squirrel. Any advice? Thank you! Here is pic of her fresh out of the cats mouth 2 weeks ago. Her name is Clarke (as in Clark Griswold)

[HRT4SQRLS]

You’ve done a great job keeping this little one alive. Pinkies are quite a challenge for a newbie. You will definitely need to keep her until spring. She would not survive being released in the dead of winter. In the spring she will be older and well able to survive. Don’t worry about her being too acclimated to people or being able to ‘squirrel’. They have powerful wild instincts. Even though raised by a human she will still want to be free in the trees. 99% of squirrels are successfully released. They want to be free and live in the trees. Her instincts are coded in her DNA. You won’t have to teach her to ‘squirrel’. When the time comes she will know exactly what to do. I always marvel while watching them try to build a drey soon after release. Something in them tells them to build. They are very clumsy with their attempts but they keep trying until they have a proper home.

Because you’re overwintering her, it is likely she will hang around your yard and continue to be your friend for a while before she fully becomes a wild.

[redwuff]

We hope you will keep us updated with pictures of your baby. My guess she is a fox squirrel.