It is best to consider your eventual plans vis a vis the cat. Once you feed it, it will return. if you can approach it and perhaps touch it, it may, in fact, be either a stray or a neighbor’s cat looking for extra chow. A true feral cat will not let you approach.
If a stray, you could take it in or take it to a rescue group or shelter that is no kill. (After checking with your neighbors and maybe drving around to check for lost cat signs on phone poles, etc.)
If a feral cat and your climate allows them, you should get a humane trap. There are agencies everywhere that make this possible. The cats are tested for feline leukemia and aids. If they infected, they are put down. If clean, they are vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and then released again.