The Catalan government has said it will decide by 15 October whether to push ahead with a controversial referendum on separation from the rest of Spain called for 9 November.
Leaders of the wealthy northeastern region are locked in a standoff with the Spanish government over the vote.
Spain's conservative government says the referendum is unconstitutional, and the country's Constitutional Court has suspended it while it deliberates on its legality, a process that could take years.
Asked during an interview with Catalan radio Rac1 after which date it would become impossible for the Catalan government to properly prepare the referendum, Catalan government spokesman Francesc Homs said: "Around October 13, 14 or 15."
"You can extend some of the timeframes... but we can't decide to do this, if it is something we must decide, on November 7 or 8," he added.
Only two Catalans in 10, or just 23%, wanted Catalonia's president Artur Mas to "ignore" the court ruling and forge ahead with the referendum, according to a poll published Sunday in the national newspaper El Pais.
45% wanted Mr Mas to "comply with the legal decision" and negotiate to find a means to hold a vote which would "respect the constitution", while 25% wanted regional leaders to find an alternative solution that favoured independence but did not require holding a vote.
The survey also showed that nearly half of those polled would opt for Catalonia to remain part of Spain if it were granted special status, while only 29% wanted full independence outright.
Catalan pro-independence parties declared last Friday that they were "united" on their referendum bid, which threatens to trigger Spain's biggest constitutional crisis in decades.
Proud of their distinct language and culture, many of the 7.5m inhabitants in the prosperous region have long complained they get a raw deal from the government in Madrid, which decides how their taxes are spent.
Campaigners have been inspired by last month’s independence referendum in Scotland, despite the fact that Scottish voters rejected separation from Britain.
