Need y'all's advice and input.
I care for a colony of 40 +/- feral cats and have for 4 years now. It's a lot in so many ways.
Many of the cats have warmed up to me and now are more like my outdoor pets. I've taken in 9 of them when they've been ill or injured and gotten them the vet care needed and they've become inside kitties. I want to take in more but not sure I can.
My question for today is one of the cats - probably maybe 2 yo or so - disappeared for quite a long time but has come back in recent months, now more terrified of me than ever before and runs away from me. She has recently become ill with what appears to be the worst upper respiratory infection I've ever seen and apparently a massive flea infection as well. She has let me feed her a little bit in the last 3 or 4 days but is getting sicker. I can't touch her as she runs away. When I looked at her yesterday I thought she is the definition of suffering.
Trying to trap her would be massively difficult because the chances of catching the wrong cat are extremely high. I've never done this ever before but I gave her a very small amount of antibiotic from one of my house cats in her food yesterday. It's unlikely anything I do can worse her situation at this point.
I know ferals and heartbreak go together but it's awful to observe. Suggestions, ideas and advice welcome.
I care for a colony of 40 +/- feral cats and have for 4 years now. It's a lot in so many ways.
Many of the cats have warmed up to me and now are more like my outdoor pets. I've taken in 9 of them when they've been ill or injured and gotten them the vet care needed and they've become inside kitties. I want to take in more but not sure I can.
My question for today is one of the cats - probably maybe 2 yo or so - disappeared for quite a long time but has come back in recent months, now more terrified of me than ever before and runs away from me. She has recently become ill with what appears to be the worst upper respiratory infection I've ever seen and apparently a massive flea infection as well. She has let me feed her a little bit in the last 3 or 4 days but is getting sicker. I can't touch her as she runs away. When I looked at her yesterday I thought she is the definition of suffering.
Trying to trap her would be massively difficult because the chances of catching the wrong cat are extremely high. I've never done this ever before but I gave her a very small amount of antibiotic from one of my house cats in her food yesterday. It's unlikely anything I do can worse her situation at this point.
I know ferals and heartbreak go together but it's awful to observe. Suggestions, ideas and advice welcome.