Found Lost Cat after 3 days, special care?

Hi, i joined this forum specifically to ask this question, i have two cats, one of whom was missing since tuesday afternoon.



We just found him tonight, up a tree, about two miles away. i doubt he was up there the whole time, since he seemed warm and dry (and it's been only about 40 degrees during the day here in WI and about 20 degrees during the night, and we had snow earlier today).

I wrapped him in towels to bring him home, got him inside, and he immediately greeted my other cat , his 'big buddy'. Then i fed him and he has eaten four helpings of food so far over an hour and a half. i mixed soft food with tuna juice, and heated it up so that it was smoother on his poor little throat.

He is breathing fine, his heart rate is normal, he doesn't seem injured in any way, he just seems slightly disoriented, really tired, and dehydrated (a state i constantly fight with him...he doesn't like drinking water so i have to either shoot it down his throat with an open plastic syringe, or mix alot of water into his soft food, or soak hard food in the water and then let him drink that).

He has gone 'missing' overnight before, multiple times, and always shows up in the morning, so he isn't a stranger to finding a place to bunk for the night, and has never shown much distress at cold temperatures (and even wet condtions on top of cold temperatures). Aside from being hungry, and sleeping all day when he came back, he's been fine.

My question is, what sort of special care should i give him for the next few days? Are there any signs i should look for in him that would indicate a trip to the vet is very necessary? Also, any tips on his feeding or getting him to drink on a regular basis would be welcome.

Thank you very much!!!!

I would make a vet appt ASAP.. just as a safety measure...

I am thinking about that, the only thing is, i live waaaaay out in the boonies, and the closest vet is a good hour and a half away, i have a handicapped mother and four much younger siblings i take care of, so i want to make sure a vet appt is absolutely necessary, because it's very very difficult to set aside at least 4 hours for a trip to the vet. My cats are both very healthy with no problems, and current on their shots. I'd have to find a way to take the little guy in if i absolutely had to, though.

Can you get a vet to you?? Are you in an area with farms ?? If so a large animal vet is often qulaified to look at small animals

Ooooo that is a great idea. i didn't know that. Ok, i will start looking for one. In the meantime, is there anything i should be making sure i do for my little guy? I just went to pet him and he was rolling around and licking my hand like he normally does when i pet him and he's laying down.

I guess I would just keep an eye on him and feel him all over (while petting him of course) to ensure there are no wounds on him that could get infected.

Just an idea to get him to drink more, if he likes tuna juice, maybe mix some with water so the water smells like and tastes like tuna? I'd drink that!

inkl

my cats like drinking 'cat milk'.

if you use the tuna juice, it's better to use the stuff thats canned in spring water rather than brine.