Hi all, sorry for the abrupt title and lack of introduction ( later) but I need help.
I have had a male stray/Feral hanging around since Conner, the last stray that showed up 8 years ago had to be put to sleep because he had a large cancerous mass in his lung, ( I miss him so much, sorry) I think he kept all the other cats away, he was very territorial after we had his wander lust removed (neutered). This New guy showed up a few days later and he is young, not good at guessing but maybe six months old? after a couple months of sitting outside and talking to him and feeding him rotisserie chicken he started letting me pet him a few days ago. I noticed his ears are really black and crusty inside and his testicles seemed abnormally large so I decided he needed to get to the vet sooner rather than later, he losses it when I try to pick him up and since I have to take two of my other cats in for follow up blood work today I decided to set a live trap for him last night. Actually I just kept dropping little pieces of chicken in until he was far enough in to close it. He lost it, I was so afraid he was going to hurt himself that I ran downstairs and got a large crate and set it up in the garage with litter box, water etc. I got him to eat last night and petted him for about 4 hours until he was calm and my butt was numb. I went to sleep at 6:00 this morning. I set the clock for three hours so I could check him and he seemed shocky and stiff and would not move at first. I petted him and talked to him and then got him to eat a little but he still would not get up so I tried to lift him and he panicked and scratched me up a little. I sat with him all morning untill he seemed a littel better but when I leave he starts going nuts again and I am really afraid he is going to hurt himself. I am going to take him in to the vets this afternoon and I have a couple of questions;
1. Is there anything that my cats can catch form being transported in the same vehicle at the same time?
2. How do I get him back into a smaller carrier without injuring either of us?
3. If I have him neutered what do I do to keep him form freaking in a crate? I Have a large crate, I kept Duncan (other cat with CRF poisoned by pet food before they announced it so he had to go through blood work, X-rays, endoscopy, and finally exploratory surgery and biopsies, after his surgery I had to keep him confined for 3 weeks so I got the biggest crate I could find) That is what this cat is in now.
4. Can cats break their noses? His face seems really swollen from hitting the sides. I feel terrible! I thought I was doing the right thing and he was far enough along to get him some vet care. Now I am not so sure!
What would be my best course of action at this point? I am afraid I have undone all of the trust we had.
I have to leave in two hours to go to the vets and my vet is not always the best to advise on stuff like this.
Thanks in advance, and sorry so long.
Dani
I have had a male stray/Feral hanging around since Conner, the last stray that showed up 8 years ago had to be put to sleep because he had a large cancerous mass in his lung, ( I miss him so much, sorry) I think he kept all the other cats away, he was very territorial after we had his wander lust removed (neutered). This New guy showed up a few days later and he is young, not good at guessing but maybe six months old? after a couple months of sitting outside and talking to him and feeding him rotisserie chicken he started letting me pet him a few days ago. I noticed his ears are really black and crusty inside and his testicles seemed abnormally large so I decided he needed to get to the vet sooner rather than later, he losses it when I try to pick him up and since I have to take two of my other cats in for follow up blood work today I decided to set a live trap for him last night. Actually I just kept dropping little pieces of chicken in until he was far enough in to close it. He lost it, I was so afraid he was going to hurt himself that I ran downstairs and got a large crate and set it up in the garage with litter box, water etc. I got him to eat last night and petted him for about 4 hours until he was calm and my butt was numb. I went to sleep at 6:00 this morning. I set the clock for three hours so I could check him and he seemed shocky and stiff and would not move at first. I petted him and talked to him and then got him to eat a little but he still would not get up so I tried to lift him and he panicked and scratched me up a little. I sat with him all morning untill he seemed a littel better but when I leave he starts going nuts again and I am really afraid he is going to hurt himself. I am going to take him in to the vets this afternoon and I have a couple of questions;
1. Is there anything that my cats can catch form being transported in the same vehicle at the same time?
2. How do I get him back into a smaller carrier without injuring either of us?
3. If I have him neutered what do I do to keep him form freaking in a crate? I Have a large crate, I kept Duncan (other cat with CRF poisoned by pet food before they announced it so he had to go through blood work, X-rays, endoscopy, and finally exploratory surgery and biopsies, after his surgery I had to keep him confined for 3 weeks so I got the biggest crate I could find) That is what this cat is in now.
4. Can cats break their noses? His face seems really swollen from hitting the sides. I feel terrible! I thought I was doing the right thing and he was far enough along to get him some vet care. Now I am not so sure!
What would be my best course of action at this point? I am afraid I have undone all of the trust we had.
I have to leave in two hours to go to the vets and my vet is not always the best to advise on stuff like this.
Thanks in advance, and sorry so long.
Dani