Found a stray and need help

I discovered a stray kitten wandering around a parking lot near my home.
It seems very sick and I don't know what to do.

It is all skin and bones. When I found it there was crusted snot all over its face. After spending over an hour with a damp rag I got most of it off, but an almost unearthly amount of snot is still coming out of it and also crusting up its eyes.

The poor thing cannot even meow, often opening its mouth with no sound coming out, and it sneezes and makes noises like it is trying to clear its throat. I have never really owned a cat before and any help is deeply appreciated.

Sounds like the poor kitty has upper respiratory infection-cold.

It needs a vet right away for medication and to be checked out. Maybe the vet will give you a discount on the bill or maybe no bill at all, poor cat really needs attention as soon as possible.

Yep get it to a vet ASAP! Also keep the kitten away from your other cats it will give them the URI

If there was any way in the world I could afford to take it to a vet i would. But money is so tight that I just got two teeth pulled (my own, not the cat's) because I coudn't afford a root canal. Also, the only vet within 50 miles is a scam artist and there is no way that i would get out of there without paying $150+

I still live with my mom, and I know that she does not want a cat in the house. I cannot see this ending well.

Originally Posted by zorz

I discovered a stray kitten wandering around a parking lot near my home.
It seems very sick and I don't know what to do.

It is all skin and bones. When I found it there was crusted snot all over its face. After spending over an hour with a damp rag I got most of it off, but an almost unearthly amount of snot is still coming out of it and also crusting up its eyes.

The poor thing cannot even meow, often opening its mouth with no sound coming out, and it sneezes and makes noises like it is trying to clear its throat. I have never really owned a cat before and any help is deeply appreciated.

Click to expand...

Please take him to emergency IMMEDIATELY. Look in your phone book under Emergency Veterinary Clinics or call any local veterinarian and ask for their referral. OR if you can get him in to a regular vet, do so immediately.

I would call the shelters and rescues in your area (you can go to http://search.petfinder.com/awo/index.cgi?action=state to search for ones in your state). Explain that you found this cat but can't keep it. Hopefully one of the shelters can take the cat and either get it treatment or ease its suffering.

Also, have you talked to people in your area to see if the kitty already has a home? Perhaps someone recently rescued it and is already treating it?

Originally Posted by Panther pride

Yep get it to a vet ASAP! Also keep the kitten away from your other cats it will give them the URI

Click to expand...

Sometimes answers like these upset me, especially since the poster Zorz stated in her/his original post that there is no money available for the vet. I know, because I've been there many years ago with one of my cats. It would be great if someone could advise on the best care for the symptoms available. Sometimes, it's just not possible to take the better route.

Zorsz, many many years ago, I had a very sick cat. turns out he had a cold. I didnt know that cats could contract the common cold virus. At the time I was in uiversity (many centuries ago) and I had very little money. I did take Romeo to a vet who was really good and charged me the minimum for a consultation. He told me Romeo had the symptoms of a cold which usually are fatal in cats. I could do nothing else but to take him home and try to make him comfy. His breathing was very distressing. I don't know how, but he survived to live 14 years more after that. The vet said that dehidration was a real killer so I basically sat up with Romeo for days brushing a wet finger against his lips. Eventually, he started sipping water by himself.

Just try to keep him hydrated and hope for the best. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your kitty. Keep us posted

When my kitties are congested, I let them sniff Vick's-Vap-O-Rub. I would have never thought it would work as well as it did. If you don't have anything like that, sometimes running steaming hot water in the bathroom and letting him stay in the steamy room will help with congestion. It won't cure him, but may relieve some of his discomfort, and if he can breathe and smell food, you may be able to get him to eat. I hope your little one gets better, and please keep us posted.

Thanks for all of the great tips. I was trying to come up with a way to help his congestion (just found out that he is a he) and the "steam room" and vap-o-rub solutions seem like good ideas. At the moment he will not eat or drink much at all, i hope clearing up his sinuses will help. He seems to be more active than before and is getting into everthing, a good sign.


This just in
Things aren't going well with my mom. She has totaly freaked out about the cat. It looks like some kind of shelter will be the only solution. I am going to look for a place that doesn't automaticaly euthanize cats (all of the places that I know of around here do that) but that may be the only choice.

You might ask the shelters if they know of any rescue organizations--sometimes private rescues may be more able to nurse a sick cat back to health.