Fellow looks like he might have an infection...

olivia

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My mother and I have been making nice with a feral in the neighborhood recently. We feed him every day, and we're trying to get him to warm up to us. He'll come pretty close to us, but bolts if we're too close.

The problem is he's got what looks like a cut on his eye/nose, and he could really use a trip to the vet. My mom is concerned about what could be wrong with him, as we have ourselves and current cat, Tabby, to worry about.

You can see pictures of his eye here, here, and here.

Can anyone tell what is wrong? Is this simply a cut that may be infected, or something worse?

What should we do?

Thanks
 

abbycats

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It looks like he has a runny eye which would lead me to believe he may have a upper respiratory infection.
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by abbycats

It looks like he has a runny eye which would lead me to believe he may have a upper respiratory infection.
i'd also say runny eye... Pixel has one [same eye!] & sometimes the skin where the liquid is gets a bit raw [usually when i've been gone for a few days & it hasn't been cleaned regularly].
 

ipw533

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Have you noticed what sounds like wet, heavy breathing?--that's pretty much a sure sign of an upper respiratory infection, a common ailment among stray and feral cats.

The infection itself is viral but manifests itself with bacteriological symptoms--congestion and eye infections. The treatment is a course of oral antibiotics over a two-week period and, if possible, the direct application of antibiotic ointment to the eyes.

This is not always easy even with a friendly cat. With a feral some alternate methods will be needed. First the cat will need to be trapped and confined. I'd recommend taking it to a vet--keep the cat in the trap, as this will make it easier to handle. Trust me on that. The vet will probably prescribe an amoxicillin-based antibiotic. Ask for it in pill form.

Giving a cat a pill is a challenge for even the most experienced cat wrangler, but there are ways around that which will not involve a trip to the ER.

The course of treatment for a URI involves antibiotics and the stimulation of the cat's natural immune system. Cats are naturally tough creatures and bounce back from injuries and illness pretty easily. Use that to your advantage.

Usually the pilled antibiotic will be assigned a dosage period--such as two pills per day until exhausted. Crush the pills thoroughly and mix them into a wet food that the cat likes. This will stimulate his appetite and with it his natural defenses--it will also let you give him his needed medicine.

Do not, under any circumstances, discontinue treatment before the antibiotics are exhausted--that rule applies to treating human infections as well....
 
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