I volunteer at a shelter and there's a cat, Sebastian, who is in dire need of some grooming. He was taken in by a foster family over a year ago, when he came down with Fatty Liver Disease. The family had to move and couldn't keep him, so they returned him to us. He seems to have recovered from the Fatty Liver, and I don't know if they were just neglecting other health issues, or what, but when he came back, he'd put on a few pounds and reeks of urine. I don't know if he's become diabetic or anything; the medical staff is at the shelter during the day and I volunteer in the evenings, so I haven't had a chance to talk to anyone about it.
Like I said, he smells terrible, has some matted fur and seems really flakey. He just kinda sleeps all day and I feel really bad for him, because he's a sweet cat, otherwise. I talked to one of the staff members there, and she said that they have a new volunteer who does grooming and she could ask her to do it, but I've seen plans like that fall through and never get dealt with.
I thought about just paying for it out of my own pocket, but I called around to some outside groomers and they want $60+ to groom a cat with these issues. Right now, I just don't have that kind of money.
I would just do it myself, but giving a bath to a cat who's just a little dirty is not fun, let alone one who's going to need dematting and a deeper clean. I can handle most situations, but this is a little out of my league.
Any suggestions? Is there something that we can just lightly sedate him with, and then I could probably get it done? The shelter was founded by a veterinarian and is next door to his office, so it shouldn't be too hard to obtain something, but I just want to know what I should suggest before I talk to them.
Like I said, he smells terrible, has some matted fur and seems really flakey. He just kinda sleeps all day and I feel really bad for him, because he's a sweet cat, otherwise. I talked to one of the staff members there, and she said that they have a new volunteer who does grooming and she could ask her to do it, but I've seen plans like that fall through and never get dealt with.
I thought about just paying for it out of my own pocket, but I called around to some outside groomers and they want $60+ to groom a cat with these issues. Right now, I just don't have that kind of money.
I would just do it myself, but giving a bath to a cat who's just a little dirty is not fun, let alone one who's going to need dematting and a deeper clean. I can handle most situations, but this is a little out of my league.
Any suggestions? Is there something that we can just lightly sedate him with, and then I could probably get it done? The shelter was founded by a veterinarian and is next door to his office, so it shouldn't be too hard to obtain something, but I just want to know what I should suggest before I talk to them.
