HELP!! I NEED TO GIVE STRAY CAT EYEDROPS

Hello,

I've been feeding a stray (I named him Midnight) in a very quiet neighborhood for about two years now.  I've gained his trust and he rubs on me and I can pet him and he plays with catnip cigars I got him and I have an insulated house with a heated pad for him in the winter, although I'm in the West so it doesn't get terribly cold.   He has the occasional cut or scrape and has had an abscess or two, but has ended up fine. He was not neutered.  He did not show up for a couple of nights, which has only happened twice in the two years...he then showed up at NOON (he NEVER comes during the day)  with his head VERY swollen and his left eye almost shut.  I called the person I knew at the Humane Society and I got a trap and trapped him Sunday night and took him to Heaven Can Wait Sanctuary for treatment and neutering. They also cut half his ear off to mark that he was neutered ( I was NOT happy)   but then they give me eye drops and antibiotic liquid to give him. Well he was so hungry he lapped up the liquid with some soft food gravy that he's been eating for two years, but he is a VERY BIG black cat...twice the size of an average cat.  I do not have health insurance myself and have heard stories of people being bitten and the grave consequences, so not having insurance I cannot risk being bitten. I live alone so there is no one to help me give them to him, but I know seeing his eye he really needs them.  I already let him out of the trap into a big cage with blankets, litter, etc. in my spare bedroom.  IS THERE ANY WAY I can try to give him one drop in his eye twice a day or any kind of place that will keep him for the week to care for him being a stray???   I want my healthy Midnight back :(:(:(

P.S. the reason I haven't adopted him is because of some of the behaviors I mentioned and I rescued another cat in the neighborhood that he always fought with, and I have three other cats plus this rescue already in the house.  I just know with his nature it wouldn't work int the house.

Thank you :)  I have been on the site before awhile back because I rescued a cat named Oreo.  I don't know where my profile info went :( Oh well.  I called my longtime vet Dr. Fontes (He's awesome! Been with him 7 years now for my kitties)  He said as long as Midnights taking the liquid antibiotics (he did the first time today at noon with his food, going to try again before bed)  that is the main thing he needs and rest. He agreed not to risk it and they do have boarding where they could attempt the drops, but he said they may not have much more success than I would being a feral cat and if he doesn't cooperate. He said to keep with the liquid antibiotic and let him rest and observe him the next couple of days for improvement and watch the eye.  If I think he's getting worse or not improving enough I want to take him to Dr Fontes, but I've moved him from the trap to a nice HUGE cage with his blankets he's used the last two years, litter, water, catnip cigars..lol ....how on earth would I get him back into a trap to take him to the Doctor???  I have a carrier, but I don't know if he would let me put him in anything, or if Dr Fontes could accept a feral cat in a carrier. 

Oh yeah, lol  yes I can pet Midnight, he doesn't mind and he rubs on my leg and rubs his face on my hand, but after two years is still jumpy at any sounds and rarely he will hiss when I'm taking the food over to set it down...I don't know why. We haven't gotten as far as Oreo and I did outside when he'd lay with me on the porch in the middle of the day and just hang around until it started getting dark and then go off around the neighborhood...Midnight has just never gotten to that point unfortunately....i just think he is more leery and just doesn't let his guard down and he would get in fights with Oreo before I took Oreo in, but Midnight started showing up at my door first and a couple months later Oreo appeared and Oreo wanted to claim me, the house, the food for himself lol...so I don't think Midnight really started things, but I know he finished them, because Oreo was always in worse shape.  Thats why I don't think i can take Oreo in the house also.  I'm at four cats right now with Oreo and with their history and the fact I'm still dealing with my cats truly accepting Oreo as family...I just don't think it would work....I hate it, but I just don't have a good feeling about it like I did with Oreo.

P.s. I've never trapped or rescued in my life...Oreo and Midnight have been my first :)  I've always donated, but I'm just a person who loves animals and these two I believe were abandoned when the housing bubble burst and the foreclosures came here in Vegas. My neighborhood was just being completed and I think some people had a house built and then the bottom fell out and they walked away from the house and these poor guys, but I'm doing the best I can.

Whew.....a lot of typing  lol

Bad turn :(:(    Midnight seems depressed....I don't know if it's being in a cage in a quiet room all day...he seemed to love it and need it at first....he stretched out and yawned and slept and ate....he ate his treats with the cut up pill in them...it was great!    Last night he only ate one treat with half a pill soI put the other half crushed in his favorite soft food with gravy and he turned his nose up. I left it over night and he didn't touch it.   I turned over his favorite folded blankie to a clean side and cleaned the loose litter from the rest of the cage to maybe make him feel better about it being clean.  I'm very worried about his not eating and getting him his medicine. I put a Meow Mix Chicken and Beef soft cup in there with crushed antibiotic pill. I put it in front of him and he licked his lips, so I was encouraged, then he got up, just stood there for a bit... turned away from me and laid down.   I'm not a vet or animal psychologist and I feel very ignorant and helpless to do what I need to or observe what I should be looking for with him :(   He's known me for over two years...if he's going to respond to anyone it's going to be me....and he's not. :(:(   I may be overreacting and may need to calm down...not eating is really worrying me.

Update!  he ate half of the food cup which had the crushed clavamox pill on top...yea!!!    Now, I'm sure about tomorrow, but I'm thinking of a few small pieces of hot dog with a couple of them having the halves of the pill in them.  I know it's not the greatest for him...just a means to get him started and get the pill down and I'll give him good food.  ?

Well, setback again :(   He wouldnt go for the hot dog or whiskas chicken gravy food which he has loved for the last two years I've fed him. He also wouldnt go for the Temptations naturals chicken treats I put them inside when he first got here and he ate. I think it was the anesthetic and being tired and worn out that he was so easy to help in the beginning. I brought him home from the vet Monday night so its been almost 5 days.  He wants out of the cage. I think he's depressed being in there and it's affecting his appetite. I feel so bad.  He's never gone after me in any way and always been so gentle...I'm so tempted just to let him out of the cage and just be in the room, but I sort of worry about getting in and out of the room without him maybe trying to bolt, but I havent seen anything that would tell me he would try to do that...even though he wants out of the cage..he moves slowly and gently to get out of it and I just slowly close the door. 

 Something inside is telling me to trust him and I think he's hurt that I'm not and I'm maybe ruining a bond if I am to even possibly entertain the idea of integrating him into the house..which would be a lot since I just rescued Oreo in May and he's pretty much settled in with my 3 other kitties, but Oreo and Midnight had a history of figthing outside and Oreo would still growl when he saw him through the glass door sometimes since May, but had gotten much better the more he saw Midnight and the more he got used to me going outside to feed him. I also worry about putting too much on my three that I've raised since kittens and Rams, my only girl, just will never get along with Tigger.. the 3 1/2 old boy cuz he loves to stalk and pounce with her and she hates it.  Tigger also starting peeing on things and I wonder if that was due to him being intimidated by Oreo because he used to rule the house and Oreo is so gentle but big and loud with his meowing. lol

  I have a complex situation on my hands and want to do the right thing for all of us. I just struggle with what that is.  My instincts tell me to trust Midnight, while the humane society lady and vet and everyone tell me keep him in the cage....but they don't look into his eyes like I do....and don't understand I have been his only trust and friend for almost 3 years.

 What should I do about Midnights state of mind and health and is there a possibility of it being the right thing to try to keep him in the house and be part of this family?.....maybe he won't want to be a housecat...he's never come around during the day like Oreo or expressed the desire to be around the house like Oreo who would stay all day on the back porch and lay around with my other kitties and not ever make a move at any of them...maybe Midnight misses and wants to be outside....I'm so confused....first these antibiotics I'm trying to get him to take although hes looking much better and what do ultimately do thats the best thing.  :(:(:(

Thank you so much for the advice.  I followed my gut last night and let him out and he was rubbing and purring on me. He went right to the bedroom door though wanting out of it lol.   I think the antibiotic was making his stomach upset or something so I was suggested a little milk to coat his stomach which he lapped up :)   His face has not shown any swelling coming back and he's on the mend, so I'm just going to forget the antibiotic and if for some reason he regresses, I'll take him to Dr. Fontes for a week long antibiotic shot.  I know he wants to go back to his life outside, but maybe he just needs time to see he could have a better one in this house.  So if I keep him longer it won't compromise his skills for surviving in the neighborhood?? He still has a shaved butt and face but it's going to be in the upper 60s almost 70 next week.   I just want whats best for him. To be healthy and happy.  It just seems he misses his life...he always seemed happy when he came to my back door at night to eat, and hasn't really showed up hurt for the 6 months after I took Oreo in except I noticed his bottom left canine tooth is gone...but not sure when he mightve lost it...could have been gone for years but I never noticed.  I don't want to keep him in the house the rest of his life against his will, but I also want to give him a chance to see if he might like this. 

Oh by the way, I just left the room from visiting him and as I was leaving, Oreo was out in the loft and did his loud rolling meow he always does and I looked back in the room and Midnights eyes were big and then he started to come to the door.  I hope Oreos loud butt didnt upset him...but if hes to be in this house, he's gonne hear it a lot lol

MIDNIGHT :):):)

   OREO :):):):)

FRANK   (8 1/2 yrs old)                                                RAMS     (6 years old)                                                   TIGGER  (3  1/2 yrs old)

THIS IS MY BUNCH!!!   LOL 

Frank is a loving goofball, don't let that serious look fool you lol   These are just the best face shots I have.  Here are more accurate ones,

well, I'm waiting....  lol

  bedroom photo ;)

  no caption needed :)

I need to move this thread away from Stray and Ferals I guess because I"M KEEPING MIDNIGHT!!  :):):):)   Midnight has done SO WELL this last week in his room :)  He purrs and jumps up on the bed with me and lays on me and sleeps and lets me rub and pet him and plays with shoelaces and his catnip cigar....he's let me pick him up twice already and this morning jumped up on a chair I was sitting in and laid on my lap :)   He hardly makes a sound he's so laid back and I've let him out in the loft a couple times and this morning I forgot Tigger was in the other spare bedroom and Midnight saw him and Tigger hissed a little but they were very good!    Midnight then went downstairs for a minute but quickly went back up and Tigger was in his room nosing around lol   Midnight didn't do anything when he saw Tigger in his room..there was some apprehension but is was a very good first meeting :)  I had intended Frank to be the first meeting cat since he's the most easy going, but I was very encouraged by this morning.    My biggest worry is Oreo since his history fighting with Midnight.   I'm gonna take this sloooooooooow lol.    I have to go out of town on March 15th thru 20th and I wonder if I can go slow enough to keep Midnight in his room during that trip...I have a friend who feeds/checks on my babies while I'm gone and I'm going to have them over to meet midnight a couple times before I go.  I just don't think things will be ready for Midnight to be out in the house with everyone while I'm gone.

 Also, when the sanctuary worked on Midnight, I don't know if they tested him for anything and he went pee in one of the other litterboxes in the loft. I've put that box away and will replace it with fresh litter, but do I need to subject Midnight to a carrier ride to the vet for test?? :(:(

Thanks!

Eric