Help me catch a feral cat who needs medical attention

Dear friends - Jerry and his littermates (now 9-10 months old) eat and sleep in our garage. He has been injured (I think one of the male cats in the neighborhood bit him on the hind leg). It is very pus-y, and he cannot put weight on it. All my attempts to trap him have failed. I have, however, managed to catch three other cats, and a squirrel!

He will take food from me. I've been giving him canned food mixed with Clavamox left over from a prescription for a cat who passed away.

What I want is a sedative I can put in his food, that would make him pass out so I can grab him. Of course, vets won't prescribe without seeing the cat, but if I could grab him to take to a vet, I wouldn't need the drug!

What can I do? Any suggestions? He is unusually resilient, but this requires medical intervention.

Thank you,

Marf

Thank you for taking care of the cats.

Some sedatives actually have the opposite reaction, they can make the cat hyper.  It depends on the cat.  That said, if you have a good relationship with your vet, I'd call him and discuss the situation.  He may go ahead and prescribe a sedative.

You might also dose his food with Rescue Remedy; this natural supplement can relax a cat.

What methods have you used to trap him?  Can you withhold food from him, so that he is so hungry he'll go into the trap?  Do you have access to a drop trap?

Thank you, Ritz and Cindy!

I will email my vet and ask him. He is very good and understanding. We've been good customers to them (=spending lots of money at the clinic, LOL).

We used a trap that my husband borrowed from a friend who works in removing live critters from people's attics. It's a long rectangle of bars. We put a bowl of food at the far end (using a gripper tool). When the cat or rodent steps on the "trigger bar", the door slams shut.

Unfortunately I cannot deny him food because there are 5 or 6 cats that we feed in the garage. He has his favorite spot - a homemade "futon" made of boxes covered with blankets. We wash the pus off the blankets every couple of days. He's a good boy and a timid cat - he wouldn't have instigated a fight. He usually hides behind his sisters.

Okay, I'm familiar with that type of trap, the kind that is highly recommended.

Have you trapped cats before?  If not, we have lots of posters who have lots of experience, need some tips/hints? 

I have been in a situation where I had to feed five or six cats (in front of a dumpster, aka Cindy's Restaurant), and shoo away the one cat I wanted to trap.  I did so successfully. 

I'd also ask the vet for treatment recommendations--does the antibiotic seem to be working?

I assume you can't pick him up... (that would be too easy!)