Friendly strays keeps getting sick

A stray I took to the vet a few months ago appears sick again. While at the vet she had a temperature and signs of upper respitory infection, internal worms, wax buildup, and had a root canal for a bad molar tooth. After all that treatment she was doing great, but the cost of it all was tough for me I get a monthly check from SSI and a whole months pay would go to the cats vet bills and then my money is used up. This cat is highly adoptable and should be someone's pet as I cannot constantly pay for all her health needs and she begs to come inside each day, for years.

Now her ears are full of wax again, she has pea sized chunks of brown gunk that leak out of her eyes daily and smell foul, eye looks swollen, feels warm, and this harsh winter hasn't helped her health. I'm not sure what's wrong but after all the treatment last time and she is now sick again I don't know what to do?

I have another stray same good temperament but full of health problems, it's not fair they suffer because rescues and shelters won't take them in and I have tried for. 8 years, yes 8 to get them adopted nobody wants them!

I don't know what to do there health requirements are too expensive now .

I can't remember if you were able to bring them in or not.  If so, that will certainly help with their health issues.  Life is so tough outside, I am not surprised they are getting sick.

I also can't remember if you'd contacted a rescue.  Lots of them will post the cats for adoption as a courtesy, although the cat has to be in good health and ready to go.

Some rescues have emergency funds for unexpected sickness, so that might be a good question to ask when you call.  Thank you for helping them.  I know it takes a lot out of you.

I just saw your other post to the foster group on Long Island.  Good luck - this might be the answer to your prayers. 

I see the post too, and hope that works out for you.

Meantime I can only speak from experience with one sick rescue, Ellie (aka Little Ginger, who has her own thread).  I can sure identify with the vet bills, and bless you for taking the time and money.  From what I've been through with Ellie and talking to her wonderful vet,  the issue stems from being left outside and neglected for a long time, especially in frigid weather, when their immune system is already seriously compromised by an illness like a URI, probably complicated by malnutrition, worms, fleas, maybe wounds etc.   Healthy, well-nourished cats can shake off a URI or other infection pretty quickly with treatment, sometimes even without - especially ferals who typically have great immune systems if they've survived kitten-hood.  But once that immune system is compromised, you have a situation of being constantly susceptible to illness/infection and tough to recover from it, because they no longer have the internal resources to fight it.

and another thought - if yours is a stray not a true feral, she may not have that super-immune system to start with, so she (he?) is disadvantaged from the get go.

Ellie has been inside for more than two months now and been through 2 long-acting antibiotic shots and is currently on follow up oral antibiotics for her deep-seated URI, and finally seems to be in remission.  If you can't afford another vet visit you might you call your vet and ask if you can get follow up antibiotics (Ellie's on orbiflaboxin) which they will likely give you for just the cost of the medication - a fraction of what it costs for a vet visit and shots.  Ellie takes hers in food no problem.  Inside is best, but if you can't get yours in, can you provide a shelter?  Even an old cat carrier with straw inside or a covered basket in a sheltered spot would be better than nothing, especially now the weather is warming up.

Finally with Ellie's URI, she drinks lots of water and likes her canned food with a bit of warm water added, so make sure he/she has plenty to drink.

If you can get your cat healthy, the chances of adoption will be much better.

This cat was born to a feral mother, but the Mom cat was very smart and came around daily to visit so she had good food intake and came around when I was outside! So this cat since able to explore has known me and as a kitten I was able to feed her by hand turkey and she came up to me no fear even though I couldn't touch Mom. To get her spayed she walked into the cat carrier with no fuss and spent a week inside someone's house until
healed from surgery. She had 2 siblings both vanished and never found out what happened. The one I have now was the healthiest, but she was not raised feral she was raised around people so she is a just like a house cat which is confusing to her as she wants to be around me all the time but I'm inside and if I let her she will come in and make herself comfortable on the couch and sleep for hours. I have 2 dog houses outside lined with layers of straw, the inside stays dry no matter what the weather, this cat doesn't go in she sits on the back steps of if the weather gets severe she leaves the property and finds some other yard that has better hiding spot which upsets me because I can't keep track of her.

I give them the best food and clean water and brush them and they get flea treatment, it's the years I couldn't afford vet treatment that allowed their medical problems to get worse and the fact they live outside and that made it hard to get them constant treatment unlike an indoor cat you can get into vet anytime.

My other stray was abandoned and was someone's pet so he too wants to just come inside, it's not fair

The antibiotics given was a shot, not oral antibiotics. That means I have to bring her in again to get new medicine, they won't give anything out unless they see the patient.

This is photos of the cats past summer perfectly healthy, with vet care they would be just fine that's all they need. The top one is the cat born here, bottom was one abandoned.
http://smg.photobucket.com/user/keithpetrosky/media/Cats/Buttons_zps91350c1a.jpg.html

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/keithpetrosky/media/Cats/MrB_zpsd97f3ca9.jpg.html