Feral cat limping

I care for a colony of 15.  All but 1 wiley Tom have been TNR.  One of my older cats, Old Man was gone for a couple days, came back yesterday and I noticed he is limping.  He is trying to not put any weight on his front paw.  I tried for hours and hours today to trap him, since I actually found a vet I could bring him in to.  He actually laid in front of the trap (he was under a loading dock, the trap was right outside it) and took a nap.  To say I am worried about him is an understatement, do any of you have any input, advice on what I can do.  I will continue to try and trap him, but its not looking so good.

I've had one or two cats like that. It's hard to say whether it is a strain/sprain or break. If he is truly not putting ANY weight on it, even when eating, then I think it's more likely a break, and your instinct to take him to the vets is correct. (But if a break, are you prepared to foster him while the limb is healing? Just a thought.)
OTOH, if it is a sprain or even arthritis, the affected muscle will likely heal on its own.
In the case of arthritis, you can give your cat(s) glucosamine complex. I sprinkled it on "Twiddledee"s food, and he ate it right up. Twiddledee's limp is probably arthritis based on an xray, limp comes and goes.
Good luck, and vibes that you can trap him. Though I would also keep in mind that depending on his personality, he might freak out in a trap and further injure the paw.

I think just a strain. I hope so anyway. Talked to a colony caretaker whose colony is close to mine. 3 minute car ride. We seem to share cats! He saw him the days he was missing from my area. He was limping then. He actually feeds on a fire escape! So I'm thinking if OldMan can make it between both areas, its probably not broken. He totally ignored the trap all day, he actually took a nap in front of it! I will probably try again to get him, just to have him checked, but I am worried about the stress of the trap. So very frustrating. I so want to help him.

Yeah, I feel your pain. A new cat came to the colony the other day, obviously in need of a vet--wheezing, fur horrible condition (can't tell if he is emaciated), something reddish under his eyes. I'm hoping to see him again so I can better assess what's going on with him. I think he was dumped, formerly owned. Sweet face: none of these cats deserve being abandoned, dumped, sick. (I live 30 minutes from the colony--I moved about 18 months ago but still feed the colony on the weekends, a co-caretaker feeds them twice a week.)

Several years ago, one of my indoor cats sprained his hip somehow. He yowled about it all night and I took him to an ER vet very early in the AM. There's really not much you can do for a sprain, it has to heal on its own. The vet gave him pain meds that doped him up enough to remain inactive for a week until it healed. My feral, Mia, was shot months before I met her and took her in, and the bullet broke her leg. The leg healed, but a bit crooked, so she walks with a swagger. Somehow she managed to survive as a feral with a broken leg. These types of injuries can heal on their own. If the limp is caused by a wound or imbedded object on the foot or leg, however, that could be a much more tricky situation. Have you been able to get close enough to see if there's a wound causing the limp?

i cant get too close. I see no blood but can't get a look to see the bottom of the paw. He is eating and drinking and sleeping a lot. He is the oldest cat at the colony and always looks after the young ones. I am so happy to say, they seem to be guarding him. I was a bit surprised to see that. Do you notice this behavior in your colonies?

Ritz, It is so appalling that people dump and abandon pets. A month ago a gorgeous black cat showed up at the colony. He was definetly a pet at one time, as he came right over to me. He talked to me and let me pet him. He had an injury to his paw as well. This injury was on the front of his paw, fur was missing and it looked raw. I trapped him they neutered him and treated hid paw. He had an old healed fracture and the paw had an abscess. They drained the abscess and gave convenia. He was aldo missing teeth and very beat up. When I got him back from the clinic, I could not put him back with the colony. They were fighting him. My sister fostered him for a week. At clinic he also got URI. There is a happy ending here. My nephew's tutor met him, fell in love and took him home. He's been back to vet and severe URI as well as numerous injuries from fights and periodontal disease. On antibiotics and pain killers and doing well. Poor boy, all that suffering because of an irresponsible human!

Joglass, it's very encouraging that he is still eating and drinking well.  When cats are really in pain or ill, they will often lose their appetites, so he must not be feeling too badly. Luckily, my neighbor and I managed to avoid having a cat colony last summer by trapping, fixing, and adopting 5 young ferals. My one remaining outdoor feral, Muffin (who I unfortunately have not been able to trap to neuter), took care of his offspring last summer and brought them to me to feed. He was VERY protective of them, and stood guard while they ate. He seemed to really love and care  for his offspring until my neighbor and I adopted them and brought them inside. As long as cats are not in competition for food, cat families will usually get along and care for one another. They will, however, generally chase away intruders who are not part of the "clan." My two elderly indoor domesticated cats are very close and take care of each other when one is not feeling well, so I think that cats in general, contrary to the bad rap they get for being independent and "aloof," are capable of caring very deeply for one another and their humans.