I need help please! my cat is acting very ill and having a few problems!!!

Hi, my name is Virginia and I am new to this forum but I am in desperate need of some advice. I have been caring for this outside cat for about 2 years now. He is a Tom and has quite a few "battle scars" but he has never acted like this before. He is fed everyday once in the morning and once in the evening but he has been losing weight it seems. His belly feels full and round but his back is so skinny and you can feel his hips and spine very easily and he's never been this way. He's always been really stout and muscular. He's losing a lot of fur and just acting strange and ill. I'm so worried about him but I honestly don't have the money to take him to a vet as I'm a single mother have a very fixed income. He's also been weak as far as his jumping and such. He is an outside cat but every now and then he comes in to relax for a little while then he wants back out. And lately he has been staying gone a lot. He used to always be on my porch like it was his territory. There's been a few times recently I was worried that he was dead because he wouldn't even come when I took the food out. I've got him in right now to see if I can notice anything else about him that's different.

Also, on a side note... He has always had really big cheeks. But now since he is losing weight they feel funny and kinda lumpy and they are slightly sagging. It's definitely different than normal and I have no idea if it has anything to do with the way he is acting. But there is no abscess or scratch or anything to let it drain if it is an infection.

I apologize for rambling but I'm very worried. My daughter and I have always liked this cat and he is very sweet for a stray Tom.


If there is any advice you can give me to help him now I really would appreciate it all. I'm going to try to start saving up money just in case I need to make an emergency vet trip with him.


Thank you for viewing my post!:chescat:

Hi;

I don't know what area you are in but there are some places that can help with vet bills. There are also some organizations that will assist in getting this cat neutered, which needs to happen. Some of these places will do so for free and also test for FELV/FIV as well. So just let us know a general area you are in.

There is also a section in the site on what to do if you don't have money to take a cat to the vet.

There could be so many things wrong with him. There is no point in my trying to guess because it won't help you at all. It would just be useless to try.

There is no over the counter or prescription medication that you could give him, and people medications will kill him. Any over the counter wormers or even flea medications could also kill him due to his debilitated state. Some of the over the counter products could kill a healthy cat.

For now until you read the rest of the site and get advice on helping him get to a vet, keep him inside. Because it won't be long till you no longer see him if you let him out. Cats have a way of disappearing when they are ill. And, it sounds like he is not feeling well at all.

Sorry this isn't much help, but really I don't know what else can be done from here.

Let us know where you are. Make sure to offer fresh water.

If you can afford it, I would schedule a vet visit and in addition to the exam, evaluate him for neutering.