Outside cat has some terrible looking injuries . . what's happening to this cat?

A few months ago I noticed a cat kept coming into my yard, it seemed to enjoy walking alongside the fence and getting my dogs all riled up . . as I kept noticing it coming back I started to leave water out for it and at times food (ya I know, now it'll never get a job) 

a couple of months ago I noticed this really deep looking wound . . today I was coming home from a trip to get some coffee and from out of the shadows I had heard  that familiar meow. This time I noticed another instance of the same type of wound only more aggravated. I brought the cat inside to apply aloe vera (no . . I didn't check a single resource to see if this was okay or effective . . hopefully common sense prevails)

Attached are two pictures, one being a close-up and another picture to show the severity of this  . . I did notice this cat along with another cat I had never seen before playing in my drive-way earlier today . . may of been mating or fighting, I'm not going to assume it was violence though because they both ran the same way when I walked outside and regrouped at a safe distance (perhaps this cat is trying to impress the other cat by showing it's not down with the humans)



Please share insight, perspective and advice. The shelter here is a kill shelter and I don't like this cats chances there so that's out of the question 

Well what a lot of people do for semi feral or ferals they help is a trap, neuter, and release.  This makes it so they won't be able to breed and won't be getting ugly wounds any longer from fights over breeding rights.  They give them their vaccinations.  And then you just release them when they are ready to be released.  If you're OK with putting food and water out for him/her then they will probably be fine being an outdoor kitty. 

They look like cat bites from fighting. As @P3 and The King  said, getting the cat neutered will stop him being involved in fights and getting other wounds like this. If you can, take him to a vet. They will be able to give him a shot of long lasting antibiotics that will clear up any infections as well as neutering, treating for worms and fleas and vaccinating. If you can find a vet that treats feral cats they'll do the whole lot cheaper than a regular vet will.

Lots of us feed outdoor cats. If your happy to keep providing food and water and some kind of shelter for him you'll have one happy kitty.

In the States, this is what a trap-neuter-release is... It's not taking responsibility for the cat.  It is just trying to keep the pet population down and disease control.  Cats left intact are vulnerable to many STD's. 

The eye thing is common.  It's called odd eyed. 

Please don't do Craigslist.  Many shady people out there.  Many horror stories in the States about Craigslisted animals.  They are used as bait animals, used for "rituals" and often killed.  This cat probably isn't a good candidate for pet hood.  He looks roughed up. The cat would be happiest just to be taken care of (neutered) and then released.  If you wanted to continue feeding him, it would be best for him.  But you don't have to.  Cats are always self sustaining.  But, it's not like a wild animal.  Feral cats lead a very unhappy and cruel life and any kindness they do get is wonderful to them.  So you are not making him dependent on you by any means.  You are just like an angel to him is all.  Please reconsider.  I think the Craigslist thing is a bad mistake and would do more harm than good for this cat.

I notice another cat in the picture. . .if you have a pet cat, you really ought to have him tested for Feline Leukemia Virus before allowing him near your cat, or to share food/water dishes or a litterbox. Tomcats are at high risk for FeLV because of their fighting and mating. Don't want to put your cat at risk.

I agree that his life would be 1000% better if you had him neutered and vaccinated. He may move on to another food source at some point but at least he would fight less and be protected against some diseases. There may be some organizations in the area that will help with this.

But yeah, bites near the base of the tail are common in tomcat fights. I don't even know why they target that area, but it is common. Keep an eye on those wounds; if they stay open and draining they shouldn't be a problem, but if the infection causes an abscess he may need medical attention.

Willowy said:

I notice another cat in the picture. . .if you have a pet cat, you really ought to have him tested for Feline Leukemia Virus before allowing him near your cat, or to share food/water dishes or a litterbox. Tomcats are at high risk for FeLV because of their fighting and mating. Don't want to put your cat at risk.

I agree that his life would be 1000% better if you had him neutered and vaccinated. He may move on to another food source at some point but at least he would fight less and be protected against some diseases. There may be some organizations in the area that will help with this.

But yeah, bites near the base of the tail are common in tomcat fights. I don't even know why they target that area, but it is common. Keep an eye on those wounds; if they stay open and draining they shouldn't be a problem, but if the infection causes an abscess he may need medical attention.

Click to expand...

It's a good thing I posted this because I would not have known that cats carry easily communicable diseases like that 

Also it seems like the general consensus is that this came from fighting . . if that's the case cats are very vicious animals, the wounds look like bullet wounds 

My cat (cat #2 from the previous thread) came up to greet this odd-eyed character when I went close to it but for the most part she kept her distance and just stared at it . . hopefully she's alright but I'll definitely make sure that they don't come in contact anymore. I only brought it in to put ointment on the wounds but I couldn't let it stay because I have a bird . . 

interestingly, I have a very small dog (not much bigger than a guinea pig) and when this cat came into contact it put it's paw on top of my dogs neck . . first it looked affectionate and then a bit threatening as if this cat was toying with my dog (my dog is a shame to dogs everywhere, can't even make a real barking sound . . instead it makes noises that sound like a squeeky toy so the cat must've been bewildered to hear these kind of noises from such a strange creatures