Picked Up a Sick Feral and I Don't Know What to Do!

I had been feeding this guy for a while and then he just disappeared one day. I found him a few minutes ago. He is really sick! His eyes and nose were covered in mucus and he is really thin. Furthermore, he has allowed me to approach, touch him and even pick him up. He's never let me do that before! I have taken him inside and placed him in a crate with some food and water. I also wiped his face as best as I could. He's drinking a little but he is really weak.

I'm at a loss at what to do. I can't afford to take this poor guy into the vet. I know he needs antibiotics badly if he's going to stand a chance but I simply can't afford it! Rent is coming up and I have been pretty sick myself which really took a chunk out of my expenses. I just can't let him go outside either. I really need help.

Just adding a PS. I am not begging anyone for money. (Though that wouldn't hurt) I am mostly looking for advice on how to make my fuzzy friend a bit more comfortable. I think he has a bad upper respiratory infection. I want to try and see if there are any home remedies I can try. I'm willing to do anything at this point to help him breathe easier as long as it is safe for cats. 

Poor little guy, it sounds as if he's got something nasty.

It's really important that he eats. One thing you could try is some cooked chicken, blended into a broth. If he won't lap it you could try syringe feeding him. You need to get a large syringe without the needle and squirt a little of the broth into the corner of his mouth. The easiest way to do this is to sit with him on your lap, his head facing away from you, and lift his head with one hand while you squirt the food into the corner of his mouth. Go slowly so he doesn't choke.

Steam helps cats to breath a bit easier. Turn the shower on so that the bathroom gets all steamy then put his carrier in there so he can inhale the warm, damp air. Just try for ten minutes or so and see if that helps.

Have you tried calling the Humane Society or other animal shelters in your area? They'll often have vets who'll treat sick animals at a discounted price. Otherwise a regular vet might treat him cheaply if you tell them he's a stray you're trying to help.

Thank you for helping him.

Thanks for responding!

Yeah. I am going to make sure he gets something into his stomach tomorrow. I tried giving him a canned cat food that was strong smelling and had sardines in it, but he's not interested in it very much. I'm going to pick up some chicken broth (Would the salt content be too high?) and some gatorade (The vet recommended that last time). I have some syringes from when I was caring for Rogue. A sick feral kitten who somehow beat the odds and became my cat. I will also be mixing some Lysine into the broth for an immune system boost. The steam will help him too I think. I just hope it isn't too late for the little guy. Of all the times to come to me, why at the end of the month kitty lol.

Plain chicken broth would be better for him. Just get a wing or breast or whatever, boil it in unsalted water then put the meat and a little of the water you cooked it in through a blender. Let it cool before you feed it to him.

A few other tips, if he has a runny nose it will be difficult for him to put his head down to eat so try elevating his bowl to head height. His whiskers will be really sensitive so offer him food on a wide, flat dish rather than a bowl. If he whiskers touch the side he'll feel uncomfortable and stop eating.

These thing invariably happen on holidays or when you're right at the end of your pay check, don't they? 

They sure do. It's just my kind of luck. >.<

I'll make sure to cook the chicken and blend it good then. Might even have some on hand. (haven't really gone grocery shopping yet) thanks again for the advice!

Would bathing him be a good idea? I don't like the idea of getting him wet at this time, but he really stinks! My nose is plugged half the time and even I can tell he smells.

No, I wouldn't bathe him while he's sick. It will lower his body temperature and stress him out and if he gets any water up his nose it could make his cold a lot more serious. Sick cats do smell odd, so unless he's really stinky or obviously dirty (covered in poop or something) just leave him.

You could try wiping him over with a warm, damp hand towel to get rid of any mucus or dirt on him.

That is very true and I do have some cat wipes that I can clean him up with. I am smacking myself in the head since the wipes are right here in front of me. I can use a rag for his face and try cleaning him with the wipes too. He probably needs a bit of both.

Probably most likely going to have to either thoroughly disinfect the crate or throw it away since I don't know if his infection is the result of a virus or not. Either way, I am sure he is very contagious and Rogue is going to be spending a lot of time in my room until this is over.

Would anyone also happen to know in the Anaheim area where I could find someone who would be willing to help sick ferals? I'm looking at my local shelters, but I'm willing to consider other options too.

I would also call your local vets and see what they suggest, if not help

Thanks for helping the little guy. Keep us posted

I went to my local shelter and they suggested an allergy medicine that I picked up at the store. I grabbed some gatorade and some broth. I cut the pill in half, mixed it with the gatorade and gave it to him. He HATED it. Gagging and spitting as much as he can poor guy. If it manages to do him some good, I'll mix it with the broth next time. It is a chlorpheniramine.

Now he is sleeping. His breathing is sort of ragged. I'm going to try and feed him the broth later and do the steam treatment. I hope he pulls through.

Sad developments guys. I am trying to give him syringe fulls of water mixed with Gatorade because he is severely dehydrated, but that is when I noticed that his saliva is really thick and he is bleeding from his nose. It breaks my heart to consider it but I am thinking of taking my friend in to be put to sleep. Blood coming out of the nose is never a good thing. It may be because of the antihistamine I gave him so I am going to keep monitoring him, but he really isn't looking good and it pains me to see him struggle like this.

I am going to keep slowly giving him syringes of water every two hours or so. He desperately needs fluids. Feeling pretty depressed.

Any luck finding a vet yet? It sounds like he needs to be seen as soon as possible. Does you vet insist on payment up front? If you explain that it's an emergency they may let you pay by instalments or wait until you can raise the money.

I have been calling vets but they want their money up front and I simply don't have anything to give. I spent my last twenty on the gatorade, broth and antihistamine. I know he needs intravenous fluids and I have no idea how I'm going to pay for that. I'm thinking of maybe trying to start a "fund me" thing.

One emergency place was willing to look at him as long as I relinquished him. When I pressed further, they said it was a likely possibility that they would just put him down. I know I'm asking a lot given my financial situation but I'd like to give him at least a fighting chance.

That doesn't sound good. I can understand it if the cat is terminally ill, but if it's something he can recover from you want to give him a chance.

A Go Fund me account is a good idea, but it will take time and if vets want the money up front it means he'll have to struggle on his own until you've got some donations.

Have you tried the Humane Society? Any friends or neighbours you could go to for a loan?

An emergency clinic is going to give my information to a feral rescue organization that will come by and take him to the vet for me. I don't know if they will come for him tonight, but I can watch over him until they contact me. I feel like I have some hope. I have been giving him about 5ML or fluids every two hours or so. I don't want to risk forcing more on him because I don't want him to choke. Poor guy acts like he wants to drink from the bowl I give him, but he can't for some reason. I left a shallow dish of broth in the crate, and I'll see if he goes for it.

That's good! Don't give up hope. I once had a feral cat that had a bad case of 'flu, he was limp and drooling by the time I was able to catch him and take him to the vet, but he pulled through.

Vibes that your boy recovers from this soon.

After trying to give him fluids all night, I found even more blood oozing from his nose. I called the vet that referred me to this shelter group only to find that they don't do pick ups. Frustrated and desperate, I broke down on the phone calling my animal shelter who THEY were kind enough to send an officer to come get him and bring him in for medical attention. The officer suspects with all of the blood that he may have been hit by a car and might have internal damage. I have been left with a card with his number and the cat's (I had named him Tarzan a while back) identification. code. I will be calling in a few hours to check on his progress. I'm kicking myself. I had no idea he was in so much pain or that he was bleeding so much. It only started to get really bad last night.

Poor Tarzan. I really wish there was more I could do.