NEED HELP NOW!

To start off with, the house has four humans (me, RB, IB, and AWM) and six cats (Momma, Princess, Ra, Spot, Asia, and Slipper). IB, my well-intentioned but utterly brainless brother noted that his best friend, who lives in Augusta, has a problem. Someone dumped a cat whose front claws have been removed on his street. IB, in a move of compassion and stupidity, brought the cat here. 

Here's the cat. 
It's starting fights with out babies, my other brother (RB) thinks its in heat, and the SPCA has a waiting list a mile long. It can't stay here! What do I do?

You should isolate it in a separate room like a spare bedroom or a bathroom.  Cats need to be slowly introduced to get along, so there isn't a point in doing this if you guys aren't keeping the cat.  It is also important to keep the cat separated from your other cats because it might have worms, fleas, or other diseases.  

Can you call around to see if there are any other no-kill shelters in your area?  Is anyone willing to pay for this cat to see a vet?  I think that it was very kind of your brother to take the poor kitty in.  I'm sorry that it caused problems with your other cats, but they should really be separated anyways (in a safe room with its own litter box, food and water).  Does the cat seem sick at all?  What is your brother planning to do with the cat?

Agree. This kitty needs to be separated. I also want to state that it is very likely that this kitty is spayed if she is declawed.

I would also have he checked for a microchip in the event she is lost.

We can't afford  to take it to a vet, and I don't know if there are any other no-kill shelters in the area. I don't think he had a plan, actually. He just felt sorry for the cat. 

You should definitely do a quick google search to look for No-kill shelters.  At my local shelter, it is free to turn in strays.  If you feel comfortable sharing your location, we can help you look for one.  Otherwise, searching for one yourself is the best route to go if you can't afford to keep it.  Is it being isolated now?

Even if the SPCA shelter doesn't have space, they can check it for a chip.

Also, your brother decided to take this cat in, financially he's the one responsible. And what about the friend of your brother who found it in the first place? Could he contribute something to vet bills?

Margret

The cat is indeed isolated now. My brother's friend has two cats, a rabbit, and four parakeets. His wife is also expecting a fifth child (personally, I think she's carrying twins), and he simply can't afford another mouth either. Did I mention that IB's brain seems to have gone on vacation? He's planning to leave the state in the beginning of January, but he's not planning on taking the new cat with him. We've got  to get rid of it. And, we live in Aiken, SC if that helps. The only no-kill shelter I can find is the SPCA, but like I said, they have a waiting list. 

One more thing: I've never been around a declawed cat before; are their front paws supposed to look floppy, as if they don't have enough bone?

I've never been around a declawed cat, either (at least I wasn't aware of it at the time), but considering what's involved in declawing, that is what I would expect.

Poor baby. No wonder she feels hostile.

I really don't know what to suggest for you. I understand that you wouldn't have volunteered to take this cat in on your own, but now that you have her you'd feel bad about sending her to a kill shelter.

Here in Denver, one of the local television stations has a weekly Adopt-a-Pet segment on the news. Is there anything like that in Aiken? And, have you tried checking her for a chip yet? She may actually be a beloved pet, of seriously misguided people. The ASPCA shelter should be willing to check her for you, for free. It's worth a shot.

Margret

The SPCA, and the attached clinic, are closed until the 30th. I'd really like to get rid of it before then, but the only place that might  take her in is the local animal shelter, and they have a two week care policy before euthanasia. (I can't blame them; they've got an insane number of animals from farms, homes, and other counties that have been dropping the critters off here. None of our local news stations have an Adopt-a-pet segment--do you think there might be a local vet that will check it for free?

And I'm not sure the thing came from a loving home. It's hard to tell from the photo, but its all skin and bones and the fur is excessively coarse. More so than normal cat fur variances.

Poor thing. It might be lost; people who declaw have a vested interest in their cats, or, SHOULD. Yes, the paws will look floppy. No wonder it's starving. Does your area have a "lost found" Facebook page?

Can anyone in that area foster her? If she is in fact declawed, she might be a good fit for a senior etc. This cat will not survive on her own, poor thing. Thank you for at least taking her off the streets for the moment.

Is this place a possibility?

http://csrahumanesociety.org/about/

You can always try driving there with the cat and say you just happened to find it that day, or that a friend who lives in Augusta found her. They claim to be no kill, but even no kills euthanize cats. Being declawed, she may find a home faster I would hope.

You never know if a cat has a home or not by looking at her. There are cats that have been lost for years and were found and brought back to their owners. One cat was missing for 13 years and was so sick that he would have been euthanized, if not for the microchip.

Please check for a microchip, as a first step. Any vet's office will scan her for free, for you.

Vets should scan for free; call first to be certain. Even the local kill shelter should be happy to check for you. It's not like they kill animals for the fun of it; anything that might get an animal homed is in their interest.

Margret

Also check your local cat rescues.  They will often go the extra mile and take a cat even when their resources are stretched to avoid it going to a kill shelter. 

Thank you for your help. I'll start calling tomorrow when everything is open to see if I can get her scanned for a chip. I think it must be a pet; once it had a steady supply of food and no competition for it, the cat's mood improved a lot and she's a real friendly thing now. Poor thing. I hope I can get her back home again.

Okay, new problem. When the Clawless One first arrived she ate on her own. Now  she won't eat unless someone's petting her at the same time. Why? Is this indicative of a problem?

Some animals are just very social. Or she might want you to reassure her that she's safe by sitting with her while she eats. She's completely out of her comfort zone, and she may be scared of your other cats. Cats in the wild get territorial, so she might be scared to put her head down and eat, in fear that another cat will sneak up on her.

So--is she going to learn she's safe eating? I mean, she's isolated from the other kitties, and they haven't seen each other in days--maybe she's hearing them and it freaks her out?

At the animal shelter that I used to volunteer at, there used to be signs that said "social eater".  If we noticed that a cat would only eat or eat more when someone's interacting with them, then we would put up the sign in front of its cage so people would know and get it to eat.  It might just be how the cat is.    

My two cats wait to eat until the other cat is eating. If one walks away from the bowls the other will take a last bite and leave too. I think social eating must be a thing. This cat must do the same but with human attention.