Injured feral - treat or PTS?

tinyshelper · Mar 17, 2017

Large male adult feral. He's had a bad limp for the last 3 weeks and recently was burned or scraped really bad and had all the hair on one side of his chest and neck ripped/burned off. The skin is bright red underneath. I finally trapped him last night and either a cyst burst or he ripped out a claw because his foot is bleeding everywhere. His back fur is full of oil or grease and dirt and he's been absolutely filthy for the last month.

I understand that's all treatable but there are some complications.

1 - The other two ferals have disappeared in the last two weeks. No sign of them at all and they were previously coming to both meals twice a day regularly. One of the ferals was related to this guy and they traveled together and now he is alone. He cries on stop, literally moans and cries as he roams, since his friend disappeared.

2 - we live in suburban area right between two highways in a neighborhood that is steadily declining. More and more party or frat type households are coming in and I worry for his safety. Paintballs or BB guns or poisions.

3 - once I release him I don't think I'll ever be able to catch him again. It took over a month to get him this time and he's a smart boy.

4 - I don't have a lot of money. I'll be able to throw a couple hundred at his treatment, but I don't think it'll be enough.

At what point do you decide that he won't be able to take care of himself? And when do you decide to put him out of his misery?

shadowsrescue · Mar 17, 2017

Since you have him, why not take him to the vet and see what they say. He most likely will need to be cared for and need to stay inside. Once he is healed maybe you can choose to keep him inside instead of releasing him again. There is no way in his condition that he can be released right now. If you have or could borrow a large dog crate, it might be a good place to keep him while he heals.

I would get him to the vet ASAP and see what they think.

tinyshelper · Mar 17, 2017

Well I ended up taking him in. They're going to neuture him and clean him up. It doesn't look like any of his injuries are very severe so well give him a fighting chance.

shadowsrescue · Mar 17, 2017

I am glad he will be ok and that he is getting neutered. If the other two ferals return it is very important that you get them neutered as well. If not they will just continue to fight and reproduce. If you cannot afford to have this done, call rescue groups in your area to see if they can help. Also there are often low cost spay/neuter clinics available. If you call them so will offer vouchers for free or discounted rates.

When you feed the feral cats, it makes them strong and healthy so they are able to reproduce. The kindest thing to do is to be sure they are all spayed/neutered and then continue to care for them with food/water and shelter.

tinyshelper · Mar 17, 2017

Thanks and I will.

StefanZ · Mar 17, 2017

tinyshelper said:
Well I ended up taking him in. They're going to neuture him and clean him up. It doesn't look like any of his injuries are very severe so well give him a fighting chance.

Swell! There is one extra good point of such. When you do take care of a injured or sick ferale, and he knows he is sick - there is a strong tendency the Window of easy socialization opens up again. Ie, IF he survives his injuries and damages - which you and the vet thinks he will, as the vet bothers to neuter him - and you are helping him through his convalescence - the chance is pretty good when he is healthy again, he is also socialized. At least to you, his caretaker...

And thus the probleme of releasing him disappears. The only problem left will be, if you can and want adopt him. but I suspect you are willing.

tinyshelper · Mar 17, 2017

They neutured him, gave him shots, and lime dipped him for ring worm. They shot him full of antibiotics. He's absolutely furious and freaking out.

Here's hoping for a calmer tomorrow

IMG_3529.JPG

tinyshelper
Mar 17, 2017

tabbytom · Mar 17, 2017

tinyshelper said:
Well I ended up taking him in. They're going to neuture him and clean him up. It doesn't look like any of his injuries are very severe so well give him a fighting chance.

Fantastic! The kitty will love you for what you are doing for him :clap:

Norachan · Mar 17, 2017

Thank you so much for everything you've done for him.

I take in feral cats too and some of mine were in a dreadful state when I first found them.

He's furious now, because he is in a strange place and in pain from his injuries, but in a few days he will start to calm down. Things will get better!

Please keep us posted.

StefanZ · Mar 17, 2017

Cover the cage with some blanket, so tis more as a nice hidey hole. You can have some calming harp classical music on. there are surely such on youtube.

msaimee · Mar 18, 2017

Can you ask the vet for a few days of pain meds for him? He is likely having discomfort from the neuter and his injuries. Also the rabies shot can make cats feel miserable for a day. In a few days,when he's healed up, you can decide whether or not to release him back outside. Many adult feral males don't adjust to life indoors and find it very stressful, and it's best to care for them outdoors. It's wonderful that you're taking care of him

tinyshelper · Mar 18, 2017

IMG_3538.JPG

tinyshelper
Mar 18, 2017

Soo this happened today. It goes to show you can never tell a true feral from a terrified house cat. He's covered in ringworm so I'm sure I'll be fighting it myself soon enough. He climbed in my lap right after the picture and rumble purred.

The vet didn't wash him like I asked them to so he's still filthy. Should i give him time to settle down/heal before bathing him myself? Or do it asap? He was lime dipped at the vet and I bought some Bandixx to wipe his wounds down with until he's healed.

nansiludie · Mar 18, 2017

tinyshelper said:
Soo this happened today. It goes to show you can never tell a true feral from a terrified house cat. He's covered in ringworm so I'm sure I'll be fighting it myself soon enough. He climbed in my lap right after the picture and rumble purred.

The vet didn't wash him like I asked them to so he's still filthy. Should i give him time to settle down/heal before bathing him myself? Or do it asap? He was lime dipped at the vet and I bought some Bandixx to wipe his wounds down with until he's healed.

No, do not bathe him. Its not good for the surgical site to get wet. Maybe you can wipe him down with a warm washcloth? He sure looks like a handsome fella, especially so once his fur comes in and his scrapes heal up.

tabbytom · Mar 18, 2017

tinyshelper said:
Soo this happened today. It goes to show you can never tell a true feral from a terrified house cat. He climbed in my lap right after the picture and rumble purred.

[/quote]
He could well be a house cat once and was abandoned. By climbing up to you and purring in such a short period will be most likely he was owned before. He has shown trust in you by that action and the bonding between the two of you will be strong and road to recovery will be good which is he's better off inside than outside.

Keep up the good work and never let him loose his trust in you.

Hope that the ringworm will be gone soon. Here's a link from a member when her cats were diagnosed with ringworm and how she managed the symptoms:-

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/210789/6-things-i-learned-from-our-ringworm-plague-book-length

Do keep us posted ;)

Norachan · Mar 18, 2017

That's wonderful! He looks so much happier in that second picture.

Like @nansiludie said, it's not a good idea to bathe him, but if you get a warm damp washcloth and use that to pet him with it will clean up his fur. Once he's settled and comfortable he will start grooming himself properly. It's hard for cats to keep themselves in good condition when they're outside, but they look a lot better after a week or so indoors.

What were the extent of his injuries? Was it just the ringworm and the injured foot?

Thank you for saving him.

tinyshelper · Mar 18, 2017

Actually the vet wasn't the best and I didn't get any aftercare or diagnosis info. I took him to a low cost urban vet that is pretty much slammed 8am to 9pm, so I kind of understand. And the staff shift change happens mid day so none of the staff or vet were the same when I picked him up. I'll have to call Monday to ask. I don't know if I need to take him to get stitches out or anything.

It looks like his foot has been broken. His nails are all splintered or smashed on one front foot. All his foot pads are raw on both front feet and one back foot. He can't see very well and hisses and spits when he hears us come inside but once we start talking to him he starts trying to meow instead. He's very underweight and I can feel his ribs and backbone. He's missing one lower canine that i can tell. The black stuff all over his tail and back is car oil I think. I'm hoping dish soap will get it out once I can bathe him.

Here's a Facebook video, I don't know if I'm linking it right though.

Willowy · Mar 18, 2017

He may have been clipped by a car. Shredded claws and scraped pads are a common sign of a near miss on the road, because the cat scrambles to get away and their feet get torn up on the pavement

. And the missing fur could have been from road rash if he got clipped and tumbled. Poor guy. He's had a rough time of it.

Yeah, he must have been a pet at one point because ferals don't warm up that quickly.

Neuters don't usually use stitches that need to be removed. I've never heard of it being done anyway. If he does have removeable stitches, you'd be able to see them back there. If he lets you look that close

.

tabbytom · Mar 18, 2017

So he has been treated for his injuries?

Thank you again for taking him in and giving him medical care. With the right environment and care, he should heal faster.

Give him wet food to eat. It's proteins and not carbs. He needs proteins to grow.

tinyshelper · Mar 18, 2017

Yeah he's been to the vet but a not very good one. He was neutered, give a line dip, and got his shots. The skin scraping came back saying ringworm. They gave him an antibiotic shot. I used the last space on my CareCredit card though so I'll have to wait until I can scrape up more money to take him somewhere else. I'm treating his surface wounds with Bandixx. That's the best I can do right now. I bought the Tractor Supply brand grain free wet food for him and so far he's eating and drinking fine.

tabbytom · Mar 18, 2017

Ok, just keep watch of the healing and his feeding. Feed him more if he needs more.

And keep us posted

Injured feral - treat or PTS?

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