what to do with this poor old stray kitty

For a couple months (or more from what I've heard) there has been a cat hanging out around my block. The poor little guy came to my doorstep skinny as a rail with cuts all over his face. Now he's put on weight but hasn't been able to heal his infections. It looks like he has a skin infection ontop of his face. He is missing hair and has lots of scabs and it seems sore, his eyes are infected too, and I think his ears could also be infected. Not only that, but he has a little bit of hair loss on his rump. The poor cat looks Really REALLY old and run down. =( It's heart breaking to see him but I know that if I send him to the pound, he'll be euthanized. He's such a good good boy. He deserves the world... but is haveing a hard time even getting his health.
He makes his way into my heart EVERYDAY. *sigh*

I'm 18 and I am a full time student. I don't have the cash to take him to the vets, if I did... he would've been there long before... but I do want to make an effort to keep him and get him healthy, since he seems happy here and makes himself at home here. He's terrified of coming inside the house but is fine with being in the garage. My big dog seems to like him too, which is a shock cause he has chased and attacked any cat in site, and this is the first cat he respects, or feels sorry for. *shrug*

I plan on getting a job as soon as possible, but am having a hard time getting hired. Once I get my job though, all money will go to him until he's as healthy/comfy as possible

My question is:
Is there any association or organization that could help me get him to the vets ASAP?
Does anybody have ideas on how to get him the help he needs?
I live in San Diego, Ca. So any place in that area, I'll Definetly call them/drop by.

I would send him to the pound, but right now they are SO cramped and overloaded with animals that they are euthanizing lots of them. So I would much rather have him in my house and get him healthy and pretty.

Originally Posted by tom_cat

My question is:
Is there any association or organization that could help me get him to the vets ASAP?
Does anybody have ideas on how to get him the help he needs?
I live in San Diego, Ca. So any place in that area, I'll Definetly call them/drop by.

I would send him to the pound, but right now they are SO cramped and overloaded with animals that they are euthanizing lots of them. So I would much rather have him in my house and get him healthy and pretty.

Click to expand...

I found this link, http://muttcats.com/shelters/california.htm
See which ones are closest to you and give them a call. I'll see what else I can dig up. It may be that he's not all that old but all his energy is going to fighting his infections. A vet could tell you better/more.

If you have a vet, you might call and see if they will allow you to make payments on the treatments. Would your family be willing to front you the vet fees or make it a holiday present to you?

Thanks for looking after this cat

Thank you for caring for this little guy! He's truly found an angel with you.

I would contact http://www.feralcat.com/ Feral Cat Coalition in San Diego. They do run a low cost spay/neuter clinic, but I don't know if they offer any additional veterinary services. However, they should know of resources that you could possibly utilize for this poor kitty.

I'll move this out to SOS for you, since it's not really an animal control issue.

Why not ask the people who told you about how he's been hanging around for help? Make him the neighborhood cat. I'm not sure how friendly people are in your neighborhood, or even if they like cats, but it's worth a shot. Explain that you're trying to treat the cat for it's injuries, and would like to get it neutured, and are going to give it a good home once it's done. People just might be willing to give a couple of dollars to get the cat off the streets, and at a low-cost clinic, a little money goes a long way.

Thank you for looking after this cat - whatever happens to him, you will at least given him some happiness. If you can get him to a vet/clinic of some kind it really would be best. We had a similar situation, a stray Tom that used to come to our garden to be fed. He loved a fuss and was covered in open sores. He was also missing some fur. We eventually fussed him and took him to the vet on behalf of the RSPCA (we couldn't bring him into our home for fear of infecting our two existing cats). When he got to the Vet, they tested him for Feline Leukaemia and he tested positive. Unfortunately he had to be euthanized. I felt very bad about this, but he was close to the end in any event and if allowed to roam would have spread this terrible virus. If you could keep him and make him an indoor only cat, it would be possible to try and nurse him through his illness if he did prove to test positive. The sad thing now, is that if he is positive but allowed to roam he will be infecting other cats; whether they are stray or indoor/outdoor cats.

I wish you every luck with this cat. Believe me when I say I truly understand what a heart-wrenching decision is to decide to take such a cat to the vet if you know you cannot bring it home yourself. Please PM me if you wish to talk further.