three-legged feral

My wife and I care for a small-ish colony (about 10 or so) of feral cats, one of whom has a lame paw which he drags, more or less; I have tried to catch this cat to take him to the vet, but, even with three paws/legs, he is VERY fast.

I would appreciate any advice on what to do regarding this situation; I don't know what to do, but everytime that I see him, my heart breaks a little.

Thank you.

I would suggest trapping him, the leg could be infected and he could get very sick if not treated soon. I hope you catch him soon!!!

If he hasnt pains/severe infections in the leg, he can manage quite well, especielly as they get some help with food from you.

I had read about a homeless cat who LOST a leg, did survive alone on his own, and managed, until he happened to get caught.

This story ended well, as they found a lady who wanted to adopt him.

You're right that he does need to see a vet but you definitely should not try to catch him with your hands! Even if you could catch him he would almost certainly panic and bite/scratch you, and believe me, a panicked cat can cause very serious injuries.

What you need to do is rent a humane box trap and use it to trap him and take him to the vet. They'll evaluate the situation and do whatever is most appropriate. What is important is that the leg does not cause infection. Even though the leg doesn't work very well he's obviously getting by just fine so whatever the outcome, he'll do fine. He also needs to be neutered and vaccinated, of course - as do the rest of the cats in the colony.

Thanks for looking out for these guys!

Maybe you could contact the Phoenix SPCA, or whoever it is that is featured on Animal Heroes-Phoenix on Animal Planet. Hopefully, they will help you trap him & get him some care. Please let us know how they help you out, off camera, because I am really impressed with their Animal EMTs and the segments they feature on helping cats (to me, Animal Cops too often shows mostly dogs, except for the occasional collector's cats, which portrays cats as dirty, smelly ill animals who just go to the bathroom anywhere ). And if Phoenix is more pro-cat, then I would be willing to send them a donation. It's not that I don't like dogs; I just visit shelters all over the country and it seems that dogs get more publicity, etc., so kitties are my mission.