Hi. I'm new to this forum and, in fact, found it looking for an answer to my question. There are a few cats that hang around my "office" in the city I live in - the office is an old converted house that sits on risers. We know who a couple of the cats "belong" to, but the roam and congregate together. There are 3 males (all neutered) and 1 senior female, named Smokey. Of the 4, she is the only feral - she will not let you touch her. She has been living under and around this office for approximately 15 years. The lady that she "belongs" to said she moved here when someone with a dog moved in next door to her house and scared her. The owner became sick recently and asked if I would take over feeding her each day, which I agreed to do and have been doing for about 3 months. She has been a very good eater and generally eats all of her food each day. About 3 weeks ago I got the flu and ended up in the hospital on a Saturday and released on Sunday, so did not come to feed them for 2 days in a row. I was not overly concerned because most of the people that live in all areas adjacent to us put food out for the cats. However, when I returned on Monday to feed them I noticed she did not eat. This continued all week and by the weekend, she had stopped even coming when I called. That Sunday (day 7) she was so weak she was having trouble climbing the outside stairs that access the roof (her favorite hang out.) I put food and water at the top of the stairs for her. I did not see her on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of the next week and then she came out when I was feeding the others on Thursday. I was certain she had died so was ecstatic and immediately prepared her "special" food I had bought to try to entice her to eat. She did not eat. This continued the entire next week. This week she has been coming out from under the house to drink water that is standing in a parking lot next to us due to daily rain. I've brought food and water and put near her, but she's showing no signs of eating anything. I know that she is old, but she really went downhill quickly and I'm really wondering if this is an illness and not just natural decline of old age. If so, how in the world do I treat her? I cannot bring her to the Vet, syringe feed her, etc. I would SO appreciate any suggestions. I have fallen in love with all of these cats and have spent may days and nights in tears since this began with Smokey. I have always had dogs, so I'm not familiar with caring for sick cats. Thanks in advance for any feedback or suggestions on how to help her.
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Advice re: Senior Feral Cat
- Thread starter RoseMc
- Start Date
Hi. I hate to read threads like this, as I can't really be much help and have a soft spot for older cats (my Feeby is 15+ yo). If she is that weak, could you possibly trap her and get her to a vet? She may be old but the decline might be resolved through treatment. Have you checked around to see if there is anyone else who might be feeding her, partially explaining why she isn't eating from you at this time? Based on the time line you have described, it would seem to me that she is finding food somewhere or would have surely already perished by now.
We have several wonderful members who deal with/care for ferals on a regular basis - they will most certainly have some ideas on what you might be able to do. If I am not mistaken, some of them are
Jcatbird
.
di and bob
,
fionasmom
, and
catsknowme
. Hope they don't mind me 'flagging' them for help.
We have several wonderful members who deal with/care for ferals on a regular basis - they will most certainly have some ideas on what you might be able to do. If I am not mistaken, some of them are
Jcatbird
.
di and bob
,
fionasmom
, and
catsknowme
. Hope they don't mind me 'flagging' them for help.
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Welcome to TCS and bless you for looking out for Smokey!! Ideally, you would trap (either with havahart or drop trap) and get her to a vet - your local cat rescuers or the vet might have good suggestions about local resources.
Your detective skills are excellent and I like your observations. Typically, kitties hide during fear, illness or pain. They stop eating due to mouth pain and nausea. They may or may not stop drinking from nausea and pain. The pain could be mouth pain from injury or stomatitis. Kidney issues are common in old cats, too.
If you can consult a holistic vet, you could get guidance for using herbal preparations. My typical protocol is to add a little slippery elm and/or marshmallow root to the water. Chicken or hamburger broth or tuna water can be offered if she turns her nose up at herbal water. My vet and I believe that the entire colony can safely drink the herbal water. I usually do water and unflavored pedialyte at a 50/50 ratio, using filtered or good well water (tap water has chemicals that are hard on the kidneys). You can use slippery elm/marshmallow root for yourself as well - they help soothe and heal the mucus membranes, urinary system, lungs and gut. I hope that you are recovering well from the flu. Please keep us updated!
Your detective skills are excellent and I like your observations. Typically, kitties hide during fear, illness or pain. They stop eating due to mouth pain and nausea. They may or may not stop drinking from nausea and pain. The pain could be mouth pain from injury or stomatitis. Kidney issues are common in old cats, too.
If you can consult a holistic vet, you could get guidance for using herbal preparations. My typical protocol is to add a little slippery elm and/or marshmallow root to the water. Chicken or hamburger broth or tuna water can be offered if she turns her nose up at herbal water. My vet and I believe that the entire colony can safely drink the herbal water. I usually do water and unflavored pedialyte at a 50/50 ratio, using filtered or good well water (tap water has chemicals that are hard on the kidneys). You can use slippery elm/marshmallow root for yourself as well - they help soothe and heal the mucus membranes, urinary system, lungs and gut. I hope that you are recovering well from the flu. Please keep us updated!
It may be that you could entice her to eat a little, I have had great success with the 'lickable' treats, the stew, not the bisque, in the treat dept of cat foods. She could lick them up and it may be easier for her. If she can lap water she may be willing to eat these.
I hope you can accept that it may be her natiural end. Cats do act like this, and just being near and offering her company may give her some comfort. She may be 18 or so, and I have had ferals die at a younger age too. She may have had an accident too, such as being hit by a car. But she would be limping, etc, and shows no signs does she? She MUST eat something soon. If you believe the stress of capturing her may be too hard on her, then just do what you can to support her. If she starts eating the treats, you might be able to put antibiotics in them. My vet will give me an over the counter one for ferals, because he knows I can't bring them in. Call around, or go and talk to your local shelter to see if they can get some for you. My heart goes out to you, I pray it comes out well. being there near by is sometimes all you can do, and for her it means everything......
I hope you can accept that it may be her natiural end. Cats do act like this, and just being near and offering her company may give her some comfort. She may be 18 or so, and I have had ferals die at a younger age too. She may have had an accident too, such as being hit by a car. But she would be limping, etc, and shows no signs does she? She MUST eat something soon. If you believe the stress of capturing her may be too hard on her, then just do what you can to support her. If she starts eating the treats, you might be able to put antibiotics in them. My vet will give me an over the counter one for ferals, because he knows I can't bring them in. Call around, or go and talk to your local shelter to see if they can get some for you. My heart goes out to you, I pray it comes out well. being there near by is sometimes all you can do, and for her it means everything......
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
I greatly appreciate you flagging the members you believe might offer some insight and advice. I'm sitting and watching her right now - she's just sitting in the parking lot (it is empty) enjoying the sun - and breaking my heart. Thank you, again, for the response and referrals.Hi. I hate to read threads like this, as I can't really be much help and have a soft spot for older cats (my Feeby is 15+ yo). If she is that weak, could you possibly trap her and get her to a vet? She may be old but the decline might be resolved through treatment. Have you checked around to see if there is anyone else who might be feeding her, partially explaining why she isn't eating from you at this time? Based on the time line you have described, it would seem to me that she is finding food somewhere or would have surely already perished by now.
We have several wonderful members who deal with/care for ferals on a regular basis - they will most certainly have some ideas on what you might be able to do. If I am not mistaken, some of them are
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
Thank you - I have tried giving her the lickable treats and the bisque, along with tuna, baby food, home made pureed chicken breast with rice cooked in the broth, different dry foods, etc. I can't say for sure she hasn't eaten anything, but she certainly hasn't eaten much. I try to watch, but often she won't even come out. The boy cats make her nervous and they're all too happy to run her off of her food, which they did quite often before she stopped eating. There is no way to "hide" the food I put out for her because they will find it. The lady who she belongs to told me she's in her early 20s. I'm not sure that's correct, though, although she's definitely old. I appreciate all of the support and advice. I won't give up, for sure. My husband and I rescue beagles and have had as many as 8 at a time. We've been through many health issues from minor to cancer, so I'm used to dealing with anorexic dogs, but this is a first for me, so I have a big learning curve.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #7
Thank you so much for the very good suggestions and advice. I will get together the things you suggest and see what I can do. I know from dealing with hospice that if a person is dying as their organs begin to shut down eating and drinking become painful, which is why they don't even do IV fluids. I've nursed several of our beagles through cancer and dealt with the anorexia that always signifies the end is near, and it never gets easier to witness. You just want SO badly to find the thing they'll be tempted to eat - and I've never succeeded. My husband and I discussed trying to trap her and take her to have her euthanized, but I think for a feral cat, that would be a terrifying way to die so I can't bring myself to do that, assuming I'd be able to trap her. I've actually had a havahart trap set for 2 weeks and caught one of the males 3 times (he's a slow learner) but not Smokey, bless her heart. I would definitely take her to a Vet if I could just get her. I'm going to see if my Vet will give me something for her. I can't stand to see her wasting away like this. For now, she's sunbathing and seems content as I watch her outside my office window. Thanks again for the very good feedback.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #8
Also, I agree with you - she must be eating something. Monday will be 3 full weeks since she's eaten anything for me - I don't think she would last this long if she wasn't eating something - surely. I always hide a bowl of food and water behind one of the risers under the house before I leave work every day. Maybe she's getting some, at least.
I agree with all the previous advice and suggestions. Since you do work with rescued dogs, as I have done as well over the years, you are familiar with these situations. Given her age, which might be correct up to a point, this may be the decline of old age. Cats keep illnesses hidden until it is no longer possible to do so and I have had cats, both pets and ferals, who have "suddenly" shown signs of decline, often kidney disease when the condition was probably encroaching all along. You have done such a wonderful thing to have looked after her and to have fed her. In this case, I would not even assign too much to the fact that you were in the hospital (and it was awful this year!) as I think that something was going on already. Trapping her using something like a Havahart trap is what I would do and then proceed with a vet visit. If this is the end for her because something is seriously wrong, at least she will not be on the streets, harrassed by the other cats, or hiding in fear.
Bless you - and Smokey...whatever the outcome. 
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #11
Yes, I've been down the anorexic route too many times and it never gets any easier to deal with emotionally. When I realized she wasn't eating anything at all (about the 2nd day of week 1) I read about cats that stop eating and it said that after two days it can become deadly because they will begin to develop fatty liver. I, of course, was sure that I had inadvertently "killed Smokey" and was inconsolable. My husband reminded me that the 3 houses abutting ours have food out all the time for the cats. I do know, from experience with the dogs, that once they go "anorexic" it's really, really hard to get them eating again. Really hard. I had one beagle that had pneumonia and went anorexic on us and it was almost impossible to get her to start eating - I syringe fed her for 3 weeks and she finally started eating again. I made daily trips to our local pet bakery for special treats and Chicken Pup Pies - the others were loving it! I am hopeful I'll see her eating again. Thank you for your helpful feedback. Everyone has been great.
There are medications that increase appetite but not knowing why she isn’t eating could make that an issue. A bad tooth could make eating painful. If you want to trap her, try disguising the trap. If you cover it, she is more likely to enter. You can even put it inside a box of the box is large enough. You’ll need to be watching closely for it to trip though. She cannot be left in the trap. Tou’d need to toss a soft blanket or towel over it and get her to the vet pronto.
You might be able to lead the males a little ways off at feeding time to give her a break. Give them something really yummy and stinky and then attempt to feed her in another spot. I find that canned white breast meat of chicken in water is something my sick cats like. They may not eat the chicken , which I mash up very fine, but they drink the water off the chicken. The baby food you tried, was it Gerber 2nd foods all meat? If you warm it slightly it is more fragrant and enticing. A cat has a very strong sense of smell normally. If hers is affected by a stuffy nose, more fragrant could help. If you can give her a bit of a nice sheltering spot it could help too. You can use something as simple as Rubbermaid containers filled with straw. Putting a few of those around may give the boys a place to relax and leave her alone too.
If you want to keep her company outside, she may feel better about being around you if you sit low to the ground and keep your back to her. Talk softly. Don’t gaze right at her long as this is intimidating to a cat. Long slow blinks are acceptable to a kitty. I look slightly downwards and talk to them too. Calm is key. They read our moods very well. Be as relaxed and positive as you can. Hopeful. They survive by reading everything around them and she may can find great comfort just in having loving feelings put out for her. Thank you for all you are doing for her. She knows you care and are there to help. Sitting in the sunshine is something that feels really great to her. It’s relaxing so she is having a good moment. I bet she feels your presence too. You are watching over her so she feels safe to just enjoy the sun. Please do keep us posted. I’m sure others will have ideas too.
You might be able to lead the males a little ways off at feeding time to give her a break. Give them something really yummy and stinky and then attempt to feed her in another spot. I find that canned white breast meat of chicken in water is something my sick cats like. They may not eat the chicken , which I mash up very fine, but they drink the water off the chicken. The baby food you tried, was it Gerber 2nd foods all meat? If you warm it slightly it is more fragrant and enticing. A cat has a very strong sense of smell normally. If hers is affected by a stuffy nose, more fragrant could help. If you can give her a bit of a nice sheltering spot it could help too. You can use something as simple as Rubbermaid containers filled with straw. Putting a few of those around may give the boys a place to relax and leave her alone too.
If you want to keep her company outside, she may feel better about being around you if you sit low to the ground and keep your back to her. Talk softly. Don’t gaze right at her long as this is intimidating to a cat. Long slow blinks are acceptable to a kitty. I look slightly downwards and talk to them too. Calm is key. They read our moods very well. Be as relaxed and positive as you can. Hopeful. They survive by reading everything around them and she may can find great comfort just in having loving feelings put out for her. Thank you for all you are doing for her. She knows you care and are there to help. Sitting in the sunshine is something that feels really great to her. It’s relaxing so she is having a good moment. I bet she feels your presence too. You are watching over her so she feels safe to just enjoy the sun. Please do keep us posted. I’m sure others will have ideas too.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #13
We actually have some of the appetite stimulant from the last cancer bout we dealt with, but for dogs. I don't know if it's the same medication, obviously the dose would be drastically different even so. I did try the Gerber 2nd foods only meats - chicken and lamb. I did heat them, also. I like the canned chicken idea - it is kind of "stinky" and she may very well like the liquid. She has moved from the parking lot to just on the edge of the lot and right outside my window. She's definitely enjoying sunning - this is the first kind of warm, dry and sunny day we've had since this started. Unfortunately, my boss is NOT an animal person and not at ALL empathetic or sympathetic to animals. He had suggested he may call the animal shelter (a kill shelter!) for fear she would die under the house and cause a problem with odor (I can't bring myself to even say it.) I was completely horrified that someone could be that callus. Some people just don't connect animals or get those of us who do. However, I have to be pretty stealthy in what I'm doing. I have a lot of leeway in the mornings - I'm usually here along until around noon. After that, he's here all afternoon and sometimes stays as late as 3:00 - 4:00 a.m. I have wanted to get her some hay or a bed but I just can't - he doesn't even want me to leave food out - I have to hide it. All that aside, we're doing okay. I still manage to feed them all and give them lots of love and attention. Thank you so much for the excellent advice. I'm going to try to post a snap I just took of her with my cell phone through the dirty window.
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I kind of don't like your boss, but I have fallen in love with Smokey.
Awwww! She’s beautiful!
Here is an idea, if boss starts making noises, tell him you are only doing this to save him the trouble. You are taking initiative to trap and remove her. A non animal person will only understand being able to avoid any hassle or cost. You also may be able to contact a feral rescue group to remove the kitties. Ferals can be socialized and even taken in to homes. That’s what I do. You can google feral cat rescues to try and locate help.
Boss is there that late? That could be throwing off her feeding schedule. Keep getting to her in the mornings before he arrives. She may adjust to his odd comings and goings. Honestly, I’d like to see the kitties away from him. If he isn’t the very top of the chain and he does call animal control, I’d anonymously contact his boss. Public opinion of the company might become negative if the company is seen as heartless to helpless animals. Public opinion of euthanasia has drastically shifted as people have become aware of the realities. I’ve had to deal with non animal lovers too.
Here is an idea, if boss starts making noises, tell him you are only doing this to save him the trouble. You are taking initiative to trap and remove her. A non animal person will only understand being able to avoid any hassle or cost. You also may be able to contact a feral rescue group to remove the kitties. Ferals can be socialized and even taken in to homes. That’s what I do. You can google feral cat rescues to try and locate help.
Boss is there that late? That could be throwing off her feeding schedule. Keep getting to her in the mornings before he arrives. She may adjust to his odd comings and goings. Honestly, I’d like to see the kitties away from him. If he isn’t the very top of the chain and he does call animal control, I’d anonymously contact his boss. Public opinion of the company might become negative if the company is seen as heartless to helpless animals. Public opinion of euthanasia has drastically shifted as people have become aware of the realities. I’ve had to deal with non animal lovers too.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #16
Me, too - so much
How is Smokey doing???
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #18
Hi, I'm so sorry for not posting sooner - to be honest, I don't know. I have not seen her since last Friday when I posted requesting help suggestions. We had a beautiful weekend here last week (So. Louisiana) - sunny and warm. I worked all weekend so was here the better part of both days and did not see Smokey. I called and called for her and put food and water under the building where I know she has been staying. I have not seen her this week, either. I fear the worst, obviously, and have been horribly upset all week. I've looked under the building but have not been able to see anything. I really, really appreciate all of the support and great advice. I still have the boys (Cheeto, Garfield and Ricky) and they are delightful. Cheeto keeps sneaking into the office when people go in and out and finds his way to my office - he's so adorable, but going to get us both into trouble!
I will let everyone know if sweet Smokey reappears, but I'm not real hopeful.
I will let everyone know if sweet Smokey reappears, but I'm not real hopeful.
You have been a godsend to this kitty. No one could have tried harder to feed her. I know how heartbroken you are but please don't blame yourself. I've done rescue for 30 years and it's been my experience that for every feeder you know about, there are 10 that you don't, so please don't feel as though your hospital visit was the turning point for her.When a kitty's body fails, it fails fast, and when it's that rapid I've never known any intervention that will help. So even catching her and rushing her to the best vet probably wouldn't have made a difference. And, because outside is the only life she's known, on top of being sick, she'd have been in an unfamiliar environment and terrified. She knew consistent love and care from you and even though your fear and grief is telling you otherwise, you've been the best caretaker she could have hoped for.
Bless your heart, hopefully not lol
