I have a feral cat that cannot use his back legs; I am afraid to trap him should he struggle and hurt himself more. I don't have much money, but I have cared for him for 10 years. All suggestions welcome.
I'm so sorry for that sweet guy, it sounds serious. I have a feeling he developed a saddle thrombosis which is very grave and is possibly causing him great pain. You might contact a vet, explain your situation and see if there is a sedative you could slip into his food to make capture a better experience. My heart goes out to you, I know how much these brave little souls mean to us, and how helpless we feel when they need help. I'll pray for you both, and send you all the good vibes I can, please keep in touch. It is very early in the morning here now, so I pray you will get more good advise from those more experienced later, please keep checking.
Hi @dlaw7846 Poor old guy, he does sound like he needs to see a vet soon. What happened, did he suddenly lose the use of his back legs or did he lose it gradually?
He's much too vulnerable to be left outside.
Can you handle him or get close to him at all? With semi-feral cats that have had interaction with people it's possible to catch them with a blanket or net. Get the cat carrier ready with the door open. Top loading ones are easiest to use. If it's a carrier with a door at the side you'll need to prop it up so you can lower him into it.
Wear long sleeves and thick gloves. Wait until he is eating so he doesn't notice what you are doing. You need to stand behind him, put the blanket over his head and scoop him up then put him in the carrier. Don't throw the blanket onto him from a distance, you need to be able to cover and lift right away before he gets out from under the blanket. Hold him down with one hand while you close the carrier door almost all the way, then quickly take your hand out and shut the door. If he can't see he'll be disorientated, so he won't jump out of the carrier straight away.
Cats use their back legs to rake and bunny kick with when they can't bite. If his head is covered with a blanket and his back legs don't move he won't be able to do you any harm.
Thanks for all the kind words and suggestions. We contacted the humane society and they put us in touch with an animal group that helped us capture him. Unfortunately, the vet recommended we euthanize him. Tonight we loss a very dear part of the family. I will miss him running up to greet us when we got home, even though he never stepped in our house he was always in our hearts. Thank you everyone for being there.
@dlaw7846 We always lock the threads when a cat has passed away so I'll lock this one now. If you would like to start a thread in your cat's memory please do so in our Crossing The Bridge forum.