Cat walks along and poos

[SharkTT]

Hello All, I have 5 community kittens living near me in South Florida. They are all very friendly but one of them is clearly not well. His rear end is covered in poo that has dried and matted into his fur. He clearly has respiratory issues but my post here is to ask if anybody knows what is wrong with him that is causing him to not have any control over his pooing. He will be walking along and randomly poo.
Trying to find an organization that will take community cats has been a surprisingly hard challenge, and getting a response from them, even harder. Given the health of this one, I am reluctant to surrender him to an organization that will euthanize him.

 

[Margot Lane]

O dear have no idea but feel so for your situation. Whatever it is he needs medical TLC…parasites? Pore lil fellah. Are you able to clean him up some? Can you give us an update if you find help?

 

[SharkTT]

Hello Margot, He stood there while I tried to clean him with some dampened wipes, but it is so matted that it didn't do much. He really needs to be soaked in water, but we know how much cats like water. At this point we are probably going to catch him and take him to the local county shelter. I am sure that they are overwhelmed, so I just hope that he is not euthanized, especially since he is so friendly.

 

[fionasmom]

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/bowel-incontinence-in-cats

This article essentially identifies the causes of bowel incontinence and, as you can see, they are broad ranging and often serious. I do agree that parasites could be the cause though, certainly treatable. This cat is sick, probably with more than one condition, but both may be treatable without a lot of work or expense. If you bring him to a local shelter, you should try to advocate for him to be helped as there are way too many cats in need of homes right now and he may not be given much of a chance. The cat rescue closest to my house currently is trying to home 66 cats, all street rescues. If it were determined that he had a URI and parasites, could you afford to treat him yourself? Would one of the rescues give you advice on what you might do or the name of a vet that they use who gives a discount for care? You are very kind to care for these cats but I would worry about his fate if he is brought to a local shelter.

 

[SharkTT]

Hello fionasmom, Thank You for the link, that was very informative. The three main shelters near me have 243 cats between them from various sources. Having been through getting another street cat healthy that was in a better condition than this one, then realistically, no I can't afford to get him treated. However, if it was to save his life because a shelter would euthanize him, then I would try and find a way. Thank You to all that have responded. If one particular no kill shelter that is about 40 miles away from me would return my calls and take him, then that is my answer. If not, then I fear the worst for this friendly little guy.