Help

[YouraveragecatLover]

The stray cat that I have been taking care of,I'm worried.Everytime i touch an área of his knee,I can see the bone moving inside the skin.He cries when I touch him there.Is this normal?Did he break/sprain a bone?If so,What do I do?He"s a stray cat and my parents are stubborn about the vet and I don't know what I should do
He isnt limping,but he has been sleeping more in boxes and he bites me when I scratch that area
What do I do?How can I help him?

 

[Cat McCannon]

The cat should go to the vet. It's time to sit down with your parents to have a serious conversation about your cat.

I don't know what your age is, but just a reminder, this is the time to step up and be mature.

You have a tough decision to make. Can you commit to what it takes to be this cat's guardian? Or, is it in this cat's best interest to have it re-homed? You can't be a pet guardian only when it's convenient.

Don't be afraid to ask your parents for advice and keep them in the loop. Whatever is decided, you will need your parent's support.

 

[fionasmom]

As a minor, you might have limited ability to help the cat but I completely agree that you should try whatever you can. Talking to your parents is a start. You might also try to look for rescues in your area who might be able to give help and advice. Google something like "cat rescues near me" or insert your location and see what comes up. The cat is injured and depending on the extent of the injury, this may not be something that will resolve itself.

 

[YouraveragecatLover]

What I didnt say was that he's my neighbor's.My neighbor has them but they always come to my house for food.I'm 14,And my parents say what's the point of taking them to the vet if they'll just be back to the same thing later.I try to argue but they don't care,They say that the vet is expensive and that if he needs surgery then they don't want to pay for it.I try to remove fleas and keep him healthy but its hard.I'll try tallking to them and see what happens

 

[YouraveragecatLover]

If I do go,I don't want to say that he's my neighbors' because they might report him for not taking care of his cat

 

[Cat McCannon]

A neighbor's cat. That's a whole 'nother kettle of fish. Your neighbor needs to take their cat to the vet. If the neighbor can't take care of their cat and you want to step up, the ethical (and probably legal) thing to do is convince the neighbor to turn guardianship over to you.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with offering to help your neighbor.

 

[YouraveragecatLover]

I'll try

 

[fionasmom]

So...you are 14 and it is great that you are an animal advocate. However, what is the neighbor like? What would your parents think about you approaching him? Or would they talk to him? There is a legal issue here with ownership of the cat and you don't want to get yourself in trouble if this neighbor could become unfriendly over the whole thing. Absolutely do not do anything which puts you in an unsafe or questionable position.

I have gotten bad pet owners to turn guardianship over to me about 4 times. But I was an adult with access to a vet and resources to continue forward to help the animal. If your parents don't want the cat, more than likely they don't want you to ask for ownership of it.

 

[YouraveragecatLover]

My neighbor is nice,I've known him for quite some time,but he's had family issues,and lets just say people moved out of his house.He lives by himself now and a few friends come by every now and then,but I don't feel safe because they smoke and stuff,and he usually goes to work and returnd at night.

 

[fionasmom]

That is the answer then. You are not to approach this by yourself. Your neighbor has had some problems and you don't want to add to them by being the confrontational kid next door. If he does not mind you being around his cats or being nice to them and that has been safe, it is okay to continue doing that. You mentioned that you feed the cats, so he must be okay with that. In your case, I would also not look for rescues who might show up and accuse him of bad cat ownership and start another problem. How many cats does he seem to have? If this is an isolated incident and you could get your parents to help this cat by having them ask the neighbor if you could adopt it, that might work. It would not throw him on the defensive and he could always say no and not feel threatened or criticized. If there are a large number of cats, it is somewhat different as you can't, sadly, take care of all of them.

 

[YouraveragecatLover]

Its only two,plus a dog they have.They are both outdoor cats,both get into trouble,and a few other male cats come in the night and fight and yowl.It hurts me to hear them fight.Tje other is a tuxedo cat,and she has almost no hair in the back of her legs.I discovered she has worms,and my parents were nice enough to buy me worm medication.But my neighbor hasn't noticed that she has worms,or fleas,along with the other cat.They don't fight with each other though

 

[fionasmom]

Your parents were very nice to have helped the cat with worms. If you can work with your parents, maybe you can get some flea drops to put on the cats. Have you seen kittens or do you think that the cats are fixed? If there are free roaming males in the area who come around at night, you don't really have much control over that, even though it is upsetting. It sounds as if you are doing as much as you can for these cats. If you feed them and worm them, that is a lot and they are lucky in that respect.

 

[YouraveragecatLover]

No the tuxedo is a female but she has never had heat symptoms or chased for males.No,i dont think they've been fixed but they don't seem to search for a mate.

 

[fionasmom]

Okay....lots of variables there. She may be a stray who was fixed somewhere along the line. It does happen, especially to cats who are out and about. I have trapped street cats for spaying only to find out that they were already fixed. If the population is stable, you probably can continue the help that your parents and you give to these two. If the situation becomes worse, or the cat with the bad knee becomes worse (and yes, knee surgery on a cat, or even an expensive vet visit could be a lot of money), maybe your parents can help the neighbor come to the point where he might try to help the cat. But keep working through your parents and do nothing that could put you in danger.

You are a great kid for wanting to help animals and maybe someday you will be able to do that as part of a group or rescue.

 

[YouraveragecatLover]

Thanks I guess,I'll try my best to help them and maybe see if I can contact a family member to see if they can take them to the vet