Old Stray Is Dying, Need Advice

[matearss14]

Hello, everyone.

Ever since I moved back home, more than 4 years ago, I've been feeding a stray tomcat. He's the father of my 2 (3, but unfortunatelly i lost one of them last weekend) kittens.
I never managed to gain his trust. He was an occasional visitor, who showed up whenever he felt like it, demanding some food, then going back on adventures. He never allowed me to pet him, to touch him, very very rarely to be near him. I don't consider him as my cat, but I still deeply care about him.

Yesterday, he showed up after being away for days. He lost an insane amount of weight, he was basically skin(fur) and bones. He was walking slowly, moodlessly, without making a noise, not mindig his surroundings(he used to run like crazy, while meowing constantly). I offered him food, he refused to eat, I tired with all kinds I've had at home. He drank a little bit of water, and, eventually, quite a lot of milk. He didn't mind at all me touching him, he didn't mind me near him. He seems so weak, and...worn out.
If I'm not wrong (and by that I mean Google), his liver is shutting down (or already had).

I know that he's old. I know that he's a stray. I know that there's probably nothing that can save him. But...I feel guilty watching him suffer. And he doesn't deserve that.

I can't afford a vet...I can't even afford taking him to one (there aren't any nearby, so even just getting a cat to one is a huge expense). I couldn't find any free clinics, or animal shelters even.

I just lost a 10 week old kitten, less than 2 days ago, now I'm watching her father dying too, and I feel so helpless.

If any of you have any advice, please tell me.

 

[maggiedemi]

If you don't mind me asking, what did the 10 week old kitten die of 2 days ago? I was just wondering if some illness was going around. It's good that you are getting liquids into him. He won't eat any food at all, even with tuna juice poured over it?

 

[matearss14]

I really don't want to talk about my kitten, but...it wasn't an illness.

It did cross my mind, that he was poisioned. My neighbour believes that he killed her cat's kitten, so maybe she wanted some kind of "revenge".

And, no, he doesn't accept any food. He won't even try to eat, won't even smell it. He used to eat a can of food in 2 minutes after a week-away adventure, there were never any problems with his appetite.

From what I read, all the classic symptoms of liver failure checks out. The slow, moodless, tired walking. The huge weight loss. The refusal of food. He spends minutes standing over the milk bowl, sipping a bit every once in a while.

I was thinking if I could get any medication, for his suffering. Anything to help him be more comfortable.

 

[maggiedemi]

Yeah, if they don't eat in 3 days, the liver starts to fail. Of course poisoning can affect the liver too. If you could get to a vet, I know they have medicine for the liver, I can't remember the name of it. Hopefully some other members will be along to help. I sometimes sprinkle catnip on my cat's food when he doesn't want to eat, but you probably don't have any of that?

 

[matearss14]

No, I don't have any catnip.

I contacted a friend of mine from work, he called the vet we have a contract with, and next time I see the cat, I'll call him. I haven't seen him today yet.

 

[matearss14]

Almost 2 days later, still no sign of him. However, I've had a talk with a woman who works here (we have a small business at our house), and turns out, I've been "Prestige-d".

As confused as I am, I will try to explain.
First things first, the cat we're talking about is called Michael. Like I've said earlier, I've been feeding him for several years now, but he never trusted me (or any humans).

About 2-3 months ago, Michael shows up with one of his legs hurt, badly. He can't step on it, he keeps it right up at his stomach. Since he won't let me touch him, I couldn't make sure if its broken or he just pulled it. He also had a large piece of fur bitten out of his neck. As he was still faster than me, all I could do is feed him, and leave him alone, so he can eat, rest and heal. As weeks went by, Michael was slowly healing, then, one day, he shows up, his leg fully healed.

3 days ago, I saw Michael at my place. Slow, skinny, dying Michael. Few hours later, as i was walking to work, I saw Michael again, about a 5-10 minute walk from my home. He was running (which i thought is understandable on the street, full of noise, people and cars, even if he's sick) with a bad leg.

I thought he must've hurt it somewhere, maybe from a bad jump, and it didn't heal completely from the previous injury. Then, same day, at night, i see him again, his leg was fine again. That's when I first thought of what I've been told today, that there are 2 Michael's. This information made me confused on so many levels. Have I been taking care of both Michael's, or maybe I've never met one of them? Which one is the father of my kittens? Have they both been around for all this time, or one of them just showed up recently? He's an adventurer, so I was never surprised seeing him anywhere around in my village. But, apparently, both Michael has been at our place. The woman I talked with said that the cat that's dying is not "Sock". They call him sock. But I don't know if Sock is Michael, or not. Because, even though apparently they both look exactly alike, in his normal behaviour, I know my Michael. But I've never been surprised if he was acting strange. When he ran away from the sight of me, then the next day rubbed his head at my knees. I figured, with him, anything is normal, depending on his mood, and recent adventures, or how hungry he is.

I am so confused, but, ultimately I haven't seen either Michael's in the past 2 days, anywhere around.

 

[maggiedemi]

Oh man, that's so funny that you thought they were the same cat. Let us know what happens with the Michaels. I hope they are both okay.

 

[matearss14]

Two weeks later, I started giving up on the whole twin conspiracy, as I haven't seen either Michaels anywhere around. However, on Friday as I was walking back home from work, "Michael" was chilling with my cat. I was still pretty far, and as soon as he noticed me, he ran off. I spent the weekend trying to find him, and eventually I did. Except that he wasn't Michael. Very similar, but noticable differences, and he was 2-3 years old, my Michael was at least 10.

So, in case he is the Michael twin, that means the sick, dying cat was indeed my Michael. I honestly don't know anymore.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Ok, first, I'm sorry for the sick cats you are dealing with.

Second, please keep all of your cats inside. You don't know if there is anything contagious going around, you have babies, and I am guessing that your cats are not spayed and neutered. It's not healthy for them to be endlessly reproducing. Would you like help finding a low cost clinic in your area? They could help with Michael, if he shows up, and with spaying and neutering.

 

[catsknowme]

Prayers and vibes that you find your sick Michael and are able to trap him and get him to a vet. I have a similar situation with an old feral female that has avoided my traps for a month - she has huge tumors/raw swellings on her belly and she needs help. The vet gave me some antibiotic and pain meds and since she is shyer than the other ferals, I am able to put out,a seperate dish with her meds once a day and she eats it. She is slowly improving and the lumps look like,they arent as raw and bloody anymore but if they are tumors, she needs to be put out of her misery - not an easy choice but it is the compassionate one.
I have a feral tom that was badly injured 2 years ago - his leg was badly mangled and I couldnt trap him. I could see all the way to the bone. He disappeared for a long time and I assumed that he died but he returned, looking skinny and with maggots. I was able 2 medicate him by putting out numerous feeding stations (and spending a small fortune in extra canned cat food for everyone) and he made a full recovery. He refuses to be trapped, though - it doesn't help that the semi-ferals go into the traps and spring them, thus reminding the sick ones about the purpose of the traps.

 

[matearss14]

talkingpeanut

I do keep my cats inside most of the time, however, not in the same area where I live, because of a family member's allergies. They are in a basement type of room that can get very hot, especially this time of the year, so when I can be with them I let them outside. The kittens are still just 3 month old, so no they are obviously not spayed. Their mother is a free soul, at least 12 years old (probably more like 14-15), she's not even my cat, I'm just taking care of her. She was already in a bad shape when I moved home, and giving her the help she needs would cost way more than I could afford, sadly. She has one bad eye, a piece of her right ear is missing, and keeps bleeding from time to time. I'm pretty sure she has some dental issues too as her tounge is out a lot, and obviously spaying her would be ideal. She's been an outdoor cat all her life, and every night I give her the choice of deciding where to spend the night, before I lock the kittens in (same in the morning). I won't deny her of her freedom, I just try to help her to be happy.

Do I need help with a low cost clinic in my area? Yes, please. I live in a small town in Hungary, and the nearest vet is 30 km's away. There is one vet nearby, but I doubt he would be a solution, as when I called him with a 10 week old kitten dying in my hands he told me "He doesn't reccommend coming to my home, because it's expensive and the cat doesn't worth that much".

And just to help you furthermore understand how "low cost" clinic I'm looking for, imagine this: My monthly salary is roughly 300$. Getting a cat spayed is around 55$. I have 3 cats, one is a boy which is cheaper, so let's say 130$ in total. However, that's just the spaying itself. Getting them there, even if all 3 at once, 2 times is at least 40$(that's for the closest vet I know). But, since for the two kittens this would be their first vet visit, and considering the health of the momma cat (who is in heat by the way), there will most definitely be more tests to come, so should we say that 130$ is somewhere more around 200-250$? I honestly don't know. Depending on what's wrong with the big cat, it could be 10 times as much. And then I didn't eat anything all month, they didn't eat anything all month. I didn't pay the bills, etc.
That's how low clinic I'm looking for. (And no, I can't put money aside. I basically end each month in debt)

I imagine you'd like to ask, that if I'm not "capable" of caring for the cats, why do I have them.
Because ever since I moved home I've watched that poor cat give birth every year and got all her kittens killed/thrown to the garbage by my neighbours. So I gained her trust and "moved" her here. Last year she had 3 kittens(at my neighbour), by the time I got home from work only 1 was alive, other two killed by my neighbour. I adopted and loved that little kitten so much until she got poisioned by my other neighbour. This year, for the first time she had the babies at my place. Sadly we lost one of them in a stupid accident, but the other two are healthy and happy. They've grown to me, and even if I'd want to give them away for adoption, cats aren't exactly "rare to get", and the people who would want them I know they wouldn't care for them.

So if you still feel like you can help, then, you're more than welcome to do so.

As for Michael...I don't think he made it. It's been more than 2 weeks and the last time I saw him he was already there...I just hope he didn't suffer too much.

catsknowme

I could get traps from my office, but capturing him would still just be one very small step. And like I said above...I really don't think he made it. I know there's always hope, and it isn't even the longest I haven't seen him, AND it's heat "season", but...It really looked like those were his final moments. I'm glad he paid a visit.

As for your kitty situation..stay strong and good luck.

 

[catsknowme]

Are you able to start a crowd-sourcing account, like GoFundMe, or, better yet, find a vet that would accept PayPal donations in your name? Most cat rescuers here already spend what little they have on their own rescuing but many small donations can add up to the same as a few big ones.
And yes, your Michael might have come by to say good-bye. Cats often sense these things.
I am sorry that your neighbor kills cats. My great-grandparents were Native healers and they taught that to kill a cat (bobcat, jaguar, cougar, but i find the belief to be true of cats) or coyote or wolf, is to determine one's own fate. So your neighbor needs to be killing cats and kittens in a humane way or suffer as much as the cats did. I have seen it happen twice, to cat killers that I have known - one guy burned in a military helicopter crash (the rest of his crew escaped but he got trapped) and the other man suffered multiple massive heart attacks.

 

[amysuen]

I'm so sorry about the kitten and Michael (although I'm hoping he found someone else to take him to a vet). It's so very hard to watch kitties we care about suffer and harder to lose them.

 

[vyger]

Hello, everyone.

Ever since I moved back home, more than 4 years ago, I've been feeding a stray tomcat. He's the father of my 2 (3, but unfortunatelly i lost one of them last weekend) kittens.
I never managed to gain his trust. He was an occasional visitor, who showed up whenever he felt like it, demanding some food, then going back on adventures. He never allowed me to pet him, to touch him, very very rarely to be near him. I don't consider him as my cat, but I still deeply care about him.

Yesterday, he showed up after being away for days. He lost an insane amount of weight, he was basically skin(fur) and bones. He was walking slowly, moodlessly, without making a noise, not minding his surroundings(he used to run like crazy, while meowing constantly). I offered him food, he refused to eat, I tired with all kinds I've had at home. He drank a little bit of water, and, eventually, quite a lot of milk. He didn't mind at all me touching him, he didn't mind me near him. He seems so weak, and...worn out.
If I'm not wrong (and by that I mean Google), his liver is shutting down (or already had).

I know that he's old. I know that he's a stray. I know that there's probably nothing that can save him. But...I feel guilty watching him suffer. And he doesn't deserve that.



One of my cats Homer, was just diagnosed with liver failure. He is a big cat over 14 lbs and he lost a lot of weight. Now that is not to unusual, to loose some weight, but not a lot of weight. They all get plumper in the fall and then slim back down in the spring when they can be more active. But Homer was also looking run down and not interested in things and was not eating. He is only 9 years old. They did blood tests on him and he is in liver failure. So He is on 2 medications, one is called Denamarin and the other is Ursodiol. These are small pills. I at first had no trouble with Homer taking them, Now 10 days into treatment, which looks like it is working, and he is getting a bit annoyed about taking pills. Also he is on a special food. Hills prescription that is intended to be easy on their liver. He is eating and he is gaining some weight back so there is hope. The Hills cat food is $25.00 for 4 pounds. That is the cost of a good steak. The pills are about 25 each (30 day supply) So his treatment is going to run $75 a month, not including any other costs.
My first thought about your question was ---- getting a feral cat to take 2 pills a day would be a real challenge. Homer is in his own room right now living the life of luxury. I can't feed him with the others because they really want his food. He doesn't eat it all at one time but eats it a little through the day so the others have to be kept out otherwise it would be gone. I opened the door the other night and had 3 of the others sniffing under the door. "Hey, we gonna get that too?"
Over the years Homer has become more of a "shop cat" than anything else. There are a number of buildings that he spends his time in so he has shelter and protection but he still works to keep things in control. It's what he likes to do. I am very suspicious that his liver damage was caused by something that was poisoned. In fact I am going to be going and talking to some county officials because looking back it might be a much bigger problem. About 4 months ago I had a 2 year old little gray cat die. It was an outside cat, but was healthy and happy and then suddenly just dead. I had no idea what happened to him. But now I might know. He was half the size of Homer so a dose of poison might just have killed him outright. In addition I noticed that there are a lot less birds around than what I remember. Not to many years ago they built a very large ag chemical distribution center only 2 miles from here. I am wondering if they had a spill of something that the birds got into and then spread it around the area. Like I said, maybe time to talk to some county authorities.
But now back to your sick cat, with out a way to contain him or confine him and be able to medicate him daily and have him on a special diet I don't see much of a way to save him. Homer's treatment has taught me that this is a daily, several times daily treatment. And that is with a cat who loves to be handled. But you might be able to try if you can figure out the logistics. By the way, there was another treatment option, to be "hospitalized" with an IV delivering him drugs and nutrients and cleaning out the toxins. I didn't see that as a practical solution especially since its a 60 mile trip, one way, just to get to the vet to start with.
Both of Homers parents were feral. His story is on line. Just search for Homer and my user name.

 

[vyger]

Another few weeks on the site and I might be able to figure out how to write a reply without quoting everything. Anyway, that's what I get for staying up way to late writing things.
Just an interesting note, my grandmother immigrated to the US from Hungary many many years ago, before WW One.
So after thinking about what you wrote I think there might be a way you can change some things, but it will not be easy. I know very well the kinds of neighbors you are talking about. I knew a lady who kept feeding these outside cats who were strays. Twice a year the female would get pregnant and have kittens. And the lady would take a hammer and hit them in the head and kill them. She was just keeping their numbers down. I suggested to her to take the mother in and have her spayed at one of the FREE clinics that they do here and her reply was that it wasn't her cat and she didn't have the time to bother with it. So what can you do to change people like this? Well, some of them never will, but some might. And it is something that you can do that will cost you nothing but time. You can write about it. You might get peoples attitudes to change.
Write letters to Veterinary schools and see if they would be willing to do free spay and neuter clinics. We have a veterinarian here who has talked the school she graduated from to come here once a year and for several days they fix every dog and cat that gets brought through the door. It doesn't matter if they are owned or are just strays. In fact the local police pick up dogs from off the street and bring them in. Imagine the surprise of that pets owner when the dog gets back home missing a few parts. The ones doing the surgery are students and in order for them to graduate they need to perform a certain number of procedures. So everybody benefits. I was going to write an article on the ones doing the clinic here but haven't gotten the chance yet.
Next see if your local paper would be willing to publish articles about the situation there with stray cats and other animals and how they are treated. In the US it has become well known that some of the worst criminals and sadists started out torturing and killing animals. It is a sign of mental illness. If you can get some help with your writing you might even be able to get a pet column in the paper. Do it for free until you get a reputation. Include stuff about how much those stray feral cats contribute to the community. People don't realize how much good they do for us. Until something like the black death comes along. All of this won't help the poor old guy you were worried about but it might help his offspring.
Remember somebody has to start a change otherwise nothing will ever change.