PLEASE HELP - very sick feral cat

[vivitoni106]

There are a few cats in my neighborhood, not sure who they belong to, but they are fixed, with their ears tipped, they appear health and they eat from the bowls I put out for the few that I have taken responsibility for.  They are sweet cats who have been abandoned and I guess I am one of the neighborhood  feeders.

The problem is that there is a feral cat (I think its a he) that shows up now and then. I have seen him, maybe 5 or 6 times over the past few months. The first time I saw him he looked ill, then each time after he has looked worse and worse.  I mean really bad, infected eyes, messed up ears, tale that looks like it was cut off - I could go on.  He is and has been really mean, well I would be too if I felt that bad. His meanness is even getting softer with him getting sicker and sicker. I have no idea how to help him.  How to catch him. What to do with him if I am able to catch him, like do I put him in a crate in my garage overnight?  Can someone please help me figure this out - soon...

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Well, I would say the optimal situation would be to try to trap him and take him to a Vet immediately thereafter, rather than leave him in your garage overnight.  If he's indeed a mean feral, he may do himself lots of harm being in a trap overnight simply by trying to get OUT of the trap

Does he respond well to canned food or is he trap savvy, do you think?  Do you see him around often, or not?  Just wondering if you think it would be hard, in his present situation, to trap him with a little food.  Also, IF he requires ongoing care, are you going to be able to provide it?  What if he needs daily pilling?  Just food for thought. 

Are you familiar with this organization?  http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=191  Maybe there is something on their website that will be helpful to you in your noble quest.

 

[hexiesfriend]

I've had the same situation with one I feed I tried to trap him and he'd never go into the trap. It tried to beg the vet for medicine and that didn't work. It's very hard to watch. I had to resort to using what I had left over in the medicine cabinet from my other cats failed antibiotic pillings. Not what I would ever recommend you do but desperate times.... I tried everything to help him before resorting to that including calling animal control to try to find him. In the end the medicine I was sneaking in his food helped his badly infected ear and face wound. Have you tried begging the vet for a liquid antibiotic you can sneak in his food?

 

[vivitoni106]

Well, I would say the optimal situation would be to try to trap him and take him to a Vet immediately thereafter, rather than leave him in your garage overnight.  If he's indeed a mean feral, he may do himself lots of harm being in a trap overnight simply by trying to get OUT of the trap

Does he respond well to canned food or is he trap savvy, do you think?  Do you see him around often, or not?  Just wondering if you think it would be hard, in his present situation, to trap him with a little food.  Also, IF he requires ongoing care, are you going to be able to provide it?  What if he needs daily pilling?  Just food for thought. 

Are you familiar with this organization?  http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=191  Maybe there is something on their website that will be helpful to you in your noble quest.

- he comes around in the evening - so no, I don't think I can take him directly to the vet after trapping...
And I have no idea how to try to help him. I can't bring him in my house in his condition - I have 5 indoor outdoor dogs, one indoor 23 yo cat, and two indoor outdoor cats, along with three street cats that I feed out front.
It kills me to think I may not be able to help him but Bringing Him in my house is not possible. I will contact allycat.com and see if the have any ideas... Thanks for the idea...




Thanks for the idea... I'm going to call my vet tomorrow and see if he'll give me something to help. He came back tonight to eat, so If the vet sells me something, I'll start giving him wet food, which I'm sure he'll gobble up and then he'll come back for more... Again thanks... I'll post once I see if I can get the meds.

 

[momofmaxwell]

Hi Actually if he is aTom & being in pain would not make you a nice kitty.I  trap many ferals.I have 68 in two colonies.And yes the fighting wounds as well as the survival wounds from predators.if it was at my house i would trap it.Here in BC we have companies that rent traps lge ones for $3 day.I have my own but still cheap to rent.I Usually I use like Friskies tuna or Salmon for bait inside & lve a trail of newspaper leading to the trap with small blobs of food leading to the opening.And would place it somewhere where you see him hang around.Possibly against a side wall of the house or shed .If it is raining where you  are I use lids from totes and put one one top of the trap with a rock on it to hold it.Many i have trapped have had to stay the night in my Garage which is in my house.I always put a warm blanket over but not covering the front.And make arrangements well in advance to my vet that I am trying to trap a certain one that looks sick.That way they already know me & I show up first thing in the morning.I keep the trap covered all  night(not the front) and if it's still early pm I will take like roasted chicken and put some into the trap for him or her.After midnight no food.Can you afford to have him fixed?They do thrash around a bit in a trap o/n but not anything worse than he's already feeling.Sometimes they will press their faces hard against the bars and cut themselves but I have not in 12 yrs had any that caused life threatening injuries from being in there.If he is a Tom & not fixed the fights will continue forever until he perishes which is not a lot of yrs for a feral.They inject a sedative in through the bars to sedate him to bring him out of the trap & observe him a lot better. I have not had to euthanize any of mine I trapped.But if money is an object hmm?? I get special rates from my vet for spay & neutering & shots & tipping the ear.Sometimes they will use convenia.I'm not big on it but sometimes a long acting antibiotic in their case where you can't dose them daily may help.Controversial subject.Major abscesses etc I have gone that route & still see my babes in the colony.But only in major wound situations.Then afterwards I would place the cage back into your garage until he gets his bearings(keeping the trap covered with like a sheet) & let him go.Just what I would do.HTH C.