I am looking for advice please. I have a cat that lives down the road from me. Last year it got very ill. I went to the owner to voice my concerns she told me there was nothing wrong with the cat he had been seen by a vet. Then a few weeks later the daughter came and said he had a bad tooth and was due to have it out. Weeks went by and he continued to get worse so I called the RSPCA to get help. After chasing them for a while they eventually came out and gave the woman 5days to get him treated or they will return to remove the cat. He then went for 5 days came back with shaved legs and neck and as if nothing ever happened started putting muscle and weight back on and stayed like this for around 6 months untill February of this year I noticed he started begging for food again and losing weight. Within a matter of maybe 3weeks he was back to being very thin and muscle wastage signs yet again. So i called the rspca and was given the run around due to covid told one thing then another eventually got so fed up of watching his cat decline I logged a complaint. Which I recieved a call back stating the cat had been seen by a vet and they had verified it. Well 6 Weeks later the cat is nothing but worse. Scarily thin no muscle mass white feces orange urine and keeps being sick. The owner has apparently told my neighbour he has a immune disorder which he was given steriods for but the vet stopped prescribing. The cat is only 9 years old and I am desperate to help it in any way I can but he is chipped the owner isn't bothered and the rspca won't help me other than they "might come and remove the cat at some point" only thing I can think of is getting him out in my name and trying to find raise for his treatment? Any advice would be much appreciated thank you
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Taking on a neglected cat
- Thread starter J-l-p2020
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Hi.
Yes, the cat looks very poorly. Try to call the RSPCA again and tell them how serious the problem is.
Apart from the RSPCA, are there any other cat charities/rescue centres near you?
Try calling them and tell them that you are ready to help.
The ways you help is up to you - do you adopt it?
Tell the cat rescue centre that you are ready to adopt it, voice your concerns and explain that the cat is very ill and is being neglected. Does the owner even want the cat?
Unfortunately if the cat is very sick then the rescue centre might put the cat down, but if he actually is that ill then it might be the best for him.
However, there's a good chance that the cat can be treated, and it would be great if you could help this cat! Thanks for wanting to help.
This is what I would do, and I used to foster cats and kittens for a cat charity and that was how it worked there.
I hope the cat will be good, please keep us updated!
Yes, the cat looks very poorly. Try to call the RSPCA again and tell them how serious the problem is.
Apart from the RSPCA, are there any other cat charities/rescue centres near you?
Try calling them and tell them that you are ready to help.
The ways you help is up to you - do you adopt it?
Tell the cat rescue centre that you are ready to adopt it, voice your concerns and explain that the cat is very ill and is being neglected. Does the owner even want the cat?
Unfortunately if the cat is very sick then the rescue centre might put the cat down, but if he actually is that ill then it might be the best for him.
However, there's a good chance that the cat can be treated, and it would be great if you could help this cat! Thanks for wanting to help.
This is what I would do, and I used to foster cats and kittens for a cat charity and that was how it worked there.
I hope the cat will be good, please keep us updated!
If the cat is owned by another person and you know it, legally the only thing you can do is continue to call the local animal control until they take action. You can talk to the owner and ask to help them out but unless they relinquish ownership to you, anything you do would be considered charity and wouldn't make the cat yours. You also can't take the cat to a vet for care without the owners consent. Cats in most areas are considered property and it would be similar to stealing someone's car to take it to the shop because you didn't like how the muffler sounds. Harsh, I know, but true. I have indoor outdoor cats and while they look really good, I know that one is on the skinny side. A neighbor might think his skinny is a sign he mistreated and try to feed him. Not knowing that eating the wrong food makes him throw up and just makes him skinnier. I do talk to my neighbors and they know my cats, so thats not an issue but it very well could be if someone made assumptions without talking to me first.
I dont disagree, the cat is in bad shape. But there may be more to why the cat isn't getting medicine anymore then you know. The family is struggling financially and had to make choices, the cat had bad side effects from treatment, the stress of medicating was too much, the treatment was short term and long term could cause serious side effects. Without actually talking to the owner and getting the direct information instead of through a neighbor who talked to the owner its hard to know more then the cat stopped getting medicine.
I'd encourage you to talk to the owner directly. Tell them you've noticed the cats condition and you'd like to help. Take it from there but keep in mind that some people dearly love their pets and just can't afford the care. The owner might not be keen on the idea of you outright asking to adopt the cat. Be sensitive because they might feel just as bad about the cats condition. You can continue to contact the animal control agency and if they take in the cat you can adopt legally at that point.
I dont disagree, the cat is in bad shape. But there may be more to why the cat isn't getting medicine anymore then you know. The family is struggling financially and had to make choices, the cat had bad side effects from treatment, the stress of medicating was too much, the treatment was short term and long term could cause serious side effects. Without actually talking to the owner and getting the direct information instead of through a neighbor who talked to the owner its hard to know more then the cat stopped getting medicine.
I'd encourage you to talk to the owner directly. Tell them you've noticed the cats condition and you'd like to help. Take it from there but keep in mind that some people dearly love their pets and just can't afford the care. The owner might not be keen on the idea of you outright asking to adopt the cat. Be sensitive because they might feel just as bad about the cats condition. You can continue to contact the animal control agency and if they take in the cat you can adopt legally at that point.
He may be terminal and his owners let him out to keep him happy. If you know who they are, have a conversation with them. Be compassionate. Diseases treated with steroids are usually degenerative, and he may be nearing the end. They must care about him if he got surgery/treatment (the shaved neck and legs). That's not cheap.
To give real life personal experience of this...
My rainbow kitty died of cancer. He was allowed outside and had numerous surgeries plus chemotherapy over 6 months. His last 2 months we stopped all treatments except quality of life medications and let him live his life as he preferred. His cancer came back more aggressive after the first round of treatment and the vet said his chances were near zero at that time if we continued, it had spread to multiple organs including his brain. The last month his growth was visibly noticeable and he would have looked rough to outsiders (we did have him pts at home when we could tell it was time). A skinny cat with scraggly fur and a baseball lump on his neck who looked progressively worse. Over $20k in medical expenses and he was deeply loved despite his appearance.
You might try having another conversation with the owners and see if any of those questions have been answered such as his exact condition, what the vet said when he stopped prescribing steriods, is the cat terminal and they are letting him live out his days. He does not look great to me either.
I have managed in a couple of these situations with dogs and cats to have been able to buy the animal from the owner for a reasonable fee and have them relinquish ownership. Ask about taking over his veterinary care in exchange for ownership if that resonate with you.
I have managed in a couple of these situations with dogs and cats to have been able to buy the animal from the owner for a reasonable fee and have them relinquish ownership. Ask about taking over his veterinary care in exchange for ownership if that resonate with you.
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I would just take the cat. My cousin and myself had to do that with a dog who was chained up and so weak he couldn't even stand up. It is amazing how the owners got their act together the first time after the RASPCA was called in. I don't know how many cats, kittens, and dogs, my family and myself have taken in because they were a "pet" in name only.
Just taking the pet is theft. If the owner pursues the case it can involved fines and jail time depending on the location. I've received my share of abandoned and neglected animals over the years but it is always best to do so legally and with a clean conscious. Unless you know the entire situation and all the players you could unwilling steal a child's beloved pet that the parents simply had trouble affording or a terminally ill pet whose owners are letting them live their twilight days.
I know its hard to see any animal in what we see as poor conditions. But there are laws and procedures in place for those situations. There is also common courtesy and understanding that can be used between the humans to work out the best solution for everyone.
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I look at it different. Taking someone's pet is theft- however- taking in someone's neglected pet is saving a life. Clean conscious- they would have one. "arminally ill pet whose owners are letting them live their twilight days. " Letting a cat starve to death as it begs for food is not letting them have their twilight days.
My cat will happily beg for food from anyone who offers to the point of making himself sick. Once he knows you will feed him, he will make the most pitiful little mew to beg you for more.
Begging for food =/= starving to death
Looking sickly =/= mistreated
Can we make assumptions? Of course. Will some be right? By simple odds, yes. Do either of those mean that any single person has the right to be judge, jury and enforcer of their own moral right without regard to the law or the other people involved in the situation? No. No matter how much you think a situation is wrong for any animal; unless you've talked to the owner and know exactly what is going on and have their authorization you should not take an animal.
The OP in question has talked to the owner in the past, the owner shared the cat had dental issues that were being treated. The OP reported to the ASPCA and the cat received treatment. Now the cat is looking sickly again and either talking to the owner or going to ASPCA should happen again. I know its not as fast as some people may like but it is the right action to take.
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Let me tell a little story.
At age fourteen I took a kitten from a neighbor who had two little kids, ages 7 and 9. The ex-husband of the woman who lived there had dropped the kids off from their weekend visit with him the night before. In the process of walking them to the door he accidentally stepped on one of the kittens that their cat had. The mother did not take the kitten to the vet and the little feline crawled around for several days as the kids took aims at her with their water pistols. One night I went down there and stole the kitten and took her to the vet the next day. I took her to my vet several times throughout the week and fed her warmed up tuna and milk. I took her every where with me and held her constantly. Six days later she succumbed to her injuries.
These same folks decided to keep one of the male kittens, an orange stripe tabby. They felt a male wouldn't give them any trouble even though they still had his unfixed mother hanging around. I spotted him on a hot August day laying limp as a noodle on their doorstep. There was no water around, although they did have a large bag of dog food with a slit in it. I took him as well. The vet found fleas on him along with a foot long tape worm inside.
Along with the dog, I have no regrets in taking those kittens. Finnegan (male kitten) lives happily with my mother. The dog, called Red Dog, is living her life out on my grandmother's farm. And Pet, the crippled baby, at least knew love, comfort, and security, for the short time she was in this life.
So yes, I guess I was judge, jury, and enforcer.
I don't know all of the facts regarding this situation but I do know an emaciated cat who is producing orange urine is not going to end up well.
I think I will let the OP call this one.
At age fourteen I took a kitten from a neighbor who had two little kids, ages 7 and 9. The ex-husband of the woman who lived there had dropped the kids off from their weekend visit with him the night before. In the process of walking them to the door he accidentally stepped on one of the kittens that their cat had. The mother did not take the kitten to the vet and the little feline crawled around for several days as the kids took aims at her with their water pistols. One night I went down there and stole the kitten and took her to the vet the next day. I took her to my vet several times throughout the week and fed her warmed up tuna and milk. I took her every where with me and held her constantly. Six days later she succumbed to her injuries.
These same folks decided to keep one of the male kittens, an orange stripe tabby. They felt a male wouldn't give them any trouble even though they still had his unfixed mother hanging around. I spotted him on a hot August day laying limp as a noodle on their doorstep. There was no water around, although they did have a large bag of dog food with a slit in it. I took him as well. The vet found fleas on him along with a foot long tape worm inside.
Along with the dog, I have no regrets in taking those kittens. Finnegan (male kitten) lives happily with my mother. The dog, called Red Dog, is living her life out on my grandmother's farm. And Pet, the crippled baby, at least knew love, comfort, and security, for the short time she was in this life.
So yes, I guess I was judge, jury, and enforcer.
I don't know all of the facts regarding this situation but I do know an emaciated cat who is producing orange urine is not going to end up well.
I think I will let the OP call this one.
