Upper respiratory infection in feral cat

[oyster]

I am desperate for advice about my feral who has lived in our yard for the last 5 years. I had her neutered with great difficulty as it was impossible to trap her. I am pretty sure she won't let me trap her at all now. I have never touched her and she remains as skittish as ever. I can only get as close as arm's length before she bolts off. She eats all her meals outside where I leave them when I see her coming.
She sleeps in an insulated hut I provide for her during winters.
She has stopped eating since the last 4 days. Meanwhile, I have tried warmed tuna water and kibbles soaked in it. Boiled chicken. Tried baby food. She won't have any of it. I don't know if I can trap her. I can't get close enough to feed her with a syringe. And I am at my wits end as to what to do for her.
Two years ago, we lost her companion to the same disease and I am terrified this will happen to her too.
Any suggestions?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!

There might be something in this link below, and check with your vet as to whether l-lysine or lactoferrin, plain fullfat yogurt or goat milk might be helpful?

Any Good Tips To Get Your Cats To Eat? Share Them Here!

There are many times when a cat refuse to eat due to change of food, due to health reasons, being fussy or gotten sick of what they have been eating and we try to get them to eat a new food and have problems getting them to eat. I see that there are many threads past and recent on how members...

thecatsite.com

 

[movinintime]

Well my worry is she may be FiV positive, like our 5 yr old feral when he got finally trapped 10 days ago. Vet said he is FiV & thus his leaky eyes are an infection. He has had a yr or so of leaky eyes, so I finally able to trap him but the FiV has lowered immunity so he can't rid it yet. Vet gave him a shot of long-acting antibio, Covenia, & will repeat in few wks.

I began about 5 days ago, VetriScience Lysine chews at 4 x 250mg/day. Thus 1000mg/day. He eats 2 chews in am meal, of raw Stella & Chewy's Selects -- both chicken & turkey medallions mixed in. And again 2 Lysine chews pm w/ same raw food combo. This seems to make him perky, alert. He seems ok, has been outside going at nite in his Kitty Tube again & rolls around in the backyard below our apt's dirt & grass. So we'll keep on trying this til who knows.

Oh, he needs go back to vet in about 2-3 wks to complete his partial neuter & booster shots from 10 days ago (his 1st round ever of vaccines then) but unsure if he'll fall for the covered cat trap again. We'll see...

 

[Furballsmom]

Try Kentucky fried Chicken for the trap -- if you haven't already....

I'm keeping you and him in my thoughts and prayers!

 

[oyster]

Try Kentucky fried Chicken for the trap -- if you haven't already....

I'm keeping you and him in my thoughts and prayers!

I can't get KFC where I am. I boiled chicken and I followed her around in 26 F weather this morning but she ran away as soon as I got close to her.
And I could put Lysine in her food. Trouble is that she isn't eating anything nor allowing me to get close. I don't know how I can trap her without the lure of food.

 

[movinintime]

Ok, use smelly oily fish. Mackerel, oil sardines or oily tuna should do it. Never saw a feral refuse all 3.
But try them in this order. If you have the trap it shouldn't take much for a cold, tired, hungry cat to go in. Best of luck & let us know.

 

[oyster]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I will try sardines tomorrow. Just tried tuna and left it outside her hut. Tried trapping her twice and don't want to try anymore or she may not come back tonight. Will start again tomorrow. She is still not eating or drinking. Oh why can't she let me help her?

 

[fionasmom]

Can you get anything at the market that is similar to KFC? Banquet frozen fried chicken dinner or something similar? Look for some greasy type TV dinner with breaded chicken and see if that works.

 

[oyster]

I will try at the store but I am not sure.

 

[oyster]

Update: She had a little sardine water today. I could not trap her despite trying different ways. I decided to leave her as she seems more stressed when I try to trap her. She won't let me come close at all now. Just monitoring her when she is here... Thank you all.

 

[movinintime]

Give her time & keep a watch on her. TY very much for caring for her too.

The smelly fish may work over time. No way to tell how a certain kitty will react but I'd say odds are she will come around eventually

Also, what are your overnite temps there? I use a Kitty Tube for my feral but he's in s. AZ & coldest here it has been (for maybe 1 or 2 nites) so far under is just 32. Mostly in high 30s-low 40s, so far. But winter is here...

 

[oyster]

Give her time & keep a watch on her. TY very much for caring for her too.

The smelly fish may work over time. No way to tell how a certain kitty will react but I'd say odds are she will come around eventually

Also, what are your overnite temps there? I use a Kitty Tube for my feral but he's in s. AZ & coldest here it has been (for maybe 1 or 2 nites) so far under is just 32. Mostly in high 30s-low 40s, so far. But winter is here...

It is very cold here--20s overnight and frost. No snow so far. Her hut is insulated and has straw and heat reflecting blankets but since I tried trapping her, she hasn't returned to her hut. So this is an added worry. I can just pray and hope she can fight back the cold. My whole family is keeping vigil (in turns) near her hut and we hope to give her some warmed up food. If I leave it out, it freezes in 30 min. She is very much loved and has been with us since she was a kitten but she has never allowed me to touch her. Her siblings used to live outside too but they all passed away.

 

[moxiewild]

I have definitely had cats not like oily fish or fish in general. One of my personal cats HATES fish!

You don’t need KFC, any warm fried chicken is fine.

Cats who aren’t eating are very difficult to trap...

Try literally anything stinky. For kitties like this, I have had luck with Purebites freeze dried chicken treats, raw liver or tripe, very warm fast food (burgers, French fries, hot dogs), and other junk food.

I have trapped a couple of cats with spray cheese and spray butter before - and I only got the idea for those things from sick house cats who wouldn’t eat for 5 days and were about to end up with a feeding tube, but accepted this spray junk. You just never know.

You are only using a tiny bit, so most of this stuff is going to be relatively safe - ask your vet if you’re unsure about something. Pat off oil/grease, rinse for salt/sodium if possible, and try to ensure everything is reasonably plain without spices or anything particularly toxic to cats.

Honestly, I would consider a drop trap. You can make one yourself or call around to TNR groups to see if they have one you can rent, or if they know if a local trapper that might have one or who can otherwise help.

If you cannot get a drop trap, try finding a fishing pole net at a fishing/hunting supply store near you since it sounds like she will get more than close enough to you to net her. Look up videos online for how to do this.

Other than stinky food, try catnip and a laser pointer.

Good luck, and please keep us updated!

 

[oyster]

Update: I was unable to trap her. In fact, I have made her fearful of her hut where I tried to trap her so she hasn't returned there.

She has fought off the cold, I think, because she ate her first regular meal today. She was surviving on sardine water with a bit of mackerel thrown in. She always left the fish but lapped up the water. I used bottled water instead of all tuna/sardine water because of the salt intake. She was happy with the liquid regardless.
I will start putting Lysine in her food from tomorrow, as well as a pinch of turmeric. I used to add turmeric to her food daily when she was eating and I hope it helped her bounce back. I also got her some raw chicken which she ate today but didn't touch yesterday.
When I trapped her to get her neutered, I used a makeshift drop trap but she is savvy of that too. She is the hardest cat to trap. So for now, I am just going to feed her. I also made some broth so am adding that to the food. She is looking better already and can meow again.
Thank you all for all your suggestions and tips. The oily, smelly fish worked!

 

[fionasmom]

I am so glad that you were able to get her. These kinds of cat are very wary of anything that they recall as having been like a trap, so you have done a great job to be able to overcome that. I hope that her health will return with some care.

 

[Furballsmom]

She is looking better already and can meow again

WOW, good on you!!

 

[Mycoguy]

I am desperate for advice about my feral who has lived in our yard for the last 5 years. I had her neutered with great difficulty as it was impossible to trap her. I am pretty sure she won't let me trap her at all now. I have never touched her and she remains as skittish as ever. I can only get as close as arm's length before she bolts off. She eats all her meals outside where I leave them when I see her coming.
She sleeps in an insulated hut I provide for her during winters.
She has stopped eating since the last 4 days. Meanwhile, I have tried warmed tuna water and kibbles soaked in it. Boiled chicken. Tried baby food. She won't have any of it. I don't know if I can trap her. I can't get close enough to feed her with a syringe. And I am at my wits end as to what to do for her.
Two years ago, we lost her companion to the same disease and I am terrified this will happen to her too.
Any suggestions?

I feel everyone's pain, believe me. Last year, first week in December, 1 of my 3 cats(indoors at night, free to roam the ranch during the day, and make their rounds, hunt mice, gophers, ground squirrels, grasshoppers...anything that moves) started sneezing in fits. Next day, poor "Purry" was at wits end, with long-lasting rapid-fire sneezing attacks that totally made her a wreck 24/7....she stopped eating on day 3 with the upper respiratory disease(transferred from the 2 ferals I feed in the hay barn).
On day 4, Purry started huge amounts of vomit, and, the sneezing attacks continued, so, I took her to my vet, as I thought she was going to die from the stress. All she could do was sit in her nest, with a very drippy nose, and looked absolutely horrible.
I felt so powerless to help her, but, the vet gave her an antibiotic shot(I tried putting pills down her throat, and that did NOT work well at all, so, return trip for a shot)
For 4 more days, Purry did not eat, vomited here and there, and sat, listless, weak, and, I did my best to give her IV fluids that my other cat "Izzie" gets, for his kidney problems.
And, yes, eventually, all 3 of my indoor/outdoor cats caught this highly virulent URI, with all 3 to the vet for the antibiotic shot, 2 requiring the IV solution.
My point here is when this sick, a cat can sometimes stop eating. I had NEVER seen such a powerful "cold" bug before, in over 40 years of owning cats, and, the 2 week to 3 week timeframe to be rid of the bug was THE most debilitating time I have ever seen my cats go through(Purry on day 5 ate a small amount of tuna, and drank tuna water, AFTER I gave her a dose of Izzie's appetite pill, (Mirtazapine))
Since all of my cats get a yearly checkup at my vet, and, appropriate vaccinations, this bug caught me by surprise, bigtime.
Seeing a feral go through this must be very, very upsetting, and, the feeling of powerlessness overwhelming. If this my case, I would have tried somehow to get the Mirtazapine to the cat, maybe crushed up into the tuna water).
Most likely, others with more experience with dealing with ferals, and URI, can pitch in and offer tips.
It was strange how the 2 ferals never did lose their appetite when THEY had the bug, and, fared better than my indoor/outdoor cats, that, apparently, never had this specific type of infection before, and, really got walloped by it.
I hope your kitty pulls through...we're all rooting for both of you!!

 

[oyster]

Thank you for sharing your experience, Mycoguy.
I ruined my NYE but that doesn't bother me at all. She gave me the best start to 2020--a fighting start. I'll take that!

 

[Mycoguy]

Fantastic! The feeling of relief is so well worth the stress! Now you can rest, and watch her get stronger..awesome news!