I have been feeding a stray cat that is basically a medical emergency. Any suggestions?

Question

Ok, so. This gray male cat has been hanging around our neighborhood/house fo close to 2 years now. We know he has always stolen our other cats food, it's not a big deal. In the past 6 months or so he has become alot frienlier towards us and me in particular. He comes every morning to eat and almost every night. About 2.3-3 months ago he got a wound on the underside of his neck, I'm pretty sure it began as a puncture wound, but it got infected and now it's a gaping cut. Like he got his face dragged under a tire for a few feet. It is on the whole side of his neck, red, puffy, pussy, the skin around it is burning hot. It is definately infected. It has been getting worse over the last couple months, and I feel bad b/c I can't clean it or take him to the vet b/c I'mk the only one that can touch him anywhere but his head, and he won't let me rinse his neck, I've tried. I asked the vet about it finally, I know its late, and he gave me some orabax to give hime everyday, it seems to help.

I don't want to take him to the Humane Society b/c they will put him down w/out giving him a chance. He likes life and the wound doesn't sem to be affecting his quality of life too much. I've become attached to him and it seems if he gets help for the wound he'll be much better off. duh, right? Any suggestions on how to get him to be more accepting of me so I can clean it or of any thing to try? I can't take him to the vet, he's too feral. And I can't restrain him, though he is not mean, just cautious. Please, anything is appreciated.

I know he needs to go to the vet, I know he needs it cleaned and sterilized, and he definately needs to be nuetered. I know what should be done, but it is not feasible b/c I don't want to cause him to be too stressed out, and when we put him back outside I don't want him to never come back. He has to stay outside b/c of my mom, so i can't bring him in. If I kept him in a cage he would go berserk, I tried keeping him in the garage and he dove at the window for a few minutes before I covered it up. It just does not work. I'm not sure what kind of suggestions I need but I thank ya'll for any. I need suggestions for at home stuff probably that would work/help.

Answer 1

Your best solution for helping Mr Gray is to get your hands on a live capture trap. I'd remove all the other food from the area he frequents and place the trap there with his food inside. Get some travel tranquilizer from your vet and put it in the food used to bait the trap. That should get him captured and if he freaks on capture, just let him stay in the trap until he calms down on his own or until the tranq takes effect. Get him as calm as possible for the trip to vet. Sit beside the trap with him... speak reassuringly... calm... quiet.... safe.

It sounds like you have developed some trust with Mr. Gray, especially if you are able to touch him. Nonetheless, I'd protect myself with gloves while handling the cage, avoid contact with the cat's fluids, make sure to wash hands, etc. You don't want to pass on anything contagious to your other dudes and dudettes.

The vet can then attend to him, clean wound, stitches, antibiotics, etc.

There are many spay/neuter/release programs available to pay for neutering, he needs rabies shot more than likely, and whatever else the vet recommends during the exam.

I'd get as much done as possible while Mr Gray is captured... you may need to talk to an animal advocate / program volunteer in your area to get all the details on programs available, or do like I do and pay out of pocket if you can afford it so these groups can help other kitties like Mr Gray that don't have a good caring friend like you.

Answer 2

Best to leave him be, he will heal on his own or go off & die...cats wounds often infect & heal on their own, the only time it's bad is if the wound is not broken by the cat or does not break open so it drains ( sounds like his is doing so which is why you see the bigger wound ) even the tiniest of wounds on cats can get huge, open & gaping cuz their skin stretches like a rabbits & their skin heals outside over the would faster then in the wounds .. and tho this sounds gross, the best healer in nature of outside or wild critters wounds are FLIES...they lay their eggs, the maggots eat the dead skin, killing the infections, etc. I have seen the biggest gaping of wounds heal from this ( that was a vets advice to us & it WORKS better then anything any human can do )..TC & Peace :)

Answer 3

This is what I would do. Get a cat trap from a shelter or vet.
Put his food in it. After you catch him, you can safely take him to the vet. They can give him a tranquilizer if necessary to properly clean the wound. Also they can give him proper shots which he has never had (and consider throwing a neuter in while you're at it).Then you can bring him home the same day. It'll be just one visit, but you'll be doing the cat, yourself and the community the most possible good.

Answer 4

my cat got into a catfight with a tomcat before and as a result of the fight my cat had a gaping hole in the back of his leg at the time i could not afford to take him to the vet so what i did was as often as i could i kept the wound slathered with neosporin and you wouldnt believe it but within a little over a week it was so healed you couldnt even tell anything happened except it took a little longer for the hair to grow back...if you can get neosporin on the wound that would really help

Answer 5

You are so kind to have fed this cat and now for being concerned about him. Hopefully the medication will clear the infection, and the wound will heal on its own. There is no way to sew up an old wound anyway. If he were tamer you could speed up the healing by doctoring it--cleaning it, etc.

You might as well face it. This cat is yours now. You will be rewarded in the future for caring for this helpless animal.

Answer 6

Get or rent something called a have-a-heart trap, it does not hurt him in any way, you put food in it and when he go's into it to eat the food the door shuts behind him. (you might want to have him eat in the "have a heart" trap at the same time everyday for the first few days to get him used to it without setting the trap) No biggie. Then get him to the vet, They might give him a mild seditive, clean and bandage his wound and wile your there you might as well neuter him and give him a few shots (rabies, distemper ect.) than you can release him back to the wild. Hope this helps you!

Answer 7

frist off the spca should not put him down if he can be saved.but they sell stuff on the market for cats that have been cut from like cat fight ect.you need to get the cat into a cage and get it nice and claim down so you can clean the neck area.you might want to try to cut hair around the cut so it stays clean.also you might want to keep it in the cage until it heals.they have some stuff at pet smart that is to relax the cat for like when you take him to the vet.so that might help.i would try to put some food in a cage and once you get him into the cage keep him in there.go to petsmart.com and check out what they have that might help.and i,m glad you are helping the stray out.good luck

Answer 8

If you can catch him and get him in your car, I would suggest taking him to the vet. Vets are trained to handle feral cats, and it would be best to have him see the issue in person and tell you an appropriate form of treatment.

You can try using Rescue Remedy drops before taking him on the trip. They work well for calming even the most excitable cats.

You can read about Rescue Remedy here:

Answer 9

Are you sure you can't take him to the vet in any way possible? You might be able to get the vet to come to you, or give him some sleeping tablets in his food so the vet can look at him or something. It really sounds as though he needs help.

Answer 10

ouch look why don't you just keep him for a pet the wound properly only needs time to heal and give him a treat for every time he lets you help him clean it just do your best there is nothing more i can say