Captured (hopefully rescued) a stray with an injured leg - advice?

Swttea

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My husband went to get some dinner earlier this evening and while he was there he spotted a cat that seemed injured. He went to it and was actually able to get pretty close by tossing some of our food, but not close enough to do anything meaningful. He left and came home and told me about it... it was going to be cold tonight...

We couldn't stop thinking about him/her (still not sure what it is). So after we ate we gathered up some meager supplies... a collapsible carrier, a blanket and a can of tuna. We drove around for about 20 minutes before we found them again, behind the place he was before. We sat and tossed him tuna for nearly an hour, the closest he would come was 4ft or so. We set up the carrier and made a line up tuna all the way to the back, where we sat the bowl, and eventually, he slowly inched his way back. Once he was all the way in, we flipped it up and got them in the car. There was actually MUCH less flailing and meowing then I expected, and they don't seem nearly as scared as I would expect of a "true feral" cat.

Once we got home we took him to our guest room (aka our dogs room) and let him out in there. Put down a litter box, water, food, and a cardboard box with a towel in it. Right now they've just stuffed themselves sadly in a corner behind a pillow and hasn't come out. His front right leg/foot is obviously injured, he is limping and when they were sitting a few times it was just curled under. I am worried it is an old injury that has healed wrong, as there is no visible sore that I can see, but it is certainly bothering them a lot. The plan right now is to go to the vet Monday, tomorrow would be an emergency fee and our funds can't even afford a regular fee but we're going anyway... of course, if he seems worse tomorrow we'll go.

Is there anything else I should do? Should we stay out of the room, or try to encourage them at all ? I have only ever dealt with stray dogs that just want you to cuddle immediately.

Only two pictures for now - the one hubby sent me, you can sort of see the paw being held weird, and then once he was in the room, before hiding.

I'm sort of in a "okay...I didn't expect that to work, WHAT NOW" mode!!

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Jcatbird

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Oh! Thank you to you both! For now, let kitty rest quietly. You can go in to check on kitty but tap lightly on the door and let kitty know you are coming in to attend to it’s needs. Keep offering yummy food. Good nutrition could help a lot right now. Watch for any wound, pus, bloc or odor from the foot. If you detect an odor, it may need that attention tomorrow. If you can contact a vet, they may even offer medicine without an immediate visit if you can tell there is infection and you explain the situation. If you start spending time with kitty tomorrow, just lay on the floor quietly with kitty as you feed. Speak softly and use a calming voice. If kitty has any sudden changes or becomes weak, lethargic, more help is needed. I kind of expect kitty to hide right now and come out to eat, drink, litter box and maybe even explore a little when all is quiet. I like to leave a night light on for new kitties. Low light gives them confidence to look around. If you need to sleep in the room, kitty will probably stay hidden until everything is silent and unmoving. Observe all eating, drinking and litter habits so you know what his system is doing. Poor kitty! That kitty got very lucky when your husband saw it and reported it to you. You make a great team! I love it when I meet people like you! Thank you! You are a kitty hero!
please do keep us updated !
 
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Swttea

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So far he is not interested in anything I've offered, which was some bits of chicken, kibble, and a can of food - but I know he has an appetite because he was eating the chicken & tuna before we captured him.

We sat hubbys phone in the room with plugged it in and facetime'd my phone, so now we have video on him without disturbing him constantly to see if he's alright :)

I don't think I have a light but the room has a lamp, however it is pretty bright. I've left it on for now, do you think that's okay or should I turn it off?

He has not hissed or shown any sort of aggression which I hope may be a good sign.

I tried talking to him a bit and offering some food, which just made him move from the sad pillow in the corner to the bookshelf - somehow it looks even sadder. Breaking my heart! I know they're so scared right now! :sniffle:

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Jcatbird

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The lamp is fine as long as he can’t knock it over. Using the phone to watch is excellent. If he has everything he needs, just let him rest. You can put a blanket or something that carries your scent where he can lay somewhere hidden. If you have a cardboard box you can lay on it’s side, he may lay in that. A closet floor could be a good spot. Give him time. He is just scared and probably hurts. He has been struggling to survive so now, he is probably just exhausted. If you were in his place, a quiet and soft spot to rest would be a wonderful thing. You can probably expect a very deep sleep once he realizes he is safe. He ate earlier so just leave something for him to munch on after the house is quite. He probably is more content right now than you realize. Maybe more so than he has experienced in a long time. It’s a very good thing. :alright:
 
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Swttea

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Well we made it through the night, but was in the same place they wwere as when we went to bed so I do not really think they came out at all through the night. I had to come in to remove the uneaten food and encourage them to come out of the closet since I wanted to be sure they were still acting okay (I couldn't see their face in the position they decided to get in). They came out and moved behind the curtain where they have been most of the day.

Hubby went to PetSmart and got a Feliway diffuser, and I put a speaker in the room that is currently playing "soothing cat music", we also got a hidy-bed and some catnip. They have not eaten anything, used the litter (or gone anywhere), or drank yet. Once we left the room for a while, they did come out to explore, as captured on the FaceTime video. Was it time, the music, or the diffuser? I don't know! But that was pretty encouraging after not exploring all night. It was about 45 minutes after plugging that in and turning on the music.

I got to take a video of it to share, you can clearly see how they are holding the paw and the little bit of shaking it has. It is absolutely killing me that I don't have the funds to do an emergency visit today, I feel like such as awful person.

Also at a few points they lifted up to explore something beside the phone and I could see the belly - I'm wondering it may be a female? I did not see any uh, male, parts there.

I hope these two dropbox links work:



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You and your husband are wonderful, wonderful people for having helped this cat. I do not see distress at all in the video, especially given that you have had her for all of two days. She clearly does have a hurt paw, and I can see why you wonder if it might have healed that way from an old injury, but she also looks as if she is wondering what has happened that she is suddenly in a warm, clean place with her own food and the other amenities you have given her. She is going to hide for a while and be unsure, but she is much more under control and calm than a lot of cats would be on day two of having been brought to an unfamiliar place. I completely agree with what Jcatbird Jcatbird is saying.

Last night one of my ferals was killed by a coyote; we know for sure it was a coyote because of the nature of how a neighbor found his remains. He was a true feral, wild and unfriendly, but able bodied. Your cat would have had no chance if confronted with a predator and I am sure that is going through her head as well right now.
 
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Swttea

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Thank you for the encouragement! I am happy to hear she doesn't look so bad in the videos!

Not much improvement, we're about to head to bed. I offered some Friskies wet food, tuna, and turkey lunchmeat, but they were all a no-go. I basically put them right under her nose, and there was just no interest.

She did find the hidy-bed, and I also sat the carrier we just bought in there (sprayed with calming spray and put a bed in it), right now she's sleeping in the carrier. She pushed the pillow out of the way, maybe trying to burrow under it. I DID maybe have a moment with her, I attempted petting her with a toy and she didn't flinch or anything so I decided to risk my hand and she let me. I scratched her cheeks gently at first, and worked my way to her neck, and eventually full-petting her head and scratching her ears. She never resisted or seemed alarmed. She did not push into my hand like she enjoyed it, but she did lay her head down and close her eyes. I pet her for a good 5-7 minutes, before I left her alone (my choice, she didn't try to get away or anything).

Plan is to be at the vets door at 7:30am. I of course want to know about her leg, and test her for felv/fiv, and maybe a complete blood panel to check on the kidneys and stuff. I wish I knew how old she was.
 
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Swttea

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You and your husband are wonderful, wonderful people for having helped this cat. I do not see distress at all in the video, especially given that you have had her for all of two days. She clearly does have a hurt paw, and I can see why you wonder if it might have healed that way from an old injury, but she also looks as if she is wondering what has happened that she is suddenly in a warm, clean place with her own food and the other amenities you have given her. She is going to hide for a while and be unsure, but she is much more under control and calm than a lot of cats would be on day two of having been brought to an unfamiliar place. I completely agree with what Jcatbird Jcatbird is saying.

Last night one of my ferals was killed by a coyote; we know for sure it was a coyote because of the nature of how a neighbor found his remains. He was a true feral, wild and unfriendly, but able bodied. Your cat would have had no chance if confronted with a predator and I am sure that is going through her head as well right now.
I'm so sorry to head about the kitty killed by the coyote :( This is something I was really worried about too. Not a coyote but anything really. And the temperature. She was staying close to the restaurant, I guess due to a food source, but I didn't see much in the way of shelter.
 
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Swttea

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I am still waiting on the FIV test, but I have some updates from the vet

It IS a boy, and he has already been neutered. The ear is not tipped and I do not think TNR is very popular here, so the odds are he was at one time someone's pet.

The leg is an old injury, the vet suggested he may have been shot or something of similar trauma at some point... she said it is not pain but numbness, is that true, even with the shaking leg sometimes? They diagnosed this with X-rays.
She said there is nothing they can do about it without going to an ortho surgeon. I know I will never be able to afford. :(

They did have to sedate him to handle him.
 
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Swttea

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Photos of the poor babies paw.
He tested negative for FIV.
The vet gave me a number to an organization that helps in situations like these, and so my bill is only going to be $75. I am VERY thankful for that.

Not sure how to proceed. I am contacting everyone I can find about rescue, but everyone is full. :( I am convinced he was a pet at one point and can be rehabilitated. I live in a small town and there just isn't much help here...
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fionasmom

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I definitely agree that he is a former pet, probably discarded or abandoned to have been left with that injury. As I said yesterday, he cannot believe his good luck in finding a safe place and he is already starting to relax around you which definitely shows that he is not a feral. Poor soul had a rough time on the streets and I had wondered if his injury was from a shooting or human caused trauma.

Limbs which are numb can still shake. Neurological damage from injury or illness can cause shaking; in some cases it is as if the nerve endings are working independently of any control from the animal as they react or shut down. I also agree that he is not in pain and if he were, to be honest, you would not be able to pet his head. The leg may be inconvenient for him to hold up or drag around but I don't think that you have to get him to an orthopedic specialist at this point.
 
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Swttea

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Wow, I am not sure what happened, but my vet bill was only $28. The foundation said I would be responsible for $75, so maybe the vet discounted even more? I'm shocked, it was originally $300!

I wasn't present at the vet as my fiancé had to drop him off on his way to work. He says, that they said they would need to rebreak the foot the fix it. I don't know beyond that what they are thinking. Would this bring feeling back to the foot if it was indeed numb?

He also tested negative for FELV and FIV. Great!
He was given an injected antibiotic. I am not exactly sure why, I guess just in case? They mentioned the paw pad on the injured foot was coming up. I can't see that myself since I don't want to touch his foot. It was Convenia which... I see some scary stories about :( But I do see a lot of good ones as well... I just hope it'll be fine.

I thought they were going to give him an injectable pain med but I don't see it on my bill so I do not think they did. They gave me 3 Onisor pain tablets. But... how? I have no idea how to get these in him, or if I should even try to.
He weighs 9.3lbs. They think he is 2-3 yrs old. But they were basing that on his lack of seeming to have been in scuffles with other cats, I am thinking he could be older if he was a housecat that was fairly recently abandoned.

Apparently the vet tech opened his cage to try to give him a pet and he escaped for a while. So he had a little adventure there.

I sadly feel like this cat might have been severely abused by humans. I don't have much to base it off of, but honestly, he just seems broken :( While he does let me pet him, he is just still, there is obviously no enjoyment. I am just feeling saddness from him. In my area, I really wouldn't doubt it. In my mind, maybe he swatted at his owner and they beat him and shot at him. Ugh.

I am waiting to hear back from a few rescues. I think I have found at least one that will pay for medical care as long as I allow him a place to stay. My only issue with that is my lack of experience with ferals/scared cats, and I am a type 1 diabetic. If I get bit it could be pretty dangerous. I have a really hard time even getting my kittens to take pills! I don't know what to do.

But, as the foot seems okay for the time being, the #1 issue now seems to be food. He has not eaten since the tuna/chicken on Saturday night, which was 46 hours ago. I can literally press food to his nose and touch it, and he has no reaction to it. I have tried cat food, tuna, samon, turkey lunchmeat and dry food. I am sure this situation is close to being urgent. He just doesn't seem to have the will right now.
 
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Swttea

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I sent hubby to get some Nutrient gel and kitten milk replacement. I do not know if either will work, but I will update later. He lets me scratch his cheeks, so I am thinking of trying to rub the gel on his gums. It will depend on if he trust me enough to let me.
 
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Swttea

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OH! Hubby just got back and I went in the room with the gel to try some out but he had eaten! I left about 2 tablespoons of samon on a plate infront of the carrier earlier. It was gone besides some crumbly bits. I know it isn't the best to eat but I'll take it!

He also hissed at me! Maybe it sounds silly, but it made me so happy. The way he was acting before was almost as if he'd just given up and accepted whatever was going to happen and I didn't like that.

I put the rest of the samon out and I also put some of the nutrient gel on the side incase he didn't like it so that it doesnt taint what I know he'll eat.
 
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Swttea

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Did not eat more yet however there was a solid poop IN THE LITTERBOX, and it was buried. I actually had two boxes in the room and...I filled one with dirt and leaves from outside. He chose the litter filled pan! So happy he didn't go on the mattress, lol.

I think he possibly drank some water. Or he was at least around the bowl because some of it was spilled. I can't be sure he drank anything, though.
 
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Swttea

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I left a can of Fancy Feast along with the samon out last night. When I went to check on him today, the entire can of fancy feast was gone and so was a lot of the samon!
His little hidy hut bed was also squashed like he'd been exploring ontop of it.

I let him know I was there and gave him a gentle face scratch and I went to get some more food. I also bought a very cheap camera to set up in the room, it can flex and attach to the wall and has motion detection. So I put the food down and was trying to set it up, but I had to leave the room to go mess with my router, and I was gone about 25 minutes. When I had come back, he'd eaten! He ate about half the can of food. So he ate during the day, when I was just nearby, that seems great! I gave him another pet and talked to him for a while, and got the camera on. There was no hissing today.

He seems to have made his home the carrier for now. There is a pillow in there. He always goes back to it so I'm not having to figure out where he is hiding each time I go in there.
 

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Believe me, you are having very good response and luck with this cat. I have to agree with your idea that he was abused and is broken but remember that he has only known you for a few days and is already responding. Try to continue what you are doing, but don't force it. Once he trusts you he will become more outgoing.....maybe the last person who touched him is the one who damaged his foot. To me, this is a strange injury for a cat which is an animal who can fall, right themselves in the air, and then safely land....which leads me to agree with you that something bad happenened.

I am so happy that he is eating....not only because he needs the food, but because he has decided that it is safe to eat what you give him. If he continues to eat on his own, you really only have to keep up the good work and see where this eventually goes. And he chose the "right" litter box. Right now I have a very much adapted former feral we brought in about 6 months ago who still insists on not using litter, only pee pads in a box. I am so glad that you are getting some financial help as well.

Convenia is used to treat skin and soft tissue infections in cats and it is probably good that they gave it to him if the pad is involved. Who knows what he was dragging the foot on in the parking lot. Onsior is used for pain; it is an NSAID and works on injured tissues especially. It is very important for you not to get bitten, so I am not sure what to say about the Onsior. I would not try to pill him by putting it in his mouth. He might react, and rightfully as it is traumatic and you might lose ground with him. There are pill pockets for cats and others might have suggestions. Usually it is not recommended to break a pill, but I have crushed them in food in lots of instances. If it has an odd smell, he might not eat it. It is not an antibiotic, but a painkiller, so it is hard to determine if it could be withheld or if he seems to be in pain which he might be.

An orthopedist should be consulted about the foot, and I don't mean right now or with you paying the bill, but I also have never experienced having a limb rebroken in an animal, so again, others might know more.

This guy is really settling in and I can only imagine how happy he is after whatever happened to him on the streets. You can post specific questions separately as you need more information and more people will see them and be able to give advice.
 
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Swttea

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Thanks so much fionasmom fionasmom , I really appreciate all the advice, experience and kind words you (and everyone else) has been providing! If I have any specific questions I may start a new thread, but for now I hope it's okay if this turns into a sort of diary for him. I don't know how long he will be with me, or if he will end up staying permanently, but I just hope I can help him.

I have some more videos to share, nothing exciting but we had some Annoyed Tail Action earlier. That's the first time I have saw him moving his tail, so I don't mind if it was out of annoyance, haha! I was in there switching out the bowls and making noises so I guess he wanted me to go away.


I put more food down and he came out to eat about 30-40 minutes later. Shortly after I could see he was in the carrier grooming a little bit. I wish he would come out of the carrier more, but at least he is coming to eat, so all in due time.


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Hi Swttea !

Just a couple of thoughts, quickly.

I don't see any indication that he's feeling any pain, so, were this happening here, I'd put the Onsior in storage, away from air and light - it can come in handy sometimes. Make a note on/with it that it should not be crushed/broken (as in to mix it with food) - it's a coated tablet designed to not dissolve until it reaches the intestine, much like a coated aspirin does. (in the stomach it can cause distress/damage) * fionasmom fionasmom - make a note to yourself about this drug - no crushing!

I'd encourage you to keep the thread going as a diary/recorded history - you won't bore anyone here, for sure! (Just remember the 'kittytax' :lol:). And, besides, it's a real heart-warmer!
.
 
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Swttea

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Thank you for letting me know it shouldn’t be crushed. I probably would have tried that! I will put it away for the time being.

How much food should I be offering him? I don’t believe is he underweight, but he did just go a few days without. I currently have 3oz cans that vary from 70-90 calories each.
 
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