Extremely Injured Feral Cat

sophnlaw

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So about 3 weeks ago, my boyfriend and I found this clearly wounded cat on the side of the road. After an hour we were able to capture her. We brought her to the vet and they didn’t say she was feral and started treating her. She had a broken leg, both her legs had been mauled on by other animals, she had an eye wound and many other issues. Now we have no other option but to amputate this cats leg due to the severity of the break and we can’t return her to the wild. She is an adult feral cat, about 5 years old and I don’t know how we socialize her. My boyfriends uncle has offered to take her in but he has only dealt with rescue strays and we are worried she will be too difficult for him. What do we do? She still hates us and we understand but her aggression hasn’t gone down at all. Also why does she meow/yowl (maybe) repeatedly throughout the night? We haven’t slept in weeks, well I haven’t. We don’t know what’s causing it and the semester is about to start up and my roommates are moving back so we have to figure out the sound situation. Please advise. I don’t know how to take care of this cat.
 

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Felix19+

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OMG what a dilemma - you are such kind people - if this cat has to have it's leg amputated can the vet advise you how it can be looked after afterwards if it is feral and can't go back to live outside ? Do they advise putting it to sleep? Can you contact the local cat rescue service for their advice for in case your uncle cannot cope with looking after it ? May be the cat is meowing all night because it wants to go out and it must be in pain anyway because of it's injuries ? Good wishes please let us know how you get on xxx
 

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Can she be brought into your bedroom at night in a carrier? Until her body clock adjusts to yours, she wants to be outside at night and active but I have found that human company in the night can help adjustment. In a sing-song voice reassure "I know baby, sleepy sleep now" a few times whenever she does her cry. With surgery she won't be very mobile so that's an opportunity to get her trust (and sterilized) -maybe try offering delicious wet food on a spoon rather than providing a bowl and sit with her several times a day and night for periods just singing or talking in a soothing way like a baby, I would also take my laptop into the room with me and do emails, watch a movie/podcast, anything... it becomes a familiar and non-threatening routine to them, they get used to you and I wasn't bored witless ;)
 

shadowsrescue

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I would definitely be sure that she is getting adequate pain medication. Bringing her into your room or even sleeping in the room with her is a great idea. It may help to calm her.

Have you looked in to Feliway plug ins? They phermones that can help to calm a cat. I used to play soft harp music for my feral cats when I brought them inside. Also a night light in the room.

Being in the room with her during the day is another great idea. Sit on the floor so you aren't looming over her. Talk to her quietly and reassure her she is safe. If she is food motivated bring in delicious stinky smelling food. Most cats will enjoy plain cooked chicken, tuIna from a can, or really stinky canned cat food. Another gold standard is baby food. You want to only buy the Gerber stage

2 chicken or turkey. It's in a small glass jar and the only ingredients are chicken or turkey, water and modified food starch. Cats go crazy for this. You can offer it on a spoon. If she doesn't want you close, you can attach a spoon to a dowel rod or old cat wand toy.

Here is a picture
brush.jpg


You can also attach a small brush to a wand toy and use it to gently pet if she will allow. This may be at a later date.

I have brought 5 feral cats into my house throughout the years. Three years ago I moved and brought my 3 feral cats that had been living on my deck for many years and made them inside cats. One of the feral cats was 8 at the time. None had every lived inside a house. The first few weeks were hard. But they did all adjust with time, patience and love.

We are here to help with socialization ideas. You are wonderful for helping this sweet girl.
 

CalicoBernita

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So about 3 weeks ago, my boyfriend and I found this clearly wounded cat on the side of the road. After an hour we were able to capture her. We brought her to the vet and they didn’t say she was feral and started treating her. She had a broken leg, both her legs had been mauled on by other animals, she had an eye wound and many other issues. Now we have no other option but to amputate this cats leg due to the severity of the break and we can’t return her to the wild. She is an adult feral cat, about 5 years old and I don’t know how we socialize her. My boyfriends uncle has offered to take her in but he has only dealt with rescue strays and we are worried she will be too difficult for him. What do we do? She still hates us and we understand but her aggression hasn’t gone down at all. Also why does she meow/yowl (maybe) repeatedly throughout the night? We haven’t slept in weeks, well I haven’t. We don’t know what’s causing it and the semester is about to start up and my roommates are moving back so we have to figure out the sound situation. Please advise. I don’t know how to take care of this cat.
I am sure the cat is in pain, needs a lot of adjustment and the continuous meowing may be because the cat is not neutered.
You have to be very patient. She needs you and a forever home. Thank you for taking care of her. You both have a good heart.
 

fionasmom

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If you do the amputation, I agree that with sedation and pain killers, along with your ability to contain the cat that she will possibly begin to understand that you are helping her. I have brought in ferals of all ages and while it takes time, it can be done. The suggestions made previously are all ones that I would use in this situation.

tripawds.com is a support group for dog and cat amputees and their owners.
 

Caspers Human

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If it's a feral cat that has been mauled and maimed, I would consider whether it would be a mercy to have it euthanized.

I know that it's a hard decision but it might be the best thing to do.

It's an outdoor cat that has never been acclimated to humans. It doesn't understand that some humans will care for it, not hurt it.
Ferals view humans as danger. Some can acclimate to humans but many never will. A cat in severe, life threatening trauma, probably sees humans as a threat, no matter how nice and helpful they may be.

Now, you have a cat that was born free, that could go anywhere and do anything it wanted, with one or more broken legs, among other injuries, and now it's going to have to suffer amputation.

For a cat in a circumstance like that, I imagine that it would feel like life has turned into a real-life horror movie!

How would you feel if your life suddenly turned into some weird combination of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Silence of the Lambs?"

That might be the reason why the cat is yowling all night long. The poor cat might be scared out of its mind!

I'm not saying that I think the cat should be euthanized. I'm saying that you need to have a serious conversation with your conscience and decide what's really right.

Sometimes, our emotional desire to help short circuits our rational side. There are times when it's necessary to take a walk in the woods, sit in a church or spend time in some other place that you find to be quiet and inspirational and have a talk with God and make a decision that's right for both, you and the cat.

I think this is one of those times.

My thoughts and prayers are with you! :vibes:
 
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sophnlaw

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I would definitely be sure that she is getting adequate pain medication. Bringing her into your room or even sleeping in the room with her is a great idea. It may help to calm her.

Have you looked in to Feliway plug ins? They phermones that can help to calm a cat. I used to play soft harp music for my feral cats when I brought them inside. Also a night light in the room.

Being in the room with her during the day is another great idea. Sit on the floor so you aren't looming over her. Talk to her quietly and reassure her she is safe. If she is food motivated bring in delicious stinky smelling food. Most cats will enjoy plain cooked chicken, tuIna from a can, or really stinky canned cat food. Another gold standard is baby food. You want to only buy the Gerber stage

2 chicken or turkey. It's in a small glass jar and the only ingredients are chicken or turkey, water and modified food starch. Cats go crazy for this. You can offer it on a spoon. If she doesn't want you close, you can attach a spoon to a dowel rod or old cat wand toy.

Here is a picture
View attachment 365846

You can also attach a small brush to a wand toy and use it to gently pet if she will allow. This may be at a later date.

I have brought 5 feral cats into my house throughout the years. Three years ago I moved and brought my 3 feral cats that had been living on my deck for many years and made them inside cats. One of the feral cats was 8 at the time. None had every lived inside a house. The first few weeks were hard. But they did all adjust with time, patience and love.

We are here to help with socialization ideas. You are wonderful for helping this sweet girl.
Thank you so much for responding. The baby was on pain meds but the type of meds that the doctor wants to give her (mouth injectables) we can’t give her. We can’t get close to her, she hisses a lot at us. When she was on lighter pain meds (ones we could put in her food) she also yowled. So I think her yowling is because she is in a confined space . We realized that since she is a feral cat, she is more wild and probably more active so we moved her to my boyfriends house where we built her basically her own room that’s in the bedroom with us so she gets used to us at night but so we are still giving her space. She likes treats but still hisses at me when I give them to her or even sometimes just when I toss them gently on the floor to her. We bought her a bunch of toys and tbh she hasn’t found much interest in them. I tried a feather stick toy with her and she just repeatedly hissed at me so I’ve stopped because I don’t want to upset her. She has been through so much, we don’t want to traumatize her anymore. We have the pheromone plug ins, a night light for her, a water fountain and we play harp music. We are hoping after her surgery to give the cat to my boyfriends uncle who has a rescue cat of his own but loves cats and has a lot more time to take care of mocha. My boyfriend and I are 2 college students in ROTC, he is being stationed in Georgia this summer and I will be working to make ends meet all summer so I wanted to find her a home that could best support her.
 
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sophnlaw

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If it's a feral cat that has been mauled and maimed, I would consider whether it would be a mercy to have it euthanized.

I know that it's a hard decision but it might be the best thing to do.

It's an outdoor cat that has never been acclimated to humans. It doesn't understand that some humans will care for it, not hurt it.
Ferals view humans as danger. Some can acclimate to humans but many never will. A cat in severe, life threatening trauma, probably sees humans as a threat, no matter how nice and helpful they may be.

Now, you have a cat that was born free, that could go anywhere and do anything it wanted, with one or more broken legs, among other injuries, and now it's going to have to suffer amputation.

For a cat in a circumstance like that, I imagine that it would feel like life has turned into a real-life horror movie!

How would you feel if your life suddenly turned into some weird combination of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Silence of the Lambs?"

That might be the reason why the cat is yowling all night long. The poor cat might be scared out of its mind!

I'm not saying that I think the cat should be euthanized. I'm saying that you need to have a serious conversation with your conscience and decide what's really right.

Sometimes, our emotional desire to help short circuits our rational side. There are times when it's necessary to take a walk in the woods, sit in a church or spend time in some other place that you find to be quiet and inspirational and have a talk with God and make a decision that's right for both, you and the cat.

I think this is one of those times.

My thoughts and prayers are with you! :vibes:
Well we certainly feel your judgement with us :) we went to the vet and asked the professionals what to do and they led us down this path. None of the decisions in Mochas health have been made out of “emotional desire”. If I went to the vet and they told us it would be more merciful to put her down then that is what we would have done, but they didn’t. Think of it this way, this cat was found broken, mauled and in the cold but somehow wound up with us. The first days we couldn’t even enter the room we had her in without incessant hissing, then as the days wound on she got more and more comfortable with us, not happy all the time but for now I’d say it beats what she suffering through in the cold. She’s had UTIs that are gone, worms that are now gone, infections that are gone and now all we have to fix up is her leg. She would have died, slowly in the woods from animals eating her alive. So I’m going to say, she is in a better situation and has a more positive life ahead of her. We know she is probably not gonna be a warm cuddly house cat. So we have a family member that owns a barn and is willing to let her stay in it and just be a food source for her. My boyfriend and I have pray, continue to pray and ask the Lord what to do. We are doing our best with the knowledge professionals are giving us and not basing it off our emotions. When my dog was drowning in her own blood and my vet said it would probably be best for her to be put down, that’s what I did. This isn’t a conscious question. If you have any solid backed advice from past feral cats you’ve known or owned please feel free to share that information. But I have not slept in weeks so please do not try to guilt trip me :) we are not looking to completely domesticate this cat or anything. We realize we are working with a feral.
If it's a feral cat that has been mauled and maimed, I would consider whether it would be a mercy to have it euthanized.

I know that it's a hard decision but it might be the best thing to do.

It's an outdoor cat that has never been acclimated to humans. It doesn't understand that some humans will care for it, not hurt it.
Ferals view humans as danger. Some can acclimate to humans but many never will. A cat in severe, life threatening trauma, probably sees humans as a threat, no matter how nice and helpful they may be.

Now, you have a cat that was born free, that could go anywhere and do anything it wanted, with one or more broken legs, among other injuries, and now it's going to have to suffer amputation.

For a cat in a circumstance like that, I imagine that it would feel like life has turned into a real-life horror movie!

How would you feel if your life suddenly turned into some weird combination of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Silence of the Lambs?"

That might be the reason why the cat is yowling all night long. The poor cat might be scared out of its mind!

I'm not saying that I think the cat should be euthanized. I'm saying that you need to have a serious conversation with your conscience and decide what's really right.

Sometimes, our emotional desire to help short circuits our rational side. There are times when it's necessary to take a walk in the woods, sit in a church or spend time in some other place that you find to be quiet and inspirational and have a talk with God and make a decision that's right for both, you and the cat.

I think this is one of those times.

My thoughts and prayers are with you! :vibes:
Tbh I’m really just feeling a lot of judgement from your post. You don’t know the whole situation or what the PROFESSIONALS have told us to do because tbh when we first got her we brought her to the vet to see if they thought she should be euthanized and they said no which is why we didn’t do that in the first place. You’re springing judgement based on limited facts and what you think you know about people. This isn’t a conscious checker. I go to church and I say my prayers and rn I’m going forward with what the vets have told me to do. I don’t plan on domesticating this cat, our uncle has a huge barn that he has said she can live in so she has freedom, safety and a reliable food source. When my dog was drowning in its own blood, my vet told me it would be best to put the dog down so I did. This isn’t a human emotion thing, i will do what professionals tell me is best for an animal. I don’t need judgement or a counselor I need advice to deal with the situation I have been given. Thanks :)
 

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I would never ever consider euthanizing her. It is way too soon to make that decision. I have worked with many many feral cats and some very injured. They first need time to recover from their injury. Socialization is next.

For now I would concentrate on keeping her comfortable. Try to up the ante on her treats. Try tuna or really stinky wet food. You can offer it first in a dish and then move to offering it off a spoon. I would not worry about toys right now. Being a feral cat, she has no idea what toys are for. Instead work on keeping her calm. Hissing is not always bad. She may still be in pain and also afraid. Hissing may make her feel better. Reassure you that you are there to help her. Really try to get something extra yummy to feed her when you are working with her. Stinky tuna, baby food, salmon, plain cooked chicken. You want her to associate you with something extra yummy so she knows you are safe.

I also would not have her be a barn cat. With 3 legs, she will absolutely be a target. Once she is healed from her surgery and doing better, your uncle might be the best alternative. Just be sure he is fully aware and be sure to give him support and help.

You can do this!!!
 

theyremine

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Please don't feel judged. I, and am sure others, have nothing but praise for you for stepping up to help this poor cat. And I have empathy for your situation. I have worked with ferals and I would do as exactly as you have and plan to do. You and Mocha are in my thoughts and prayers.
 
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sophnlaw

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I would never ever consider euthanizing her. It is way too soon to make that decision. I have worked with many many feral cats and some very injured. They first need time to recover from their injury. Socialization is next.

For now I would concentrate on keeping her comfortable. Try to up the ante on her treats. Try tuna or really stinky wet food. You can offer it first in a dish and then move to offering it off a spoon. I would not worry about toys right now. Being a feral cat, she has no idea what toys are for. Instead work on keeping her calm. Hissing is not always bad. She may still be in pain and also afraid. Hissing may make her feel better. Reassure you that you are there to help her. Really try to get something extra yummy to feed her when you are working with her. Stinky tuna, baby food, salmon, plain cooked chicken. You want her to associate you with something extra yummy so she knows you are safe.

I also would not have her be a barn cat. With 3 legs, she will absolutely be a target. Once she is healed from her surgery and doing better, your uncle might be the best alternative. Just be sure he is fully aware and be sure to give him support and help.

You can do this!!!
Thank you for the advice and support. Her amputation is scheduled for the 18th this month. She LOVES tuna and we have her on a primarily wet food diet that is high in protien because when we first got her she was so underweight the vets couldn’t even administer vaccines. She was TNR so she is spade which is a plus. She now has all her vaccines and is also getting her second deworming the 18th as well. I’m amazed at how far she has come since we first got her a few weeks ago. When we first got her I was like “this cat is dying, we are providing her a safe warm place with love before she has to leave this world” then within a couple days and guidance from the vet she’s perked up so much more. My boyfriend and I built her a room out of plywood covered with felt fabric, and layered the floor with an extra carpet and more blankets for her. She also has a shelf with a ramp, that leads up to a window so she can see outside and many cozy coves to hide in. I’ve been able to talk and hear more about feral cats with people and I’m learning that she will be just fine, it’s going to be a long process but at the end of the day she will be healthy and happy. It will certainly be an adjustment but I think a good one. Thank you very much for all the info and support
 
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sophnlaw

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If you do the amputation, I agree that with sedation and pain killers, along with your ability to contain the cat that she will possibly begin to understand that you are helping her. I have brought in ferals of all ages and while it takes time, it can be done. The suggestions made previously are all ones that I would use in this situation.

tripawds.com is a support group for dog and cat amputees and their owners.
Thank you for the recommendation, I will deff check that website out!
 

fionasmom

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I have a three legged GSD. With advice and help from a knowledgeable vet, you will be able to handle the procedure. In the case of this cat, it is the wisest decision and I am glad that you are not going to try intermediary steps with the leg.
 

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It sounds to me like you've already made a wonderful home for Mocha with you and your boyfriend. You've made great strides with her and have done many wonderful things to enrich her life. Her own room with a ramp, carpet, blankets, window, and alcoves. So cool! I'll bet she really appreciates it even if she isn't able to communicate that with you just yet. I'm sure she appreciates all your TLC and is becoming quite attached to you. Blessings to you and little Mocha!
 
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