Hello,
I feed about 3-4 feral cats from my back porch. My house backs up to the county so I think they spend the day in the woods or fields, or down by the creek, or exploring the abandoned barns and sheds. But anyway, they know I feed them when I feed my own three cats (two indoor, one indoor outdoor formally feral we adopted) so they show up around 5 pm each day.
Well, one of them is older, from talking to the neighbors its been around "a long time" as in like 6 to 10 years or more. I think he's the father of the feral we adopted and gets along well with our other three cats. He spends a few hours sitting on our deck steps then lays about in the back garden and eventually wanders off again. I'm usually able to get about two feet away, yesteday I got close enough he smelled my hand.
This is my dilemma, the inside of one of his ears was pretty swollen and the outside of his ears where covered in scabs from where he'd been scratching them. I'm also pretty sure he doesnt see very well and the whites of his eyes seemed a bit swollen and pink. He also seems to have bad teeth or a sore mouth so we give him can food everyday (but he does eat the dry, just seems to have a bit more trouble doing so than the others). He's also pretty thin, but all the ferals I feed are (which is why I feed them.)
What should I do?
It comes down to, do I do nothing but continue to feed him canned for everyday and hope for the best. (I had a cat die at age 22 which had an uncureable ear infection for at least 12 of those.)
Do I trap him and take him to the vet? Aside from the logistics of this, I'm sure he'd be traumatized. How do you medicate a frightened feral cat? Then what do we do long term since I'm sure he needs meds? And my husband would flip out adding a fourth cat, since he already complains about three (and five ferrets.) The no-kill shelter does provide medical care, but he might be a case deemed medically necessary to euthanize.
Is there a vet that would provide antibiotics to add to the canned food I give him daily? I know vets most likely can't diagnose without seeing the cat. And from my experience with my senior cat, it might take ear / eye drops also. As well as never be cured. With the senior cat we tried everything except surgury, which they said may not even cure it.
I really want to help this cat. What should I do?
I feed about 3-4 feral cats from my back porch. My house backs up to the county so I think they spend the day in the woods or fields, or down by the creek, or exploring the abandoned barns and sheds. But anyway, they know I feed them when I feed my own three cats (two indoor, one indoor outdoor formally feral we adopted) so they show up around 5 pm each day.
Well, one of them is older, from talking to the neighbors its been around "a long time" as in like 6 to 10 years or more. I think he's the father of the feral we adopted and gets along well with our other three cats. He spends a few hours sitting on our deck steps then lays about in the back garden and eventually wanders off again. I'm usually able to get about two feet away, yesteday I got close enough he smelled my hand.
This is my dilemma, the inside of one of his ears was pretty swollen and the outside of his ears where covered in scabs from where he'd been scratching them. I'm also pretty sure he doesnt see very well and the whites of his eyes seemed a bit swollen and pink. He also seems to have bad teeth or a sore mouth so we give him can food everyday (but he does eat the dry, just seems to have a bit more trouble doing so than the others). He's also pretty thin, but all the ferals I feed are (which is why I feed them.)
What should I do?
It comes down to, do I do nothing but continue to feed him canned for everyday and hope for the best. (I had a cat die at age 22 which had an uncureable ear infection for at least 12 of those.)
Do I trap him and take him to the vet? Aside from the logistics of this, I'm sure he'd be traumatized. How do you medicate a frightened feral cat? Then what do we do long term since I'm sure he needs meds? And my husband would flip out adding a fourth cat, since he already complains about three (and five ferrets.) The no-kill shelter does provide medical care, but he might be a case deemed medically necessary to euthanize.
Is there a vet that would provide antibiotics to add to the canned food I give him daily? I know vets most likely can't diagnose without seeing the cat. And from my experience with my senior cat, it might take ear / eye drops also. As well as never be cured. With the senior cat we tried everything except surgury, which they said may not even cure it.
I really want to help this cat. What should I do?