Found A Starving Stray. How Would I Care For Him?

[Victoria6]

After being hit with hurricane Irma, a lot of strays have been turning up around my neighborhood- mostly cats. Yesterday my sister was lucky enough to save a little cat that looks like he hasn't had a solid meal in a week. He looks to be older than 4 months but younger than a year old. As much as we want to, we cannot afford to keep him, but my mother is willing to help nurture him for about a week until we find someone who can give him all the love and attention he deserves. As much as I hate to say this, a vet is not an option at the moment as I am a college student with a tight budget. For now, though, I was wondering if there are any steps I should do to care for him? He has fleas and someone suggested to bathe him in dawn dish detergent to get rid of them. Even though he's pretty calm about being in an unfamiliar place, I don't want to put him through that stress from a bath. That and because he is so skinny (like feel every bone skinny) I don't want to pick him up for fear of hurting him. He has a wound on his paw and from closer observation, it looks like a bite wound that he kept licking at. Any idea how I could clean that up? Despite his condition, he is eating normally, wants to cuddle, is pretty vocal when you stop petting him and is trying to jump onto anything he can. Mind you, it has only been a day since we've had him. I'm guessing this is a good sign? We have the basic necessities for him like dry food, water, a litter box, and a little bed. Is there anything else we can do to help bring him back to a healthy state until we find him a good home?

P.s. I attached some photos of the little guy. It's a bit blurry because the cutie just doesn't sit still at all when he wants to be pet.

 

[Kieka]

I would do the bath with Dawn. Fleas will cause more problems if they stay on him and even though he is scared it will be over quickly. Plus it will be good for the wound to be cleaned out and the bath would accomplish that. After the bath hold a warm compress over the wound as often as he will tolerate to encourage it to drain. You don't want to allow it to close if there is any pus, redness or swelling. After the compress gently lift off any scab that may be forming and apply a very thin layer of regular Neosporin (no pain reliever or icy feel tyoe, just regular plain Neosporin). If the wound looks clean and isn't swollen just the Neosporin very thinly. He will lick it which is why you want it very thin so it mostly is absorbed without much residue. If the wound grows or looks infected even after the compress and neosporian for a few days you need a vet for antibiotics and to clean it properly.

Food wise, if you have a tractor supply they have a decent low cost food you can get. I would offer him as much as he will eat. Wet food is better because it will help him with hydration and calories but any food is betrer than none.

 

[di and bob]

Poor baby! You are doing all you can, and that means the world to him. I would try to get some kitten chow, that nourishes and fattens up more than regular food. Many small meals a day until he starts to get back to normal. No milk products, those would give him diarrhea, unless it's goats milk or replacement milk for kittens. He is definitely on the verge of starvation. A topical flea treatment that is applied to the back of teh neck would be best, if you can afford it, just make sure you get it high up on the neck, nowhere near the shoulder blades so he would lick it and get sick. You might want to call a vet first and ask if it is OK for a starving cat, or is he too weak. A flea comb would get them out too, just dip it in soapy water to kill the fleas each time you get some on it. If he does have a bite on his paw, it may swell up and burst, they often turn into an abscess. Just be prepared for the bursting, if it gets swollen and tender, then it would be a good idea to give an antibiotic in some tuna juice, you can get it pretty cheap over the counter at the vets. Tell them it is impossible to bring him in, it would stress him too much and he is a stray you are trying to help with an abscess.
You will be blessed for helping him, thank you!

 

[Victoria6]

I would do the bath with Dawn. Fleas will cause more problems if they stay on him and even though he is scared it will be over quickly. Plus it will be good for the wound to be cleaned out and the bath would accomplish that. After the bath hold a warm compress over the wound as often as he will tolerate to encourage it to drain. You don't want to allow it to close if there is any pus, redness or swelling. After the compress gently lift off any scab that may be forming and apply a very thin layer of regular Neosporin (no pain reliever or icy feel tyoe, just regular plain Neosporin). If the wound looks clean and isn't swollen just the Neosporin very thinly. He will lick it which is why you want it very thin so it mostly is absorbed without much residue. If the wound grows or looks infected even after the compress and neosporian for a few days you need a vet for antibiotics and to clean it properly.

Food wise, if you have a tractor supply they have a decent low cost food you can get. I would offer him as much as he will eat. Wet food is better because it will help him with hydration and calories but any food is betrer than none.

Thanks for the helpful advice! I'll definitely try to bathe him to get rid of those pesky fleas and see if I can get to the nearest pet store for wet food. As for the wound, it doesn't appear to be swollen or have any pus. I'm not sure if that's good or bad? As for the Neosporin, should I wrap something over that are to keep him from licking the area after I apply it?

 

[Kieka]

Thanks for the helpful advice! I'll definitely try to bathe him to get rid of those pesky fleas and see if I can get to the nearest pet store for wet food. As for the wound, it doesn't appear to be swollen or have any pus. I'm not sure if that's good or bad? As for the Neosporin, should I wrap something over that are to keep him from licking the area after I apply it?

Most cats won't tolerate a bandage, but if you can get it bandaged that is good. Pet stores have no chew wrap for pet wounds that has a bad taste. That it isn't swollen or have pus is good. Just keep an eye on it until it fully heals. My vet usually picks the scab off even if there isn't any sign of infection to apply a layer of ointment to the wound just to be safe; cats skin heals over fast so they are prone to bad stuff getting trapped in their skin. So it wouldn't hurt to do the warm compress and remove the scab once to get the neosporin into the wound. You can call around and see if any vets have a first patient free thing or low cost clinic day, an antibiotic shot or treatment would probably be wise.

 

[Victoria6]

Poor baby! You are doing all you can, and that means the world to him. I would try to get some kitten chow, that nourishes and fattens up more than regular food. Many small meals a day until he starts to get back to normal. No milk products, those would give him diarrhea, unless it's goats milk or replacement milk for kittens. He is definitely on the verge of starvation. A topical flea treatment that is applied to the back of teh neck would be best, if you can afford it, just make sure you get it high up on the neck, nowhere near the shoulder blades so he would lick it and get sick. You might want to call a vet first and ask if it is OK for a starving cat, or is he too weak. A flea comb would get them out too, just dip it in soapy water to kill the fleas each time you get some on it. If he does have a bite on his paw, it may swell up and burst, they often turn into an abscess. Just be prepared for the bursting, if it gets swollen and tender, then it would be a good idea to give an antibiotic in some tuna juice, you can get it pretty cheap over the counter at the vets. Tell them it is impossible to bring him in, it would stress him too much and he is a stray you are trying to help with an abscess.
You will be blessed for helping him, thank you!

Thank you! It broke my heart when I saw his condition. I know I can't offer him a whole lot, but I'll try my best to make sure he's comfortable. I have two cats so I have some flea medicine. Just like you said though, because of his condition I wasn't sure if it was safe. I'll look into finding some kitten chow and keeping an eye on the wound.

 

[orange&white]

Capstar, or generic Nytenpyram, will kill fleas almost immediately with one pill. It doesn't have lasting protection, but if you're keeping him indoors, he shouldn't get reinfested once the current fleas are gone. Walmart sells a generic version under the PetArmor brand, "Fast Caps". I think the package has 3 pills. I'd give one and wait and see if any flea eggs hatch. Are you isolating him away from your cats in another room?

I would call your vet and inquire about antibiotics for his wound. See if they'll just let you pick some up without an office visit/charge, given the circumstances. If they won't do that, then I saw some member recently here say they buy Amoxycillin (sold OTC for fish) when they need an antibiotic for their feral colony. I think most pet stores would sell it. Not sure on the dosage for a cat...maybe someone reading here knows. Antibiotics are relatively inexpensive, if you don't have to pay the office and exam charges.

Bless you for taking him in and helping him. He looks so sweet!

 

[Victoria6]

Capstar, or generic Nytenpyram, will kill fleas almost immediately with one pill. It doesn't have lasting protection, but if you're keeping him indoors, he shouldn't get reinfested once the current fleas are gone. Walmart sells a generic version under the PetArmor brand, "Fast Caps". I think the package has 3 pills. I'd give one and wait and see if any flea eggs hatch. Are you isolating him away from your cats in another room?

I would call your vet and inquire about antibiotics for his wound. See if they'll just let you pick some up without an office visit/charge, given the circumstances. If they won't do that, then I saw some member recently here say they buy Amoxycillin (sold OTC for fish) when they need an antibiotic for their feral colony. I think most pet stores would sell it. Not sure on the dosage for a cat...maybe someone reading here knows. Antibiotics are relatively inexpensive, if you don't have to pay the office and exam charges.

Bless you for taking him in and helping him. He looks so sweet!

He is a total sweetheart! Even after everything he's been through, he is just a little cuddle bug looking to be loved. I'm keeping him in a room just in case to prevent anything from spreading and to keep cats from fighting. I am currently on the search for a vet that would have some antibiotics I could purchase without the whole office visit but I'll also check out Amoxycillin as a backup plan. Thank you for the response!

 

[kittychick]

Poor thing! He's SO skinny! Obviously no one's cared for him for quite some time It looks like he found you just in time!

I will say - watch about feeding him too much TOO quickly. We had a foster (who is now a "failed foster" and sleeping under my feet right now - - he's my avatar) who was SO starved (he'd been left in the hot sun in a hamster cage where he couldn't even fully stand or turn around - -with no food or water or litterbox for at least several days. Then the shelter picked him up, I immediately said we'd work with him. He was SO hungry he actually took big chunks out of his ceramic food bowl! He seems to have never gotten over that feel of "could this be my last meal for awhile?" since he's become quite the (loving) pig......he'll eat and eat and eat if we'd let him (something we always have to explain to cat sitters - he sound/acts like he just needs a little more - - but unfortunately will literally eat himself to death if he gets too much access to food. Small meals more often is better for him. I know you want to fatten the poor boy up immediately -- - but do take your time with it just a bit. If he gorges himself, he'll make himself sick, which will empty his stomach them you're back to square one!

Don't rule a vet out completely yet - it does seem like he could really benefit from a visit to one. Some vets wont prescribe anything for a cat they've never seen- but it doesn't hurt to ask! Also check around for low-cost vet clinics in your area. My relatively small city has at least one clinic for people who have trouble affording "regular" vets....and another that helps folks (with proof of income) since they are often on a low, feed income by providing extremely cheap visits, antibiotics, etc. Also - don't be afraid to tell your vet the truth - that you're out of money and ask if they can work with you. Some will put you on a payment plan with SUPER low interest, and some will go ahead and just see you without bringing him in and therefore charge less since they're not seeing the cat and give you the antibiotics etc. you need. You also could start a "go fund me" page (I'm not sure I could dp that = but lots of people do and have great luck with it. Just a thought! Don't be afraid to ask local humane societies - - some even offer their "about to expire meds" at virtually no cost! And if they can't help - shelters (and the people who work there) often are extremely plugged into the "system" and know of places that do offer inexpensive ways to make this happen!

The only thing I would say (and IM' sure lots of people on this site will; agree) - - - please please please do not get Hartz flea collars, dip or any of their flea products. I've read about too many cases (some on this forum - some not - and even my best friend found this out by almost losing her kitten to a Hartz flea bath. They may be a wonderful company - - but I dp know that lots of animals seem to have very severe reactions to their flea products. It's not something I'd want to test out on any of our guys here! And watch on ANY collars that they're break-away.

Keep us posted on the skinny little sweetie! Would love to see how he ends i i[ after all of the strikes already against him) - - but the BEST thing going for him is that he found you!

 

[Victoria6]

Poor thing! He's SO skinny! Obviously no one's cared for him for quite some time It looks like he found you just in time!

I will say - watch about feeding him too much TOO quickly. We had a foster (who is now a "failed foster" and sleeping under my feet right now - - he's my avatar) who was SO starved (he'd been left in the hot sun in a hamster cage where he couldn't even fully stand or turn around - -with no food or water or litterbox for at least several days. Then the shelter picked him up, I immediately said we'd work with him. He was SO hungry he actually took big chunks out of his ceramic food bowl! He seems to have never gotten over that feel of "could this be my last meal for awhile?" since he's become quite the (loving) pig......he'll eat and eat and eat if we'd let him (something we always have to explain to cat sitters - he sound/acts like he just needs a little more - - but unfortunately will literally eat himself to death if he gets too much access to food. Small meals more often is better for him. I know you want to fatten the poor boy up immediately -- - but do take your time with it just a bit. If he gorges himself, he'll make himself sick, which will empty his stomach them you're back to square one!

Don't rule a vet out completely yet - it does seem like he could really benefit from a visit to one. Some vets wont prescribe anything for a cat they've never seen- but it doesn't hurt to ask! Also check around for low-cost vet clinics in your area. My relatively small city has at least one clinic for people who have trouble affording "regular" vets....and another that helps folks (with proof of income) since they are often on a low, feed income by providing extremely cheap visits, antibiotics, etc. Also - don't be afraid to tell your vet the truth - that you're out of money and ask if they can work with you. Some will put you on a payment plan with SUPER low interest, and some will go ahead and just see you without bringing him in and therefore charge less since they're not seeing the cat and give you the antibiotics etc. you need. You also could start a "go fund me" page (I'm not sure I could dp that = but lots of people do and have great luck with it. Just a thought! Don't be afraid to ask local humane societies - - some even offer their "about to expire meds" at virtually no cost! And if they can't help - shelters (and the people who work there) often are extremely plugged into the "system" and know of places that do offer inexpensive ways to make this happen!

The only thing I would say (and IM' sure lots of people on this site will; agree) - - - please please please do not get Hartz flea collars, dip or any of their flea products. I've read about too many cases (some on this forum - some not - and even my best friend found this out by almost losing her kitten to a Hartz flea bath. They may be a wonderful company - - but I dp know that lots of animals seem to have very severe reactions to their flea products. It's not something I'd want to test out on any of our guys here! And watch on ANY collars that they're break-away.

Keep us posted on the skinny little sweetie! Would love to see how he ends i i[ after all of the strikes already against him) - - but the BEST thing going for him is that he found you!

Oh no! That's such a terrible thing to go through. Poor baby... I'm glad he's living a good life now being an adorable little piggy with a loving owner! I know a thing or two about having a cat with a bottomless tummy. My other cat is a big boy who really enjoys his food. He loves it so much that he learned how to open the pantry without anyone hearing to eat all of his favorites.

We've been searching around for vets and local no-kill shelters to see if they would be willing to work with us, so far nothing has come up. We'll keep trying though. Right now, he's been pretty good with eating. We bought canned foods made for kittens and a recommended high-cal gel for cats. He's been a lot more energetic and tries to jump on everyone's lap so I'm happy he's doing better than when we found him. For the fleas, we gave him some topical flea medication from PetArmor. I didn't know about Hartz before so thanks for the warning!!

Thanks for the help!

 

[susieqz]

i bot fishmox online. [amoxicillin].
it is inexpensive n completely cured an upper respiratory infection.
my feral had a red discharge from the eyes, a dry cough n labored breathing, so she was really sick.
all symptoms disappeared after 4 days tho i treated for 10.
this stuff works,

 

[susanm9006]

If you have an enclosed shower with a door rather than a curtain, you can bathe the cat with sponges and buckets of warm water. He will be less likely to freak out that you don't need hold him down like you do in a sink or tub.

 

[Victoria6]

i bot fishmox online. [amoxicillin].
it is inexpensive n completely cured an upper respiratory infection.
my feral had a red discharge from the eyes, a dry cough n labored breathing, so she was really sick.
all symptoms disappeared after 4 days tho i treated for 10.
this stuff works,

That's good to hear that it helped your cat. He had a little cough that stopped a bit after the 2 days (I'm not sure if this has to do with him finally getting some water??) Either way, I'm going to have to order it online since my local petstore doesn't carry it. Just a quick question, is there a certain amount I should give him? I heard something about adjusting the amount to the weight of the cat and just wanted to make sure that was true.

 

[Victoria6]

If you have an enclosed shower with a door rather than a curtain, you can bathe the cat with sponges and buckets of warm water. He will be less likely to freak out that you don't need hold him down like you do in a sink or tub.

Luckily, one of the bathrooms does have a shower like that!! I'll give it a go and see how it turns out.

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, when you get the meds let me know the amount of each tablet.

It absolutely must be broken down into the correct dosage for the cat's weight.

I can give you the dosage once you let me know.

 

[susieqz]

fishmox appears to be safe when overdosed.

out of ignorance, i gave drifter 250 mg twice/day. it should have been 125 mg, but she wasn't hurt.
i don't know how much she weighs but she has filled out into a normal size cat
.i guess they run around 9 lbs?

so, give her the proper dose, but don't worry overmuch.
buy extra, so you can have antibiotics for yourself, for when you can't get to a doc.
don't get tablets. capsules are easier to mix into food.
i mixed each dose into a heaping tablespoon of tuna n she never noticed it.

 

[orange&white]

Gosh! I read somewhere that Amoxycillin had a maximum of 50mg/day. I was thinking how hard it must be to break one tablet into 5 pieces. Maybe the article I looked up was wrong?

Powdered capsules would be easy though...dump the powder and divide with a razor. You found capsules, Susie?

 

[orange&white]

From: Amoxicillin Dosage For Cats | Dose My Pet

"Typically, you will need to give your cat 5 mg per pound once a day, most commonly ending at a maximum dosage of 50 mg for all sizes of cat, depending on circumstances. As an example, a 5 pound cat would need 25 mg of the medicine a day. The length of time your cat will need to take the drug for is highly variable and so you will need the advice of a trained vet prior to use."

Amoxicillin is often prescribed to cats to treat:

• Bacterial infections
• Skin infections
• Wounds

 

[susieqz]

i found powdered fishmox in capsules by thomas labs, at chewy.com.
looks like i seriously overdosed drifter, but she is fine. cut the capsule open n it mixes fine with tuna or milk.. the caps are 250 mg, which is how i made a mistake.
i really think 10 days is a good general length of treatment, twice a day, but use orange's dosages.

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, you overdosed your cat. It's very important to dose according to weight. Too much of a drug can be toxic to a cat.