Kitten was hanging by the foot for maybe days..

[BigBobbo]

So one of these kittens around my place was hanging from a string, by the foot..I hadn't seen it for at least a couple days. Its foot is now swollen..bad. part of it is darkening. I do not have money for a vet. This is an extremely sweet & playful kitten. What should I do? Can anybody take this kitten from me & save it?

 

[BigBobbo]

This is the swollen foot..sorry I messed up my thread post

 

[BellaGooch]

I would recommend calling the vet and asking for advice, even if you can’t pay for a visit. I would do that ASAP.

 

[Kat0121]

I agree. If this is not your cat maybe you can see if there is a no kill shelter or rescue nearby who can take this poor little one. Thank you for caring.

 

[StanAndAlf]

Yes, thank you. I would surrender it to a reputable shelter, because that needs attention fast, possibly even amputation. Please let us know what you decide! Best of luck.

 

[stephanietx]

Reach out to a shelter. That foot probably will need to be amputated.

 

[FeebysOwner]

And, while I may be stating the obvious, if infection and gangrene have set in the kitten has to be taken care of ASAP in order to avoid, or possibly treat, sepsis before it kills the kitten.

 

[fionasmom]

I have dealt with ferals who ended up with necrotic body parts because of fights, etc. Absolutely surrender the cat to a shelter if that is your only option. If for some reason the shelter has some COVID restriction policy about not taking stray cats ( some do around here) make your point very clear that this is not just a stray cat problem and demand that they give you some idea of what to do. This is definitely not going to a good place for the kitten.

 

[BigBobbo]

Yes, thank you. I would surrender it to a reputable shelter, because that needs attention fast, possibly even amputation. Please let us know what you decide! Best of luck.

We have been soaking it with warm water & peroxide...it is getting better...kitty is gonna survive & have a slight limp. Thnx for response

 

[BigBobbo]

I have dealt with ferals who ended up with necrotic body parts because of fights, etc. Absolutely surrender the cat to a shelter if that is your only option. If for some reason the shelter has some COVID restriction policy about not taking stray cats ( some do around here) make your point very clear that this is not just a stray cat problem and demand that they give you some idea of what to do. This is definitely not going to a good place for the kitten.

We've been soaking it in warm water & peroxide..it appears to be getting much better. Kitty is gonna survive & have a slight limp. Thnx for your response

 

[BigBobbo]

And, while I may be stating the obvious, if infection and gangrene have set in the kitten has to be taken care of ASAP in order to avoid, or possibly treat, sepsis before it kills the kitten.

We've been soaking it in warm water & peroxide it appears to be getting much better. Kitty is gonna survive & have a slight limp. Thank for your response

 

[BigBobbo]

Reach out to a shelter. That foot probably will need to be amputated.

We've been soaking it it warm water & peroxide..it appears to be getting much better. The kitty will survive & have a slight limp. Thank for your response

 

[BigBobbo]

I agree. If this is not your cat maybe you can see if there is a no kill shelter or rescue nearby who can take this poor little one. Thank you for caring.

We've been soaking it in warm water & peroxide..it appears to be getting much better. The kitty will survive & have a slight limp. Thank for your response

 

[FeebysOwner]

We've been soaking it in warm water & peroxide it appears to be getting much better. Kitty is gonna survive & have a slight limp. Thank for your response.

While peroxide is a good one-time cleanser, routine use is not normally advised as it tends to prevent tissue healing, and can actually destroy tissue for healing purposes. It might be in the case of this kitten, depending on severity of the injury, to be a bit of a benefit as it could impede the continuation of necrotic tissue developing, but, I wouldn't consider it a long term resolution.

I am glad the kitten seems to be doing better, but you still need to pursue a vet that can take a look at it. Please don't feel as if you are 'out of the woods' with this kitten's foot or its health.

 

[StanAndAlf]

I agree with above. Infection can be very hard to pick up, especially if there is no open wound, and often no signs are seen until things get very serious indeed.

 

[IndyJones]

Do you have any idea who would have hung the kitten by its leg? This is an act of animal cruelty and should be reported. I would also be worried that whoever did this might do it to another animal or person. Oftentimes people who do this stuff to animals often turn to domestic violence.

 

[SweetLittleKitty]

Do you have any idea who would have hung the kitten by its leg? This is an act of animal cruelty and should be reported. I would also be worried that whoever did this might do it to another animal or person. Oftentimes people who do this stuff to animals often turn to domestic violence.

One of my feral kittens got tangled up by his paw from one of those mice at the end of a long elastic string that hang from a cat scratcher tree. It happened right outside my window and I heard him cry, and it was quite worrisome what to do because I knew he would not let me help him by picking him up. He got so frantic to escape from me that in his struggle he pulled the string off the staple where it was attached to the cat scratcher and ran away. I found the mouse and string a few feet away, so he got untangled.

 

[Willowy]

I'm glad to hear it's getting better. My grandma's cat (who now lives with my mom since my grandma passed away) was feral/scared and tangled in a 6-pack ring, and one of her front legs was swollen like that. We trapped her and had her spayed and vetted, the vet was concerned about the leg but said just to keep an eye on it. It healed up fine, she's now 18 years old and still has all her legs, doesn't even limp . So even when swollen and dark it doesn't always go necrotic.

Just keep a close eye on it and call the vet if it looks infected at all. They might be able to do a telehealth consultation and legally sell you antibiotics that way.

And, yes, if it become gangrenous the kitten will need to have it amputated or be put to sleep to prevent suffering. So if that happens call all the cat rescues in the area to see if they can help. But hopefully it'll heal with no issues.

 

[Falena]

Its amazing what you're doing for this kitten, I'm glad he seems to be getting better.
But I'm going to have to agree with what everyone else here said, he really needs to see a vet.
Infections can take a long time to show any visible external symptoms. And by the time they're evident they can be life threatening
It would be awful for you and the kitten if he were look as if he's improving and later come down with something he can't recover from.
I'm sure a vet or charity based rescue organisation would understand your situation and could work out some kind of payment plan with you,if you were to take him on as your own.
I wish you both the best of luck and really hope everything goes smoothly and kitty recovers