Need Help For Mange Feral Cat

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Eskimo1115

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Hmm. I really don't think I would be able to get the revolution on her. I have been able to get closer to her but definitely nowhere near touching her. I may have to look into the ivermectin. But even with that, I'm not sure that would help her respiratory issues. Her breathing is very loud and wheezy with lots of mucus. Thank you for all of your suggestions though. I do appreciate them.
 

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What part of SC are you in? If you'll let me know I'll try to find rescue groups in the area who might help you. I'm a regional manager for a large property management firm and we have numerous apartment complexes in SC. If you're close to one of them, I would happily make arrangements for you to borrow one of their traps.
 
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Eskimo1115

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Thank you so much. I am in Myrtle Beach, SC. I did try to contact the only rescue group that I know of that is supposed to help feral cats in particular and never received a response from them. I also tried calling vets offices that I go to and they were unable to help. And lastly, the animal catcher, who said I need to have her trapped. But I know they would not try to help her, just put her to sleep. I'm not sure, maybe she needs that, but I hate to not even try to save her.
 

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The poor thing, that's awful. If it helps, I just use a raccoon/groundhog trap to catch stray/feral cats. You may be able to pick up one of those locally and for a cheaper price than a trap specifically targeted to cats. Of course, that doesn't help with the full issue here.
 

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lavishsqualor lavishsqualor and E Eskimo1115

I hope and pray it works out, what Eskimo1115 is going through breaks my heart. What the cat is going through is beyond heart breaking. Chasing the cat away out of fear of the other cats getting sick only to have the cat return shows how desperate that cat is. It is like the cat knows that Eskimo1115 is it's only hope.
 

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In addition to the mange, it sounds like the cat may have an upper respiratory infection (URI), or even pneumonia. She would need antibiotics in her wet food, such as clavamox.

I pray that help can be found for this poor kitty!
 

lavishsqualor

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I've spoken to all of our properties in Myrtle Beach and can't find a single trap. This is upsetting on several different levels because not only did I want one for you, but also because all of our properties are supposed to be participating in TNR. Eskimo, assuming we can find a trap for you, are you able to trap her and get her to a vet? I really wish I could find a rescue group to help you but I've had no luck with the two I've called and emailed.

No one knows of any site members close by, do they? I hate to just sit idly by while this poor cat suffers.
 
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Eskimo1115

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I've spoken to all of our properties in Myrtle Beach and can't find a single trap. This is upsetting on several different levels because not only did I want one for you, but also because all of our properties are supposed to be participating in TNR. Eskimo, assuming we can find a trap for you, are you able to trap her and get her to a vet? I really wish I could find a rescue group to help you but I've had no luck with the two I've called and emailed.

No one knows of any site members close by, do they? I hate to just sit idly by while this poor cat suffers.
Hello, thanks for trying. As I stated in my original post, no, I cannot afford vet care for her. That's why I tried calling around to rescue groups, but nobody was able to help. I have a four elderly pets myself, including one stray, and my bills have piled up for them over the past few months. I wish there was more I could do for this one, but no, I cannot afford a vet bill for her as well. Thanks for trying though.
 
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Eskimo1115

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I went ahead and e-mailed (again) all of the rescue groups in the area that I could find online. There were one or two new ones that I hadn't e-mailed before. I'm hoping someone will respond quickly with positive news. She's definitely getting worse each day. When I got up today, her eye seems to have a bad infection in it now. It's looking very -- black? I'm not sure. Definitely a new symptom :-(
 

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Mange can cause cats to go blind. There was cat that I trapped that had to be put down because the mange was so advanced.
 
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Eskimo1115

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Oh, wow. I'm sorry to hear about your cat. I had no idea mange could cause that. It's definitely a possibility. I've heard a few people walk by her today commenting on her eye. It's so heartbreaking.
 

surya

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Yes it is a horrible thing to witness. The poor kitty must be so miserable. I hope you can get some medicine for her.
 

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I can't stop thinking about this poor cat. I actually had a dream about her last night. Eskimo, I can get you a trapping cage but without funds to take her to a vet I'm not sure what good that would do. We could start a GoFundMe Page for her but I don't know that she has time. Or I could send you some broad spectrum antibiotics and ivermectin that I use for my feral colonies. Normally, I wouldn't do that but I agree with another member that this poor animal is just going to lie down and die if something isn't done. If I were in your feral's situation I'd want someone to at least try to help me. If you're willing, PM me and we'll go from there.
 
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Eskimo1115

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I can't stop thinking about this poor cat. I actually had a dream about her last night. Eskimo, I can get you a trapping cage but without funds to take her to a vet I'm not sure what good that would do. We could start a GoFundMe Page for her but I don't know that she has time. Or I could send you some broad spectrum antibiotics and ivermectin that I use for my feral colonies. Normally, I wouldn't do that but I agree with another member that this poor animal is just going to lie down and die if something isn't done. If I were in your feral's situation I'd want someone to at least try to help me. If you're willing, PM me and we'll go from there.

That is the nicest thing anybody could ever offer. I can't thank you enough for your kindness. I think I may have found her some help though. One of the rescue groups I contacted is located a few hours from here, but they recommended a vet's office here that they've heard of that takes charity type cases. So I wrote to the vet's office and they actually responded very quickly, saying they will get in contact with a rescue group to see what they can do. They asked me to call them tomorrow afternoon, so I will let y'all know how it goes. I'm afraid they will end up putting her to sleep as she's so sick, which I'm of course hoping they don't, but I know she's suffering and however bad it is for me to watch, it's so much worse for her to go through. As long as she is not suffering any more, I'll be happy.
 

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Please ask the rescue group/vet to try to save her first.

There are amazing rescue stories out there of near-death pets who are brought back to health, and who go on to live long, happy lives.

Antibiotics, a bath, regular food, and love may go a long way with this poor kitty.

Has she still been coming around every day?
 
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Eskimo1115

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Oh, yes, she's always here. She really doesn't leave my hallway much. I checked on her this morning to make sure she made it through the night, and she did.

What the vet said is that she actually doesn't think it's mange because apparently mange is not that common in cats. She said she thinks it's a combination of extreme flea bites, respiratory infection, and -- while she didn't specifically name the disease, I think she's thinking Feline AIDS. I know cats can live with Feline AIDS, but not around other cats. And I think that's where the problem is, is that even if she can be treated, they can't release her back outside to live as a stray if she does end up testing positive for the Feline AIDS. And if she has nowhere to go, I have a gut feeling they will put her down. My mom worked with a cat rescue group in CT when I was a child and there was a cat there that tested positive but someone with no other cats was able to keep her and she lived a great life. But I know that situation is the minority, not majority. I'm just hoping it does end up being something treatable, and maybe she can find a home, if so. Fingers crossed!
 

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Is there any way you could go ahead and get her in a crate and get her to this vet office in town while they wait to hear from the group?
 
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Eskimo1115

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And something else that I realized this morning is that I'm starting to not think she's actually feral, but just a really scared stray because this morning she let me sit with her literally a foot away from her -- still can't try to touch her or she hisses -- but I sat with her for a while and she didn't take off. She's also become very vocal lately, meowing at me a lot, and I heard on a Netflix documentary one time that feral cats don't tend to meow. And I know it sounds crazy, but she gives me such deep stares when she meows at me. I feel like she's looking into my soul, begging for help. It's crazy, but true! Anyway, I don't know if that's true about ferals not meowing, but that was just an observation I had this morning.
 
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