Need Help For Mange Feral Cat

Eskimo1115

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Hello, everyone. I live in an apartment complex. There is a cat that is obviously feral. He used to come around about a year ago every now and then looking for food. Then I didn't see him for a year. I assumed he died. Well, he just showed back up in the past two months or so. He looked bad a year ago, but now he looks awful. I think he has mange. He used to be rather long haired, and now his hair is short, with clumps of it pulled out. His breathing is very loud and mucus-y, if that makes sense. His face has what looks like infection scars. He has mucus running from his nose constantly, and is skin and bones (he used to be a bit of a larger cat). I can't get near him though, and I can't trap him (don't have a trap). I also don't have the money to take him anywhere if I did. I have four pets of my own, all senior (all expensive). I have been able to get closer to him recently than I ever did before, but would never be able to touch him. And I'm pretty sure the only reason I've gotten close lately is he's too sick to really run.

I feel terrible because I've read online that the cures for mange and/or respiratory can actually be quite simple, but it's an issue of getting him treatment. Anyway, I tried calling the vet just for suggestions, they couldn't give me any. I tried calling my local Save Our Cats or whatever it's called, they never responded. I tried calling the animal catcher, and they won't come unless it's already trapped. Does anyone have any suggestions? The one thing I do know is he's still hungry, not too sick to eat I guess. I either want him to leave -- I know that sounds awful, but there's other strays around that I'm afraid of getting sick -- or I want to be able to help him but don't know how. It's clear he is suffering. Any suggestions?
 

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Eskimo1115

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You should post where you live. If you live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada or anywhere near it, I will go out of my way to get you a trap for that cat. There may be people on this site that live close to you that could give you a hand or loan you a trap.
Thank you so much. I didn't realize I didn't have my location visible until you said it. I live in South Carolina though. I think it may be a bit out of your way. Thanks for the willingness to help though :-)
 
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Eskimo1115

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Hi, thank you for your concern over this cat. He does look pitiful. :(

I am going to refer you to this recent thread about a stray/feral with mange:

How To Help A Friendly Stray With Mange?

Please keep us updated!

I am going to go ahead and read this ASAP. And yes, he is quite pitiful looking. I know he's had a very difficult life just since I've seen him out here. I've said "he," but I think she's actually a she. And she had a kitten that was identical to her -- her kitten, I'm assuming -- who she was always with. And the kitten ended up getting pregnant and then around the time she would probably have given birth, the kitten must have died because we never saw it again and they were always together. It was quite sad, knowing her only "friend" in the world was gone. Such a tough life they have outside.
 

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E Eskimo1115

If you are on FB, ask your friends if anyone has a Have A Heart Humane trap you could borrow to try to catch and help a pitiful feral cat.

Then make some calls to some rescues and shelters with NO KILL policies and ask for help in treating, neutering, and later releasing him/her.

In the meantime, begin feeding this poor cat so she sticks around.
 
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Eskimo1115

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E Eskimo1115

If you are on FB, ask your friends if anyone has a Have A Heart Humane trap you could borrow to try to catch and help a pitiful feral cat.

Then make some calls to some rescues and shelters with NO KILL policies and ask for help in treating, neutering, and later releasing him/her.

In the meantime, begin feeding this poor cat so she sticks around.

Well, that's my problem is I don't really want her sticking around because there is a different stray cat in the area that I am afraid of catching her illness. There's probably more than one stray in the complex, but I mean one that I actually feed in my hallway. "My" stray that has been here for years and has always been a healthy cat considering she's outdoors. I took her to the vet about six months ago and the vet said she was in great shape. Anyway, so "mine" was not infected then and I'm afraid she will become infected soon if this sick one keeps hanging out here. I think "mine" knows the other one is sick because she walks on the other side of the hallway from her, like trying to stay away. Usually, she's very territorial and chases others away, but not this one. She lets it do what it wants. And unfortunately, I can't bring "mine" inside as I have two cats -- a mother and son -- who do not get along with other cats. They're elderly and set in their ways and not going to change their minds. I've tried each winter, and it doesn't work.
 
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Eskimo1115

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Oh, and by the way, she is being fed. I've fed her a few times and my neighbors have also fed her. Whenever I come out my door I see dishes in the hall. So she is being fed, but I think she's just so ill she's not gaining weight.
 

lavishsqualor

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Is that mange? It's hard to tell from the photo. Perhaps it does look like mange on her face. In any event, it looks as though she isn't grooming and that's a bad sign. Poor cat. I can't stand to see cats like that. It really does break my heart.

If it is mange, Revolution could help, as could Ivermectin. It's possible to buy Ivermectin at feed stores but you must absolutely be precise in the dose.

If you can find a trap, a visit to the vet is the best thing for her. It could save her life, such as it is.

Poor cat.
 

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Stuck between a rock and a hard place, I was really hoping you live close to me. God bless you for caring for the strays it is so unfortunate you have one that you need to protect from the other one. I can't say I fault you, it is not like you can care for multiple sick cats and you have done plenty taking the first stray to a vet.

I hope and pray you can locate someone on Facebook, this Site, etc. to lend you a hand. The sooner the better, it pains me to think that cat is suffering.

Again, God bless you for caring.
 
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Eskimo1115

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Stuck between a rock and a hard place, I was really hoping you live close to me. God bless you for caring for the strays it is so unfortunate you have one that you need to protect from the other one. I can't say I fault you, it is not like you can care for multiple sick cats and you have done plenty taking the first stray to a vet.

I hope and pray you can locate someone on Facebook, this Site, etc. to lend you a hand. The sooner the better, it pains me to think that cat is suffering.

Again, God bless you for caring.

Thank you so much. I really am trying to do the best I can. I do feel stuck. I go back and forth between wanting to feed this one because it's so hungry and then I go through periods of not giving it anything, hoping it will leave so my other one doesn't get sick. And I have done that, and she has gone away, but only for a few days. She always comes back, but it's just such a slow painful illness for her. Thanks again.
 
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Eskimo1115

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Is that mange? It's hard to tell from the photo. Perhaps it does look like mange on her face. In any event, it looks as though she isn't grooming and that's a bad sign. Poor cat. I can't stand to see cats like that. It really does break my heart.

If it is mange, Revolution could help, as could Ivermectin. It's possible to buy Ivermectin at feed stores but you must absolutely be precise in the dose.

If you can find a trap, a visit to the vet is the best thing for her. It could save her life, such as it is.

Poor cat.

I really don't know if it's mange, that was just what I thought. At first we couldn't figure out why she looked this way, because even though she looked sick a year ago, it wasn't like this. And then one day it hit me -- was it mange? I think it is because there's clumps of hair that hang off to the side of her, like she literally was ripping it out. I've also seen photos of face scars on manged cats, and that's what she has. But I'm definitely not an expert, never seen mange in real life before, only online, so I could be wrong.

The problem is I can't get near her to touch her or put anything on her. Even if I had access to something, I can't touch her. She hisses and swats and takes off. Even though I've gotten a bit closer to her than I was able to in the past, it's still not nearly close enough to put something on her. I had ordered this spray online from this company that was supposed to heal mange. I can't think of what it was called. It was like an eco-friendly type one. I had no idea if it would work but I thought I'd give it a try. That was about a month ago and I've literally only gotten one spray (barely) on her because she takes off so quick when you get close.
 
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Eskimo1115

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Unfortunately, as I stated in my OP, I did call around and nobody can/will help. There's only one local cat saving group/no-kill group that I know of, and I tried contacting them probably two months ago and received no response.

Thank you for all of your suggestions though. I think this poor cat has had a very sad and difficult life. I really wish I could get her some help, but my options are very limited.
 

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If you have not already, you could try asking some of the local pet stores if they know people local to you that are into rescuing cats. Some of the pet stores where I live have rescued cats in the store ready for adoption. I am not sure if they get the cats from the Humane Society or people that rescue them.
 
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Eskimo1115

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That's a good idea. I hadn't though to try pet stores. I will try to talk to some people there and see if they're of any help. Thank you for the suggestion.
 

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Yes, good suggestion! Asking around may lead to a private group or individual who might be willing to step up to the plate and help. Ask everyone and everywhere!
 

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With Ivermectin, you can put it in their food, if it is absolutely impossible to get a trap and catch him. If you start to feed him everyday the cat may start to trust you and maybe you could get close enough to use revolution on him. With revolution you have to be able to get close enough to put it on the back of the neck.
 
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Eskimo1115

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I think I can only get Revolution with a prescription though, right?

I don't know anything about the Ivermectin. I would only use it as a last resort, but would anybody be able to tell me the dosage that I would need to give him if I decided to try that route if I cannot find help for her elsewhere?
 

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You can order Revolution online. Maybe you can order Ivermectin too. You should check with a vet if you use Ivermectin. I suppose it comes with instructions based on the weight of the cat. You put it in a syringe and squeeze into some wet food. Making sure only the cat with mange eats the food. I do not know what the proper dosage would be. Here's an old thread about mange:

Feral With Mange
 
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