Need some help with a freindly feral

TURNA

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I wasn't sure if this should go in the feral or health section..........

I decided on putting it here since the cat health is more important than it being a feral....



So hello and thanks in advance for those that can help.

I have 4 steady ferals that my wife and I take care of or at least try too.

We have one that looks like it has been through a lot.

He is very friendly lets us pet him, plays with us and even lets us rub his belly and we would like to help him out the best we can.

He is all busted up right down to his snaggle tooth.

But he does have some open wounds on him.

Since we started caring/feeding him they have gotten slightly better.

But we are not sure what the issue is.

Fly Strike? Derma reaction?

Here are some pics, hopefully someone has seen this before and can help.

Thanks!!



 

white shadow

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Hi TURNA and welcome to the forum !

Just a guess...........looks like a type of mange that's been scratched muchly.

Do you work with a rescue group that has Vet access/services?
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TURNA

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Thanks

No I dont have a vet/rescue that works with cats.

The town has a feral cat colony but thats about it around here

We mainly have a self funded rabbit rescue where we took in 15 rabbits from a butcher shop.

These aren't cute fuzzy bunnys. These guys are bread for meat and are huge.

The vet I use for the rabbits is nice but here in NY its all about the $$$$

This is one of the rabbits hanging out with me while I work on my car

 

white shadow

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Hmmmmmmm.......interesting car! I wonder if N NY cat man might recognize those tail lights :lol:

I wouldn't dare second-guess your local knowledge........that said, we (here on TCS) have found that there are often very low-profile rescue ops that manage to stay 'below the radar' - but, not so low that MrGoogle can't see. If you want (because there's no way to deal with mange other than with Rx meds...that I know of) try this exact Google: "cat rescue in (your town/area)"......might be worth a shot, even if it means a little travel.

All that aside, I'm no Vet......to me, it looks like images known to be of mange.
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GreyLady

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Are those New Zealands? The big agouti one looks like he could be a flemmie hes so big. Very cute buns!! I love big bunnies. So sweet. Great thing to rescue them from becoming people/cat food.

I agree it looks like mange. That has been scratched. The whitish stuff on the outside of the bloody part is what makes it look like mange to me.

edit: also on the ears. That spot on the ears looks mangy.
 
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NY cat man

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Hmmmmmmm.......interesting car! I wonder if N NY cat man might recognize those tail lights :lol:

I wouldn't dare second-guess your local knowledge........that said, we (here on TCS) have found that there are often very low-profile rescue ops that manage to stay 'below the radar' - but, not so low that MrGoogle can't see. If you want (because there's no way to deal with mange other than with Rx meds...that I know of) try this exact Google: "cat rescue in (your town/area)"......might be worth a shot, even if it means a little travel.

All that aside, I'm no Vet......to me, it looks like images known to be of mange.
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There's not much to go on, but it looks like a mid- to late-80s GM product; maybe a mid-sized Buick- or not.
 
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TURNA

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LOL its an 80 Chevy Malibu




Thanks everyone!!
 

GreyLady

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Poor guy I hope you can get him some medication
Yeah i think he really needs to see a vet. They can flush out those wounds and get rid of the mange/whatever it is, give you proper meds. Can you pick him up or could you put food in a carrier to get him to a vet?
 
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TURNA

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He is very friendly lets us pet him rub his belly and suggles up on us.

But I am not sure about picking him up yet.

I dont want to take a chance just yet and break the trust
 

GreyLady

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Oh good! You could possibly just put some food, something smelly like heated up cat food or tuna and he would just walk in the carrier as long as you act really normal about it. Maybe leave the carrier out a couple days before with some treats in it.
 
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TURNA

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Here are some more pics of him...

We call him Leroy Jenkins for those of you who used to play WOW....

The black cat is another one of the ferals we feed/care for...Salem................ I know I know my daughter named him








 

moxiewild

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Well they aren’t feral which will make getting him help MUCH easier!!!

If you have a rabbit vet in your town, then surely you have a vet that works with cats, right? If cost is an issue, try googling “low cost vet in (your area)”.

Most rescues aren’t going to help you unless you surrender ownership to them first. One exception would be if you have a TNR specific group (there are a lot in NY, so worth a search). Sometimes they hold funds specifically for helping caretakers with vet bills or medical emergencies.

Also, former WoW player. Please tell me you exclusively say his name as a battle cry 😂
 
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TURNA

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Called 2 so called "rescues" last right and spoke with them.............absolutely useless.

Just like the rabbit rescues around here, more of a social club, come pat me on the back because Im such a good person...

Basically the answer was just take him to any vet.

I knew/know the cat needs to go to a vet but not everyone is made of $$$$

The orange cat (Bishop) in the pic above cost me over 3300 to have a plate put in his hip when we found him in the street hit by a car

and this rabbit (CoCo) cost me close to 5k to have its leg amputated when it was hit.



I dont regret spending the money but at this point I just cant do that anymore

Those days are gone someone out there has to be "doing the right thing" if they are such great animal lovers
 

Furballsmom

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Maybe there is something here;

(apologies for any broken links);
Financial Assistance – Day By Day Caregiver Support Inc.

Financial Aid for Pets

No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life

About Waggle | Vet Financial Assistance | Financial Aid For Pets

5 Ways to Pay for Vet Costs

additionally, from tarasgirl06 tarasgirl06 these may have something for you
You can visit www.animalrescuedirectory.net, bring up your location on the map and contact the rescues listed in case there are some that you weren't already familiar with. You can also visit www.alleycat.org which is the website of AlleyCat Allies, the national database for cat advocacy, and www.bestfriends.org/resources, where there are many links to different resources.
 

moxiewild

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Called 2 so called "rescues" last right and spoke with them.............absolutely useless.

Just like the rabbit rescues around here, more of a social club, come pat me on the back because Im such a good person...

Basically the answer was just take him to any vet.

I knew/know the cat needs to go to a vet but not everyone is made of $$$$

The orange cat (Bishop) in the pic above cost me over 3300 to have a plate put in his hip when we found him in the street hit by a car

and this rabbit (CoCo) cost me close to 5k to have its leg amputated when it was hit.



I dont regret spending the money but at this point I just cant do that anymore

Those days are gone someone out there has to be "doing the right thing" if they are such great animal lovers
You need to understand that rescues offer very specific services.

They aren’t set up to help people with their own vet bills, although very rarely a certain rescue might.

But otherwise, that is not what rescues do, and it is not a service they are meant to provide. They function on extremely limited budgets.

And to be honest, the rescues who do sometimes help with vet bills still have to be discerning on when to give aid, and I would be shocked if they gave to your kitty. They generally only help in very dire or emergency situations, and his condition simply doesn’t qualify.

That’s why I mentioned above that most rescues will not be able to assist with this. I know, I work in rescue.

You have to understand, people ask us for help constantly, for everything, including things we are not at all qualified to do.

When I’m working phones, I easily have to turn down 35 calls a day about taking a stray dog or an owner surrender. This is in addition to all the calls for stray, feral, and pet cats, and all the litters of cats and dogs (including many “oppsie” litters from irresponsible owners).

And then we also get many calls and emails about people’s vet bills. Daily. And I live in a small town that is very animal friendly, surrounded by other small towns. We’re not some huge metro.

Rescues are non-profits. It’s not that we don’t want to help, it’s simply because we do not have the resources to, and we have to be extremely selective.

You can google “low cost vet” for your area and surrounding area. Also call surrounding area vets, explain your situation, and see if they will offer discount services or work out a payment plan with you. Some vets do this for low income clients, others do it for people who care for community cats. Just reach out, and be persistent.

Check any universities nearby with vet programs too. They often have discounted prices as well.

CareCredit is great financing option, and so is crowdfunding on social media and Nextdoor.

Here’s another list of potential options, as well -

7A9418B6-B6E8-48DF-99A9-30580FA5AD02.jpeg


If you can give us your general area, we can try to help you find something you might be missing, too.
 
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TURNA

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I will not qualify for any type of monetary assistance.

And i am not looking for anything free either.

I was just hoping that the rescues could point me in the direction of a reasonable priced vet or maybe one that they work with.

Which they didnt.

Their answer was take the cat to the emergency room as far as a vet goes
 
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