Should Feral With Broken Pelvis Be Euthenized? Vet Said No

[Norachan]

Oh wow, I'm so glad you didn't have him PTS.

I have had FIV+ cats, the virus is easy enough to manage as long as the cat has proper nutrition and any health problems, such as colds, parasites, small cuts or other injuries etc, are dealt with straight away. One of the cats I have now is FIV+ and she's doing really well. Once the cats has been neutered there is virtually no chance of them passing the disease on to other cats they live with.

Have you asked the vet to check his teeth? FIV cats are prone to gum infections which makes eating painful for them. If you have his teeth cleaned and any rotten ones removed he might be able to eat a lot more.

Good luck, please keep us posted.

 

[Impfac]

Is there a reason why he's confined to one room. Do you have other cats?

I have 4 cats (2 strays, 1 feral, 1 foster), all grown. I've kept him separate because in the past when we've rehomed a cat and my cats were exposed to them, it led to increased tension, hissing, small curfuffles. One of them already doesn't tolerate two of the others, and one of those two hates him back, so I don't want to amp up the stress further. Especially a couple months before a 35 hour drive across country.

This cat-hurt cat-was also pretty aggressive outside. He generally owned our back yard, limp and all. I'm assuming wouldn't be a big fan of other cats still. I'm not worried about the FIV, I'm more worried about my cats relationships and stress.

We have tried locking up our cats and leaving his door open for extended periods, but he doesn't come out far before retreating back onto the bed. I guess he came close enough with curiosity to have decided not to investigate the unknown :/

Thank you for the food ideas and other suggestions.

I've had luck rehoming about 6 cats in the last 2 years here and hope I can find a place for him too, even if I have to take him across the country to do it.

 

[Impfac]

Have you asked the vet to check his teeth? FIV cats are prone to gum infections which makes eating painful for them. If you have his teeth cleaned and any rotten ones removed he might be able to eat a lot more.

The vet did look, he said they were really bad, as he expected with FIV. He didn't indicate he thought it needed any intervention. He just seems to be a picky jerk with food, not having issues with pain.

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm confused, how can a bad dental situation not be painful?

 

[Norachan]

Our vet removed all of our current FIV+ cat's teeth. She had pain killers and antibiotics for about a week, she was perfectly fine after that.

She's been able to eat a lot more since then, canned and dry food. She's put on a lot of weight and she's obviously much more comfortable.

Not only do bad teeth cause a lot of pain, but they also mean the cat is at risk of infection. Infected teeth and gums can be treated with antibiotics, but then you have the hassle of trying to pill a cat, plus paying for repeated vet visit. What's more, as FIV cats have a weakened immune system, there is always the risk that a tooth infection could lead to sepsis. This can be fatal.

If the cat is in pain he's going to be unwilling to interact with any other cats around him. He will show signs of aggression or go into hiding whenever his teeth bother him.

It's very difficult to introduce a cat that's in pain to other animals, or even gauge what his personality might be like. I bet you're not at your most friendly or sociable when you have a raging tooth ache either.



I think you'll get along a lot better with introduction or re-homing if you ask the vet to take care of his dental work. He'll be a lot happier too.

 

[Kflowers]

Once the bad teeth are gone, he'll be nicer. He'll also be incapable of the dangerous deep bite.

We found moving generally helped the cats decide that they didn't hate each other. It could help.

You are a good person for taking him in.