Treating wound on feral cat? (picture of infected wound)

[C_Claycomb]

My parents have a magnetic attraction for cats in trouble. Their current house cat (female) started off as an abandoned cat that they fed, and there have been at half a dozen that have cycled through their lives over the years. For the last three years they have been feeding "Brown Boy" a very nervous full tom who even now won't let anyone get closer than 3 feet. He will come close to the window and will visit for a little food and milk a couple times a day. He gets on with house cat.

Some weeks ago he turned up with a cut about half an inch long on his head. It looked deep, but there wasn't much my parents could do, between him being scared of people and them being over 75s in lockdown.

The wound has not healed and looks awful now. Called the local vet and was told if we could bring the cat down, and are willing to pay, they could treat him. Paying isn't the problem, but getting him in a box will be.

Any suggestions? Ideal seems to have been to put antibiotic in his food, but I doubt that you can get that in the UK. I haven't managed to get through to the RSPCA, but not sure what they can do, what with being stretched as they are, and him as wild as he is.

IMG_1227 by Last Scratch, on Flickr
This is about as close as he lets my dad get...and he trusts dad more than anyone else.

IMG_1226 by Last Scratch, on Flickr

Chris

 

[Van-Wild]

Bait box him. Then take him to the vet. They can sedate through the holes in the box. Chances are that infection will get the better of him sooner than later.

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk

 

[gra_farmer]

Agreed, if you can't box the cat and take to the vet, ask a local farmer for a can of Terramycin, this is an all in one healing spray

 

[santaman2000]

Antibiotics are probably a no go without an Rx (as you suggested) However you MIGHT be able to slip a mild over the counter sedative into his food to make him easier to catch? Probably easier said than done though: cats are notoriously picky with their food.

 

[Buckshot]

It would probably take a week or more of baiting a cage trap/ carrier enough to be able to close the door properly.
Sounds like the cat might not be fooled anyway.
is it possible to send the pics to the vet and see if they will medicate based on those?
They probably wont but maybe worth a try.

feral/ wild animals have a decent immune systems so it may well erupt and then heal up although it would be painful and messy in the mean time.

Best of luck

 

[Buckshot]

Also you mentioned RSPCA.
what about other charities? Some have vets in house that may offer some advice

 

[Van-Wild]

Spring trap, like the ones used to catch squirrels, only bigger. Bait it with a highly favoured food and your cat will go right in, set the trigger and there you go, one caught kitty. No need to hang around trying to entice it.

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[Toddy]

Contact the vet again, explain the issue and ask for a sedative that can be added to food.
Make sure you dose him at a time when he can be taken straight to the vet.

I would only do this if I knew that he's likely to go to sleep somewhere close by.

Chris, this isn't a good thing, but we had a cat that visited us like that. Eventually I did get it into a catbox and we took it to the vet that the Cat Protection folks used. They were happy to take a donation, but they would pick up the bill since the cat was a feral stray.

The cat's head wound wasn't healing because the cat had the feline equivalent of aids, and the vet said there was nothing to be done and simply put him to sleep.
They do that because the cat did wander around, did socialise with other cats and was mostly likely passing on the disease just the same way he'd got it.

I really hope your Mum's stray ends up a happier tale.

M

 

[Snufkin]

Try local cat rescue places, they may have a trap they could lend you as well as experience with catching ferals.

 

[Tengu]

Yes, I would do that too.

Luckily Blackie will let us handle him. (our feral)

 

[Corso]

I'd try cats protection

They are good people but will probably not release them back to their current feral conditions they will want to rehome them

I got my two boys from them thought and they were pretty feral when they got here

 

[Tengu]

But they will try to rehome them in appropriate circumstances.

A true feral will probably go to a farm or stables. They wont be expected to become a house cat.

 

[Corso]

But the point is either way if you call 'rescue' they will be taken away from the current environment and Chris' parents will need to accept that

 

[Toddy]

I was told by the local society that they usually just have them treated, neutered, and if it's safe they're released back to where they were found.
That might just be here though, but the lady said the feral cats rarely make good housepets, so they just tried to keep them healthy and let them quietly live out their lives.

I think though that if what you know of them is the case too though, maybe Chris' parents ought to have a heads up on it.

I know my neighbour was most upset that the cat we took to the vet for treatment was put down. It was a beautiful natured moggie, and happily spent time in all of our gardens. It slept in our sheds too.

M

 

[Corso]

I was told by the local society that they usually just have them treated, neutered, and if it's safe they're released back to where they were found.
That might just be here though, but the lady said the feral cats rarely make good housepets, so they just tried to keep them healthy and let them quietly live out their lives.

I think though that if what you know of them is the case too though, maybe Chris' parents ought to have a heads up on it.

I know my neighbour was most upset that the cat we took to the vet for treatment was put down. It was a beautiful natured moggie, and happily spent time in all of our gardens. It slept in our sheds too.

M

It might just be my area since I'm in the suburbs of London, not alot of safe feral land here

 

[Toddy]

Ah, maybe that's the difference. Lot of farmland and village edges around here still. Fair number of old industrial sites too.

M

 

[The Frightful]

It might just be my area since I'm in the suburbs of London, not alot of safe feral land here

We gave got a couple of rescues from Celia Hammonds cat charity, we used the canning town branch but i think they have one in lewisham

My parents have a magnetic attraction for cats in trouble. Their current house cat (female) started off as an abandoned cat that they fed, and there have been at half a dozen that have cycled through their lives over the years. For the last three years they have been feeding "Brown Boy" a very nervous full tom who even now won't let anyone get closer than 3 feet. He will come close to the window and will visit for a little food and milk a couple times a day. He gets on with house cat.

Some weeks ago he turned up with a cut about half an inch long on his head. It looked deep, but there wasn't much my parents could do, between him being scared of people and them being over 75s in lockdown.

The wound has not healed and looks awful now. Called the local vet and was told if we could bring the cat down, and are willing to pay, they could treat him. Paying isn't the problem, but getting him in a box will be.

Any suggestions? Ideal seems to have been to put antibiotic in his food, but I doubt that you can get that in the UK. I haven't managed to get through to the RSPCA, but not sure what they can do, what with being stretched as they are, and him as wild as he is.

IMG_1227 by Last Scratch, on Flickr
This is about as close as he lets my dad get...and he trusts dad more than anyone else.

IMG_1226 by Last Scratch, on Flickr

Chris

My parents have a magnetic attraction for cats in trouble. Their current house cat (female) started off as an abandoned cat that they fed, and there have been at half a dozen that have cycled through their lives over the years. For the last three years they have been feeding "Brown Boy" a very nervous full tom who even now won't let anyone get closer than 3 feet. He will come close to the window and will visit for a little food and milk a couple times a day. He gets on with house cat.

Some weeks ago he turned up with a cut about half an inch long on his head. It looked deep, but there wasn't much my parents could do, between him being scared of people and them being over 75s in lockdown.

The wound has not healed and looks awful now. Called the local vet and was told if we could bring the cat down, and are willing to pay, they could treat him. Paying isn't the problem, but getting him in a box will be.

Any suggestions? Ideal seems to have been to put antibiotic in his food, but I doubt that you can get that in the UK. I haven't managed to get through to the RSPCA, but not sure what they can do, what with being stretched as they are, and him as wild as he is.

IMG_1227 by Last Scratch, on Flickr
This is about as close as he lets my dad get...and he trusts dad more than anyone else.

IMG_1226 by Last Scratch, on Flickr

Chris

He looks grumpy but that seems to be a pre requisite in un neutered toms. We have had rescues and strays for years, they are pretty resilient, more often than not the infection will clear up. I'm no vet but would advise to keep on as your parents are doing to maintain contact, and just keep an eye. Our last one was a proper nutter, growling snd hissing at people the works, he got ill suddenly and i was able to pick him up like a rag doll to put him in a basket. They're pretty much all bravado just scared and insecure

 

[Tengu]

Blackie was away a couple of days.

But back today, and ate like a Big cat...

He has a cut on his bum where a lump of furs been torn out.

I think he lost badly.

But after a bit of wariness he is baack to his normal faily aimible self.

He took a nap on my lap today. (Mercifully not kneading with claws out as he is prone to do)

 

[C_Claycomb]

So an update for folk.

Thank you for all the suggestions!! It has been much appreciated.

Last Saturday we called the local vet. They were unsure about treating a cat without having its owner, but seemed happier when told we would pay the bill. Appointments can be made same day, but that pre-supposes that we could get the cat in a box!

On Wednesday I looked up and called Cat Protection. They were nice and tried to give options and advice, but are currently unable to come out to catch cats, nor to loan out cat traps (they said it was the government legislation, rather than their own policy). They recommended the local RSPCA.

The RSPCA office wasn't open till Thursday anyway. I gave them a call, and was told I really should be calling their emergency line, which I then did. Spent a while talking to a young man operating a very slow computer who took details and provided an email address to send photos to show what the cat looked like and the nature of injury (turned out the address didn't work, email bounced). Based upon that conversation I didn't expect to hear anything further for days, but about 20 minutes later I had a call back from a bright lady who said she was on the way! I think after I explained that the cat was not in custody yet, and that she needed to call my parents, it was decided that it wasn't such a rush.

Parents were contacted, given a personal email address and sent photos to the lady who called me.

Seems like something might well be in the works, which is encouraging.

Thanks folks.

Chris

 

[C_Claycomb]

Final update. We were able to get a cage trap from the RSPCA for a week and on the last day the old lad appeared and was caught. When the RSPCA came to collect him and they lifted the towel my mum had placed over the cage, the cat threw himself every which way trying to escape. When they got him to the vet it was decided that it would not be possible to keep him in a cage long enough for the wound to be treated and heal and they put him to sleep.
My mum is still feeling like she betrayed a trusting friend and their own cat still looks for her brown tabby pal.

We know that the wound wasn't healing and life wasn't much fun for him, but still...it is sad!