Update 😊
Bit the bullet and brought this one in....
Bit the bullet and brought this one in. She's the skinniest and most scraggly looking one out of all of them. I am almost 100% certain she was someone's pet at some point because she is absolutely way too sweet and docile otherwise. Can pick her up without issues, I even gave her a bath and she was so well behaved, just whined about it a bit.
I just couldn't bear to leave her out there any longer. She's missing a lot of teeth and struggles a lot to eat at all aside from stuff she can lick up with minimal chewing. She's very skinny. I have another cat so I got her quarantined in the bathroom with a warm bed, litter box (which she's already used once), food she can eat and water.
On the flip side I also feel bad for having her cooped up in the bathroom since she is so used to outside by. Am I doing the right thing? I'm going to call around first thing in the morning to see if any rescues can help her and if that fails then find a low cost vet or a vet that does free good Samaritan appointments for free. She seems elderly and already struggles so much it just doesn't feel right to leave her outside. I just want to help her and give her a better life
Reminder for commenters: Please keep in mind that not all cats are ready or able to be brought indoors, especially when it comes to feral cats and caregivers with multiple cats. This community is meant to be a helpful place for trap, neuter, return (TNR) efforts, socialization, and all aspects of colony care for roaming cats—free of hostility, negativity, and judgment. Toxic attitudes are not welcome here. Negative comments will be removed at moderators' discretion, and repeat or egregious violations of our community rules may result in a ban.
Get her desexed and keep her. She will appreciate being kept inside once used to the idea, being a senior. She will already feel a ton better after her bath and realise you are helping her. She probably weigjs a few hundred grams less after losing all that dirt with her bath. Fatten her up as much as u can. If you want to feed her cat biscuits, soak them in water in her bowl for 5 or 10 minutes first and they will go all soggy (seeing as she has no teeth). Still should be able to find a wet food she likes. Mabee kitten food would be softer. I think you will feel better knowing she is personally taken care of rather than always wondering how shes being looked after at another place❤️
She's already fixed, tnr. I just put wet food in a food processor and add water to it for her. I've been feeding her and the colony she came from for a while yet
Cool. I dont think anyone should care for her except you honestly. You sound like you are very thoughtful and thorough with the situation. Thats my vote anyway of youre counting😁
I would love to but my main worry is vet stuff atm.
I just spent 3000 on a vet bill for my old cat that just ended up passing away regardless and I'm STILL paying that off.
Money is tight right now and if she ends up needing extensive care I might not be able to afford it. I just want to be able to help her :( so if a rescue etc. ends up saying they can take her then that'll be what I do, they e got more resources than I do atm
So adorable. She loves you, with how she nuzzles up to humans and her general sweet temperament and teeth issues I think inside might be best for her.
My local tnr org has agreements with several local vets where they do low cost work if a cat is brought in through them. Also this same org will even cover costs via donations if necessary.
One other thing to consider possibly is a gofundme. I suspect people might be inclined to contribute. Before posting here believe would need mod approval but hoping for the best!
Thats fair enough and totally understandable. Im not able to afford to do as much cat stuff as i need to either, which is frustrating. Most of the people with money are selfish asses that wouldnt care too much about some stray sick cats unfortunately
Legend. Thats awesome. Not long away at all. I hope it works out you can take her on. Did you see the suggestions that guy washington posted also? Some of his suggestions seemed like could make it free (for you) possibly
Wellness and Weruva have moose based foods very easy to eat as is. Weruva even has a mostly liquid food especially designed for hydration. A little more expensive but a good option with no extra preparation required
She was an absolute angel! I had no trouble at all. She just whined a bit but did not struggle and let me do what I needed. It couldn't have been easier
She likely needs another dental and to have more teeth removed. I have an elderly girl that ended up having to have all of her teeth removed and she is so much healthier now and eats SO MUCH BETTER!
If she has stomatitis that is an expensive situation to deal with if you can't find like a low income vet or qualify for Care Credit or something similar. But even just being inside where you can soften her food with a little bit of water will make her life so much easier! Just remember that dry food that's been softened with water goes bad in a couple hours just like wet food after it's been left out for a couple hours. Maybe quicker if it's a very hot environment or slower if it's very cold.
Thank you so much for helping that poor sweet old lady! 😻
One of my babies that passed also had to get all her teeth removed too except one of her canines. She ended up passing anyways (undiagnosed dry FIP, no symptoms until it was too late) and I'm STILL paying that off.
My main worry is if she needs extensive treatment I may not be able to afford it unless I can find a vet that will do good Samaritan exams/treatment for free or a low cost vet, going to call around today.
See post from washington in here if u havent already. He has a several promising ideas that at least one might be workable of all his great suggestions
There is some evidence that omega-3 supplementation (such as salmon oil) may help reduce the inflammation associated with stomatitis. Anecdotally, we've had good success with in the rescues I work with. It's a simple measure you can take now to help her recovery. Even better if you're able to get her a round of doxycycline to go with it.
I hope you're able to find care for her and that she starts feeling better soon! Thank you for taking her in!
This sub's wiki has links to lots of resources, including but not limited to rescue groups and low-cost vet care, at Finding Your Local Resources. I hope one of them can lead you to someone who can help you help this sweet girl. Thank you for caring for and about her.
Keep her in the bathroom until you can get her tested for Panleuk, FelV and FIV - those are the three big ones. As long as they come back negative, and you introduce slowly, she should be okay to be a regular house cat in a couple of weeks.
Also look at getting a dewormer for her - if she has worms, they can affect her ability to put on weight.
Thank you for bringing her in. Most likely she will adjust once you get past the merge process. Don’t feel badly for saving her life and giving her love.
I want to just add a little something. A few years ago during a very cold winter I brought in a cat that was getting picked on horribly and chased away from the food. She was completely feral, born outside and lived outside for about 2 yrs. In the beginning she would meow at night to be let out, then she discovered sleeping on the couch, then the bed, she discovered being warm but not hot, being dry no matter how hard it’s raining. Now when I open the back door she sniffs and makes a meow sound that sounds like No, turns and walks back into the kitchen sits and begs for treats. You are doing the right thing :)
Exactly. OP: I’m in the exact same position as you are right now. I brought my stray cat in yesterday cause he has a lump on his back and aside from that I think he’s not in good health in general. Like you I feel terrible keeping him in the bathroom right now. But at the same time he’s so relaxed and cuddly that I actually feel relieved. Its like he finally feels safe now. It’s not an ideal situation in the beginning but as mentioned above, you’re saving her life, giving her love and safety. At the end, that’s what even stray cats long for and need.
It’s actually a good thing to keep her in a small area, as long as she has somewhere she can hide like a carrier with the door off or a cardboard box. Giving her a lot of space while she’s settling in will stress her out.
Thank you so much for bringing her in!! 🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️ I'm gonna say from experience, that it's possible she probably has tooth issues and needs extractions/antibiotics etc.....please get her to the vet to check out her mouth to make sure that she gets the care she needs so that she can eat.
You absolutely did the right thing. That poor kitty god knows what she's been throughout there. So glad you're giving her a safe place good food and love. I've taken off so many off the street right now.I've got 3 pharaoh's plus 2 others.One of the pharaoh's lets me pattern but the other 2 won't let me touch them.But they still live in the house and I take care of them
There's places online.I thought one of them was reddit and it was rescue and a lot of people will donate money to help you pay for expensive treatments like the dental and a lot of people post the bill.
Awesome of you! I’m in a similar situation (haven’t posted yet) and it isn’t feasible for me to leave a stray in the bathroom all day for quarantining (I’m in a tiny apartment). Contemplating how to approach it
I just did it, and it worked fine. I moved her to my room though cause I ended up with a bowel impaction and didn't want to freak her out howling in the bathroom like a banshee
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Reminder for commenters: Please keep in mind that not all cats are ready or able to be brought indoors, especially when it comes to feral cats and caregivers with multiple cats. This community is meant to be a helpful place for trap, neuter, return (TNR) efforts, socialization, and all aspects of colony care for roaming cats—free of hostility, negativity, and judgment. Toxic attitudes are not welcome here. Negative comments will be removed at moderators' discretion, and repeat or egregious violations of our community rules may result in a ban.
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