Feral cat limping.

softheart — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:29:54 GMT

I feed a semi-feral cat that we trapped, neutered and released last year. I had the help of a cat rescuer down the street. Today he arrived with what appears to be an injured front paw. He is limping and holding it up but it shows no signs of a wound. Is there anything I can do short of trapping him to help him heal, or should I let nature take its course?

RE: Feral cat limping.

Skitch — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:27:03 GMT

The cat could have just landed wrong. Almost like a person twisting their ankle. However, the more reasonable thing to assume would be that the cat was bitten. You would not be able to see the wound after the cat cleaned it. All you can really do is keep and eye on him. If he begins to limp more severely, then bring him to the vet. If you start to see blood or pus, then take him to the vet. Also, you need to be aware, that if he was bitten by a skunk or other rabid animal, he could contract that disease. He can also contract feline leukemia and other lethal diseases from other stray cats. Just be observant.
I applaud you getting him fixed and being so responsible for him. I wish there were far more people like you out there in the world today. Try to find him a real home. He doesn't have to be a purely indoor cat, but finding him a home where he can sleep indoors and be safe would be marvelous. I know how hard it is to adopt out strays, though. Thank you for loving that cat.

RE: Feral cat limping.

martha — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:07:18 GMT

Your precious baby could have been bitten by another cat or animal. You may not see signs of it other than the limp but it could be infected and therefore he will not put his weight on it. It would be best if you can trap him and take him to the vet. Sometimes you can find a vet who will give you an antibiotic that you could put in his food. But the best soluntion would be trap him and get him to a doctor. Good luck.

RE: Feral cat limping.

potots momma — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 09:35:21 GMT

if you are able to some how put some anti biotics in its food for a course of treatment i would do that because my guess is he got into a cat fight and was bitten on the leg and is suffering from an infection. if you are able i would trp the cat and if you are able to handle him safely check out the leg in question for small puncture wounds or abscesses indicated by swollen areas witha smlal hole in the middle of the swelling . i am almost positive this poor cat has been in a cat fight. if you have antibiotics to properly treat him put it on his food preferably soft food but i would urge you to trap him and have him checked out by a vet that helps out with your feral colonies. my cats that are strictly indoors were from a feral colony. they have been with us for going on 7 years now. i wish i could be of more help. where do you live? i live in hawaii out in ewabeach on the island of oahu. if by some chance you also live in on oahu my email address is silverswordsgamebirdfarm@gmail.com you cam email me no matter were you live if you want to correspond privately. i hope your cat recovers and dont let anyone tell you to put him to sleep unless it has a terminal contagious disease proven by tests. you wouldnt want him to suffer. please let me know how the outcome was if you would be so kind. aloha