Stray Cat Problem

**KMonte85** · 12-20-2011 07:57 AM

Ok, so there is this lovely stray cat that I've been taking care of this winter. I've built him a little cat house (quite proud of myself really, the thing is ingenious, cost me $20 to build, and keeps temps upwards of 50 degrees even in below freezing/windy weather).

It took us many moons for him to finally be comfortable with me. Started with him watching from afar as I filled his food and water dishes. Then he started talking to me when I called him to come eat. In the last week or two we are at the point where he's more interested in me rubbing his belly and scratching his chest than getting to his food.

Now that I can actually get close enough to check him out, I've found he has a HORRIBLE ear infection. He shakes his head and you can hear the fluid. The backs of his ears are dug up and bleeding from where he scratches at them. I called my family vet and they insisted they can't do anything for him unless I can bring him in, so they can determine if the infection is parasites, bacterial, yeast, etc and figure out the best way to treat it and the wounds on his ears. Fair enough...

The dilemma: I don't know how the heck to get him there. He is scared of my cat carrier, and refuses to go near it, let alone in it. I've thought about withholding feeding him except for putting food in the carrier so he'll go in there, but I only have 2 days to get this figured out (might not be enough time!). Also the time I could get for the vet doesn't coincide with his feeding time so I don't know if he'll even be nearby when I have to get him to the vet. I've tossed around the idea to, the night before the appointment, wrapping him in a blanket while he's busy eating to keep him from escaping and bringing him in the house and putting him in a spare room overnight so he's easier to contain in a carrier the day of, but I don't want to terrify the poor guy either! And I'm a bit worried to bring him in as he may be carrying something that my housecats could catch (parasites, infections, etc) although he seems in good health other than the ear issue.

Does anyone out there have an idea? I have to figure something out before Thursday!

**stariana** · 12-20-2011 08:23 AM

I know how you feel, being a kitty lover my self . . . the only "safe" way is to do what you said, and put the food in some sort of trap, and catch him that way. DO NOT BRING HIM IN YOUR HOME, especially if you have other kitties, until he is seen by a vet. They can carry diseases and get your other kitties very sick. Be sure to wash your hands after touching him, as well. Best of luck!

**KMonte85** · 12-20-2011 09:25 AM

Yeah I was bit worried about bringing him into the house. If I did, I was going to put him in a confined room that we don't use (there's only a desk and a bookcase in there), easy to clean hardwood floors, and his own food dish, water dish, bedding and litter box so he couldn't contaminate anything our cats use. Then of course disinfect everything afterwards.

I'm going to try the "food in the cat carrier" trick first, although this is a smart cat, and I don't think he'll fall for it. And I have the problem that he typically shows up to eat about 3 hours AFTER the time the appointment is scheduled. So it is a gamble if I will get him caught in time for his vet appt. If I don't get him in on Thursday, he will go untreated for at least another 2 weeks.

Also tossed around the idea of getting him in the garage, but that gives him LOTS of room and lots of things to hide in/under.

**kristalyn_04** · 12-20-2011 09:55 AM

Skip his feedings until the day of (or night before), then hopefully he'll be hungry enough to go to the food in the carrier. Keep giving him his water though, maybe throw him a few kibbles if you're feeling bad about not feeding him (as I would lol). Good luck!

**rosekitten** · 12-20-2011 11:50 AM

Don't skip his feedings. Since he will let you pet him and such, feed him and wait for him to come close to you. You'll have to be quick, but use a bath towel and wrap him in it. This will prevent him from being able to claw and such, and then you can just put him in the carrier. Put the carrier on its end so you can just lower him into it, much easier than trying to put him in when the carrier is level.

**CHANDLERS WISH** · 12-20-2011 01:19 PM

I agree with Rosekitten . That's exactly what I would do...He's starting to trust you, chucking him in the carrier without food, will make him wonder. Stress... You will have to be quick with the towel and hold on tight but it will work....

I have a stray cat as well...He's all mine now, has to live outside, as David's allergic to cats...But, he has his own bed, soft chair, toys, and can come in and sleep in our daughters room when she is not here, at night or he goes two doors down, we both look after him, only I feed him lols.

My next door neighbour alerted me of him...The witch had him overnight in one of those, no food, no water, so he wouldn't get hurt..WT? So he hates those things to...Lucky I got hold of him, after 2 days of living like that, what she was thinking IDK...Witch..

**KMonte85** · 12-20-2011 02:15 PM

It is WAY too cold to skip feeding him, especially that I have been doing so for weeks and he relies on me as a food source now.

I wish it were easy enough to just grab him and get him in the carrier, but as I've mentioned, part of the problem is timing. He shows up at the house around 5:00/5:30 every evening as that is when he is fed. the vet appointment is at 3:00 on Thurs (only time I could get him in until January), so I need to get him in the carrier by 2:30 at the latest so I can make it to the appontment on time. That's hard to do if the cat isn't even going to come around for another 3 hours.

And I can't start feeding him earlier to get him to show up earlier because 1, I don't get home from work early enough to do so, and 2, with only a day and a half left his internal schedule will not change that quickly anymore. I can perhaps get him Wednesday night, but I also don't want to keep him in a carrier for 22 hours, that's not fair to the animal.

Hmmmm.... must strategize!!! lol

And CW, that is terrible of your neighbor! Even if the woman had good intentions to keep him from being hurt (WT?? ok...), it is not right and anyone should know better than to keep an animal confined without a food source, and specifically without a water source for an extended period of time!!!!

**rosekitten** · 12-20-2011 03:01 PM

Do you have any place like a garage or shed you could keep him in for a bit? Or, even a bathroom, if that would work. He'll be mad, but at least you know he'll get looked at.

**BabyGirl** · 12-20-2011 06:26 PM

Where does he go after he eats ? does he go to his Cat House you made him ?
If he does is there a way you can rig a " door " to trap him in the Cat House ?

You can also try leaving the cat kennel open and putting a blanket in it with Cat nip, sprinkled on the blanket.

Also ask your vet, if there is some "Sleep/Relaxing " medicine you can get tomorrow. They have something you can give Cats for Traveling, like on Planes. You can put it in his food tomorrow night. Maybe give him a little Kibble and some wet food that has the Meds mixed in. Or even just the Wet Food and no kibble, so he's hungry enough to eat it. Make it very little Wet food and wait a bit after he eats it, then wait an hour or so and leave him more food.

He may be hungry enough to come back and also want some Lovin from you. Which at that time, he'd be a bit Drowsy and easier to snuggle in a Blanket and put in the Kennel. You can put the kennel in a garage or laundry room or that spare room..

Catching him a 2nd time may be more traumatic than him spending a few hours Snoozing in a kennel. And possibly safer for you & Him, if he turns to be a Scratcher or Biter ..
It will not hurt him to be in it overnight and until 3 the next day. * Cats and Dogs Actually fly overseas and aren't let out of the cages for up to 15 hours. They are usually Doped up so they don't care . lol

If you get him to the Vet, be prepared to be there for him , Petting and Crooning, he knows your voice and your touch. Also be prepared for a possible large Bill, depending on what may be wrong with him. Shots and a Neuter will be utmost for him, either way.

When treated and healthy, be prepared to adopt him into your home. Or find a home for him with a loving Family ..
Some cats are Forgiving, others hold a Grudge, but treating him , getting him Healthy and putting him back outside is akin to " Abandoning him Again ", even though You rescued him , he has been Abandoned by someone.

Besides , he can just get Ear Mites again or some other Illness.

**BabyGirl** · 12-20-2011 07:15 PM

We had " Grey Kitty " a Stray, I live 3 flights up and thankfully on an End Apt, with no side or shared Traffic from other Apt's.

We found a Grey Kitty, sleeping in a vacuum cleaner box , one morning , that we had set outside to take to the Trash.

We opened the door and She Ran like heck, down 3 flights and into the bushes. Next morning same thing, so we put out a food dish and water and a towel. Again when we opened the door in the Morning, she'd dang near break her neck flying down the stairs. More food and ignoring her but saying Hi Kitty and a week later she wouldn't run. just look at us .

My 25 y/o is " Kitty Lover " so one day he came home from work, saw her there in the Box, went in the Apt, came back out with Extra food and some Catnip that he put in an old sock. And sat on the Landing and talked to her, let her have the sock, got to pet her, but not pick her up.

A few days of that, she would " talk to us " as we were leaving for work, rub against our legs, walk us down the Stairs, Greet us when we got home. We couldn't let her in as we had 2 cats already, and they were Mad enough that he smelled like Strange Cat anyway .

Once she was pet`able and trusting, I put an ad up on Craigs List, ***Frozen Grey Kitty ** needs warm loving forever home. This was Winter time here,and Like you we made her a Warmer Home.

It took another 3 weeks, but we found a Home, that came and " Visited " Grey Kitty on our porch front. They came 3 days in a Row, all at the Time we came home from work.

They Sat,Talked with her, petted her, finally had her actually get in their laps. And she found a New Home and Family with them, It was easy for them to pick her up, Snuggle her in a Catnip Blanket, walk her to their car and Drive her home .

They said she jumped out of the Blanket, Stood on her New Mama's Lap and acted like a Dog, looking out windows on the way .

They Named her Thawdia, for Thawed Diva .. lol

They put her in her own room for a few days, went in , Talked, fed and took Pic's and sent me updates.

After a week, they just left the door open , so she could come out when she wanted .. They had other cats, dogs, goats. actually a Mini Farm. This was 3 years ago,.
Thawdia, sends us Christmas cards,and when we are out that way, we stop in and See our " Grey Kitty ".

Bless you for being there for Your " kitty ".. If we could all have a heart like yours, The world would be so much Better & Happier .