My feral kitteh boy is feeling really bad. Can you please read and help?
(This has turned out to be quite long - if you can read through it all and offer some suggestions, many heartfelt thanks. Also going to cross-post in the Pets group)
I think maybe the easiest way to explain this is to use mostly bullet points. First, a little history: Jesse (adult male cat) was fed for at least a year by our neighbor before we moved here, but then the neighbor adopted a large dog, and Jesse wouldn't go back to the house. So the winter of the huge snowstorms in the mid-Atlantic in 2010 (I'm in northwestern Virginia - about 75 miles west of DC), I started to put out food. It took almost 10 months - until the next winter - before Jesse started to come around relatively regularly, and I set up a little bed with heating element for him (he never stayed over night but he'd wait there for me to feed him). We have a covered, raised porch (not screened, but covered) that runs the length of the house, and his bed is on the porch tucked against the house with two enormous flowerpots flanking his bed).
He's at least 4 years old, from my experience the last 3 years and the neighbor thinks he was feeding him for at least a year.
So, probably 4 days out of 7 for the past 2 years he's shown up in the evenings for dinner. A few times he'd had the shit kicked out of him; one time his left eye was badly damaged but I have a stash of Clavamox (feline antibiotic) left over from caring for other ferals back in North Carolina and he got 10 straight doses ground up in food, and his eye mostly healed (though remained a little cloudy ...). He knew he was injured and that my house meant food, so he hobbled back here every day for 10 days straight.
Also, for additional info, we live in a rural area. Homes are probably on a half acre or more, across the way our neighbor has probably 2 acres of grass and woods, and behind us is a bunch of corn, and behind that is cattle grassland.
Until earlier this summer, I couldn't find someone to lend me a humane trap, so while it has always been on my list to catch him and have him neutered and vaccines administered, I just came up on the list to borrow the trap last week. And honestly, I've had a hard time rubbing two pennies together these past 5 years -- there just is no spare cash or credit for me to pay for any vet bills aside from the care for my own cats, which I've had to spread thin. Jesse also never let me get closer to him than 5 feet -- even after two years, he kept his distance.
He used to sing after he ate -- he'd sit on the porch and stare at my indoor cats, and sing/yowl/talk at them for about 10 minutes before he'd head out. I loved it. He's a sweet, small cat, mostly white but with a gray saddle, cap and tail, with dark eyeliner around his eyes. I love the little fella and will care for him until he or I are no longer.
Anyway, here's what's happened recently:
1) Last Tuesday (10/9), he showed up limping badly - right front foot, but he moved pretty freely other than that. He was pretty thin, but he always got stringy near the end of summer, and it seemed as if he'd been starting to put on some winter weight (last winter he actually waddled - he got fat 
. He ate well (I always leave out dry kibble and fresh water, and give him a can or two when he shows up). He had probably a half a cup of kibble, and probably a can of fancy feast and maybe a 1/4 can of tuna. I know tuna isn't great for cats, but I treat him simply because he's out in the big bad world on his own, and he loves it. I also used that to give him a double dose of Clavamox to care for anything wrong with his foot. I have always doubled up on the first dose of antibiotics for all of my animals just so they get the 'hit' of the drug; then I go back to the normal daily dose.
2) Didn't see him on Wednesday.
3) We get home really late on 10/11, about 1 a.m. He's in his bed but when I go out to see him he is just miserable. Both of his eyes are completely gunked up with thick mucus. Some is yellow and has dried around the rims of his eyes, and there is a LOT of clear mucus running out of both eyes, but more out of the one on the left that had been injured before. Both eyes were very cloudy, and he could barely see - probably could only tell shapes were moving around him because he let me touch his head (hissed at me, but still) but that was only because he couldn't see my hand moving above his head. I thought this raging infection was odd because I'd already given him Clavamox two days before. So, I turned to the big gun antibiotic (hereinafter "antibiotic #2" I had from when one of my girl cats had a horrible, horrible nasal infection that Clavamox couldn't even make a dent in --- the vet had given me more than enough, so I gave Jesse a double dose of this other antibiotic. He ate ravenously, once I got the tuna close enough so he could smell it. He'd also managed to eat a lot of the kibble before we got home. When I fed him the tuna, he couldn't get out of the bed, he just sat there, crouched, and ate what I put in front of him. He ate probably an entire can of tuna. The bed has a heating element in it, so he stayed warm. I checked on him a few times, contemplated trying to catch him and get him to the emergency vet, but my husband was coming down with the flu, felt like shit, and I wanted to see if the antibiotics would help.
Poor kitty sat in the bed, whimpered if I was near him, and seemed to breathe heavily (though he could have just been purring - I couldn't hear it, but his sides were moving visibly).
4) Early the next morning (about 7am) I went out to check on Jesse. He *never* stays beyond dawn, but he was out of the bed, cowering against the house by his food bowls. Could barely see, poor baby. His eyes were still cloudy but the mucus - the thick yellow stuff and the runny stuff - were all gone. Also, he never had any mucus coming from his nose. He tried to walk away from me (probably sick of me checking on him and fussing) and he jumped through the railings onto the ground, and then just sat there. I ran inside to get a box in case I could somehow toss it over him, and when I came out he was weaving his way toward the back of our house (which also happens to have our landlord's garage and work shed). He stopped in our backyard for an epic pee. Then he continued to weave toward the garage, stopping every so often to get his bearing (as I was tiptoeing behind him with a box). He cried every once in a while. I imagine he could see about the same amount I can without my contacts -- shapes are OK, but clarity and distance are nil. Unfortunately, the landlord drove up then and Jesse made a break for it, trotting to the back of the garage / workshed and made it under the shed before I could catch him. He hunkered down there for a while, I brought him fresh food, and then when I went back an hour later, he was gone.
5) That same night (10/12), he came back, ate a lot of kibble, had another dose of antibiotics, tuna, cat food and water. Curled up and slept. His eyes were better, but still about 50% cloudy. There was still clear mucus in his eyes. All of the thick yellow stuff was gone after that first night, but clear runny stuff was left. He also had a HUGE tick on the top of his head near his ear, and another enormous one on his right jawline. I fed and medicated him, and just left him alone to rest. His appetite is normal. He wasn't there the next morning, though I wasn't up nearly as early. I also fed him in his bed that night. He seems to move stiffly, like he's sore.
6) The next night, 10/13, he came back again, same routine as above. Tick on the ear is gone, other one still in place. I think he got out of his bed to eat that night, but still moved stiffly. Eyes clearer still, not much mucus. Gets another dose of antibiotic #2. Appetite what I'd call 'normal' and in any other situation, 'healthy'.
7) Next two nights, 10/14 and 10/15, he doesn't show up. Some dry kibble is gone in the morning, but that could well be from our neighborhood baby possum.
8) Shows up last night, 10/16, and gets out of bed the second he sees me open the front door. Eyes look good! Maybe 80%. No mucus. Eats well. Gets another does of antibiotic #2. Lots of tuna. Two cans of fancy feast. Though when I check on him before bed, he's hunkered in his bed, breathing as he was before (not labored, but obvious - again, could be purring or ??) and you can just tell he doesn't feel terrific. Not sure if the big tick on the
right jawline is there or not. I just feed him, medicate him, and try not to bother him. He seemed really better, but still stiff.
However, now that his eyes are clearer, there is a dark spot below the iris in the "good" eye, and a dark spot below the iris in the formerly-injured eye. Just information, I have no conclusion.
9) He shows up tonight. Not looking too hot. A little mucus in the eyes. Seems sensitive to the light, but he has all along (probably sick of me shining a flashlight in his eyes, to be honest). Sits in his bed while I give him his medicated tuna (a double dose since he missed the last two days), but then gets out of bed when I give him fancy feast. Eats more tuna. Has already eaten kibble. But he just is sort of sitting still, seems like he's swaying a bit, and moves stiffly. Looks almost like he's burping - moves forward slightly once or twice - like people sort of jerk forward with strong hiccups. He just feels like crap. Doesn't clean himself after eating, though licks his lips a lot (but doesn't do the lick-foot-rub-face kind of cleaning). And he's looking a little raggedy in the keeping-clean department. He now has two enormous ticks on his left jawline and neck. Fucking goddamn ticks. I manage to sneak behind him and dump some Advantage for cats on his shoulders - on top of the fur, but enough should soak through to hopefully dislodge the ticks, and he can't reach it or lick it.
I'm leaving him alone to sleep. Will check on him later tonight. Hoping the antibiotics will help. He's so wary of anything he's not familiar with that I have no idea if he'd go into the (rather large) trap.
Any thoughts? I know I need to stop his suffering. But I'm interested in observations. I also know that cats can and do get Lyme disease and that antibiotics usually help.
Thanks, if you've managed to read all the way through. 
= new reply since forum marked as read
friends go to and I got a run-down of costs. There is no way I can cover this on my own; I don't have the cash or room on a credit card. I can only care for him beyond what I'm already doing if I can do a successful Jesse-Care Fundraiser here ... I don't know how to go about doing one. Riderinthestorm - would you be willing to help me get one arranged? I do have a paypal account.
It sounds as if the costs could run almost $750 if he's healthy enough to get his shots and be neutered; a whopping $240 of that is to do in-house bloodwork to see if he does have FIV/FeLV or any other problems like toxoplasmosis. If he's healthy enough to get his shots and be neutered, the neuter is $114, sedation is $50, antibiotics if he just has a low-level infection are $50, and then rabies shots, distemper, leukemia and FeLV all add up to about another $218. Exam charge is $52. Then probably another $20 or so just to treat the fleas (though I managed to sprinkle Advantage on him last night -- I'm hopeful next time I see him the ticks will be gone).
Whew.
Let me know what you think. Many thanks.
I'm sure they'll tell you how to do it. 
for a ferral cats rescue organization.
If they don't try contacting http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/feral_cats/
or Alley Cat allies. http://www.alleycat.org/
They might know of someone in your area who can help,
I care for several ferrals that live in my barn and have gotten help including vetrinary access through a local group of volunteers. We are lucky enough that there is a very well run Humane Society in the county next door to ours and another well funded organization in the largest city in that county. These larger county's groups have volunteer vets working with them. Luckily these two groups have been willing to share their resources with our county's group because our own County Humane Society for all intents and purposes ignores cats, and will only provide direct help with Dogs.
Hopefully there will be a group in your area.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your Kitty! Hope he recovers. Bless you for taking care of him.
can't really schedule anything. He's usually here at night.
One of our local nonprofits also is just completely overwhelmed right now with an overabundance of kitties. So, I might get a little help, but I also suspect I might just be on my own.
If you think riderinthestorm's idea about a Jesse Fundraiser here on DU might go over successfully, let me know. I just need 75 people to toss in $10 each.
Thank you so much for caring about the little one. I just know he will be alright!
I'm buckled up, and fully accept your love, if you accept mine back.
I have a humane trap on loan, but it's a big sucker and I think it scares Jesse. I've left it out on the porch, though, so at least he's used to its presence by now.
Many years back I caught a feral female with a net, and that's an experience I don't care to repeat if I don't have to. She'd been bunking in our garage (we had a kitty-flap entrance to the garage and kibbles) and I don't think there was a single item left on any of the work surfaces by the time we got her into the carrier. I can laugh now but it was tough; I didn't realize a cat could, using nothing but its own agility, flex itself up and out of a deep net like that!
I will use a net again, though, if the humane trap fails and it's my only option.
I'm going to try to set up a fundraiser here in the next day or two, once I understand the dynamics of how to do it here.
for helping this poor little boy!
Thanks, Tuesday Afternoon
He's a stubborn, tough little guy and I want to help him as soon as I can.
We are all in this together for little kitty-boy. You ARE comforting him. He knows it, I know it, we all know it.
You should be able to trap him even with a larger trap if he gets hungry enough. I would put the trap right up against the building very close to where you put his food. Cats like to slink around next to buildings (makes them feel more secure). Then I would put some leaves in and around the trap to make it blend in more with the background. Put some tasty tidbits of the food leading up to the trap so the cat can eat them and be tempted to go further in the trap to where the rest of the food is in the very back. The cat won't be able to resist the food, especially if it has been several hours and he is hungry.
Well, good luck. With the labored breathing your kitty could have pneumonia so the sooner he sees a vet, the better. They might want to take an xray to confirm that, but if you can avoid it I would, as it just costs more money. One of my cats had pneumonia last year, which they confirmed with an xray, although I hadn't asked them to do that (they were doing it for something else and didn't realize I hadn't approved of an xray for him). Although, I'm glad they did now because we wouldn't have known about the pneumonia. He had to have about a months' worth of antibiotics to clear it up. They wanted to do a second xray because the vet could still hear something in his lungs, but I told them just give me another two weeks of antibiotics for him. I would be happy to donate to a fund for your kitty. I'm sure many others would too.
I would be very careful of trying to pick up this feral cat, or even using a net, especially while he is sick. Sometimes cats panic and just go berserk and he could really hurt you. If you do trap him, just transport him in the trap to the vet. Don't even try to take him out. Sometimes cats who seem feral calm down once they are trapped and being treated. Two cats I thought were feral were actually just shy.
TK
(successfully trapped many cats)
