# Re: any advice on handling injured feral



## garudaheart (Sep 3, 2006)

*Re: any advice on handling injured feral*

I posted a while ago about an adult male feral that I started feeding over the summer. He's a loner (no feral colonies here), extremely skiddish, won't let me touch him but tolerates my company at a distance. I feed him everyday and have made a space for him in the loft of my garage. I bought him an outdoor heated pad for the winter so he has a warm spot and also a snuggle ball bed which he loves. I planned to trap and neuter him in the spring but for now I have an opening in the garage door so he can come and go as he pleases and he does like his freedom.

Three days ago, he was missing for a day and then showed up in the evening with what is clearly a badly injured back foot. It's been so cold here and I didn't know what to do, so I closed him in the garage for the night figuring that in the morning I would take another look at it. Next morning when I fed him, I could see that it was swollen but there was no blood or obvious injury. He can't put any weight on it. He stretches the leg out behind him a lot like he is trying to loosen it up. I can see that his thigh isn't effected; it's just the foot. He's only using three legs to get around.

I guess he didn't like being stuck in the garage for the night because when I opened up his door, he ate and then left and didn't come back for two days. I was really worried about him, so this evening, I went out into the woods around my house calling for him and when I got back he was at the garage. He is still unable to use the foot. He doesn't seem to be any better or any worse, but is even more skiddish now. I feel like I lost some trust with him.

I'm not sure how to handle this. Should I trap him and take him to the vet? I'm of two minds about it. On the one hand, I worry that he'll never be able to use that foot again if I don't since I'm not sure what kind of injury it is. Also I know that this type of injury makes him vulnerable to predators and cars because he's much slower. On the other hand, I'm really worried that if the trapping doesn't go well or even if it does, I might lose him because he'll be so freaked out by it and run away or be afraid to come back. At least he is safe here and has shelter. 

If I do take him to the vet, I feel I'd have to bring him into my house; particularly if his foot has to be set and he needs care. The garage is so cold I'd hate to lock him up in there while he recuperated. Unfortunately, I don't have such a great space for bringing him in. I've got two other cats and one doesn't get along with him. It's a tough call for me. I really am attached to him. He's a sweety. I'm having trouble figuring out what would be best. Any advice?


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

I don't think you have a choice. You're fond of him, and if it was a permanent injury, you'd never forgive yourself if you hadn't taken him to the vet.  Perhaps you could borrow a play pen for him. I would ask the vet. 

This link should help:
http://www.catforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=30304

Let us know how he is, please.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

I had a feral tom I was trying to befriend to trap/neuter/release. He would let me pet him a little, though he would shrink away from my touch. He did let me put some vaseline on a tick on his neck one day...I just globbed it on quickly before he could move away. Tick was gone the next day when I saw him.

Hubby and I went on a vacation and returned to find him skinny and with a broken leg. No choice, to the vet he went...but by that time, he would let me pet and touch him. I think he knew we were trying to help.

Hubby made a cat cage for him for when he came home from the vet. It looked very much like a rabbit hutch, but it had a solid floor. There was room for a folded towel for a bed, bowls for water and food and we put a litter pan in there, but when I found him 'trapped' by it (he had fallen over the side of the pan and against the wire side of the cage) because his casted foot was on the down side, he couldn't manouver himself around to get himself up and over the edge of the pan. Hubby then cut out a pan-shape to drop the litter pan into so it was level with the floor.

The difficulty you may have with this kitty, is he needs treatment and will probably require antibiotics...so you'd need to be able to touch (scruff) him daily. 
At the VERY LEAST, you could trap him and take him to the vet; anesthetic to treat the foot, neuter while under with a big shot of antibiotics then bring him home to the garage until the anesthetic is fully worn off. Feed him WONDERFUL things while he is in the garage before you let him back out. He may distrust you for a while, but I really don't think it will be any worse than how he would have behaved before being trapped. (I have trapped several ferals for spay/neuter and all but one are now housecats...and I'm working on that last one... :wink: )
If after examination the vet feels he would not do well with the treatment I outlined above, you may need to euthanize him if you cannot handle him to give the kind of care he would need.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Pehhaps the antibiotic could be added to a bit of the irresistable food.  I hope all works out. The homemade cage is a good idea.


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## garudaheart (Sep 3, 2006)

Thanks so much for the information and advice. It's very helpful to me.

I'm going to take him to the vet. Luckily, I found a vet who will work with me and be flexible; they seem to understand feral issues. I figured any vet would help but some weren't accomodating. 

The only catch is that the soonest I can try and trap him is Monday night. They want me to trap him at night and keep him food/water free until I bring him in. 

I'll write and update on how it goes...  I have a feeling it should be an interesting and tricky experience. I just hope he doesn't already know what a trap is and avoid it.

I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but if all goes well, I'm going to bring him in and try to socialize him. I'm heartened by the success stories. He seems a hard case but I'll never know for sure until I give him some real comfort. It may just soften him up.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Make sure you camouflage the trap well, so that it looks like part of the landscape. This is a wonderful adventure you're beginning, and takes patience, but it _can_ happen. It takes time and patience, often months--unless the feral is really a stray, but it can often be done. Keep us informed, please!


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## carolsclan (Jun 28, 2006)

And remember to add rescue drops to his water dish..... that stuff is magic.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Good idea, Carol! Let us know how he is, please.


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## faerymagic (Jul 25, 2006)

What are rescue drops?


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## Sweetvegan74 (Jun 18, 2005)

Bach Remedy. I use it for my wolfdog when we get thunderstorms. It works pretty good. You can get it at health stores and pet shops.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Any news?


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