# Advise for what to feed a very skinny stray



## Christine

Hi all,
I just found this forum and hope you can offer me some advise. I have a cat of my own which I will introduce later, but my question is about a stray I have found recently. 

The other day walking my dog I came upon this poor guy. He is a large framed cat but so very thin and seems to have a couple of medical issues. I believe he has had a home before because not in the least bit shy and really wants lots of attention from me. He doesn't act like the ferral cats in the area at all. I cannot bring him home because my cat is extremely unfriendly to other cats and I live in a smallish apartment which doesn't offer any area to confine him.

I have been feeding him for about 5 days now, twice a day. I cannot tell if he has gained any weight but he doesn't have that hunched, up-given up look any more. He runs to see me when I approach, purrs while he is eating and really wants lots of attention. I am hesitant to touch him much as i don't know how healthy he is and don't want to take any illness home with me.

Healthy wise, there is a problem with his mouth. He salivates like nothing I have ever seen. His chin and chest are wet and muddy from it. Also, there are two bare patches on his head with sore areas, blackish areas and then what looks like small black bugs. I am guessing mites?

I have contacted a rescue that I am hoping might help him. I don't have a much extra money but will contact my vet tomorrow and ask for any advise there.

Can you suggest what I should be feeding him? Right now I bought some tins of food which he seems happy with. Should I be feeding Kitten food to help put on weight?

He is seems to be living in a bush near where I feed him. I don't have a yard to offer him and in fact he is about a 15 minute walk from my house. I am not sure about trying to relocate him closer as we have a very large number of ferral cats around and I don't want him to get into conflicts. He seems safe enough where he is and not straying far at all.

Any advise you can give for helping this guy is appreciated. I feel so bad for him and he really is a little love.


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## Heidi n Q

Christine said:


> I feel so bad for him and he really is a little love.


Welcome and I hope you are able to find a rescue that will take him in, he sounds like an awesome kitty that just needs a little TLC and vet-care. You are doing great feeding him, I would just feed him the best you can, possibly soft/canned food if he is having mouth/teeth issues and dry food would be too crunchy for him to deal with if he is having mouth problems. 

At this point, I think anything is better than nothing.
I also think you've decided the best thing is to leave him where he is due to the feral population around your own home. I hope an organization will be able to take him in and help find him a home. Generally, since you say he is improving since you've been feeding him, it almost sounds like a lost or abandoned family-cat. One who may not be skilled at hunting or his medical issues were preventing him from being able to eat his prey. I would go ahead and love-him-up, but I'd also be sure to brush my clothing off vigorously and wash my hands before I handled my own kitties.

Best of luck and good wishes for finding an organization to assist. Keep us updated and intro you and your kitty?
heidi =^..^=


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## Mitts & Tess

It breaks my heart hearing about this sweet guy struggling to stay alive. 
He sounds like someone dumped him and he doesn’t know how to 
fend for himself. I’m so glad you came across him. I think you 
should contact a TNR group in your area, if there are active 
ones. Try contacting ALL the rescues in your area too. If you’re
in Southern Arizona I could maybe give you some suggestions 
of who to contact. Does your vet have an angel fund for cases 
like this? Lots of vets in our area have them. Do you have a good 
relationship with your vet that he would help you rescue this guy?

Is there an extra bathroom in your apt? Or a place you could 
put him while he is being treated. 

Does he let you touch him or hold him? If your cat at home 
has a healthy immune system I wouldn’t worry too much 
about bringing something home. Just toss your outfit in 
the wash when you get home.

The salivating worries me. Maybe he has infected teeth? 
I’m grasping... with out seeing a picture of your concerns, 
it’s hard to guess. I would start putting fish mox in his food 
to see if the antibiotic would help. Here is where I posted 
about it. We do that for ferals we cant hold to medicate.

http://catforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=58731
. 
Make sure you are giving him a high quality food that 
will have the nutrients to start his body to mend. Yes a
high quality kitten food would help too. Are 
you able to put Advantage on him and in the top inside 
of his ears to deal with mites and fleas?

*The best thing you could do is to take him to 
a cat savvy vet who could diagnose his issues 
and you could make decisions from there.* 

You have a wonderful heart I can tell. I have great 
respect for your compassion. Please keep us posted 
as to what you find out and what you do for this 
sweet guy. Now I have a lump in my throat. I pray 
the angels with protect this sweet guy till you can 
find how to help him.


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