# Feral cat loosing weight



## momto4 (Jan 24, 2005)

The outdoor cat I have been taking care of for over a year is loosing weight. He is very skittish so captureing him and taking him to the vet is nearly impossible. Any ideas?


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## Vivid Dawn (May 31, 2010)

This is assuming your vet will even take care of a feral (many won't)... try a live trap?
Or maybe a drop trap? I had to use a drop trap to get Zinny, because she refused to even go near the live trap (neither would her mother).

What I did was take her favorite hiding place - which was underneath my little fishing wagon - and turn it upside down and prop it up with a stick that had a string tied to it. When she went to eat under the wagon, I yanked the string and the stick came out from under and she was trapped in the upside-down wagon. I slid the lid of a 18gallon storage bin under it, so she couldn't get out when I flipped it over again and duct taped the whole thing shut like a box. My vet was rather amused when I brought THAT contraption in (with a hissing/spitting kitten)

Also, is he still eating? If you're feeding kibble, try some cheap canned food. If he refuses that, then he probably is really sick. Otherwise, he may just be bored of eating the same thing all the time.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Losing weight can be result of a number of things, like parasites (roundworms and/or tape worms), Feline Leukemia, or a thyroid problem, or possibly teeth or mouth problems. I would start by putting some worm medication in some canned food. You'll likely have to repeat it. Ask a vet for the proper medication. The sad thing is that the average life span of a feral cat is only 3-4 years.


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