Yeah, about stray cats. How?
July 24, 2019 8:11 PM Subscribe
So Tux (but it isn’t even cute) was our neighbor’s outdoor cat. We named him that. Promise he has the pattern to match.
Neighbors moved away and he’s been visiting so we give him kibble daily.
His ear is clipped, which means the local humane society fixed him. He’s also scabby as heck. His ears and nose are garbage, bald and pink and sore. We won’t touch him but he definitely wants touches. We have elderly indoor cats and wouldn’t want them to catch whatever mange he has.
Beyond a bowl of water and a handful of kibble, what should/can we safely do for him? He wants us to love him but he’s too gross.
His ear is clipped, which means the local humane society fixed him. He’s also scabby as heck. His ears and nose are garbage, bald and pink and sore. We won’t touch him but he definitely wants touches. We have elderly indoor cats and wouldn’t want them to catch whatever mange he has.
Beyond a bowl of water and a handful of kibble, what should/can we safely do for him? He wants us to love him but he’s too gross.
Response by poster: Sorry, I thought I put cat tax into the “isn’t cute” parentheses. He’s cute. This pic isn’t. Just proof of cat.
https://imgur.com/a/NyHNmoO
posted by OrangeVelour at 8:19 PM on July 24, 2019
https://imgur.com/a/NyHNmoO
posted by OrangeVelour at 8:19 PM on July 24, 2019
Is your local shelter no-kill?
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:24 PM on July 24, 2019
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:24 PM on July 24, 2019
Response by poster: My local shelter has an outdoor cat program. Based on the snipped ear, I know they fixed Tux and let him out to be an outdoor cat.
posted by OrangeVelour at 8:34 PM on July 24, 2019
posted by OrangeVelour at 8:34 PM on July 24, 2019
Dude pet the cat. He craves it, and if he was going to infect your indoor cats, it would have happened already. You could even ease his discomfort if you choose to gently brush him.
Be kind to a neighbor in need , or support an ‘untouchable caste’ system, ymmv.
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:39 PM on July 24, 2019 [20 favorites]
Be kind to a neighbor in need , or support an ‘untouchable caste’ system, ymmv.
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:39 PM on July 24, 2019 [20 favorites]
If you're sure his people have abandoned him, you can find him a new home. Someone will love him.
posted by amtho at 8:45 PM on July 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by amtho at 8:45 PM on July 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
Seriously - the one-eyed cats were pretty adoptable when I was fostering. Sometimes people feel moved to really rescue another creature.
posted by amtho at 8:45 PM on July 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by amtho at 8:45 PM on July 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
He’s your cat. Put on a glove and pet him. Treat his fleas and take him to the vet. Help him be as lovable as he thinks he is.
posted by SLC Mom at 9:51 PM on July 24, 2019 [19 favorites]
posted by SLC Mom at 9:51 PM on July 24, 2019 [19 favorites]
Please, please give the cat some love. My heart is breaking for this guy just reading your post. As long as you wash your hands and maybe change your pants if he rubs on them, your cats won't catch anything. My cat is allergic to flea bites and gets really scabby when he gets bitten, so the scabs you're worried about might not even be coming from something communicable.
Try to see if you can find him a home via Nextdoor. I bet there's a softie like me in your neighborhood who would love to give this poor abandoned sweetheart a forever home.
posted by kitty teeth at 9:56 PM on July 24, 2019 [17 favorites]
Try to see if you can find him a home via Nextdoor. I bet there's a softie like me in your neighborhood who would love to give this poor abandoned sweetheart a forever home.
posted by kitty teeth at 9:56 PM on July 24, 2019 [17 favorites]
Surely you can pet Tux and wash your hands after? Call your vet if you’re worried.
Then call some shelters / rescues near you and see what they say. Well-socialized cats are adoptable, and some shelters can transfer pets to other regions where there is more demand for adoptee pets. My cat was turned in as a stray, came home with three kinds of antibiotics, has a chronic health condition that makes her look a little odd, and is estimated at ten years old. She was available for adoption all of two days and she’s the absolute best and loves everyone. Someone will love Tux.
posted by momus_window at 9:59 PM on July 24, 2019 [5 favorites]
Then call some shelters / rescues near you and see what they say. Well-socialized cats are adoptable, and some shelters can transfer pets to other regions where there is more demand for adoptee pets. My cat was turned in as a stray, came home with three kinds of antibiotics, has a chronic health condition that makes her look a little odd, and is estimated at ten years old. She was available for adoption all of two days and she’s the absolute best and loves everyone. Someone will love Tux.
posted by momus_window at 9:59 PM on July 24, 2019 [5 favorites]
Without a vet visit it's hard to say, but mange is uncommon in cats. The scabs could be caused by a variety of things: ringworm, yeast infection, food intolerance, contact allergy, flea sensitivity. I would try to rehome him as his presence seems to provoke a disgust reaction in you. Plus it's no fun to worry constantly about contagion, warranted or not.
posted by aw jeez at 10:06 PM on July 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by aw jeez at 10:06 PM on July 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
My heart is breaking for this guy just reading your post.
No kidding. This guy had a family and they abandoned him; he needs your help now. Pet the cat; vet the cat; if you can't adopt him yourself, help find him someone that can. He's gross and scabby now but that's fixable witjh care.
I mean yes: pet the cat. Vet the cat. Either adopt the cat or re-home the cat. As noted above if he's cute and social he's adoptable; many rescues have programs specifically for outdoor ("barn", "garden") cats.
(The clipped ear means that he's been through a feral trap-neuter-release program so it's not just that he's fixed; he's an ex-feral so he may well need a home that lets him continue to lead an outdoor life.)
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 11:40 PM on July 24, 2019 [21 favorites]
No kidding. This guy had a family and they abandoned him; he needs your help now. Pet the cat; vet the cat; if you can't adopt him yourself, help find him someone that can. He's gross and scabby now but that's fixable witjh care.
I mean yes: pet the cat. Vet the cat. Either adopt the cat or re-home the cat. As noted above if he's cute and social he's adoptable; many rescues have programs specifically for outdoor ("barn", "garden") cats.
(The clipped ear means that he's been through a feral trap-neuter-release program so it's not just that he's fixed; he's an ex-feral so he may well need a home that lets him continue to lead an outdoor life.)
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 11:40 PM on July 24, 2019 [21 favorites]
I’d suspect ringworm, and yeah, you’re right not to pet the cat. I mean, ringworm isn’t a huge deal healthwise but it’s shitty to get rid of, as an active foster parent of cats and dogs it’s something I dread.
Anyway, you’re being shamed a lot by other answers. Shake that off. So you’re not into this cat — that’s fine, there’s a ton of cats out there, you’ve got some yourself. But, yeah, if you’ve fed and watered the cat and he’s adopted you because that’s how it works with a fed and watered friendly feral, that does obligate you to figure out who will care for this cat or who will humanely euthanize him if he’s too ill for reasonable treatment. Good for you for asking!
The TNR folks in your area who did the neuter would be a great resource to find out if there are Good Samaritan vets who will take him in and treat him. Humane Societies and other rescues might be able to help you figure out free or just low cost vet care, the TNR people are likely to know who is worth calling to ask so I’d start there.
Other than ringworm and fleas, there’s very little (i.e. none) risk of disease like FIV or FeLV transmitting to your kitties from you interacting with him outside, so if you’re just grossed out by his skin problems and willing to host him by continuing to feed and water him and give him affection once he’s cleaned up, you might then be on the hook for the vet bills and treatment. It’s fine if you’re not up for that.
Usually a willing Good Samaritan vet works only if you have no attachment to the cat and agree that what happens to him next is up to the vet, though a friend who works with ferals has been able to get them released back to her, she just wasn’t allowed to have a say in treatment. It’s 100% okay if you don’t want to get financially involved more than you already have, but now that you’ve created a dependency with feeding him, it is definitely the right thing to spend time finding him a vet care and someone to figure out how will happen to him.
It’s a tough situation. Best of luck.
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 12:04 AM on July 25, 2019 [13 favorites]
Anyway, you’re being shamed a lot by other answers. Shake that off. So you’re not into this cat — that’s fine, there’s a ton of cats out there, you’ve got some yourself. But, yeah, if you’ve fed and watered the cat and he’s adopted you because that’s how it works with a fed and watered friendly feral, that does obligate you to figure out who will care for this cat or who will humanely euthanize him if he’s too ill for reasonable treatment. Good for you for asking!
The TNR folks in your area who did the neuter would be a great resource to find out if there are Good Samaritan vets who will take him in and treat him. Humane Societies and other rescues might be able to help you figure out free or just low cost vet care, the TNR people are likely to know who is worth calling to ask so I’d start there.
Other than ringworm and fleas, there’s very little (i.e. none) risk of disease like FIV or FeLV transmitting to your kitties from you interacting with him outside, so if you’re just grossed out by his skin problems and willing to host him by continuing to feed and water him and give him affection once he’s cleaned up, you might then be on the hook for the vet bills and treatment. It’s fine if you’re not up for that.
Usually a willing Good Samaritan vet works only if you have no attachment to the cat and agree that what happens to him next is up to the vet, though a friend who works with ferals has been able to get them released back to her, she just wasn’t allowed to have a say in treatment. It’s 100% okay if you don’t want to get financially involved more than you already have, but now that you’ve created a dependency with feeding him, it is definitely the right thing to spend time finding him a vet care and someone to figure out how will happen to him.
It’s a tough situation. Best of luck.
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 12:04 AM on July 25, 2019 [13 favorites]
Our black cat who looks a lot like Tux is allergic to mosquito bites, and his ears and face look like that in the summer if he's allowed outside. The only solution for our George is to be inside where the mosquitoes (mostly) can't get at him. If you can't take him in, please find someone who will.
posted by hydropsyche at 5:28 AM on July 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by hydropsyche at 5:28 AM on July 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
The scabs could be flea allergy—one of my cats was allergic to fleas but had never been exposed to them till I moved to an apartment that had fleas. She was miserable and scabby. Getting rid of the fleas and giving her antibiotics from the vet fixed that up and she was back to her non-gross self. It was relatively inexpensive and easy to relieve her suffering and restore her back to looking like a nice normal cat.
Someone needs to take him to the vet and give him a permanent home, but it sounds like you already have cats and don’t want to take him in. That’s okay, I don’t judge you for not taking on another cat; it’s a big responsibility. However, if your local shelter is no-kill, I’d call them, report that he’s been abandoned, and get them to take him in. They’ll fix him up and someone will adopt him, because he sounds highly adoptable: he’s affectionate and fixed. If you have a kill shelter, find a cat rescue group. But this poor fellow definitely needs vet attention and affection from someone!
I once accompanied my friend when he was looking to adopt a cat at the local shelter. There was a super homely one-eyed cat and he decided he wanted to adopt her because she looked so pitiable and needed a home...turned out she was already spoken for and she had a waiting list in case the initial person didn’t work out. So, make no assumptions about who will or won’t want to adopt a scruffy looking cat!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 7:05 AM on July 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
Someone needs to take him to the vet and give him a permanent home, but it sounds like you already have cats and don’t want to take him in. That’s okay, I don’t judge you for not taking on another cat; it’s a big responsibility. However, if your local shelter is no-kill, I’d call them, report that he’s been abandoned, and get them to take him in. They’ll fix him up and someone will adopt him, because he sounds highly adoptable: he’s affectionate and fixed. If you have a kill shelter, find a cat rescue group. But this poor fellow definitely needs vet attention and affection from someone!
I once accompanied my friend when he was looking to adopt a cat at the local shelter. There was a super homely one-eyed cat and he decided he wanted to adopt her because she looked so pitiable and needed a home...turned out she was already spoken for and she had a waiting list in case the initial person didn’t work out. So, make no assumptions about who will or won’t want to adopt a scruffy looking cat!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 7:05 AM on July 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
Seconding HGG about adoptability. Years ago, I fell in love with the profile picture of a three-legged cat on our local shelters website. By the time I got to the shelter the next day, he had already been adopted. It seems to me like a shelter with free vet care and volunteers to pet and play with him until he's adopted might be the best place for Tux right now.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:11 AM on July 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:11 AM on July 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
As amtho says above, kitties with a visible disability are often very adoptable. When I was in the process of adopting my first feline leukemia positive cat, a volunteer at his rescue told me that tripod cats and those with one eye frequently went before the "normal-looking" ones. People feel very strongly about helping a creature who is obviously the weaker member of a group. The invisible things, like FelV and FIV, aren't a similar draw for most people.
Poor Tux. I really hope you can help the little guy out.
posted by easy, lucky, free at 8:20 AM on July 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
Poor Tux. I really hope you can help the little guy out.
posted by easy, lucky, free at 8:20 AM on July 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
Nthing check with vets/shelters. Friendly, socialized cats are very adoptable. Our next door neighbor for YEARS was feeding a cat she assumed was a stray. She moved and left us some kibble to tide kitty over. Kitty bonded with us within a couple weeks, was sweet, friendly, loved getting petted. We checked with our shelter, they gave us the spiel about how they can try their barn cat program but if they can't adopt out a stray/feral cat, it will need to be re-released in the same location it was found, etc. Reader, they adopted her out three days later.
[I was retroactively angry at neighbor for not realizing this kitty could have had a forever home years ago and not just a bowl of kibble now and then!]
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:25 AM on July 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
[I was retroactively angry at neighbor for not realizing this kitty could have had a forever home years ago and not just a bowl of kibble now and then!]
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:25 AM on July 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
Posting again to say that I have a former "feral" with a clipped ear and he's the sweetest cat ever and loves being an indoor guy. I wouldn't assume that the tipped ear means Tux has already been deemed unadoptable or outdoor-only.
posted by easy, lucky, free at 9:26 AM on July 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by easy, lucky, free at 9:26 AM on July 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
It's just his ears and nose? I'm thinking mosquito allergy too. That's where mosquitos can get at the kitty's skin.
The lack of fur there means he's at increased risk for skin cancer. He needs treatment.
He is in fact cute.
posted by amtho at 2:39 PM on July 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
The lack of fur there means he's at increased risk for skin cancer. He needs treatment.
He is in fact cute.
posted by amtho at 2:39 PM on July 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
Yeah, PLEASE post his pic on Next Door and say you've found a very sweet, scabby cat who was abandoned by his people and badly needs a new home. And please do not say anything there about how he's too gross to love. Maybe you just meant that as a joke, but it didn't land.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 7:42 PM on July 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Ursula Hitler at 7:42 PM on July 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
Two of my neighbors moved away and abandoned their cats. They're my cats now. The tuxie is adorable, loving, and very smart. I can't believe someone could abandon him, he's such a nice cat. He has zero bad habits, other than wanting to groom me (that's how he shows affection).
Tux can't help it that he's gross. Please be nice to him. He's had his heart broken.
posted by caryatid at 5:32 PM on July 28, 2019 [2 favorites]
Tux can't help it that he's gross. Please be nice to him. He's had his heart broken.
posted by caryatid at 5:32 PM on July 28, 2019 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by sevensnowflakes at 8:13 PM on July 24, 2019 [17 favorites]