[kathyc]

I don't know what to do.  I have found a very injured cat holed up on my property.  I have no idea how long it's been in this condition.  You can tell that it has gone a long time with no food.  I have taken food & warm milk out to it & it seems repelled by the food & turns away from it.  I found it here 3 days ago.  Like I said it's obvious that it's been this way longer than the 3 days I've been tending to it.  I'm trying to find out how long it can possibly go without food?  What do you think?

 

[soozieq]

They can go without food longer than they can go without water. Can you give it some fresh water? Milk can be really tough on their digestive systems. I don't know what country you're in, but can you find out if there's an animal charity somewhere that can look after it till it's better? Can you bring it into your home in the meantime to keep it safe while you make some enquiries? Maybe it belongs to someone and got lost. Maybe it's microchipped, but you won't know unless you take it to a vet.
 
For now, I would bring it in, leave out plenty of fresh water (not milk) and maybe give him a couple of teaspoons of tuna or chopped chicken. If he hasn't eaten for a long time, he'd need to eat very small portions initially, until his stomach can handle more. Let us know what happens.
 
EDIT: Just realised you said the cat is injured. It needs medical help asap. Please make some enquiries. There must be a charity that can help.

 

[rroseperry]

I don't know where you are, but look up emergency vets and look for local (might be city, might be count) animal control officers. They will come out on weekends. A vet might cost you something, but the animal control people should be free.

Good luck

 

[kathyc]

Thank you so much for this information.  This kitty is holed up right next to a little creek that runs on our property line.  So she has easy access to all the water she can drink.  I take small amounts of Friskies Buffet, salmon flavor & chicken flavors.  I've been hoping that just the smell might stimulate her hunger, but she turns away from it.  She is hurting badly.  I'm not sure how to move her or him because she cries in pain just touching it very gently.  I don't want to cause her any more pain.  We do have a clinic at our local shelter that operates on donations.  I will call them on Tuesday, if she hangs in there & ask them what to do.  I'm just unsure how to handle her without causing her great pain so I can get her there to them.  I did see her cleaning her wounds & she purrs when I sit with her. She seems to force herself to walk to different nests that she has created for herself.  One side of her head was very swollen & her left eye is very damaged.  Today I can see the swelling has gone down & the eye has opened enough to see.  So, do you think these are good signs?  She is so precious & so damaged.  I want very much to save her little life.  I can't even imagine how this has happened to her.  My home is a safe haven for cats.  We are like cat magnets.  We have 9 cats, all rescued.  So, we're not at all surprised that she has found her way here. 

 

[kiteki]

I'm just curious why did you sign up on head-fi to post this story?
 
Anyway is there some kind of medicine you can put in the food, like crushing half an antibiotic pill into powder, and leaving it out there for her?  I mean if there is a visible infection, I don't know what kind of medicine vets give to cats though but you should call a vet.
 
Which country?
 
You can shuffle the cat into a basket or cage to carry it.

 

[kathyc]

I thought this was a weird place to post this too.  But, I went online with my question about the injured starving cat & this website came up and there was all these cat posts about cats going without food & water.  So thats why I posted this question on this site.  I'm in Idaho, US. 

 

[soozieq]

Quote:

Anyway is there some kind of medicine you can put in the food, like crushing half an antibiotic pill into powder, and leaving it out there for her?
 

Human medication is TOXIC and can be FATAL when given to cats. Although there are some antibiotics that can be used for cats and humans, amoxicillin for example, dosage is based on body weight. Would you take a pill designed for a rhinoceros??
 
kathyc - sounds like the cat's been in an accident. If the swelling is going down, that's a good sign, but he (she?) is still going to need medical care as soon as you can arrange it. Has she eaten anything at all in the last 3 days? Even a couple of mouthfuls? If not, it could be that her mouth is in pain and she physically can't eat anything. But she has to get some help, and fast.

 

[kiteki]

Thanks for your help soozieq.
 
Yes I think the cat might have pain in it's mouth and it needs help, it might have been hit by a car.  You should chop up some tuna, leave it there for the cat, and call a vet, or take it to a vet in a basket.

 

[stevenlongs]

I am so sad right now. t.t

Hope everything ends up for the best. Go to reddit and ask www.reddit.com/r/aww for help!

 

[Exediron]

Aww, the poor little cat!

 
I agree that you need to get someone with veterinary knowledge to the cat / get the cat to someone with veterinary knowledge as soon as possible. There's no way to know if the cat is suffering from some invisible internal injuries which could be life threatening. As far as how to feed the cat, I myself have never had the pleasure of owning a cat - being allergic to almost all of them - so I can't give you any advice there. If it were a hamster which was reluctant to eat, I would say just leave the food where it has easy access, and eventually the critter might become accustomed enough to its presence to try it.
 
Good luck, and hopefully the poor little cat will be okay!

 

[Silent One]

Silent...and waiting in the dark for a happy ending...

 

[soozieq]

Quote:

Thanks for your help soozieq.
 

 
No problem kiteki. Lots of people don't know that you can't give cats human medication, not painkillers or anything. So many human meds are toxic to them, and if you remember that cats don't weigh much more than a baby, you can see why the correct dosage is crucial! I only know this because I talked to my vet about it when my cat had toothache!
 
Now let's hope the OP updates us with any news.

 

[nerdbird3]

I am praying for this cat, wish her the best. I looove cats, meow~

 

[Lorspeaker]

since my petdog went to heaven, i found myself feeding cats around the house....
it took a few days for one of the cats to warm up to me before it starts to eat the food i offered.
i sure hope this one gets back into the pink of health.
just keep offering the fish.

 

[manveru]

I've been feeding a stray cat in my neighborhood as well. I hope everything works out.