Stray cat veterinary ethics question

[widebody911]

There are several stray cats that hang around our place that we feed on a regular basis. A couple of them are pretty tame; they can be picked up and handled, but they have no interest in being indoor cats - we tried. There's a couple others with which we have an understanding: we give them Meow Mix and they turn it into poop, and that's pretty much the extent of the relationship.

We've taken each and every one of these critters in to get fixed, get all their shots, etc. A couple of times the more tame ones have gotten themselves in trouble and we them in to get patched up, which sets us back $200-$300 each episode.

One of the not-so-tame ones has managed to get himself hurt a week or so ago. I'm not sure what the exact extent of his injury is, but he has a hurt hind-left leg. It appears that he can't put any weight on it, and when he sits down, he sticks it out and doesn't rest it on the ground. From what I can see at a distance, it looks swollen between the "knee" and his paw. I don't see a wound of any sort, so I'm assuming it's an orthopedic injury. I can't get within 10-15 yards of him, and even with the zoom lens on my Nikon, I haven't been able to get a good pic.

Here's the dilemma: I don't want to spend a bunch of money to repair a cat to which I have no emotional attachment. Fine, call me a Grinch, I don't care - I'e been called worse. I think I should do something, but I'm sure it's not going to magically get better on its own. I thought about taking him in for an eval, which will probably be $100 or so, but then what? Some quick googling got me guestimates for $500 to $3000. My wife wants to get him treated, but of course you know who will be footing the bill for it. Even if we did get him treated, I assume he would need care afterwards; I don't think you can just slap a cast on him and turn him loose. He still shows up looking for meals, but only once a day instead of 3 or 4 times a day like he used to. If I were to take him in, I'd have to use a trap to catch him.

Here's the best picture I could take; if I were to open the slider and screen he'd bail. He's still surprisingly quick for a tripod, but I can tell from watching him that he's not a happy camper.

[aap1966]

At the end of the day.....terminal injury.
Trap him...vet....cat heaven.
Kindest thing to do.

[Bill Douglas]

My cat was a full on wild cat. Many years later and about $4,000 in bills he is about the best pet cat a guy could ever have.

[VincentVega]

At the end of the day.....terminal injury.
Trap him...vet....cat heaven.
Kindest thing to do.

this

only other option is take it to the pound, really the same thing in this case.

good on you for giving a fuch

[Rick V]

There is really no easy answers here. Trap him and take him to the pound, donate a hundered and they will choose the best course for him. I hate to see any animal hurting

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by Rick V

There is really no easy answers here. Trap him and take him to the pound, donate a hundered and they will choose the best course for him. I hate to see any animal hurting

Agree.

I love cats, have a few barn and house cats; but there is a limit. No easy answer indeed.

[ckelly78z]

My wife and I made the deal that the barn cats get all the treatment WE can give them, but no vet visits. I wouldn't attempt to capture a cat that loves his freedom, to make you feel better by throwing money towards his treatment. Here is a case where Darwin knew what he was talking about......survival of the fittest. If you can't handle the guilt, stop feeding stray cats.

[Baz]

Those who say this is a terminal injury are just guessing. An exam by a vet is the only sure way to know.

Sometimes a leg injury will heal on it's own.

These are called "sprains". Even humans get them sometimes.

If it were me I would wait a couple weeks and see if it does heal on it's own. In the meantime I would call my vet and ask his opinion.

If the injury does not heal in 2 weeks - then you could trap him and take him in for a diagnosis, after which you could make an intelligent and more informed decision....which is what the cat deserves.

My 2 cents...good luck!

[SiberianDVM]

Possibly a distal femoral fracture, usually at the physis if its a young adult. I loved fixing those, cuz I got to play with power tools.

But it could be a bite abscess that hasn't ruptured yet.

No way to tell without an exam.

[fanaudical]

I just looked up happytails.org - it appears to be an adoption group for feral cats. Perhaps give them a call and make an appropriate donation?

[t-tom]

That's not necessarily a terminal injury. I feed the cats around my warehouse and there was one that had a very similar injury to his front leg just a couple weeks ago. Just below the knee looked to be 3-4 times bigger and he couldn't put any weight on it. He's much better now. Nature has a way of working these things out.

[scottmandue]

Not terminal, cats and dogs can get along just fine with three leg.

I feel your pain, I am a animal lover but we can't save all of them... kills me to see stuff like this.

+1 on look into some kind of charity that could cover the cost of the vet bills.

[GWN7]

Had a feral cat around here with 3 legs. It lasted 3 years. Last winter the longest and coldest I can remember wiped out about 1/2 of them.

[scottmandue]

If you have a vet you use you could call ahead and tell then it is a charity case for a feral cat... maybe they will donate the time or know of someone that will.

[Jeff Higgins]

I really wish people would not feed feral cats (or racoons, or other wild animals). They are incredibly damaging to neighborhood wildlife populations, such as songbirds, squirrels, and other small animals. As small as they are, they are an "apex predator" in their lilliputian world, and kill more for sport than to feed themselves, especially if you are feeding them. I know it tugs at the heartstrings, but if you really are an "animal lover", the best thing to do is to work towards ridding your neighborhood of feral cats, rather than encouraging their presence by feeding them.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I really wish people would not feed feral cats (or racoons, or other wild animals). They are incredibly damaging to neighborhood wildlife populations, such as songbirds, squirrels, and other small animals. As small as they are, they are an "apex predator" in their lilliputian world, and kill more for sport than to feed themselves, especially if you are feeding them. I know it tugs at the heartstrings, but if you really are an "animal lover", the best thing to do is to work towards ridding your neighborhood of feral cats, rather than encouraging their presence by feeding them.

FWIW Jeff - the Op did state this in his post:

We've taken each and every one of these critters in to get fixed, get all their shots, etc.

I did the same thing 9 years ago when a 4 orphan litter showed up at my place. Got 'em all fixed.

That's where the problem is....dumbass pet owners don't spay and neuter!

[Jeff Higgins]

I saw that, Baz. On the surface, it seems commendable, however "fixing" them does not stop them in their depredations. It may keep those particular ones from making more of them, but there is, after all, a seemingly endless supply. Having trapped them for the purpose of "fixing" them, getting them their shots and whatnot does not solve the problem. Trapping them and leaving them with the vet to be put down is a far more responsible thing to do. Dispatching them yourself, of course, is far cheaper.

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

[...]kill more for sport than to feed themselves

But, those damn humans do the exact same thing.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by widebody911

But, those damn humans do the exact same thing.

That's because as "upright two legged creatures"....they are far more superior!

I thought everyone knew that!

[Baz]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I saw that, Baz. On the surface, it seems commendable, however "fixing" them does not stop them in their depredations. It may keep those particular ones from making more of them, but there is, after all, a seemingly endless supply. Having trapped them for the purpose of "fixing" them, getting them their shots and whatnot does not solve the problem. Trapping them and leaving them with the vet to be put down is a far more responsible thing to do. Dispatching them yourself, of course, is far cheaper.

1. (your suggestion) kill them all so no more babies will be born

or

2. (my suggestion) spay - neuter so no more babies will be born


Seems like the end result is the same except in option #1 their lives are extinguished by a human.

I'm cool with option #2 but YMMV....