Dear Sinéad, Siouxsie and Thomas:
We moved into our house in September of 2005 and immediately a stray cat started coming around. Being the cat lover that I am and having a cat of my own, we began to feed it dry food and giving it water. I could tell that the stray is a male cat because he has not been neutered. I am afraid he came from either an abusive home or is a wild cat. He will not let us touch him, but he is always on our patio.

About a week ago he quit eating and lost a lot of weight. I can see his ribs and he has trouble breathing. I noticed one morning one of his eyes was covered with mucus. Unfortunately I do not have the financial ability to take him to a vet for extensive testing. People are telling me to call animal services, but I do not want him to be put to sleep because I feel that his "unfriendly" demeanor makes him unadoptable. Any advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Laura

Sinéad: Laura, it's really wonderful of you to take on the job of feeding this stray cat and looking out for his health.

Siouxsie: We understand your problem, though. These stray, or feral, cats are very shy about human contact, and very often if they are caught by animal services, they will be put down because they are not adoptable. This is particularly true if the cat is sick.

Thomas: However, this cat clearly needs medical attention, but you don't have the resources to get this cat the necessary veterinary care. So what's a cat lover to do in a case like this?

Sinéad: The best thing to do in this case is to find a feral cat rescue group in your area and contact them for advice on how to handle the situation.

Siouxsie: Many states have feral cat rescue groups that take it upon themselves to humanely trap, neuter, and return the ferals to their home areas. The largest of these groups in Maine (our home state) is called Friends of Feral Felines. There are also well-known national groups such as Alley Cat Allies, which offer trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNR) programs in an effort to keep feral cat populations stable and minimize the spread of disease. (Alley Cat Allies also has a page with links to feral cat organizations in all 50 US states and several foreign countries.)

Thomas: Many feral cat rescue groups also test cats for contagious diseases such as Feline Leukemia (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). These diseases can be transmitted to other cats very easily -- through bite wounds, in most cases -- and it is very important to minimize the risk to not only other ferals but to house cats that go outside and come into contact with these ferals.

Sinéad: Unfortunately, no matter who traps your stray cat, if he's tested for FeLV and FIV and comes up positive, he will be euthanized. Even "no-kill" shelters generally will euthanize cats who are severely ill and positive for leukemia. This is a public health measure for all the cats in the shelter's care and/or all the cats in the colony where the stray lived, not a cruel and callous gesture.

Siouxsie: And if this cat is as sick as he appears, despite the fact that he's been eating well thanks to you, it's quite possible that the little guy has leukemia or FIV.

Thomas: A lot of areas will have resources available to help pay for the care of abandoned animals that are rescued by good Samaritans. And on our Links page, we have several resources that provide financial assistance for low-income cat caretakers.

Sinéad: It's especially important for you to do something about your sick stray cat because you have a cat of your own who is at risk from being exposed to the illness.

Siouxsie: Keep in mind that if this cat is suffering and dying slowly as a result of his illness, euthanasia is actually an act of mercy. No cat lover likes to have a cat put down -- even if it is just a stray who hangs around and eats the kibble you leave on the porch -- and no veterinarian or shelter worker enjoys doing euthanasia.

Thomas: But the lives of feral cats are hard and short. It's a sad fact of life that millions of "cute kittens" are abandoned when the novelty wears off or they become an inconvenience. They end up scratching out the best lives they can in feral cat colonies, often dying by age four or five from injury or disease. If you can give a sick feral cat the gift of a quick passage over the Bridge, it's a kindness; otherwise, all he has to look forward to is dying slowly, starving to death while his body is overwhelmed with pain, fever and infection, being harried by rats or seagulls or other scavengers, and so on.

Sinéad: I want to wail a lament even thinking about the feral cat's plight! Mama, can I curl up in your lap?

JaneA: Sure, sweetheart. Don't you worry, that's never going to happen to you or any of the other cats who live here! And I promise I'll always take good care of the barn cats and any stray cats that find their way to our land.

Sinéad: Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Thank you, Mama!

Siouxsie: Speaking of barn cats: Laura, your stray cat's life isn't necessarily going to end in tragedy. If your stray cat friend just needs a hospital stay and a neutering to get back to full health, the feral-cat rescue groups and your local no-kill shelter may be able to help.

Thomas: That's right. We know of one animal rescue group in midcoast Maine, the Humane Society of Knox County, that has a "barn buddy" program. When cats that are feral or otherwise not well-suited to indoor life are brought to them, they take care of the cat's health needs, have them vaccinated and spayed or neutered, and list them as Barn Buddies. Because this is a mostly rural area, there are lots of farmers and people who own horses and such. These people adopt Barn Buddies and give them good shelter, food and vet care, and in return the cats help control the mice and rats that are so prevalent in nice, warm, hay-filled barns. It's a great outcome for both cat and farmer.

Sinéad: Shelters in cities could do something similar with "warehouse buddies" or something along that line, too. They could fix up the stray kitties and offer them at a reduced adoption rate to any company that has a warehouse and a group of employees willing to take care of the cat's food needs and litterbox upkeep. The company that operates the warehouse could see to the annual veterinary checkup and vaccinations for their Warehouse Buddies, and it could be great for everyone.

Siouxsie: Yeah! Every company in the world has at least a few cat-lovers on its staff who would be willing to help out!

Thomas: So, anyway ... Laura, please contact Alley Cat Allies, your local shelter or an area feral-cat rescue group and make arrangements to take care of this poor, sick cat. If you want more information on how to go about trapping a stray cat, you can take a look at this column or this column from the Paws and Effect archives.

Sinéad: Good luck, Laura, and please let us know how things turn out.

Got a question? Need some advice? E-mail us at advice@paws-and-effect.com. None of the material in this column is meant to be a substitute for regular veterinary care.