A starved male stray cat

by Laurie Keller
(Lenoir, NC)

A starved male stray cat came wandering in my yard 10 days ago. You can count every bone on this poor cats body and he only has 2 teeth in his whole mouth (1 bottom fang and 1 top fang on the opposite side). He is always sticking his tongue out and he breaths extremely heavy. My husband and I have been feeding him soft cat food and giving him plenty of water. We made a soft, warm bed for him, but we can't let him inside as I have inside cats and I'm afraid they might get sick from the stray. I've been calling him mufasa after the Lion King. He is a very loveable cat and loves for you to pet his chest. My question is: what can I do to help this cat without taking him to the vet as I don't have the money for a vet bill? Please help with some advice if at all possible. Oh and even though he only has 2 teeth, he still tries to eat hard cat food, should I take that away from him or keep giving it to him along with his soft canned food?

Thank You in Advance,
Laurie

Reply
Poor guy he does sounds like he has been through the wars.

It is such a shame that you cannot take him to the vets for a check up. At least that way you would know what if any problems he may have.

All you can do for him is to give him a warm dry place to sleep. Make sure he has plenty of fresh water and good quality cat food. A little hard with his wet will be fine as it will make sure that the two teeth he does have will get a cleaning. (although i suspect he needs a dental clean from the vet to make sure he keeps these two teeth)

Also you need to treat him for fleas and worms too as these can make a cat sick as well.

Apart from that there is not much you can do. Take a look through my site as i have lots of pages about cat food and cat health issues which you may find of further interest and help.

best wishes kate

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