Stray Cat

[ed1564]

My roomates and I picked up a cat off of the street last week, it is a little kitten. We think it is sick, every morning one of its eyes is swollen shut, and it has a mucus looking goo around her eyes. And it wines all the time. We think it is sick. Is there something like the Humane society that will take a look at if for free or cheap?

 

[Ulfwald]

Take it to a shelter that has a NO KILL policy.

 

[ed1564]

I think we are planning on keeping it.

 

[Swag1138]

There are organizations out there that will help you with certain things with your cat. I would call the humane society and see if they can tell you about any of them, if there are any in your area.

 

[Beau]

If you're gonna keep it, then take it to a vet.

 

[thomsbrain]

yeah if you're going to keep it, take it to a vet, it will be worth the bill. it sounds like it has an infection. you need to get it taken care of NOW, or it could go blind. you should also know it probably has tapeworms, and it will need shots. i did the same thing with a stray kitten i found under the house when i moved in. i couldn't afford to pay those bills but i did it anyway, and i'm glad i did because i love my little companion.

 

[NewSc2]

aw, pics?

 

[notfred]

My cat was far sicker than yours sounds, we took her to the vet, and it ended up costing like $26, including special food for her. Just take the cat to the vet.

 

[amnesiac]

What are you feeding it?
Does it vomit or have any dysfunction in its bathroom habits (i.e. loose stool, etc.)?

Mucous around the eyes could indicate any number of things.
I suggest you take it to the vet, it should't cost too much. At the very least you need to get it the proper shots.

 

[MrBond]

I'm guessing (we had lots of barn kittens when I was growing up) that it's got dystemper. Our kittens always came through it as far as I can remember.

Stray kittens will cry a lot, especially when you leave them alone. If it crys even when you're petting it, and it has moist food/water (NOT MILK), they you might want to take it to the vet.

I'd take it to the vet regardless, especially so you can get it shots. Feline lukemia is nasty so you'll want to get those started ASAP. We had a stray cat bring feline leukemia around our cats and we had litter after litter of kittens die from it every year, we finally started getting them vaccinated, and it finally worked its way out of the soil.

And check the kitten for fleas. Check it VERY well. We've had many a dropped off kitten come to us with fleas, which can cause all sorts of problems.

 

[Azraele]

Vet time.

Is it eating/ pooping/peeing properly?

 

[thomsbrain]

you'll need to get it tested for kitty AIDS, too, so you know if you can have any more cats in the future or can let it outside.