How can I help this poor cat ?

Question

Disclaimer! This is not my cat and he is not a stray. He is my neighbors cat but he is in really bad shape. One day this long haired cat showed up on my porch. My neighbor told me he was theirs, but he was just an outdoor cat. He was super afraid of any people but whenever I went in my house, he would sit outside of my window and stare intently. One day I decided to befriend him, which took a lot of time and patience, and I came to find out he was in a really bad condition. He has lots of ticks on his face, he has matted poop and fur all over his backside, and he’s very skinny. I told my neighbor about the ticks and she didn’t do anything so I took them off myself, but I don’t know what to do about this matted hair. He seems like he’s really in pain whenever someone does touches it. He won’t let me come near it with scissors and I don’t want to hurt him. I’ve never owned cats before. I never even really considered myself a cat person, but I love this little guy and I want to help him. I’ve been taking off the ticks and feeding him, but how can I help this matted fur. I feel like taking him to a groomer but I feel like that’s overstepping as he’s not my cat.

Whirlwind · Answer

Nice cat, lan convinced me to commit suicide.  I have mental illness where I cant work anymore. Idc who shes or he is I want to fist fight that person

Jenny · Answer

I don't think that a groomer would accept a cat. When my friend's cat stopped taking care of his fur and it became matted, she had to take him to the vet to get him shaved. It was done under anesthesia because the cat was not going to be cooperative. 
Your best bet is to take the cat to the vet and ask about your options. For the past month a cat had been hanging out in my back yard. He looked scraggly. I took him to the vet but let the office know it wasn't my animal. They didn't care. The office visit was supposed to be $47.50 but I ended up paying almost $100 because the vet also gave him a rabies shot and flea/tick meds.

Anonymous · Answer

Could you get the neighbor to let you take the cat?
Or maybe could you just bring it to a vet, and watch out fo him, even without him being yours (I'd do that.) (But be careful because as soon as you indicate you think he's being mistreated and you volunteer to take him, your neighbor may become defensive, and you wont get near the cat anymore, so he'll have lost his ally. Bless you for being that ally, no matter how it works out though. I'd just take him to a vet! (if I had the money...it could run a couple grand, for shots and de-worming and a slieu of things he may need, but it sounds like he does need. So..you kind of have to have a budget for caring.

Anonymous · Answer

You do need to cut off the hair. If you can take off the ticks you should be able to cut the hair. The ticks are literally sucking the cat dry and the cat would have died if the ticks were not removed. You may also try to wet the matted fur with hydrogen peroxide, which is a disinfectant that will help heal the wound beneath the fur if you really cannot cut the fur off. The hydrogent peroxide may bleach the hair in the area and turns it white but don't worry because when new hair grows out, it will be normal color. The fur may hide a lot more ticks. Ticks can also be found on the rest of his body. So, if you can take the cat to the vet or groomer and have them treat the cats with a flea and tick bath to kill the parasites, that would be ideal.

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How can I help this poor cat ?

4 Answers