Cat Help

you might want to call the vet that is on 30A just past the elementary school. also, there might be a way to get him in a "have-a-heart" trap for a trip to the vet. [they might have one to use]. poor little guy! i would try to get him to a vet - i would help you, but am not in town for a couple of more weeks. i have several cats of my own - i probably would not fool around with getting a lay opinion. would the "whisker's friends" folks help? (is that group still around?) if you want, i could call my vet and pose the question - but i am guessing that he should have an antibiotic or something.

Be very careful handling wild cats- cat scratches and bites are bad.

I have always thought Seaside takes a big liability risk in feeding these cats. Domestic cats "trying" to live in the wild do not have a great life- injury and disease is more common than not.

It could be an abscess that opened up. Those are quite common in outdoor cats - they come from a fight with another cat, usually. An antibiotic would be in order if that is the case. I don't have a trap or I would come help you. Who is feeding the Seaside cats these days? Maybe you could call whoever that is? I believe Janet Evans works at Alys Beach now.

Thanks for everyone's help. We did phone a couple of vets who were kind enough to call us back. It seems everyone is of the same sort of opinion ... that it probably is an abscess that opened but treating this is the difficult part --- since the cat is wild, he would probably need to be sedated and without being able to follow up with treatment ... it just becomes too difficult ... so, we are going to keep our eye on him for the next few days and see what happens ... we just felt bad for the poor guy ... he's staying so close to us today ... hopefully he at least feels safe .... Again, many thanks for all the kind responses and generous offers ...

one last idea: ask the vet you talked to about amoxycillin (sp??). the last time we had a sick kitty, the prescription was the people version, which we got at the pharmacy for $4. it was liquid and we easily mixed it into some food. it's worth a try! our son rescued a seaside cat a bit over a year ago, and she is adorable - wish that could be the outcome for all of them!

I would call Emerald Coast Wildlife, they have volunteers to help with injured animals. 650-1880

It sounds like an abscess. The last I knew the cats were fed and looked after by a group called Whisker's Friends. The last phone # I had was
850-231-0261. The shop employees may know more. Many of the cats over by Perspicasity are fairly tame, but this could be a wilder one. Sorry if my information is outdated, but it may be worth a try.

I understand Whiskers Friends are in operation any more. I wonder who is taking up the slack? I do know there is a real need for this type of program, but the county doesn't fund this type of thing, it depends completely on donations. If you can catch the cat, Neosporin works well on a wound, and should help until something more proper could be done.

I understand Whiskers Friends are in operation any more. I wonder who is taking up the slack? I do know there is a real need for this type of program, but the county doesn't fund this type of thing, it depends completely on donations. If you can catch the cat, Neosporin works well on a wound, and should help until something more proper could be done.

Neosporin on the cat or them after they try to pick it up?Don't pick the cat up, if it is wild it is going to hurt you. Wild animals don't know that you are trying to help them. They simply understand pain and to get away from it.

Neosporin on the cat or them after they try to pick it up?Don't pick the cat up, if it is wild it is going to hurt you. Wild animals don't know that you are trying to help them. They simply understand pain and to get away from it.

If it's sick, throw a towel over it, and catch it. Use gloves. Or wait for ECW to show up. They'll throw a towel over it and catch it!

Cats are tough. They have been healing abscesses on their own for a long time. The odds are good it will be fine!

Again -- thank you, thank you for everyone's help! We've been calling all kinds of folks but looks like he will be on his own! Whiskers number does not work, Emerald Coast Wildlife only handles other kinds of wild animals. We will keep an eye on him and just keep giving him love. Hopefully as NotDeadYet says, he will heal up on his own!

Again -- thank you, thank you for everyone's help! We've been calling all kinds of folks but looks like he will be on his own! Whiskers number does not work, Emerald Coast Wildlife only handles other kinds of wild animals. We will keep an eye on him and just keep giving him love. Hopefully as NotDeadYet says, he will heal up on his own!

That's sad, I've had to bury a few. Some I've been able to catch before hand, and a vet would put them down to end their misery.

one last idea: ask the vet you talked to about amoxycillin (sp??). the last time we had a sick kitty, the prescription was the people version, which we got at the pharmacy for $4. it was liquid and we easily mixed it into some food. it's worth a try! our son rescued a seaside cat a bit over a year ago, and she is adorable - wish that could be the outcome for all of them!

Can we really just pick up Amoxycillin at the Pharmacy without a prescription?

i'm not sure if it is one of those you can sign for or not. i bet you can call and find out - maybe publix at grand boulevard? wish i could come and help you! i have some great catnip that i dried from my garden thatcwould really fix him up!

Some Grayt news! Gretchen (sp?) from Bud & Alleys is the hero of the day. She had actually noticed the cats problem days ago and had contacted some peeps already about it. Though, evidently no one had made it out to see him yet. She was brave enough to grab him up and give him some much needed medicine. It was awesome! She is awesome! The coolest part is that he came right back to her for treats --- obviously he was graytful for help! We will all continue to keep a watchful eye on him .... we love stories like this

oh gosh - that is wonderful!! i will be sure to bring him some catnip when i get back to sowal, and will look you all up so i can check on him. i'm so glad he has his own angels to take care of him!!

BeachAngel ~

Rumor is spreading fast ... about your fresh dried catnip ...

2 more of the Seaside Cats got word of it .... they wanted to know if they could get in on the catnip action too!

to all those that took the time to care.

BeachAngel ~

Rumor is spreading fast ... about your fresh dried catnip ...

2 more of the Seaside Cats got word of it .... they wanted to know if they could get in on the catnip action too!

ABSOLUTELY!! I CUT BACK ALL OF MY CATNIP IN THE FALL AND DRIED IT IN BIG BUNCHES. IT IS POTENT!! MIGHT WANT TO POT SOME UP FOR YOU IN THE SPRING TO GROW FOR THE KITTIES THERE. MY GUYS LIKE TO EAT IT FRESH (MAKES THEM QUITE DRUNK) BUT ALSO LIKE IT DRIED. BTW - THESE CATS ARE JUST BEAUTIFUL! THE TORTIE LOOKS LIKE HE/SHE COULD BE RELATED TO THE CAT MY SON RESCUED LAST YEAR FROM UNDER THE BUILDING WHERE FIRED UP IS. WILL BRING CATNIP AND SEE YOU AROUND 2/15-ISH.

I spooked the one in the top photo, earlier this morning, when I walked by as the cat was about to eat. Couldn't even get a photo.

You know that brings up the subject of Whiskers Friends, or some other type of cat rescue program. EC Wildlife should do something I would think, a ferral cat is wild after all, particularly if there is nothing else to take care of them. There really should be some kind of program and support from the community.

I've never managed to grow catnip successfuly down here. Evil Blue Nemesis (the neighbor's cat) takes the plants out long before they're full grown.

You know that brings up the subject of Whiskers Friends, or some other type of cat rescue program. EC Wildlife should do something I would think, a ferral cat is wild after all, particularly if there is nothing else to take care of them. There really should be some kind of program and support from the community.

Because the cat is not completely wild anymore, being that he lets some of us pet him and he eats treats, then he is not technically considered wild anymore ...

...and the "wild" cats have people feeding them cat food every day. They are more like "freedom" cats, having the ability to roam where ever they want.