About a year ago at my boyfriends tow company an extremely thin, very friendly cat appeared in the garage sleeping in some dirty old boxes. I instantly wanted to feed her and care for her, take her home ect… my boyfriend repeatedly told me no and said I can take care of her at his work since 60% of our day is at the tow yard.
Well at this point our Capt. Jack is always in the office even when it’s raining I make sure we are here so that she has a warm safe place to go to. The only thing she doesn’t have in the office is a litter box which she paws at the door and we let her out.
I was a little skeptical at first when she showed up because being a stray she never once jumped into the dumpster to look for food… I would throw pieces of chicken down and she would never eat it… only cat food, that’s it. Plus other strays have stumbled into the yard and never once let us get close enough to pet.
well now I fear that something isn’t right because Capt. Jack is acting like something is seriously wrong… shes kinda is a little bit of a meatball now but she still loves to play and chase the laser at night… lately she just sleeps in the office next to the main one away from us, hardly moves only to get food and water… I have noticed it seems like dry blood around the anal region.
I guess my question is what are my options with vet services. I don’t know is she has her shots or medical record being a stray. My boyfriend doesn’t think anything is wrong and doesn’t want to pay for a stray… but at this point, she’s my baby. I mean I live in Southern California working at Sams Club as a merchandiser I’m not rolling in cash but I definitely would pay to get her back to normal.
Advice, options, from a vet stand point.
Take her to the vet.
Hi Michelle,
It's great that you've helped this little cat and that you're interested in providing veterinary care.
The recent lethargy, change in sleeping behavior and appearance of dried blood are all things that need to be checked out. There are many things that could cause this in a cat, some of these are dependent on the cat's age which is unknown in this case. For example, an older cat that is sleeping more might be suffering from osteoarthritis or chronic kidney disease etc. while a younger cat might have an infection or viral disease etc.
I would recommend that you book an initial consultation with your nearest veterinary clinic. When making the appointment, it's important to explain that the Capt. Jack was a stray cat and that you have no previous history. This won't be an issue. They'll examine Capt. Jack, estimate an age, check gender, neutering status, microchip etc. and investigate the cause of the issues above. They can then determine what treatment Capt. Jack needs.
I hope Capt. Jack feels better soon.
Aisling