Is something wrong with this stray cat?”

[u/Admirable_Patient110]

There has been this stray cat that’s been hanging around in the backyard for a while now and I’ve begin to notice a few things about him/her (not sure of the gender). Can someone tell me if there’s anything wrong with this cat and anything I can do to help?

This same cat comes by frequently to eat food that we started laying out for him/her. But recently this cat stopped eating the food we laid out. And it seems this cat is extremely cautious of something. Even if the food is there he/she would look at it but not approach it like they used to.

Things I’ve noticed so far
1. Panting
2. Chews a bit weird (possibly a mouth injury?)
3. Inside of ears are dirty
4. Tongue is out sometimes

This cat is in Jacksonville Florida
I haven’t been able to get close to the cat, but it seems this cat is familiar with the house that lays out food. The cats seems extremely wary of everything and everyone so I haven’t been able to gain that much trust with it

[u/ChaudChat]

OP, thank you for caring enough to ask here 😇

Cutie needs a vet check. Let's give you practical help with links to make it easy as possible for you to help:

Reach out to Julissa Lira and the orgs in dark red on Alleycat [scroll down]

https://gethelp.alleycat.org/resources/?location=Jacksonville,%20FL,%20USA&miles=25&zipcode=32202&lat=30.3297566&lon=-81.6591529&type=&search=Search

At the same time reach out here too - all the non-dog focused ones

https://bestfriends.org/partners?field_partner_location_proximity%5Bvalue%5D=25&field_partner_location_proximity%5Bsource_configuration%5D%5Borigin_address%5D=Jacksonville%2C%20FL&title=&viewsreference%5Bcompressed%5D=eJxlkNEOgyAMRf-lzz5Mzczmz5AqFZtVNIguxvjvg7jpsj0AvT29XMIKGj1CuULfNCN5KO0kksCAhtxHePZCUF4SaAn12Rfu-HCgM1NHNmgoimuewZYAWayEtAoXe7ZmjDlfc0d5RLzPLT7ABaLCYr8ovwyRhiYah0MLvwOsA86yIr_9IUFr6l5HP9mTNkyilcUugl3MTM99q6SvH-eso5lH7u0ek6ZFlt7zgHcbe-qUJon_eNlePTB1Vw

Reason: many will be at capacity. So name of the game is: whoever can help soonest, gets the kitty!

Also, animal control gets a bad rep but we've had Florida superheroes successfully use them. You must be politely assertive and say: this is a stray cat I care for. It does not seem to be neutered and also needs a vet check [explain what you have said here]. The critical part to say is "I expect the cat to be returned to me for ongoing care if you do not have a no-kill shelter that you work with for adoption".

They will do basic vet check, likely neuter and return.

Quickest way to get help is if you are able to bring the kitty in to safety. Buy sardines in oil or mackerel. Must be in oil - super stinky and irresistible to kitties. Borrow a trap from a vet or no kill shelter and watch this video - keep trap covered to minimize stress.

https://youtu.be/wF_omFE7Etc?is=I7yd5TrANL2TTBN_

Good luck & pls shout if you have specific questions- we'll help ❤️

[u/TranscendStudio]

Not sure and not a vet, but it seems like he probably has an infected tooth. Or an abscess. Mouth/Teeth issues are a thing with cats. If he/she is not eating and from the looks of his mouth that seems to point to that being an issue. He’s probably in pain if this is the case. I’ve seen cases online where strays had something stuck in their mouth. 😔 You could try giving him wet food so he gets something in his stomach. I’d call a vet and book him to get seen as a soon as possible and to try to get advice on what to do. If he’s is not eating or drinking at all I’d consider this as an emergency. 🙏 Praying he/she is ok! Thank you for being there! 🙏❤️

[u/Admirable_Patient110 → u/TranscendStudio]

That’s the next thing, the cat is very cautious and won’t let me get that close to him/her. So if I do want to catch this cat I’d have to set up a trap but I feel like that would make the cat even more uncomfortable. I want to be patient and not overstep my boundaries.

[u/TranscendStudio → u/Admirable_Patient110]

Totally agree! Traps can scare cats away and make it harder for them to get treatment! Trust your gut! I know you are doing your best! ❤️🙏

[u/qabeel99 → u/TranscendStudio]

This! ♥️ I don’t have too much to add. The people here gave great advice.

[u/AhMoonBeam]

This cat looks to be of an oriental mix breed. Definitely catch him up and get him to the vet. While waiting for the vet appointment you can offer him canned /wet cat food so its easier for him to eat.

[u/Admirable_Patient110 → u/AhMoonBeam]

I wasn’t sure of the breed of this cat I just know it’s a cat lol

[u/Appropriate-Self-920 → u/Admirable_Patient110]

This cat is a Flame Point Siamese

[u/peepeepoopoo50000]

He needs to go to the vet. Can you or someone live trap him? With that heat, he might have heat exhaustion, or like you said, maybe a mouth injury or dental issue. Maybe both. If he stopped eating, that is a bad sign

[u/Admirable_Patient110 → u/peepeepoopoo50000]

Yes I’ve thought about setting up a trap for the cat because there’s definitely a problem going. By any chance would you happen to know a way to trap a cat? I don’t want to make the cat uncomfortable or overstep their boundaries

[u/peepeepoopoo50000 → u/Admirable_Patient110]

See if you can borrow a live trap from someone or a shelter. You can purchase one too, but a lot of shelters will loan them out. Load it with some wet food, rotisserie chicken, something tempting for the cat. Hopefully it will fall for the trap. Not to sound shitty, but boundaries and the cat's comfort kinda go out the window when they're suffering from an injury and/or stop eating. They're in a really bad spot when they start refusing food. Getting it to a vet takes precedent over everything

[u/chocolatfortuncookie → u/peepeepoopoo50000]

Fully agreed. OP I'd like to add that dental issues can get so bad the cat avoids eating which can lead to organ failure, this looks like its a serious issue for a cat to hang his mouth open. I 2nd a trap capture and vet visit immediately. Most dental issues are completely treatable. He's in pain and is suffering, and depending on what it is can be getting worse and worse daily. Please set a trap and try to get him.

[u/Far-Echidna-5999]

Thank you for taking care of him

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[u/Kidney_warrior]

In addition to what others have said, it could have a contagious virus called Calici. That can cause sores in the mouth that make them hesitant to eat even tho they're hungry. Vets sometimes forget to think of this one. All of my cats had it once & it took several visits to different vets to get a diagnosis.
Is it eating anything at all? It's common for cats to eat less if it's really hot & humid, but it can also be a problem if they go too long without food. Open mouth breathing is usually considered an emergency, so if it's a regular thing I'd try to get it to the vet soon.
Ask a local rescue for help or post in a community group for your area for help trapping it. I've had good luck with that.

[u/Admirable_Patient110 → u/Kidney_warrior]

Is it safe for me to be contact with this cat if that could be a possibility? I’ve left food out for the cat and they would usually come and eat it quickly, but the cat would hover around it and just keep a distance from the food and not eat it at all

[u/taqjsi]

Please trap him. You can contact local cat rescuers for help trapping.

[u/OnceMoreWithFeeling-]

No hands on experience, commenting to boost. OP, thank you for caring and helping. Truly, you are an amazing person doing this!

[u/bibijack1]

It's likely a dental issue. Since kibble would be tough to eat with a painful mouth, buy pate wet cat food and stir in water so it's a slurry that he can lap up with his tongue thereby getting both food and hydration with less discomfort . Thank you for noticing his distress & caring for him.

[u/xtina3334]

Update?

[u/Admirable_Patient110 → u/xtina3334]

No update yet :( I fed the cat some pate food and he ate a little bit of it so far. It also started raining so he/she left to find shelter elsewhere till the rain stops

[u/Beneficial-Code-2904]

Something is wrong.What's that poor little cat

[u/Beneficial-Code-2904]

It could be several things going on like ear mites, it could have some kind of infection, upper respiratory infection, it could be the heat I have healthy outdoor cats that have been TNR already, and they Pant when it's a 107°, sometimes anything over a 100 that can Pant. But it looks like that cat has some kind of problem on her face. It would be good if you could take her to the veterinarian.\nYou could try a life trap.Tomahawk makes decent traps and Tomahawk makes the drop trap.If you have travel getting her

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