My stray cat has swollen eyes and open sores. What should I do?

This is a medical emergency and Ismael has to see a vet now. He could have been hit by a car or injured a fight, and leaving this untreated can lead to vision loss. He will also be in a lot of pain from this, and there are no meds you can get online for him. If he won't let you touch him, you wouldn't be able to administer medication anyway. He needs to see a vet immediately for injectable medication. You need to set out a trap to catch him right away. If paying for a vet is an issue, you can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Care Credit online. There is also an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants. Best Friends also has a list of resources that offer financial assistance on their website. I'd also see if you can borrow money from family and friends. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962 https://www.redrover.org https://www.carecredit.com http://bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets http://lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.com/when-pet-owners-cant-afford-veterinary-bills/ http://www.dogheirs.com/resources-affordable-veterinary-care/

Please have your kitten seen by a vet right away. That wound looks extremely painful and will require pain medication and antibiotics. The kitten will need to have the wound cleaned out by the vet and will likely need sutures/bandaging of the area. Pain medication meant for people can be toxic to kittens and should not be used without checking with your vet. If you cannot keep the kitten and don’t know anyone who will take on his care and vet expenses, please contact local animal shelters and rescue groups so that he can get vet care asap. Thanks for trying to help these cats!

Poor kitten, glad you found him. Probably need to get him into your local veterinarian as soon as possible to get all this checked out, but in the meantime, you might want to gently clean up those areas around the nose and ears with some warm water and cotton balls. Be sure to wash your hands afterward in case of ringworm. You could gently hot pack the swelling around the eye, again with cotton and warm water, but this is only supportive help until your vet can examine it and recommend appropriate treatment. Nutrition is very important with small amounts of dry or canned kitten food mixed with warm water or kitten milk replacer, available at your vet clinic or feed store. Feed at least 4-6 times daily small amounts. Be sure to monitor the litter box for urine and feces and if none, then may need to wipe the genital areas with warm water and soft cloth to stimulate the process of elimination. All this can be discussed in more detail at your local clinic or with me under consultation. Best of luck, Steve Popish, DVM.

If it is possible I would take this cat to the SPCA or a veterinarian. This wound needs to be cleaned up and the cat needs antibiotics. If you take her to a veterinarian you would have to be able to medicate her without her running away from you and to do it safely. If you would like to continue to take care of her I would also recommend a Rabies vaccination for her to have her protected especially since you will be handling her. If you brought her to the SPCA they would take her in and after her recovery they would be able to put her up for adoption. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It's difficult to know what this is without seeing it. This could be a bad case of conjunctivitis, an infection within the eye, or a problem with the skin surrounding the eye. Either way, this sounds very severe and it's important that Kitty be seen by a vet soon. If you can get her into carrier and take her to a vet, that would be best. Sometimes, you have to catch them in a trap (non-harmful) in order to get them to a vet. If you have trouble doing this, or are unable to take her to a vet, then I recommend calling the local shelter and asking for assistance. The shelters have vets on staff and will ensure Kitty gets the necessary treatment. I hope that helps and Kitty gets better soon.

If you are able to catch the cat the best option is for it to have a veterinary exam. Whether the speed through your veterinarian or if you have a stray or feral cat consortium in your area that may help. He likely needs systemic antibiotics and all alarm may potential he require surgery to remove any remnants of the globe if the eye ruptured. If he's difficult to handle or you're on shore please contact your local Humane Society group or animal control. Do not get bitten. Rabies in stray cats is a very real possibility. Thanks for looking out for the sky. Good luck and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

It's always tough trying to deal with feral cats. The best option would be to take her to the vet (maybe they could spay her at the same time? Not all vets would be able to do that, but might be worth asking). The vet could sedate her, check out her eye, and vaccinate her for rabies at least. There is a risk of her biting, but we usually can take appropriate precautions to avoid this. If you do take her in, ask your vet ahead of time what preferences they have for type of carrier etc so that they have the best chance of successfully looking at her. It will probably end up costing you a decent amount of money to take her in, because of the extra time +/- sedation that will be required (plus costs for testing, vaccines, medications), so just be aware of that ahead of time. That said, to answer your question about care at home - she could have a viral eye infection (very very common in cats), or it could have gotten worse and become a bacterial infection or an ulcer. She could have issues with the pressure in her eye or have a congenital problem. All we really know is that her eye hurts for some reason. All you can really do at home is keep the eye clean with a warm wash cloth and maybe put some lubricating drops in (GenTeal severe is best for this, it's an OTC human eye drop). You can also give her L-lysine treats which will help fight off a viral infection. That won't be enough if she has a bacterial infection, an ulcer, or really any issue other than a mild viral infection. Eye issues can get bad fast she risks losing sight or the eye itself, so definitely consider going the vet route if at all possible. I hope she's feeling better soon! Good luck!