I'll be a descriptive as possible here, but the short of it is:
-------------------------------------
What is the most humane thing I can do for a stray with Stomatitis?
Is it best to fatten him up the best I can while he's with us and then let him back out, or is it more humane to (so sadly) have him put down?
-------------------------------------
I took this guy in because he was so thin, sleeping on my porch, and the temps were dropping to well below freezing. I knew he had some mouth problems. While inspecting him further and doing some research online I'm pretty sure he has Stomatitis or mouth cancer. What little he allows me to look in his mouth, I do not see anything that looks like a tumor, I do believe its Stoma. I have no idea if he has FIV or feline leukemia.
I cannot afford to have full tooth extractions for him. I looked into the Dallas Clinic cocktail. Due to the fact that they only go thru your vet and the cat will still need repeated vet checkups, I cannot afford that for a cat that isn't mine. (Now, if one of my cats had it, I would do whatever it took, believe me).
The cat IS eating, and that is the main point that lead me to seek advice from others. Let me get into his overall behavior a bit:
While sometimes he will stay in the nice pillow/blanket combo I have set up for him in the warmest part of the basement, more often I will find that he has moved to a corner or the basement where he just sits.
He is eating. He prefers soft food, although he has eaten some of the hard food I keep down there for him too. It obviously hurts for him to eat, and he will yelp while eating. He is not drinking a lot but I assume that he is drinking enough to survive. He is NOT currently using the litter box I have set up for him and has once urinated on his blanket which I replaced immediately of course. I have found a few poops around the basement. This is not problem or anything, just trying to explain his behavior.
He will lay with me and purr, with the occasional somewhat painful sounding meow thrown in.
I don't know what to do. I don't want to release him just to suffer outside. But he is eating, even if it does cause him pain, so I don't really know if its necessary to have him put down. I will continue to feed him outside, and I have a few other neighbors that feed the strays in my neighborhood.
Do the clinics release Stoma cats if they are eating, or is it generally considered more humane to end their pain?
Thank you all for your advice, I'm so sad for this cat. I just want to do the best thing I can for him. <3
-------------------------------------
What is the most humane thing I can do for a stray with Stomatitis?
Is it best to fatten him up the best I can while he's with us and then let him back out, or is it more humane to (so sadly) have him put down?
-------------------------------------
I took this guy in because he was so thin, sleeping on my porch, and the temps were dropping to well below freezing. I knew he had some mouth problems. While inspecting him further and doing some research online I'm pretty sure he has Stomatitis or mouth cancer. What little he allows me to look in his mouth, I do not see anything that looks like a tumor, I do believe its Stoma. I have no idea if he has FIV or feline leukemia.
I cannot afford to have full tooth extractions for him. I looked into the Dallas Clinic cocktail. Due to the fact that they only go thru your vet and the cat will still need repeated vet checkups, I cannot afford that for a cat that isn't mine. (Now, if one of my cats had it, I would do whatever it took, believe me).
The cat IS eating, and that is the main point that lead me to seek advice from others. Let me get into his overall behavior a bit:
While sometimes he will stay in the nice pillow/blanket combo I have set up for him in the warmest part of the basement, more often I will find that he has moved to a corner or the basement where he just sits.
He is eating. He prefers soft food, although he has eaten some of the hard food I keep down there for him too. It obviously hurts for him to eat, and he will yelp while eating. He is not drinking a lot but I assume that he is drinking enough to survive. He is NOT currently using the litter box I have set up for him and has once urinated on his blanket which I replaced immediately of course. I have found a few poops around the basement. This is not problem or anything, just trying to explain his behavior.
He will lay with me and purr, with the occasional somewhat painful sounding meow thrown in.
I don't know what to do. I don't want to release him just to suffer outside. But he is eating, even if it does cause him pain, so I don't really know if its necessary to have him put down. I will continue to feed him outside, and I have a few other neighbors that feed the strays in my neighborhood.
Do the clinics release Stoma cats if they are eating, or is it generally considered more humane to end their pain?
Thank you all for your advice, I'm so sad for this cat. I just want to do the best thing I can for him. <3
