Ask the Veterinarian/feral cats

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Expert: - 2/2/2011


Question
QUESTION: hi

i am looking after about 57 feral cats.  adopted about 15 of them. they live in a  two room space.theyve got their own flatlet  they are all tame (after a lot of patience and love) except for 2, what is the easiest way to win their trust. is there any anti biotics that can be given that is liquid?(to give in drinking water. some of the cats i cant touch. about 14 is in my work area. i travel to my work weekends, xmas etc to feed them. just love them furry babes . .

ANSWER: I am unclear how or why you think that antibiotics are for taming down cats.

I am not even sure of what your question is here.

I hope for the sake of these cats that they are all neutered and spayed and vaccinated for Rabies, Leukemia, Distemper, Calicivirus and FIP. If you have that many cats in your house you are going to have a plethora of sick ones if they are not vaccinated.
You should contact your local shelter or ASPCA and get some help in trapping and neutering/spaying these wild cats. Otherwise they will just continue to breed and overpopulate the place.
There are many organizations that can do this.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: sorry. my question wasnt clear. didnt want to know about anti biotics to tame down wild cats, just to help them. sometimes they get bad sore or absess.
in south africa we dont get help from organizations to help with our animals. there is a handfull of people that realy try to help these animals,most of us dont have a major income. there is no funds available for neutering. our local vet told us now about an injection to give them to stop them from having babies.
thanks

Answer
I don't know what kind of antibitoics are available down there and every wound etc needs to be assessed to know what kind of antibiotics to give. That is something a local vet needs to do for you.

What kind of injection does your vet give to prevent these cats from breeding? How do you inject wild cats?

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

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PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

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I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

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Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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