[QUOTE=wheresgeorge04]
My wife and I had a really heartbreaking experience just like this, except it wasn’t a broken leg, it was a stray with a respiratory thing. Long story short, after a couple hundred dollars spent, at least he died in our house, warm and relatively comfortable, and buried in the yard, not eaten by coyotes or something.
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Same thing happened but ours survived and she is lording (ladying?) it over the household as she rules. But she was as good as dead when she got to our house.
[QUOTE=Phlosphr]
But nature, is nature and quite literally 50% of me says let her take it’s course.
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Yeah, but you forget that domestic cats are not, strictly speaking, a product of “nature,” even if they are feral. They are bred to be looked after by humans, not to survive in nature. As such, you are serving him more by taking him to a vet or shelter or wherever you can to mitigate his suffering.
[QUOTE=Phlosphr]
Anyway - I’m going to grab him tonight, if I can and bring him to the vet. His personality is great! I don’t want to see any harm come to him.
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Man, this warms the cockles of my heart. Good on ya. 
I’m so glad you’re taking him in to be looked at. Even if he has to be put to sleep, at least he won’t be in pain any longer.
On behalf of the mooncats, Pixel, Hazel and India, thank you.
I am glad you are taking him in. It is clear that this cat is attached to your family, and that you are attached to him. He may be a “stray cat,” but he is your stray cat.
If this cat just wandered on to your property one day, I would say leave him to nature. Even though some Coyote or Owl would eat him, At least that animal gets a meal. Sounds cold, I know, but thats nature.
Enh, soft cuddly things don’t touch my heart too much. I use the old-style neck crushing mouse traps and casually flick the carcasses into the trash. I might consider killing the cat myself if I was absolutely convinced it would otherwise die slowly and painfully, but I would probably just let the cat die on its own and forget about it the next day.
Besides, why should the cat go into some vet’s dumpster instead of a great horned owl’s belly?
[QUOTE=Mosier]
Enh, soft cuddly things don’t touch my heart too much. I use the old-style neck crushing mouse traps and casually flick the carcasses into the trash. I might consider killing the cat myself if I was absolutely convinced it would otherwise die slowly and painfully, but I would probably just let the cat die on its own and forget about it the next day.
Besides, why should the cat go into some vet’s dumpster instead of a great horned owl’s belly?
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Whilst I wouldn’t have put it in quite such crude terms myself 
, I agree with this as a general principal. All animals (including us humans) are part of the food chain in some way shape or form, and if this kitty has come to grief via its wild life in the bush, then it should die there and provide some sustenance either to the owls, the coyotes or the worms IMHO.
Feral cats are sort of an enigma - they are not wild in terms of a raccoon or other such “wild” animal, but they were certainly born wild - meaning not nurtured by humans, though they do benefit from the birds coming to our feeders and the occasional mouse.
Phlosphr - Did you catch the cat? What did the vet say?
StG
I like cats. Indeed, I would call myself a cat person. I’d own one now if I could.
But this cat needs to die. All feral cats do. Better for the cat (especially this one that is in pain) and better for the local ecology.
What B Bob said. I dispatch the ones we can’t save.
We are up to eight saved now.
I dispatch the ones we can’t save.
They can be part of the food chain without the suffering.
We get a lot of dumped animal up here on the mountain.
I really try to catch those that dump animals because those cowardly sub human sub animal asshats need killin in the worst way.
They are the cause of the feral problem in domesticated type animals that we have now in this country.
[QUOTE=Phlosphr]
The all black one is very friendly, he comes right up to us when we are doing yard work, purrs like crazy and cozy’s up to us whenever we are outside.
(snip)
Should I catch this little guy and bring him to the vet? The problem is there are very few no-kill shelters around, and the humane society would probably euthanize. We do not want this cat for ourselves, I have two siamese attack cats that would be very sad if we let the interloper in. My wife does not want to risk bringing him to a shelter if they are just going to euthanize him, yet if we let him stay in the meadow the coyotes will get him evenutally - or a great horned owl might snag him - there are a lot of nasties in the woods that could get him. I think he is sleeping in a rock pile in the far back…but I am not sure.
What would you do? Bring him to the vet, or let nature take it’s course?
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As someone said earlier, for better or worse he’s clearly your stray cat, and considers himself part of your extended family. This isn’t some random cat that was dumped off, he’s been around for a while and clearly likes you and is from your description very personable.
Take him in and get him fixed up. I also think you may be overestimating the odds on his dying from natural causes. While coyotes and other animals can kill cats, and outdoor cats have a tougher life certainly, that doesn’t mean they’re always on death’s door. Farm cats can have long and happy lives outdoors, if the owners give them some little amount of shelter in the winter, and some occasional food when things get tough.
[QUOTE=StGermain]
Phlosphr - Did you catch the cat? What did the vet say?
StG
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Dislocated shoulder, terrible flea and tick infestation and malnourished. She’s going to be spayed and we’ll see from there. Like I said we cannot take this cat in the house. But she’s so damn friendly, she’ll be adopted very quickly. She doesn’t have that :eek: OH MY GOD A HUMAN look some feral cats get. She’s definitely a layed back kitty.
Thank you, Phlosphr. Poor kitty. Sounds like she may have been someone’s pet at one time, and got dumped.
Thank you.
Phlosphr, don’t know if you believe in this kind of thing, but dude, you just earned yourself some karma points right there. Thank you. Thank you so very much.
[QUOTE=calm kiwi]
I have been critical about the whole American “indoor cat” thing but I have recently been watching a show that showed cat killing racoons, bears in dumpsters, badgers under the house etc.
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That is one badass cat.
Philophsr, good job, man!
thank you for taking her into the vet. they will give her some nice cat drugs to make her more comfy and she has a roof over her head and food for her tummy. all good things.
[QUOTE=Boscibo]
Thank you, Phlosphr. Poor kitty. Sounds like she may have been someone’s pet at one time, and got dumped.
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The cat was born on his property.
[QUOTE=Phlosphr]
Last winter a female cat had her kittens under a barn that borders the meadow behind my home. There were several kittens running about for a month or so then there were only two. Now 6 months later these two have been occasionally wandering through my backyard.
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[QUOTE=Phlosphr]
We have been debating this all week, my wife and I. We picked several nickle size ticks off his face earlier in the week, so we know he’s not grooming properly. But nature, is nature and quite literally 50% of me says let her take it’s course.
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Have you heard the phrase ‘Nature red in tooth and claw’?
Scoop up kitty, and have him put down; why would you want to let him suffer?
If the vets try to discourage it, gently point out that kitty will probably suffer less if they kill him, rather than the coyotes do.
(My formerly feral cat was injured this Spring; the vet refused to put her down, because we refused to spend our mortgage payment on diagnostic tests. She’s still with us, but I know she’s overdue for a painful death if she doesn’t turn into a lazy in-door cat before Fall.)