Don't know what to do about cat

[NewToCats]

Ok, so can I start by saying I think the correct thing to do is to take the cat to the vet.
But can you just reassure me of my thoughts ...
We have been feeding a stray cat for the last 3 months. It has a bed, food and water in the shed. After a huge amount of persuasion (chicken and tuna involved , hugely scratched arms and hands ) it finally decided to come inside, which was a great relief given the torrential rain and gales we were having at the time.

Fast forward 2 months to tonight.
Cat has diarrhea (and I have seen worms in it) and her eye looks a little cloudy in the corner.
Catching her and containing her inside a box it going to be an absolute nightmare however she probably needs to go to the vet doesn't she? I am resigned to wearing gauntlets and using sheer determination in the face of great adversity to get her into a box if needed, but obviously would prefer someone to say I just need to pop into the vets / pets at home and pick up worming stuff for her without actually having to take her with me.
Opinions please, I have only just noticed her eyes (it is the first time she has come close enough). Do cat eyes sometimes look a little cloudy in the corner?

Last question, sorry for the essay, do I go to my local vet or try to find a cat rescue place to go to for advice / for them to look at her.

Do you have a vet who does home visits? I use Paw Squad. A little more expensive than regular vets but for me worth it to avoid stress of going. She does sound like she should be seen by a professional anyway. Talking to the local rescue can’t hurt but if you plan to keep her, you need a vet. Well done for getting her to trust

Her eye needs looking at but in the absence of veterinary attention you can buy non prescription wormers.

A vet will do a home visit but it will be £££ and whilst it is less stressful for a relative easy to handle cat a semi feral may well be easier to deal with in the surgery. Tgat was it avoids the association with bad things happening in the house.

Chances are she'll need flea treatment too which really the prescription ones are better.

Are you absolutely sure the cat isn't owned?

She definitely needs to go to a vet. Is she definitely female? She could well be unneutered. So that's another thing that needs doing straight away.

Speak to a local rescue for help catching/trapping her. They should have the equipment and expertise. Whether or not they have the time is another matter. They should then be able to suggest a vet that's good with semi ferals. Of course if you take her in the right sort of carrier (a crush cage) then that will make it easier for the vet to deal with. But for that you will need the rescue's help.

If all else fails then just get her into a carrier however you can. You don't want home visits in this case as she will need neutering at the same time. And anyway a home visiting vet would still need to be able to touch/handle her.

In the meantime I would get a Drontal wormer from Pets at Home, but she still needs to see a vet.

Finally, if you're in London/Essex I might be able to help.

Sounds like she needs to see a vet. They can quickly become dehydrated with diarrhoea i've had cats for 30+ years and never seen a random cloudy eye corner. Cataracts yes; but not a corner.

Getting the vet to come to you could backfire. She might run away and not come back / for a while, if she gets a proper fright and associates you/shed with the vet. She might not react like that but it's hard to tell; so you might need to keep her in for a while after. Even if you bring her to the vet; i would recommend keeping her in until she's stronger if you can. My neighbours semi feral cat disappeared for over a week after his first vet visit.

I think she needs the vet. Could you put a cat carrier in the shed with a blanket in it to replace the bed and try and get her to stay in it. It will probably be impossible for you to get working pills in her.

All you normally need to get a cat to take worming pills is a little ball of Shiphams (or similar) sandwich paste, with the pill in the middle. It's sticky, so the pill won't fall out, and cats love it so normally swallow it whole.

However when they have diarrhea I think Panacur is often suggested instead of a worming tablet, but that's a nasty tasting paste and more difficult. I would probably speak to a vet first.

Third eyelid protrusion, which occurs in the corner of the eye is associated with a heavy worm burden. Worms would also explain the diarrhoea.

I would phone the Vets, explain the symptoms and the nature of your cat and hopefully they’ll agree to worming her first then seeing if it improves.

If not they’ll also be able to advise on how best to deal with her.

Hi OP,

I wouldn't advise using any worm treatment whilst she has diarrhoea - more potential strain on her guts. It would be nicer for her to have a settled tummy before loading her up with worming treatment.

Cloudy corner of eye - difficult to comment on without seeing it really, however as a Pp mentioned it could be her third eyelid if it is in the corner. There are many reasons for this occurring and really should be assessed properly.

Ideally you need to get her down to the vets. They will be able to advise you on what to do for the best.

Good luck.

Good luck OP.
I can recommend oven gloves as makeshift gauntlets.

"The third eyelids are not visible in the inner corners of the eyes. If they were, you would see a whitish membrane covering part of the eye that comes up from those inner lower corners toward the nose."
Used Google images and found this.
Will phone for advice in yhe morning. I think I know where the cat originally came from, so more accurate yo say 'abandoned' rather than stray, but the owners seem to have moved out a while ago.
She or he - absolutely no idea. Will google images again!
Will try and catch her in the morning. Hopefully she will come inside. She is unnaturally friendly today. Maybe she has finally worked us out, or she just feels reallyreally rough and wants help.
Snowing outside right now. Silly cat could be basking infront of a warm fire if she wanted.

Cross posted on the eyes thing. Thabks.

You could try in the first instance to start feeding inside a cat carrier placed next to a wall/fence. With some luck, cat will learn to go into carrier for food. Then, ideally after a day or three of this, you can quickly close the carrier door while cat is inside.

Thank you for looking after a stray cat! Do contact a local cat charity to help - the more you can help them to help the cat, the better.