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cstadt
September 18th, 2009, 07:42 PM
I have been calling and calling today and it seems like the area I need to have an officer look at is totally off the map. No animal control service has the neighborhood where I saw an injured cat under their jurisdiction.

Apparently, this cat has had a "broken/dislocated jaw" (I'm assuming that's what happened) for a long time. I've seen him or her from far away infront of the same house all the time so I'm assuming he/she belongs to them though he/she doesn't have a collar. They didn't answer the door when I knocked the other day.

Can I legally take this cat off of the property and take him to the vet?

What I think I'm actually going to do is go to the vet that is super close and ask their opinion. No one seems to know who else to call... One thing I haven't done yet is talk to a plain ol' police officer. I'll do that tomorrow too.

There was another cat in the front yard and at least one dog in the back-- I heard the barking. Even if I'm able to help the cat, I definitely want to have the rest of the animals evaluated.

It just makes me sick, how can anyone look at a poor cat with a broken/dislocated jaw and not get him medical attention??! I'm pretty sure he needs to have his jaw wired shut.


However, I'm not a vet. Is there some weird chance that this poor kitty has a "deformed" mouth? The bottom part of his mouth was pushed to the far right and his tongue can't be contained inside. He could move it fine and without struggle-- he meowed and purred. He was skinny but not emaciated so I'm assuming he can eat alright, though that's hardly good.
There were no other abnormalities though he had fleas and abradions on his ears that need to be cleaned.

estacey
September 18th, 2009, 08:27 PM
I'd say it's probably not legal to take the cat, but who says you can't do it anyway, claiming you thought it was a stray? After all, who would leave their cat with such an injury, if it indeed IS an injury. If the cat's owners left an injury untreated like that, they could be brought up on charges, so if you step in and get the cat and discover that it is indeed injured, they would probably give up their rights to the cat if they realized they could be charged with neglect.

The cat is outside, right? Just set out a trap & catch it if it won't let you come close to it. Rescues oftentimes will loan out traps if you give them a deposit. There are trapping instructions online if the cat isn't people- or stranger-friendly.

Thanks for thinking of this cat and working to make sure s/he is given the care it deserves.