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I think it's great that you want to help this cat. Poor thing needs all the help she can get. Just feeding her is a big deal so keep doing that! I agree that milk may be a problem for her digestive system but many-many cats have thrived on milk over the years, especially if they come from a long line of cats who were used to drinking milk Best to keep away from it with this cat, though, just in case. There are "milk replacer" products for cats available at pet supply stores. I don't think it's milk-based. I think it's sort of like "meal replacers" for humans. For cats, it's a flavoured base of some kind with added vitamins and minerals. Might not be a bad idea for this cat. I can't remember the name but it's packaged in a little drinking box.

We've had more than a few strays come into our house over the years, plus a few that refused to trust us, so we just left them outdoors with daily food, water and a warm place to sleep.

If this cat isn't exactly rushing off in a panic when she sees you, it's possible that she had a home at one time and she's just being wary. I think if you keep calm, talk to her softly and keep feeding her, she'll most likely come around. Then, of course, you'll be obligated to take her to the vet for a check-up! Then you'll give her a name and she'll be sleeping on your bed... arrgghhh! If the cat decides you're "it" she has no reason to leave! But you'd be doing her a big favour to take her in off the streets if you can. (I love cats!)

Meloxicam is Metacam, right? The dose for a cat is really-really small - just a few drops according to body weight. They can overdose really quickly. And not all animals do well with it. I wouldn't give it to her until I knew what was causing the limp. She could have a cut in her paw, infection, an old or new injury or all kinds of things.

She sounds like a sweetie. And it really sounds as if she's just leery, not completely wild.

My cat, Mona, has a front leg that looks like the one you've described. She holds it up often and when she steps on it, sometimes it looks like your diagram. It's as if she has a separate wrist about 1/4 of the way up her leg. We found her in an abandoned house so we don't know anything about her history.

Anyway, we had her leg x-rayed - it wasn't broken. It was deformed, probably from birth. Vet suggested we just leave it alone. Mona has managed to compensate for it. She doesn't hold it up all the time and she still runs around really well. It's very possible that your stray cat does have an injury, though. If so, it must be painful. It's too bad you can't get a closer look.

I don't think you'll be able to get close enough to check on its physical condition for awhile. But keep trying! If you can't bring her inside at some point in the future, you can set up a comfy bed outside. In the past, we've used a cat carrier wrapped in towels to help insulate it, with some soft bedding inside. It can get really cold here so we also added a flap on the door (a piece of carpet suspended from the top) that allows the cat to go in and out but stops the wind from going through.

Her outdoor sleeping situation right now is probably something similar - she's found a secure place, out of the elements. She'd probably appreciate a sleeping box on your porch, though - somewhere that's cozy and dry. If she "takes" to a box so close to your front door and continues taking the food you give her, she's understanding that you don't mean to harm her. As she warms up to you, you'll be able to slowly check out her medical condition.

Is there an animal rescue service nearby that can trap her? It sounds awful but it might be the only way to get medical attention for her.

Keep us posted!

Denise, I fear that cats ARE superior to us!

Sounds like you've got the sleeping box situation under control - the plastic dog house sounds fine. I agree with Denise about the Meloxicam! My neighbour has been giving it (in liquid form) to his cat and the vet read him the riot act about not over-dosing. This is a HUGE cat (we're talking 20 pounds or so) and the vet said exactly 8 drops. "Not 7 drops. Not 9 drops."

My neighbour was obviously hesitant to give it to his cat for fear that he'd mess up.

You're right that the ASPCA would probably put the cat down. You really don't have any choice then, do you? It's so sad - the shelters are up to their ears in cats. The last thing they need is a stray with an injury. When we adopted Ernie from a shelter, he was in the "last chance" room with only 3 days remaining. And all the cats in that room were in pretty good condition considering most had been stray. Their biggest problem was they were supposedly over 5 years old. The shelter had dozens of kittens and youngsters but a 5-year old cat was considered unadoptable.

When we took Ernie to our regular vet for his first check-up, our vet pegged him at around 1-1/2 years old! She said that stray cats often appear to be much older than they are. Broken teeth, infected gums, ripped ears, skin/coat issues amd battle scars. Ernie did indeed have pathetic teeth and his coat was dry and coarse. It's not an easy life for these kitties but they all instinctively know when we're trying to help them. You're doing a great thing by helping this cat!

If you don't know if it's a male or female, does that mean you haven't named the cat yet??

We've also had strays that came for awhile, then disappeared. We live in a really populated area full of animal lovers so I'm sure most of these cats were adopted by kind souls over the years.

We were about to take one stray into our house. He was an absolute wreck - terrible coat, ripped ears - a real mess. Then he disappeared. A few months later, he meowed at our door and when I opened it, he was all patched up and looking good! Obviously a neighbour had taken him in and paid a lot of veterinary bills for this boy! Since he was standing at my door, I automatically went into the kitchen to put cat food into a bowl. But when I returned, he was gone. I think he just came to my house to say, "Just wanted to drop by to thank you for feeding me. Now someone is taking care of me. Look at me - I'm okay!" I never saw him again after that.

But others return over and over again. We worry about them when they're gone but I think some of them have a few houses that they hang out at and leave again when the spirit moves them. Some cats are real gypsies.