First, do you have cat rescue groups in your area? If so, ask for their help in capturing him since most rescue groups or feral neuter centers also offer live traps...just be sure to get a large trap since some of them can be small. With his leg injury the bigger the cage the better. The organizations will also be able to direct you to a vet that works with feral cats.

My opinion is the leg is probably slowly rotting away and he's been lucky that he hasn't gotten a really bad infection from the ongoing injury. Plus, I can't imagine the pain he must have from the mangled leg.

Many cats that act feral can often be tamed, and it's not uncommon for some to immediately become friendly once captured. Personally, I would trap him and find a vet, or feral clinic, that is comfortable working with feral cats. The leg may just need cleaning up at this point, but amputation may be needed if the partial leg hampers his movement. It's not possible to know how bad the leg is injured until he's captured. Whoever treats him should be able to evaluate how wild he really is........but the evaluation should be done by someone really familiar with cats.

After he's been examined and the leg treated, you could try keeping him in a large kennel, or great dane size crate in a quiet, non threatening area.

IMO, it's crucial to find a vet that specializes in cats, especially if you don't have a feral clinic in your area. Let us know what area you live in and we can help track down some clinics and vets.

The fact he's now staying at your place is encouraging. Nearly all cats can be trapped....especially with the right food. : ) Find a trap, place it where he always eats and start putting the food near the door of the trap, then each day move it farther in the cage. I also place a thin layer of newspaper on the bottom of the trap since animals will often step over the 'trigger' for the door if they can see it. (Plus, it's also not very comfortable stepping on the wire bottom.) During this period of acclimation the trap door is always locked in the open position. Once he's going in the cage to eat, then you can set the trap door to close. Only do this when you're going to be around so you can check the trap often. Once caught, place a sheet/towel over the trap and get him to the vet. Forum members can send you more info on trapping if you decide to try it.

I would also get more antibiotics from the vet so you can be treating any other infection he may have. Staying closer to your home could also mean he's not feeling well.

BTW, animal control does not do capture-and-release. An animal with major injuries is usually put down.

Thank you so much for the help. I was wondering if it was possible that it was slowly rotting away, but didn't want to think about that. He is looking much better after getting 3 days, his face already looking a little fuller. I know of no feral cat clinic, but that doesn't mean one doesn't exist. The vet did not mention anything like that though. I am in the Warren County/Bowling Green KY area. I do think the cat can be tamed, in March he did allow me to pet him as long as I stayed in the house, I had to reach through the door. And I had to do it when he first came to the food :) I accidentally made a noise with the door though & scared him, he was more scared after that. I'll get him so more antibiotics as soon as I can in the meantime.

I just want to say thank you for caring about this guy...also just to mention that a lot of times what people call "feral" are once-tame cats that got lost and were never found, or were not neutered and roamed and were eventually absorbed into the feral population. That he let you pet him is a good sign and indicates that he must have had some socialization with humans at an early age and could probably be tamed quite nicely over time... one of my cats has that same history and you couldnt find a more loving and appreciative kitty - he will know you saved him from a rather rough life out there on the streets.. A true feral is virtually untameable, reaching to pet such a cat would likely result in some major lacerations.

The majority of 'feral' cats are abandoned pets. They quickly learn to fear anything that may harm them, but will quickly come back to their 'pet status' when they find someone that shows them some kindness and takes them in. We had a 'feral' come thru our property last year....kept her distance but would come near me only when she ate. It slowly went from being able to pet her on her back while she ate to being a cat that now lives in our garage with her personal kitty condo. She will also sit in our lap and allow us to pet her, but she has her limits.

The fact your cat let you pet him says he is not a true feral. Try sitting outside while he eats so he gets more used to you and your voice.

The only group I found in your area that may have a live trap is your local Humane Society. Click here to go to their site and call them to see if they can help with trapping. Worse case you'll have to buy a trap, but they're not that expensive. Check with your vet to see if he'd work with you on price to neuter the cat when/if you bring him in to have the leg checked (Humane Society charges $45). It'd be nice to get everything done while the vet is treating the leg so the cat doesn't have the stress of another procedure.

Here's another link for info (plus video) on trapping cats. The only thing that didn't work for me when trapping my little female cat was the FCC's suggestion to cover the trap when baiting. My girl did not like it covered since she wanted to see what was around her while she ate, so you'll have to see what works for 'your' cat.

How big is the cat, and is he long or short haired?

Once you have the trap, don't set it right away. Prop it open ( you can slide a sturdy stick or wooden dowel through it) and feed him close to the trap. Over a few days move the food closer and into the trap and finally far enough in that he will set it off. Then actually set it. Some cats do not like to walk on the metal grid of the trap. You can cut a piece of card board to fit.

Thanks for all the advice everyone, I really appreciate it. I haven't been sleeping well the last few days, wondering if I'm doing enough for him. The Humane society here is not bad, and I know that animal control does take animals there, I've been there when they dropped some off. I do imagine they are pretty quick to put down injured/sick animals though, so we might be wrong that they picked him up. I had already checked about getting a trap from them before, & know that I can borrow one from them. I had just been hoping to tame him a bit before bringing him in. I'm going to stop by the vet's office that the Humane society uses today & see what he says. If I trap him, I want to have everything all lined up so he doesn't have to wait too long

Good for you Nancy. I've got two ferals that are now house cats! the first one took awhile to catch (she always hung out near my house). got her spayed and kept her inside. too awhile, but eventually she trusted me and is great! hops on my lap and sleeps w/me. she can be skittish at times, but it's fine. the other one had a kitten 8 weeks old) and it fell into our back pond. my son saw it and rescued it from the water and reunited it w/momma cat. I started leaving food out for the momma and after about 3 weeks, started rubbing my leg. I was able to pick her up and bring her inside. spayed her too.

I think if you get her, get the help u need and fix her leg, she will be fine inside w/you.

I hope he starts trusting me more soon. I've had cats since I was a kid & the first ones I had to tame. I've had one cat that I never successfully tamed I was about 7 & probably too aggressive, it lived with us for years but never became tame. I don't really expect him to trust me overnight, but seems like every time he is making advances, suddenly he freaks again. Got some antibiotics, the vet seemed optimistic when he saw my photo of the cat, so maybe not as bad as I was thinking. He looks better every day, jumps up against the storm door in the morning to let me know he is ready for breakfast. He looks really pitiful when he is walking, but he is fast when running, you wouldn't notice that he's missing a leg.

Hi, i found this link...i think it is an organization in Louisville but maybe they will know of some place in your area http://alleycatadvocates.org/

Thank you Pea, I read through it, a really interesting program that I will contact if the cat does not continue to improve. He didn't eat yesterday-we got about 8" of rain beginning Thursday night that hasn't really ended yet. Just drizzling right now, but he was mewing & standing against the door wanting food. He only moved a few inches away when I put the food out, he was hungry. He looked quite dry, so seems to have made it through the storm & rain well. He was under the deck, away from the wind, apparently pretty dry under there. He looks SO much better than when he first showed up last week.

Thank you for everything you are doing to help this homeless kitty.

Wow- I am impressed by this cat and you for being so caring. Just the fact that he had such a bad fracture that his foot fell off and he didn't die from infection is amazing- maybe those antibiotics you gave him early on helped . Sounds like he is going to be ok since he is still alive. I think you have a new kitty in your life. Must be driving you nuts not to get a good look at the wound site.

Don't put him on a diet-he needs all the protein he can get. Might try a little catnip to see if he will mellow enough to let you briefly pet him. That is what my deceased husband suggested for my now 18 y.o former feral once he started coming close to us- worked like a charm. Mine was probably about a yr. old though and still pretty healthy. Keep us posted- sounds like this one does have 9 lives!

Thank you for caring for him! We have 4 indoor-only cats and a feral cat that lives in our backyard. He roams but is in our backyard 90% of the time. We neutered him and have been feeding him for 8 years and there is no chance of him ever becoming a housecat, he truly is feral. But we love having him out there. When you look out the door and see him lounging in the backyard, you know all is calm and well outside.

I should add that it did take a few months before he trusted us enough to walk into the house-where I got him used to THE CRATE before taking him to the Vet for neutering etc'. Before he became housified he was living on top of a shed with eaves where my furnace is. Also was an inny /outy for awhile and decided to be an inny on his own. Ended up being one of the best cats I have ever owned.

He took off the day yesterday, but showed up bright & early for breakfast this morning. He was so hungry, I could have touched him today probably, at least he stayed close enough to touch. I let him be though so he could eat. Only problem is, we have another roaming tom that drops by 2 or 3 days a week for a meal or 2 before he moves on. He is very territorial (what is he thinkin"?), I've been making him stay on our front porch & he's going along with it so far pretty well. They did get into a screaming match this morning, but I don't think blows were exchanged. Not that Casper the 3 legged cat could hand out much, he usually just hides. DH wants to take the other cat to the Humane Shelter, but I think he belongs to someone. He's pretty well fed. He's not an attractive little thing either, tiny & such short hair he looks almost hairless, I'm not sure he would get adopted. He is an affectionate little thing though. Getting to be a zoo around here, I own 2 cats, but feeding 5 at times.

lol- just be glad Casper(aha you named him) isn't a female with litter in tow. My sister had one show up years ago. They fed her and she fed the kittens until they were old enough to eat themselves. They were able to get the kittens and find homes for them and kept one for themselves. However-Mama cat did it again- disappeared and came back with guess what? They knew because she brought the kittens to the front porch this time. My sister was a lot stricter this time-NO way are you dumping your litters on me anymore so you can go out and do it again. They got the whole bunch including MaMa. Found homes for the kittens and got MaMa spayed and kept her.

How good of your sister to take MaMa with babies in twice! And found homes for 2 litters of kittens.