abandoned sick cat

Question
My neighbor moved and put his indoor cat outside and left him here he was in bad shape when they first put him outside i cant tell how long he has been like this but i took him in and he wont eat or drink anything and he is very weak. it has been a day and he has only urinated he has not passed any stool. he is very skinny. i have given him water with a syringe but im not sure what else to do i need help i don't have the money to take him to the vet. how do i get him to eat and drink on his own? he seems to be an older cat and im not sure if syringing the food as well would help.

Answer
Well this is a tough one. There are many foods designed for ill cats that you can buy at the vets and give with a syringe. If all else fails use beef and chicken baby food mixed with some veggie baby food. That way he is getting more than just proteins.

His kidneys might be bad and that is why he is so sick. Your neighbor should be arrested for doing this to this poor cat, it's total abandonment. Thank you for taking him in- what a kind thing for you to do.

However you must prepare yourself for the possibility that he won't live long. If you don't get him to a vet and find out what is wrong you could make things worse for him.

He really needs to be seen by a vet. He could have cancer, leukemia, a whole host of things that could be wrong. You are going to put a lot of time and effort into trying to make him well and there might not be a "getting better" in his future- but you won't know for sure unless a vet sees him.

In the meantime get the baby food and some water into him with a syringe.
One thing you need to know is that when an animal stops eating that is usually their signal that they are ready to leave this world. That is why you really need a vet to tell you if the effort is going to be worth it or if it would be kinder to put him out of his suffering now.

In any case I know it will be hard for you. Please let me know how he is in a few days.