found an emaciated cat

Question
I had a long haired female orange tabby come to my door yesterday when it was about 10 degrees outside. i took it in and it immediately ate 2 cans of food and drank a lot of water. Upon inspection, i noticed that the cat is otherwise healthy,no ear mites, no fleas.the cat uses the bathroom okay. When you palpate the cat's body, it seems that it is pain. Is this because it is emaciated and has no body fat to cushion. I am a second semester r.n. student and have no money to take it to the vet right now. It appears that the cat was a housecat previously, based on it's behaviors.  (besides keeping her in a seperate area from my other cat, w/ it's own food water and litter)Dr. feel free to be technical, afterall I am a nursing student.What are S&S of feline leukemia/AIDS? The soonest we can afford a vet is in about 10 days.What should I do?

Answer
The emaciation of the cat should not cause pain, however there might possibly be an inciting cause that is the reason for her appearance other than simple starvation.

In FIP adhesions can form, and this could possibly be a source of palpation pain.  Ingestion of foreign bodies, constipation, physical trauma, fear, many things can cause a painful or pain-like reaction.

Until you can have her seen yes continue the separation food, water and observation.  Please feel free to write back if she exhibits any other signs that may possibly help diagnose her problem.

Best of luck to you and bless you for taking care of her.