Injured Feral Cat

Question
Hello

On Monday I noticed a "stray" cat laying on our road. I tried to approach him but he ran away, then would come back, run away... I gave up on him and continued home. That night I noticed him in our backyard drinking out of our pool. I went outside to see him but he ran off. We live on a farm and have 4 other cats which are all neutered rescues. The other cats didn't seem to have a problem with him and he didn't seem bothered by them. Over the last few days I have seen him come up at night to share food with the other cats and have caught him skulking around our barnyard. I noticed he has several wounds including one on his neck which is very raw. I could never get close enough to see much.
Long story short, I trapped him hoping I could treat him but he is much too wild. I managed to get him into an Xlarge dog crate and after suiting up with a big coat and thick gloves my husband attempted to put his hand in the kennel. The cat literally attacked instantly. He is wild for sure, but could also be in distress with his injuries.
I have called our area shelters who have advised me that they cannot deal with him unless we contact animal control to first pick him up to bring him in. When I contacted animal control I was told that technically they would pick him up, but considering he is an adult feral male with injuries he probably "wouldn't make it to the shelter". Basically he was saying they usually do away with cats like that and don't bother taking them in.

My next option is to take him into the vet but unfortunately I cannot afford to spend a bunch of money on this cat (and the several other strays we get each year)
Can you please give me some advice as to what I can do for this poor feline? Is there a way to sedate him to make him easier to treat? Ultimately it would be nice if I could fix him up, calm him down and find a clinic that could neuter/vaccinate him and he could live at our place if he wants.....but I am looking at at least $600 to take him in to get him treated and fixed etc.
Do you think this is unrealistic of me to try to help him?
He is currently sitting in this kennel eating, drinking and sleeping with one eye open....it's been 3 days since I trapped him and he seems fairly ok so I hope his wounds are superficial...
Any advice or help would be appreciated

Answer
Alicia,

To be honest there is no safe way to sedate this kitty without a veterinarian and the appropriate medications being there. You could always check with your vet to see if they would be willing to sedate, neuter and treat him at a barn cat rate - some rural vets have barn cat rates that are significantly lower than the rates that they charge for private veterinarians. This might be something that you could check into.

Based on the information that you've provided it's difficult for me to be 100% certain whether this kitty is feral or simply scared out of his wits and in pain from his injuries. The fact that he is eating and drinking well are positive signs.

Just out of curiousity... Do you have a chapter of Alley Cat Allies nearby? It might be worth checking into. They specialize in the trap, neuter, medical treatment and release of feral cats and it wouldn't end up costing you anything.

Another idea for you would be to check with local cat rescues to see if they have a barn cat program - they may be willing to have him treated, neutered and released back onto your farm for little or no cost...

Other than that I really don't have much to offer in this situation without knowing exactly where you are in the province. If you have any further questions or concerns please feel free to contact me again at any time - I'm more than happy to help in any way that I can.

Kind regards,

Ali