Smi-Ferrel Paw Injury

Question
Have cared for a male homeless cat for couple years now. He is passive, not vocal, avoids aggressive cats, so never injured until now.. Really GOOD affectionate tabby cat abt 4-5 + years old.
Last night, accidentally landed the chair leg i was sitting on, getting up , on his paw...and is swollen. He cannot walk on it..and growled if other homeless kitty comes near...or me!Me sister managed to put him on raised pet bed outside and over him  up...but now He is in hiding for now...regularly feed and shelter him in a insulated storage bin. He is very affectionate.

Sorry not sure extent of damage other than what i have presented here.

We had a another homeless one last summer had paw badly injured by bite or nail something similar, and gave em fish antibiotics..that did heal em..(he died all of a sudden last month on our porch).

Any help would really be appreciated!

Heartsick

Answer
Gary,

My recommendation would be to see about borrowing a humane live trap, baiting it with something super yummy that this kitty likes and hopefully catching him so that he can be taken to a vet to get the treatment he needs...He may have broken a bone or dislocated a joint if he's swollen and can't walk on his paw...Just be sure that you let the vet staff know ahead of time that he's semi feral so that they're prepared that he may not appreciate handling. Fish antibiotics aren't a good idea for cats since they don't come in the same concentrations, if your little guy needs a bit of medical treatment and finances are an issue it's possible that your local chapter of Alley Cat Allies would be willing to help provide necessary medical care and spay, neuter, vaccinate services for your kitties....The concern that I have since you mention that this little guy is quite affectionate is that he could be someone's lost pet so I would also have him scanned for a microchip and checked for a tattoo while he's at the vet just in case someone has been looking for him during the time that you've been caring for him. If you have any further cat related questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me again - I'm more than happy to help in any way that I can.

Kind regards,

Ali