TNR job today

Got asked by LEEDS FELINE FRIENDS to help out a member of the public who has been feeding a tom cat, but he needs neutering and has a problem with his leg.

I arranged to go round this morning, after speaking to them last night and asking them not to feed the cat last night or this morning. Apparently the cat was very friendly would come into the house to eat, before going out again. I got there today and found a very friendly looking tabby anxiously wondering where his breakfast was.

He was very friendly, jumped right onto a chair and let me stroke his head and scratch him under his chin. As reported he had a big lump at the top of his right leg, which didn't look like a wound and looked to be a solid mass, either an break which had healed wrong, or something else. He allowed the gentleman who feeds him to lift him up and just drop him in the crush cage for the trip to the vets.

The is quite a big cat, and when I asked what they called him they said they hadn't got a name for him but had previously called him 'big head'... as he had a big head... true. They didn't know how old he was, but had been coming round for about a year and as he was friendly the assumption is he has been a pet in the past, possible due to looking pretty young an ex-student cat who has been turfed out onto the streets when the students have finished their course. Yes, it happens more than you'd like to think that students get a'cute' kitten for their flat/house and then just abandon them when they leave.

Anyway, I dropped him at the vets this morning and then rang for an update on him, along with what they had found around the lump on his leg. I got through to the operating room and they said they had examined the leg and it looked like a solid mass under x-ray, but despite taking some samples were unable to confirm 100% what it was. They couldn't rule out a growth, which may result in the poor fella losing his leg if it is cancerous or looks like it may spread. It didn't seem to be giving him any problems walking or jumping this morning, but I only saw him for a short period of time. I'll ring tomorrow and just hope he is okay. I feel guilty that he may lose a leg because we have 'done the right thing' and took him to be neutered.

The good news is that he should be able to be re-homed due to his calm nature, but not sure what losing the leg will do to this as there will likely be a long recouperation and some adjustment.