Before the "don't let your cat outside" people chime in, that's not an option for us. He's been an inside/outside cat his whole life and I wouldn't punish him like that now.

We have a very active, and (mostly) healthy 12-year old male cat that I rescued, along with his three siblings, when they were small enough to hold all four in one hand. They were literally hours from death, after being abandoned in vacant lot along a trucking route. I nursed them back to health and found homes for the other three. "Wyatt" has been the most loving, cuddly, playful, and loyal cat I have ever owned. Even friends and neighbors that HATE cats admit that he is the coolest, most personable cat they've ever met.

Now for the issue:

He has free roam to come and go as he pleases, as we live on a quiet cul-du-sac in a one way in/out neighborhood. He has been in his share of fights with a few strays over the years, but gets along well with the other domestic cats on my street. He is getting older, however and is starting to lose more fights than he wins. We make sure he's in every night, but it's getting dark earlier and he's up to no good from 7-9 pm. We've always taken him to the vet whenever he had a wound that didn't clear up in a day or two, but that's getting expensive, and we can no longer afford the several hundred dollars it costs for each trip, which now seems to be occurring on a monthly basis. My wife and I have made peace with the fact that his time is limited, but he is BEST FRIENDS with our two year old son, and we would like to prolong their friendship as much as possible.  

He got in another fight a couple of days ago, with either a possum, or possibly a large bird of some form. I know we have a big possum that's been spotted in my yard a few times over the last few weeks, and was my first suspect when he came home battered the other night. But the next day, I found a bunch of white feathers scattered across the yard that were too big (4-6") to belong to our usual jays, doves, and cardinals that frequent our feeder. We live in an older neighborhood with lots of mature trees, and have seen hawks, owls, and even a few ospreys on a fairly regular basis. I also found some large, white bird-poop splatters on the ground under our trees. There appeared to be possible blood stains on a few of the feathers, so it's likely a large bird that he scrapped with...this time. I cleaned him up and treated the cuts I could find with Bactine, and he appeared to be recovering well. Today I found a puncture wound that I missed on the left side of his neck behind his ear, where he can't get to it. It was oozing, and smells of infection horribly. My wife and I flushed it with some chlorhexidine that we had left over from his last trip to the vet, for another abscessed puncture wound that we sucessfully treated at home. But I think he may need some antibiotic help, too.

On my last trip to the aquarium shop, I picked up some "T.C. Tetracycline" thinking it was better than nothing, but I have not been able to find any reliable info on how I might use it for my cat (if at all). I have not given him any of it yet, as I'm not sure it's a good idea or not. I have no idea on what would be a safe dose, or the best way to administer it. It comes in 500 mg powder packets.

Should I abandon this idea, and let nature take its course, or is it something that might help?  Would erythromycin be any safer/better? Those are the only two options I could find at my local shop.

Again, the prospect of spending several hundred dollars a month at the vet is just not in our budget. I love my animals, but they are not people, and I cannot afford to spend that kind of money on a pet that only has a few good years left as it is. He is otherwise in EXCELLENT health for his age, and acts like a cat half his age, still very playful and active.

I know that GD on ARFCOM, may not be the best place to seek this kind of info, but the people on here will tell me like it is and I trust the opinions here more than I probably should.

I will in NO WAY hold anyone offering advise advice in ANY WAY accountable if things don't work out, but I'd like some guidance on this matter, before I do something stupid in an attempt to keep my son's best friend around a little longer.

Thank you, in advance, for taking the time to read through my long, wordy post.

I do not know about cats, but Tetracycline took care of both of my cases of clap in Nam :)

Advice.

Thank you, that was very helpful.

Is that you, Mrs. Buckner, my 10th grade English teacher? You read through that whole thing, just looking for that one grammar mistake...on a Friday night no less? Just wait, I'm two shots in to my bourbon stash... I'm sure I'll mis-type something else tonight. Will you be able to find it?

ETA: ok, just realized I blew it in the title too. You're excused.

If you cannot afford to get him treated anymore, then I think you should keep him inside so that he doesn't get into life-threatening situations anymore. I think that would be less cruel than knowingly allowing him to get himself into deathly scrapes. He will very likely adjust to living solely inside. There are some cats who cannot adjust to being indoor only, but most will adjust fine.

I would take him to the vet one last time if you can afford it. If not, call the vet and ask their advice about the tetracycline. If you explain that you are broke and cannot afford to see them, they will be more amenable to giving you advice like that. I've even had a vet offer to look at my pet for free, but that is incredibly rare. After all, they are there to make money. They can also give you advice on cheaper, better antibiotics, I should think, in the event that tetracycline isn't what he needs. It sounds like he needs a solid broad-spectrum antibiotic if he's going to make it through this one.

I seriously think you should heal the cat and keep him inside from now on. By your own words, letting him out again will give him around a month of life left before he gets in another fight and dies. You're his guardian, his parent, if you will; it's up to you to make the decision that is best for his long-term health, even if it makes him unhappy at first before he gets used to it. I think continuing to let him outside would be irresponsible as hell.

My vet has always charged between $40 and $70 for treating scuffle wounds that require antibiotics. He also floats past here in a boat with 3 250 hp. Yamaha engines on it. Maybe look for a new vet.

http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/docs/Medication-Conversion-Pets_Penn-126-TheDogPlace.org1.pdf

Thank you!  

ARFCOM to the rescue again, this is just what I was looking for. This is the best site on the net...bar none.  

Don't forget you can also get your fish meds  antibiotics online.  lots of threads about this in the Survival forums.

You can call me irresponsible if you like, but every pet I've ever owned, since childhood, has been a rescue. They've been given quality food, a loving environment, and have lived in the lap of luxury. I would never let one of my pets suffer needlessly, which is why I'm seeking help. I've spent over $1000 in the last year on vet bills, and cannot continue this expense. If he takes a turn for the worse, he will be put down humanely, by my vet. I will cry, and we will move on. While I may be his "parent", animals are not humans. Shit happens and I will deal with it in a humane manner. When I used to be an apartment dweller, I had an indoor only cat and felt guilty every day that she would sit by the window and long for the great outdoors. I could not fathom living in a cell for my entire life, and am proud to say that I kept my promise to my "indoor only" cat by purchasing a house and let her live her last five years roaming the yard and chasing lizards like cats were meant to do. She is currently buried under her favorite shade tree, where she would sit for hours in the fresh air. I personally think it is far more inhumane to keep an animal like a cat cooped up in a house for their entire lives, especially one that was raised in a life of freedom.

87ml per kitteh

I understand completely why you feel this way. I am sorry if I came across as harshly judgmental. In your shoes, I'd keep the cat indoors after getting him well. But honestly, that doesn't work for every cat, and it brings up the philosophical question of whether it is better to live a shorter but happier life or a longer but sadder one. I don't think there is a perfect solution either way. Bottom line, I'm just worried about your cat. I'm very much a cat person, and I hate it when they get hurt. I wish you and your kitty the best, and I hope he manages to stay out of scrapes!! Please update us on how he is doing in a few days, when the tetracycline is kicking in.

I've used the "Fish Meds" version of TC that comes in caplets on several different cats, with excellent results.

TIP: If you can't get the cat to eat food with the antibiotic added to it, try mixing the antibiotic with a water-based "personal lubricant" like KY Jelly instead, and then daubing the mixture on the kitty's backside. Most cats can't stand having something greasy or gooey stuck to their fur, and will wash it off with their tongue - even if it tastes terrible!

I have treated my self and my dog several times with Feed Store Equine/Swine Tetra powder. You dissolve the whole packet in 1000ml of water. That works out to a dosage of 10mg/ml. Its one ml of solution per pound of body weight per day divided into three doses. So I weigh 250 lbs, that's 250ml per day or about 83ml per dose. It tastes horrible! I had to start mixing it with Mt Dew and Tequila to cover the taste. You increase the amount for a respiratory infection or with a severe infection. I used it for oral infections on myself and infected lacerations from dog fights on my dog. We tried fostering a pitt and they kept scrapping. For my dog I give her 30ml mixed in with some vienna sausages or potted meat product. She is 11 now so I also use this method to feed her the damn glucosimne tabs so she doesn't limp.

Please inform your wife of what you are doing if you chose to follow this advice or it could lead to a misunderstanding should she walk in on you smearing lubricant on your cat's ass.