Currently I have four and a half cats. The integral ones were all strays; two (Blanc and Tiny) from a litter of kittens found abandoned on a street, another (Sally) was a local middle-aged stray, probably abandoned and somewhat emotionally damaged but very slowly recovering to near normal cat-nature. Then more recently (2016) there's Ceecee. She's doing fine now, though like Sally she seems unable to learn to operate a cat flap. The fractional one is Storm.

This is a story of how I still have 4.5 cats.

I'd again been futilely trying to teach the cat-dunces to use the cat flap. By propping it open, and putting their feed bowls inside in the workshop, near the cat flap. They don't have any problem walking through the cat flap opening if it's open, so I though maybe habit would get them to try pushing the cat flap when it's closed.

Yes, there is a problem with just leaving it open. Flies and possums think they are invited too. The possums are worst.

While I'm sitting in my lab I can see the cat bowls. On the evening of 21st Dec a new cat came in to eat the food. One I hadn't seen before, so probably not a neighbor's cat just being greedy. I let it eat. Didn't pay too much attention till I noticed something odd at it's neck. But in the poor light (vestibule light wasn't on) and distance I couldn't see what it was. Just a darker area.

The next night (22nd) it came back, and I got a better look at its neck though it obviously wasn't going to let me get close enough to see well. But still... arrgh! It has all the skin from the back of it's skull to shoulderline and half way round neck on both sides, ripped entirely off! Ohhhh! poor cat.

It was obvious she will die from this, if not treated. Even if I can get her to the vet, is it possible to save her? What are they going to do for skin? Perhaps the remaining skin can stretch to cover the wound?

In a probably entirely unrelated detail, the previous day when the cat first showed up, was just a day or two since a guy living a few houses away, who keeps greyhounds, had apparently gone away somewhere, taking his dogs. Car's gone, and silence from the kennels in his back yard, that normally have dog yipping and barking all day and sometimes at night. Anyway...

The cat won't let me come near at all. Runs back outside if I come nearer than about 4m.

On the 23rd I didn't see it. Maybe dead?

But it turned up again on the evening of the 24th, eating at my cats' bowls. This time I went outside via the machine shed door, closing an adjoining door between work areas, so there was only the cat flap as exit. I went to the cat flap outside, looked in - she (gender guess) was about to come out, but was afraid to while I was there.

Feeling sorry for the need to scare her, I blocked the cat flap exit, then went back inside. She freaked out, and tried every possible exit. Could have probably clawed through the bathroom window flyscreen if she'd tried hard. I kept away to let her calm down. Moved my old, delicate wire tower away out of the vestibule after she nearly broke it. I was crossing fingers she didn't try leaping up to the open kitchen cupboards with lab glassware, but accepting that risk. Fortunately she didn't. Once she was out of the bathroom I went in and closed that window, so now no escape. Her neck looks hideous, though I still can't get very close. Don't try, don't want to upset her more than absolutely unavoidable.

She holed up in the back of a kitchen bench cupboard. I left her in there, set up food, water and toilet tray in the kitchen, decided to keep the glass door closed so she can't get upstairs and into that junkpile, eave spaces, etc.
Later in the evening she came out once, tried the windows again, then went back into hiding.
Next morning (25th) she's still hiding. No poop in the tray, but I think she ate some food.

I went to Christmas at mum's. The 25th, of course.

After returning in the afternoon I spent some time in the kitchen, doing minor chores, speaking softly, and whistling tunes a bit. Curiously, I find cats really like human whistling. Almost all get really purry and affectionate when I do it.

After a while I started moving the pile of stuff away from the cupboards. Found she'd peed in a fold of a big plastic bag wrapping an old (museum grade relic) PC. 'Found', as in it poured out of the bag onto my bare leg and sock when I lifted the PC. Sigh. Short break to clean up and change socks and shoes. Anyway, good, she's still peeing (and no damage to the PC.)

After clearing, I could see her - she's alive, sitting in a small space at the back. Not hissing at me, unlike last night when I'd just trapped her inside. I left her alone, but moved stuff out of the adjacent cupboard area so there's an open space there, close to her spot. Put down newspapers, put in cat bowls with biscuits, water, and a bowl of milk and egg. Put back covers over most of the cupboard openings so her spot feels secure for her.

Question is, which comes first - she dies, or gets accepting enough of me to let me get her into a carry cage and to the vet?

Around 8PM that evening I took some photos, of her in the cupboard, etc.

Next morning (26th) there was poop in the tray (good) but no attempt to cover it. That's a bad sign, cats have to be pretty far gone to not bother with that. Most of the milk+egg was gone, but not much else.

Someone I know (nickname Drac) is a vetinary assistant. I phoned her, told her the story. She's in Goulburn for a while, so can't help.
Phoned the local vet, not expecting them to be open. But they are!
So I figured I had to make an attempt to get the cat there today.

Started by gradually clearing more boxes out of the cupboard, with breaks, talking and whistling for her. She doesn't seem to be upset by the activity. When I got to where I could reach her, only her back was visible. I got a long thin twig and tried gently stroking along her back. Still no cat-panic. Little reaction at all, so she's either unconcerned, or at death's door.

A bit more clearing, and I could reach her with my hand. Stroked her back. She's still OK with the contact. After a while she turned around so facing me. I put my hand near her nose. She sniffed, seems to think this is acceptable. I tried very carefully scratching her forehead. Still OK. Spend quite a while doing that and talking to her. In this position I can see some of her neck wound, which is pretty horrible. Her breathing is abnormally rapid. Not a well cat at all.

Some more junk gets pulled out. One thing is a glass baking bowl. She's been lying against it sometime, and there's a chunk of bloody dried flesh stuck to it.

She's up on top of two boxes, close to the cupboard top, so I still can't attempt to lift her out. So, slowly I pulled out one of the boxes, making the back of the cupboard free space. She got a little concerned, but settled down on the other box. After the box was gone, fortunately she switched to the empty space. Now I can see there's a lot wrong with the way she moves too. Can't indentify a specific problem.

Spend some more time talking to her and stroking her head and back (staying well away from the neck area.)
She seems to be accepting this. At one point during this I get a wave of sadness at the f*cked up state of things, both in my life and the bad luck this cat has had, and cry uncontrolably for a while.

Did you know that cats can sense human moods? My other cats often come and cuddle when they know I'm feeling down. What this one thinks about it, I've no idea. Probably more focussed on her own problems, like being horribly wounded and near to death. But, it did seem like she (he?, I still don't know) became more calm about my efforts to help.

I'm still not game to try actually picking her up with bare hands, so put on welding leather gloves, and spend some more time getting her used to those. More petting.

Finally, with the cat cage open on the floor, I reach in with both hands and pick her up. She was OK with this too, but didn't like the look of the cage. She let me lower her in, with a little protest and one paw holding onto the lip. This was the first time I got a really good look at her neck, and it's awful. Also, once I coax her paw off the cage top and get the lid closed, I can see she's not sitting right. This cat has lots of problems, but I don't know what they are — apart from a horrific, days-old neck wound. Sigh. I'm normally exceptionally poor due to complicated circumstances, almost zero income in fact. I did receive some money for Christmas but can see a high chance most or all of it going to fixing up this cat, if possible. And I have 4 cats already; if this one survives it will be 5. Sigh.

I took a couple of photos of the cat in the cage, showing the wound. Not very good pics.

Then I take her out to the car. She meows a bit when I start carrying the cage, but settles down. Same with starting the car. The Vet is about 4 minutes drive away, even going very slowly. Fortunately the cat doesn't seem upset by the drive. For once there's an open parking spot right in front of their door, good. No other customers. Certainly couldn't be a better day for this.

The receptionist takes the cat in cage out to the back, and returns with the cage. Says they'll evaluate and phone me soon. I drive home. I have a fair idea what will happen.

At home, I realise I forgot to say please don't put her down without letting me be there. Phone them, explain that, and that I can pay for stuff if needed. The girl goes to tell the vet. Phones back in a few minutes, "so sorry, the vet already did put her down. She'll call you soon to explain.

Which she does, about 15 minutes later.

Her prognosis was, apart from the neck wound that was already marginal, there were other problems. Multiple lumps in abdomen, large one on a kidney. Anemic, and in general symptoms of (I forget the proper name, but she called it 'cat AIDS'.) Asked if there'd been any possibility of blood contact with my other cats - no. She thinks this cat (which is actually a he) has been getting weaker for a while, and that led to getting caught by a dog. Very unlikely to have been a greyhound, as in that case there'd be nothing left but small pieces. Not chipped, and if he had been, the chip would still be there as they are put further down in the shoulder area, below the ripped-off skin.
From age and condition, she thinks this cat is probably a 'dumped cat' and hasn't been stray for very long.

Yeah, I already knew a lot of people are heartless bastards. Learned that a long time ago, and wish life would stop underlining the point.

She'd used an anesthetic gas mask, to knock the cat out without upsetting him, then the injection. I said I'd come get the body and bury him, but she suggested better to cremate. Which is free. Since the cat isn't 'home' here, I accepted. Also she says I don't owe them anything, which was very unexpected, and greatly appreciated.

So. That's over. I keep my Christmas gift money. But I feel very sad.

That's one creature that didn't have a very good Christmas.