"Injured One"
This poor cat suffered from some sort of severe skin irritation. We can't be sure if her condition was some sort of severe dermatitis from an allergic reaction to something or if it was a type of autoimmune disease. Originally we thought she had been attacked by an animal, car, or human. One entire side, and only one side, looked like she had been shot at by a pellet gun. However, we've tracked her and tried to trap her for almost a year since that first sighting, and the condition only worsened during that time. So, we knew something else was wrong. We knew it was unlikely to be contagious too, as no disease matches this skin condition (we did do a photo consult at one point to get a second opinion), and all of the other cats are healthy. She always had seeping, open wounds all over, and always moved as if in extreme pain. Somehow she made it through a pregnancy in late summer this year, and we're not really sure how. A little over a week ago she finally started coming to our yard for food and hanging out there (after never being in the yard previously) and she would desperately eat. So we were finally able to trap her. Seeing her up close for the first time was even more heart-breaking. The picture above was of the "good" side, and the other side was like something out of a horror movie. When we got her to the vet, we immediately asked their professional opinion to see if it matched with what we thought should be done. It was almost instant: she should be put down. There would be no way to treat her for whatever condition she may have, and it would be cruel to release her to continue to live in this state.
Finally, we'd like to emphasis that no other cats in the colony display signs of this affliction or any other chronic disease (at most, they occasionally pass around a mild head cold).
