Let me tell you a little bit about "The Freak"...

He adopted us last year on the Fourth of July. He is a butterscotch tabby and was approximately 4 or 5 months old. His tail was broken in several places, and the way he cringed at a hand waved over him, or bit when touched led us to believe he was mistreated and either moved out voluntarily, or was just thrown from a passing car.

When we got him he had an explosive sneeze, with blackened areas around his eyes and nose from dried up snot and "eye goobers" (don't know what to call them). Eventually his sneeze went away, but he always seemed to have some sort of nasal discharge leaving him with a black ring around his nostrils.

Lately, the last couple of weeks, he doesn't appear to be feeling very good. He hasn't started to sneeze, but his third eyelid has been a little bit visible and he feels a little warm when I touch his nose. Today his third eyelid is at "half mast", half covering his eyeball.

While he has still enthusiastically played with me every day since he started to feel bad, he doesn't appear to have as much uumph and energy. This is a cat who is probably approaching his first birthday, likely only 10 or 11 months old. He's been fixed and dewormed since we got him. I'm concerned and want to help him.

I know that the immediate question/response is "what has the vet said." I have to clarify (please don't villify me) that a condition of "cat ownership" that my husband insists on is that other than fixing the animals and the basics of shots, etc, he prefers to let "nature take its course". If an animal develops an illness we will make sure it is comfortable, and if/when it seems likely that the animal is in pain, we will put the animal painlessly to sleep. He does not believe in spending money on vets. While I might have a few differing opinions, a lot of my own feelings are in line with his and I do not argue about this with him.

SO, given that a vet is out of the question, are there any suggestions on what might be wrong with "The Freak" and any suggestions on how we might make him feel better? He's still very frisky, at the moment he is tussling with another foundling alley cat (our only felines are those that adopt us).

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