Dickens, continued
It turns out Dickens is truly a “he,” somewhere from 2-4 years old, neutered. The vet recommended sedating him in order to groom him, and shaving his belly because his fur was so tangled. I am sure he will feel much better afterward. Am going to visit him tonight, and hope to get some photos of him after he has been cleaned and groomed.
He has now had all his shots, and tested negative for feline leukemia. The vet said he had some scrapes and scabs, so I suspect he has been outside for at least a few weeks or months, but thankfully not long enough to have turned feral. I hope he will use the litter box normally. The fact that he was neutered and micro-chipped says that, at least at some point, he was someone’s pet.