We found a stray cat last week. It was obviously starving. Very skinny and covered in fleas. We've been feeding it in our basement, and keeping it down there. You can tell that it had a previous owner, because it is really friendly toward humans and knows how to use the litter box. We have other cats, so we don't want our other cats around this cat because for one, they don't get along, and two, the cat may have some disease and pass it onto them.

The stray cats hair is falling out around the neck and in other random spots, but mostly around its neck. It also has some scabbing in some of those areas. I was thinking that perhaps its hair is falling out because it was starved for food. And the scabbing may have come from fleas. I can't afford to take it to a vet, and I don't want to take it to the Humane Society because I know that they will just end up putting it to sleep because no one would be willing to adopt it due to how it looks. I just can't do that to the poor thing. I at least wanted to get it healthy before I took it anywhere so it would have a chance at life. So, what i want to know is, does the hair falling out and the scabbing sound like any symptoms of any disease, or could it because it was starved and had fleas? I am hoping I can fix it on my own and get it more healthy by feeding it and giving it a bath.