Hairloss and Drooling

Leo (short for Leodore), one of the stray cats that hangs around our apartment complex, drools a lot and his hair seems to be falling out from his forelegs back. When I say he drools, I mean people have commented that he may be rabid. I know he's not, but it's pretty disgusting to see strings of spit hanging off his face. Also, his fur is greasy to the touch.
I feel sorry for him, but I also know that some cats just drool. Another of the strays, Reese(who may be related to Leodore), drools a little bit when you pet her, and my uncle/cousin/whatever he is has a cat that does the same thing. You pet them, they purr, and little, clear drops drip from their mouths. Leo, however, drools whether you pet him or not. It's kind of sad.
What could be wrong with him?
Should I get him looked at?

Also, my dad has a black cat that has a distended abdomen -he looks like he's pregnant(the cat, not my dad). Whenever you touch its sagging belly, the poor cat mews. It obviously hurts. I've told dad twice to take that cat to the vet, but dad doesn't share the love our knowledge of felines that I do. Should I take the cat to the vet myself?

-Ryan

I don't know about drooling - could be gum/tooth infections? The hairloss could be flea allergy, ringworm (localized) or some other skin irritation. My ex-stray Ferdy has baldish batches on his haunches but the vet can't find anything wrong. Says it might be boredom. But that won't be the case with your living-rough stray.

Get your Dads cat checked out. It could be worms or something worse. If the cat is in pain then your Dad should be made to take the cat in. If he doesn't then you should do it for him.

Good luck

If the cat has a distended stomache it probably has FIP or worms at the least, but I am guesssing FIP. which is deadly and painfull for the cat. This cat should be taken immediatly to the vet. Tested and taken care or properly.
Denise

If the cat is a stray then the hairloss is probably be due to malnutrition or even from fights. As for the drooling, is the cat missing any teeth? I've seen cats with front teeth missing and they tend to drool quite a bit. I've seen a lot of bizarre health problems in domestic animals from strokes to diabetes it's also possible that the cat is mentally retarded which I've also seen. As for your dad's cat, the others are right it could be worms or FIP but it could also just be an abscess which is painful to the touch but not usually fatal. Does the cat have any other symptoms that indicate illness? If it's worms or some kind of parasite the animal should show other symptoms and if not then it's probably just an abscess(a pocket of puss)which is really nasty but easily drained by a vet.

I don't know if my dad's cat is showing any other signs of illness or not. It seems to be alright except for the painful distension. It jumps it purs, it loves to be petted. It goes to the bathroom and eats normally.
As for Leo, I actually haven't seen him around. We put food out for the strays, and I noticed Leodore wasn't eating. I fear the worst. he used to sit endlessy on our porch looking sad.
Leo will, however, be remembered forever. He is a main character in my story "The Parking Lot Cats," which is being posted as a serial in Paws and Reflect." He is Meldaiguman, the feline prophet.
-Ryan

I don't know if my dad's cat is showing any other signs of illness or not. It seems to be alright except for the painful distension. It jumps it purs, it loves to be petted. It goes to the bathroom and eats normally.
As for Leo, I actually haven't seen him around. We put food out for the strays, and I noticed recently that Leodore wasn't eating. I fear the worst. He used to sit endlessy on our porch looking sad, but he's been absent of late.
Leo will, however, be remembered forever. He is a main character in my story "The Parking Lot Cats," which is being posted as a serial in Paws and Reflect. He is Meldaiguman, the feline prophet.
-Ryan

Leo probably has a tooth/gum infection. Meggie has the same problem. She can't eat solid food, and she drools a lot. About the only thing she'll eat is trout, or dry food soaked in broth to form a mush.

Well, all he was getting from us was dry food. Maybe that's why he stopped eating what we put out! He couldn't chew it.
I wish I'd done something sooner.
-Ryan