Need help/opinions... ASAP!

Hello.
My three year old cat has a strange wound on the side of her mouth. It isn't IN her mouth, its around the left side of her muzzle. From whiskers, to her chin. It started out as a sore, which she's prone to. They look like feline acne originally, and she's gotten them since she was a few months, so I've never been worried about them before.
This one, however... has progressed a lot. I'm not sure if she scratched at it, or what, but it started getting worse and worse and now she just looks aweful. It doesnt effect her eating, or her tending to her kitten (she had a litter a month ago, 6 stillborn, only one survived). She doesnt seem bothered by it, other than I RARELY see her scratching at it. I had been putting neosporin on it to keep it from getting infected, but I dont think its helping.
My problem is... she is feral. Very feral. I rescued her from a barn in Arizona where she'd been abandoned. She has never been a nice cat. She has a terrible temperment. The first time I tried taking her to a vet (for shots and spay) the vet actually TURNED us away, saying he didnt treat feral animals. She was THAT bad, apparently. I havent tried taking her to a vet again since. She attacks me if I even try to get her near a crate or my car.
I want to help her very badly. I just dont know what to do.

Here is a link to a picture I took of her face... its a little gross, I apologize.
http://i43.tinypic.com/axo4dy.jpg

What should I do? I called a vet in town once and asked if they could give me a small sedative to give her beforehand, so I could GET her there, and they refused. I dont know how to get her there or whats wrong with her....
Ideas, opinions, advice... anything would be appreciated.

It could possibly be eosinophilic ulcer or the acne got badly infected. If you can get close enough to put ointment, she's not truly feral - just scared of strangers and hard to handle. She must go to the vet, it's the only course of action.

Welcome to TCS!

There are some vets out there that are not tolerant of feral cats. However, I do advise you call around to any other vets you can think of to find out if they would treat her or not. I had one kitty that had feline acne that got infected, and it looked similar to that. Her whole chin was swelling up.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Welcome to TCS!

There are some vets out there that are not tolerant of feral cats. However, I do advise you call around to any other vets you can think of to find out if they would treat her or not. I had one kitty that had feline acne that got infected, and it looked similar to that. Her whole chin was swelling up.

Click to expand...

to the above

I would call around to local Vets. I would be careful not to describe her as "feral" - I would simply say she's an outdoor cat that came around, she's a little skittish but you've obviously been able to get close enough to apply ointment and you did bring her into a vet clinic in the past but she was just so scared, they wouldn't treat her. Don't mention the word feral.

Also, do you have any feline rescue organizations in your area? These kinds of organizations, due to the work they do, have connections with Vets who provide care to ferals (trap/neuter/release, etc) so maybe they could put you in touch with a Vet who could help. A kitty like this might benefit from the antibiotic shot Convenia, intended for soft tissue infections in cats...........one shot (given by Vet) last 14 days....for it sounds like it would be extremely difficult to give daily oral meds to such a scared kitty and I suspect kitty needs more in the way of antibiotics than just a topical ointment.

Bless you for trying to help.

Oh boy, she needs to get to a vet now... All I can do is offer you vibes... My vet does have a "gas cube" that they just put the crate in and put kitties like that under before even touching them. Good luck! PS: Have you contacted SPCA? I would imagine their hospitals have that. :vi bes::vibes :

Yep, that doesn't look pretty. If she's difficult to medicate, you can ask your veterinarian about a "Convenia" injection. It's a cephalosporin antibiotic, which is best for skin conditions, and it slow releases over two weeks, so no daily meds, just one poke, and that's it.

As for having problems getting her to the vet, maybe you can call around and find a vet who can do a house call?

Good luck!

Okie

Thank you guys very much for the help and info.
I pulled out a phonebook and went down the list, being careful not to flat out say I have a feral cat. I found a vet across town who asked if she was feral, and when I explained that she's been with us for 3 years, and is OKAY with me and my two roomies, she said that the cat is probably not feral, just extremely scared of strangers. Which seems very correct in this case. They're willing to see her, and attempt to treat her, plus sedation if necesarry.

Appointment tomorrow for her and the baby.
Thanks again, everyone!

Glad you got someone willing to see her! I was going to recommend trying a mobile vet if all else failed. I wish we had more of them around here. Good luck

YAY! Good luck at the vet!