Icky gross scabbing on cat's head, tail, and back?!?

mikeb23ft

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One of our three cats, Oscar, who is an outside kitty, has always been in rather poor condition. He is a really sweet guy who was rescued from a dumpster a few years ago. He lives outside and keeps to himself most of the time. He has been diagnosed with FIV and has also had some dental problems...he's had a bunch of teeth pulled and some tumors cut out of his mouth. He has also been fixed. This is what he looks like now:


Starting a few months ago he has slowly developed really odd and scary looking scabs/scars on his skin. It reminds me of what someones knee would look like if they fell off of a bicycle and scraped it. The hair is gone from half of his face and his condition seems to keep getting worse inexplicably. I bathed him (which was extremely difficult, he scratched me pretty good a few times) and tried to treat him with Bactine, but after this process he ran away for 4 or 5 days. It didn't seem to help any.

Does anybody have any idea what's going on with him? He doesn't seem to be in any pain- he is still active, he runs around and plays, etc. I'm sure it can't be comfortable for him though. We can't afford to go to the Vet.
 

sharky

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He likely is in pain , cats are masters at hiding pain...

Call the local HS and see if they know of a low cost vet ... I would call every vet in the phone book and decribe the situation...
 

the_food_lady

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Poor kitty. Bless your heart for rescuing and helping him !!!!


It's so hard to say what this could be but whatever it is, it seems to be fairly extensive and getting worse. I'd forego the Bactine because maybe something in it was 'stinging' as a result and that's why he took off for a few days. If you're going to use anything, I'd use something like Neosporin (fairly cheap to buy at any pharmacy or walmart, etc).

Do you have a Humane Society or SPCA or some kind of animal rescue in your area? This kitty really and truly needs to be properly assessed by a Vet, there is no other way around it. If money is tight, perhaps you could explain to these sorts of places that you helped to rescue this cat, he's not really yours, he's an outside cat that you try to feed and help out.......you're financially unable to afford a Vet visit; can they refer you to a Vet they deal with who could help? - maybe a Vet who works with them, kind of thing. If this fails, call around to local Vet clinics in your area.....explain the above situation.......ask what it would cost to have the cat seen, could you work out some kind of payment plan; it's truly not even your cat really, just a neighborhood cat that you've been trying to help out, you've already got your own cats.

Failing that, there is something called Care Credit that many on here use when money is tight. I have never had to use it so I can't tell you exactly how it works but from what I understand, you arrange it with the Vet, Care Credit pays the Vet bill and then there are various payment plans to Care Credit, to pay it back....you choice the plan. I think, for instance, if you pay it back over 3 months there is no interest charge. You have to apply for it, though. Many have said great things about it:

http://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/

Could be a severe flea infestation that's resulted in severe flea bite dermatitis that's then become infected.......could be puncture wounds that became infected (fight with another cat), could be maybe some kind of mite or fungal infection.........so many things but I bet you a Vet would be able to tell you very quickly what it is and prescribe something good to treat, otherwise it will just get worse........and cats are notorious for hiding their pain.......plus if he's an outside cat and "wounded" like this, it sort of makes him a greater risk for being a target by other cats, which is bad because he's FIV+ and puts them at risk if gets into major fights.

Also, in some areas of the U.S., they have sanctuaries and rescues for cats that are FIV and FeLV+. Maybe you could Google one and see if they have any financial resources to help you. Sure would be good if this FIV+ kitty wasn't out and about. Maybe one would be willing to take him?

Lastly, if he needs antibiotics (assuming you can see a Vet) and is difficult to pill, there is a good injectable antibiotic called Convenia that is intended for soft tissue infections in cats......it's a one-time shot the Vet gives and it lasts for 14 days. Something you coulld ask the Vet about.

If you suspect this is caused by fleas, DO NOT use any "over the counter" / store-bought anti-flea meds/powders/sprays/baths. They are dangerous and toxic and many contain horrible chemicals that have been known to cause seizures, neurological symptoms and death in cats. Why they're still on store shelves (eg: anything by Hartz), no idea. Plus using something that's not Vet-prescribed could be very painful to these wounds.
 
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mikeb23ft

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Thanks for the help so far!

There is an SPCA branch about 15 miles from here. I'll call them tomorrow. One hesitation that I have is that they might want to put him down since he is FIV+. He is a nice little guy and has alot of life left to give (though I have no idea how old he is) and I don'[t think he should be put down at this point. I'll just start calling vets and asking for help. The poor fella needs it! I'm willing to use that credit line (or just my credit card) if I have to...I've decided I can't keep letting him go like this.

If there was a place around here that took in FIV cats that would be ideal. I like having Oscar around but he doesn't seem to get along too well with our other kitties (who grew up together) and it would be good if I knew he were somewhere that he could receive proper care.

We don't use prescription flea medications on our animals. We have the dog shaved and our other two cats do not get fleas to the point that I feel it necessary to coat them with weird chemicals, even during flea season. We brush them which seems to help.
 

the_food_lady

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I can understand your concern about telling organizations that he's FIV+. Well in that case, maybe instead of telling them that he's just a stray outside cat, maybe it would be better to make it clear that he's YOUR cat; an outside cat who doesn't really get along with other cats who you've been looking after for many years. I would think that if someone claims a cat as theirs, no organization can come along and put that FIV+ cat down - it's your cat, you know? Hopefully someone else can comment in this regard.

I did a search on google, trying to find a Feline FIV sanctuary in your area (columbia, sc) but couldn't really find one.......however; I did find a feline rescue that's in greenville, nc (not that far from you, right?) and they deal strictly with FIV and FeLV+ cats; helping to find new homes and foster homes for them. Seems like a really great group. Here's a page from the website that shows their many FIV+ cats available for adoption. perhaps you could contact them (not sure if they're currently accepting new cats now or not, but do ask) and explain your situation and see if they might be able to find a home or foster home for your kitty:

http://www.marleyfund.com/MarleyKitties2.aspx

Go to the "contact us" link on the page to contact them. It's an inspiring website, this group of cat lovers who cares so much about these kitties.

Might be good though if you could get kitty's current health issues somewhat sorted out as soon as possible.......I imagine it might be more difficult to get help from such an organization if they have to start right off the bet paying for Vet care (they're usually tight on funds and operate solely on much-needed donations).

Even if he doesn't do so well with other cats, perhaps someone out there who's got a heart for FIV+ cats (say they previously had one) and would be willing to adopt a new one, as an only-cat. You never do know. I used to have a diabetic cat and I belonged to a feline diabetes forum........and many of the members had diabetic cats for years and once these kitties passed on (not always related to diabetes, most often is was just due to old age, kidney failure, etc), they still had the heart for diabetic cats because they knew how difficult it was for people to want to commit themselves to caring for one, or how unadoptable they were generally deemed (sadly)...so they would open their hearts specifically to a new diabetic cat.
 

pyeznach

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My cat has the exact same condition and he too is FIV+ He was a stray that we turned into a house cat (not easily).  The vet diagnosed him with linear granuloma. Someone who replied on a different thread wiith the same problem n mentioned ~~eosinophilic granuloma complex (EGC) which is the same type of thing. By the way if you google it, the pictures will look far worse than what your cat has. This can happen in any cat however I seem to think that FIV+ cats are more prone to it. By the way, an FIV cat can live a good life (although shortened). One of my vets is amazed to see how healthy my cat is (aside from this granuloma thing) so he thinks my cat may be more of a carrier for FIV without the symptoms. My vet said it is called linear because the cuts are usually formed in a line. I have seen both cuts in a line and in round patches on my cat. Usually they are around his neck and at first I took off his collar because I thought that was the problem. The vet did mention that the condition does go away and come back several weeks later. I don't know if I agree with how he explained it but he said that the cat's body is being tricked and it thinks that a parasite is trying to get into the body so all of the cells (antibodies or whatever is in their body that would help - I don't remember what exactly) rush to the spot on the skin to try to push the parasite out and keep it from coming in (even though there is no parasite). That is how the cuts/scabs are formed. Sometimes he also gets a bald spot on the skin around the neck with no cut there at all. If I look closely I can sometimes see tiny black dots there. The vet gave us prednisone (a steroid) and said he should get half a pill twice a day. When the cuts go away, he can have half a pill once a day, then half a pill every other day and then finally no pills. He also gave us a cream to put on the cuts called Mometasone Furoate, USP Ointment 0.1%. The cream and the prednisone worked well but after he came off the prednisone the cuts came back several weeks later. The vet said it is really tricky to treat and might be ongoing. We put him back on the prednisone twice daily because he got a really big round cut/scab in the middle of his back. We also put the cream on it but he tried to lick it off so we can't use it or have to put a cone on his neck. It doesn't seem to be getting better so we will have to take him back to the vet. I also noticed my cat has been eating less the past few days. I know this condition can also cause ulcers in the mouth so I'm going to try to get a good look in his mouth tonight to look for ulcers and to see if that is why he is eating less. FYI... an easy way to give a cat a pill: 1. Sit behind the cat and trap him between your legs. 2. Hold his head up and pry his mouth open by sticking your thumb and pointer fingers by where his big front teeth are. 3. Drop the pill down and hold the mouth closed. 4. Use a syringe filled with water and stick the tip of the syringe under the side of his lips. Slowly push the water into his mouth so he is forced to begin swallowing. Do it slowly so he doesn't choke. Doing it from the side of the mouth makes it more comfortable for him rather than shoving it down the front. It works every time! Good luck!
 
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