Feral with matted neck fur + earmites

Hi everyone,

I found a (very friendly!) stray cat in the neighborhood today, a longhaired tuxedo cat. S/he is eartipped. (She looks like a girl to me, henceforth referred to as "she." ) She has a bad case of earmites and her fur around her neck is really matted. (The body is fine.) I gave her some treats and was able to cut some of the mats off of the top of her neck, but the underside still looks painfully matted, and there is just no way I am going to be able to do that.

Given the time of year and the fact that it does get cold around here in the winter, would it be advisable for me to take her to the vet to get her neck shaved? (And an earmite treatment while we're at it.) She will hate my guts but I am confident I can pick her up and put her in a carrier. I just don't know much about hair growth rates and don't want her to get cold, as it does get cold in the winter here.  (I'm in the US - mid-Atlantic - not Minnesota, but not Florida either). If she is still around, I would still be happy to take her in the spring. Or should I leave well enough alone, since she will probably get all matted again when her hair grows back?

Your expert thoughts are appreciated! 

Mats can be painful, as they can pull and tear the skin. Plus, that can get infected. I would take her and talk to the vet about cutting the mats, rather than shaving.

If she's ear tipped, she was in someone's colony. Can you put posters up or otherwise spread the word and maybe find out why she's left her original home?

Thank you for helping her. Is she friendly enough to be an inside pet? Maybe the vet can help you find her a home.

Thanks for your response. I know the mats can be painful, I felt so bad for her when I saw them.   I just didn't know if the benefit of getting rid of them could outweigh the burden of her losing insulation when fall/winter comes. 

Yes, she could be adoptable. (Why oh why did you make me have to say that out loud?  ) We always say hello to cats on our walks with the baby. This cat was close, so I bent down to say hello, and she came right up to me and rubbed herself all over my legs. My own two don't even greet me like that. She got a little pissy at me when I was cutting out some of the mats, (swats, one bite/hiss - glad I wore gloves!) but who can blame her?

It's hard for me to take this on right now (with aforementioned baby), but I will see what I can do. Thanks for your guidance. I'll take her to the vet (shhh don't tell my husband ) and put an ad on Craigslist. I so miss fostering!

Since she is so friendly, have the vet check for a microchip.  Maybe she is someone's missing pet?  If not I hope she can find a loving home. 

Thank you for caring and seeing that she is well taken care of!

I got myself a kitty! 

Well, not really. But I did get her into a carrier. I haven't seen her on my property, so I couldn't set up a trap. I wrestled her into a carrier, (boy was she unhappy!) and I've put her in a more spacious (but still small) cage in my basement. I'll take her to the vet tomorrow and see what they have to say. I hope she doesn't hate me/humans for doing this to her.

I gave her a whole can of wet food to herself, and she is in the quietest room in the house. Thanks for giving me the chutzpah to do something to help her.

gussy14 said:

 
I got myself a kitty! 

Well, not really. But I did get her into a carrier. I haven't seen her on my property, so I couldn't set up a trap. I wrestled her into a carrier, (boy was she unhappy!) and I've put her in a more spacious (but still small) cage in my basement. I'll take her to the vet tomorrow and see what they have to say. I hope she doesn't hate me/humans for doing this to her.

I gave her a whole can of wet food to herself, and she is in the quietest room in the house. Thanks for giving me the chutzpah to do something to help her.

Click to expand...

So here I send you next portion of the chutzpah, the wish to adopt her for real, or at least, to find her a new home at some of your friends or associates.

That would be a really good deed, a real Mitzvah.

Its apparent such is proper to do here.

S/he is sweet, but my house is quite full with two cats of my own and an 8-month-old baby. I will keep y'all posted, I do hope she has a microchip!

Took her to the local vet to get checked out - they were able to comb all the mats out of her fur and she looks like a new cat. They still weren't able to determine sex - too much fur. 

No microchip.

But ... the ear issues may be ringworm. Y'all .,.. I love cats, but I really and truly cannot take this on. It would be so much work, at my own expense, and I just can't risk passing ringworm to my baby.

Our local animal control officer for the city is very friendly towards cats, but it's more unofficial because the county does not have a TNR program. (I TNRed a neighborhood cat at my own expense a couple years ago.)

I want to do right by this cat ... I don't want to risk her getting euthanized by sending her to animal control (I don't know what the chances are either way), but I don't want to send her back out if the ringworm will cause suffering. What do you think?

Don't put her back out just yet.  Ringworm is not the horror most people fear.  It's a fungus - we bring it in every day on our shoes.  The problems start when the immune system is weakened or compromised and can't fight it off.  This kitty was going through a lot of stress, so she's fighting a lot more than ringworm.

So here are your choices.  Any of them is OK.  You can only do what you can do, so waste no time feeling guilty.

A)  isolate her and treat her.  If the vet did not offer a dip, ask about it.  Otherwise, there is an ointment you can use (if it isn't too bad, the ointment will be fine).  Boost her immune system by giving her some L-lysine in the yummiest, fattest wet food she'll eat.  (It comes in capsules and you can open one and sprinkle a bit on the food and mix it in).  Keep her away from your critters and wash your hands after petting her.  You might also want to have a different set of clothes for when you are with her and cover your shoes or wear socks that you can remove when you go in and out.  These are simple precautions that will help stop the spread of the fungus.  I would also vacuum thoroughly and often.

B) Try to find another home for her.  Ask the vet if you can post a flyer and talk to the local shelter.  Post her on Facebook or whatever other social media you use.  Caution about craig's list - thoroughly check out any potential adopters - even do a home visit if you can.

C) Surrender her to Animal Control.  Yes, the chances of her being euthanized are pretty high.  But if that is the only option, that is the only option.  Perhaps you can talk to AC or the shelter about a compromise?  You will care for her if they'll find her a home?

What ever you decide, good luck and keep us posted!

Thanks for the response. My city and county animal controls are out - city can't take her because of suspected ringworm, county is too high a risk of euthanasia for my liking.

I have discovered a couple of neighbors who like cats. One has a large crate that I could keep her in. Ugh how do these critters find me?? ;-)

I will probably take her to the vet in the next couple of days for a more thorough checkup and see what they have to say. If it is not ringworm, I am happy to foster her. I am also getting in touch with no-kill rescues in the area. I have some lysine powder and she didn't eat yet, but I will maybe go get some fancy feast or something extra stinky. I'm at work, hopefully she will have eaten by the time I get home.

I get itchy whenever I think about this cat. ;-)

Taking the cat to the vet tomorrow.

Since this is out of my own pocket, I'm looking to spend my $$ in an intelligent way. For example, the local cat lady suggested that I test for FeLV and FIV ... I'd test and get the results of FeLV before spending money on vaccines, as she told me that the most humane option for an FeLV+ cat is euthanasia. Or maybe I can try topical ringworm meds without actually testing for ringworm since that's pricey. Does anyone have any tips?

She hasn't been eating well, but the local cat lady gave me some dry food and she seemed to enjoy that. I mixed good-quality cat food and canned tuna, and she prefers Friskies kibbles? Really? 

She hated me for the first 24 hours but is now warming up again. I got a hint of growliness while eating, but got a hint of a purr while petting. 

Testing for FELV and FIV is a good idea. Test runs about $50 +/-

If you have a black light, see if the "ringworm" floresces. If so, it is probably ringworm. I really wouldn't mess with it tho. It can get ahead of you so quickly, it might be better to test and get the treatment started if needed.

Talk to the vet today about helping find a home, if she tests negative. They have resources and are often willing to help. I've had two fosters adopted by vet techs!

Took her (yes a her!) to the vet yesterday. She is about 4 years old.

She is FeLV and FIV negative.