Trapping question

Give him a few days on his tummy please. He's been wormed and on a new diet, so a few days for the transition are in order. He may even have diarrhea to get all of this out of his system.

In the meantime, please relax about his future since your hubby seems to be coming around already. Just chill out and give it time. Love him, enjoy him, and think about getting him into the house after he is neutered.

Ugh something just happened that has me worried!!  I went down to feed him breakfast and looked at his ear.  It was still scabby, but I see that he had obviously just scratched it a little - I could see a claw mark going down the scab.  I fed him his breakfast, went back upstairs to get the poop scooper and the jug of litter so I could clean out his box down there, and when I had returned, he had scratched the scab clean off and now we're back at square one with it - it's just a patch of bloody flesh, no skin or scabs.  Aaargh.   Here's some pics of him I just took (beware, there is a bloody pic below):



I am freaking out - how can I make him leave this spot alone??  Hopefully he won't get infected since the vet gave him an antibiotic shot on Thursday........ I might still have my girl's cone collar from when she was spayed last year - should I try and put it on him?   Cats universally seem to hate those cone collars lol.     Is it possible that since the vet didn't get to clean his ears out on Thursday before they gave him the Ivomec, that he still has some ear mites?  I still see him shaking his head a little bit, but not as bad as before.    Damn, I really wanna help this guy, but he's not helping himself by scratching his scab off like this..........I also wanted to know this - I would like to give him a capstar since I'm sure he has fleas, but I was hesitant to do so because I know the capstar makes them scratch themselves a lot.   Should I go ahead and give him one?  Maybe he is itchy from fleas?   I just dont know what to do now..........

I am thinking that the scab was getting tight and itchy. I wonder if putting olive oil on it as an emollient will help once it scabs over again.

I think the collar is necessary.

I doubt it will get infected since he's on antibiotics.

Poor guy!

What about a tube of Advantage on his neck instead of the pill?

Did you fix him up with a box today?

Ok thank you for replying!  I am so worried about his ear!!  I have olive oil, I will try that.   It's possible he might still have some ear mites, but I know that will be fully resolved by the vet on Monday.  We were hoping that the Ivermec would kill them all, but I read online that if the ear is full of wax and ear mite crap, that all the medicine won't get absorbed.  So I'll ask him to re-dose him again when he does the ear cleaning (if he wasn't planning to already).    I think that you're right - the scab is getting tight and itchy.   I can tell he is in pain after scratching the scab off, it is just so sad........

I did set him up with a bigger box and blanket, but I can't tell if he slept in it or not as he was already up and moving around before I went down to feed him.  

I don't have any topical flea meds - I have my cats on Program to prevent flea breeding.  Only thing I have on hand is Program and Capstar.  I can give him he Program but I know it won't help the fleas he already has on him.   I don't want to give him a product from the grocery store like Hartz.........and honestly, I'm a little scared to apply a topical flea med because I've never done it before!   I'm scared if I don't get it right on his skin, what if it gets on his fur and he licks some off?   Am I being neurotic and making this way harder than it should be??        I'm started to get attached to the little fella, and he really seems to be sweet and grateful for the help and the food...........I just want him to get better and leave his ears alone - but Rome wasn't built in a day, right?

I haven't been able to find the cone collar so far - if I can't find it in the next little bit, I'll go over to a vet clinic (not my vet, he's not open today) and I'm sure they will sell me an e-collar and a topical.   I've seen Frontline in the grocery store I think - is it the same kind that you can get at the vet?  Or do I need to go to an actual vet and pick one up from them?   

It's the same. You just open a furry spot on the back of the neck and apply it. It goes there because cats cannot reach themselves there! I'm sure capstar would be fine except that he doesn't need to be scratching right now.

My vet sells cones for $5.

Scratching that ear could be habit as well, or there could still be stuff inside his ear like you said. He gets the deep cleaning on Monday, right?

sarthur2 said:

It's the same. You just open a furry spot on the back of the neck and apply it. It goes there because cats cannot reach themselves there! I'm sure capstar would be fine except that he doesn't need to be scratching right now.

My vet sells cones for $5.

Scratching that ear could be habit as well, or there could still be stuff inside his ear like you said. He gets the deep cleaning on Monday, right?

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Yep, I was gonna give him the Capstar last night, but I decided not to because I didn't want him furiously scratching himself (I'm sure he has fleas from being outside).    And he scratched up his ear again anyway  argh!!   I'm thinking to myself "buddy why won't you help yourself and stop scratching??"

But yes - I am dropping him off at the vet Monday morning at 9am for the neutering and deep ear cleaning under sedation.   So hopefully that will really help him and fix the ear mites for good.   I just need to see him through the weekend here with as little scratching as possible.   Since he scratched the whole scab off, he probably won't scratch his ear again when it's all raw like this.   But I will get the topical and an e-collar today - there's a bunch of emergency vet clinics around here and I'm sure they'll sell me some.    Do you think it would be better for the vet to do the flea topical while under sedation?   Or is it something that I should do myself this weekend?

Poor guy - you can see from the pic that both his ears are floppy and will never stand up straight again.  How sad that something simple like ear mites has progressed this far........

It's really sad.

You might want to ask for pain meds after his surgery. I'm thinking his ears may be sore from the deep cleaning.

I do think his fur will grow back once his ear heals. This guy must have been so miserable his whole life .

And I think he's cute with floppy ears! We're just not used to that on cats .

Here's an update real quick:

I went to PetCo and got a cone collar, but I haven't been able to get it on him yet.........he had some diarrhea yesterday and he hissed at me.  I think it's just from the de-worming meds tho.   I can already tell they have helped some with his distended sides - they are still a little distended, but they have gone down noticeably.   So it's good to see some visual progress.  His ear is re-scabbing, and I can tell he has not scratched it.  Now I'm thinking he scratched it yesterday because the scab was getting dry and tight.   I will ask the vet about an ointment for it to alleviate the tightness and ask about just using olive oil.  It's not dry enough yet to use the olive oil today.   Maybe the vet can just put the cone collar on him for me right after the neutering tomorrow morning.   I'll make sure to get the take-home pain meds - as him sure both his balls and his ears will be a little sore!!   

I've fed him a couple times today already and no hissing - he seems to be feeling fine again - probably just had an upset tummy yesterday from the strongid & praziquantel.   I'll make an update after the vet tomorrow!  Only thing I'm worried about is getting him in a carrier in the morning - I'm thinking of placing the carrier down there right now, with a blanket inside it.   Hopefully, he will sleep in it of his own accord, so when I get up tomorrow, hopefully I will find him in it!  If not, I'll wake up early enough to get him in there, in case it's going to be a battle    I really don't want to have to transport him in the trap again (not sure if he would even go back inside it since he now that he knows what it does!!)

Ah, geez, good luck tomorrow!

I agree, vet can put the collar on him tomorrow. Poor guy - vet appointments, ear scabs, meds, and now neutering - what's a guy to do?

But it's all for his future good health, he just doesn't know that!

He will be fine. I agree about asking the vet about ear ointment versus oil. He needs something. Even with the e-collar it will itch as it heals and he'll need relief.

Can't wait for your update. Hope it all goes well.

Update:    

Could NOT get cat in carrier!!  I'd left the carrier down in the basement with a blanket inside it, hoping that the cat would choose to make the carrier his bed.  I put a trail of treats leading into the carrier and inside the carrier itself going all the way to the back, but the treats were uneaten and cat was not in the carrier when I woke up!  I tried using the laser pointer to lure him in.   I tried putting a little dab of wet food in the back of the carrier.   I tried manhandling the cat into the carrier    Nothing worked.   When I tried to shove him (gently) in there, he hissed at me.   Since our relationship is in the early stages, I do not want to make him scared of me and have him hiding down there all the time.   Looking back, I should have lessened his food yesterday then left some in the trap last night to re-trap him.    I even woke up 2 hours early and everything in order to give myself plenty of time to get him in the carrier - but nothing I did worked.   And honestly, I'm a little scared of him when he hisses at me.   He comes for pets and head bonks when I enter the basement, but I don't know how he will react or what he is capable of if he feels cornered and/or scared.   Gah, I'm so disappointed.....................

Next window of time to get him into the vet this week is Thursday morning.   I'll just have to see if I can hopefully get him into the e-collar tonight so he won't scratch the scab off again.  I asked the vet about the scratching and he agreed it could either be due to some rogue ear mites that were left or because the scab gets dry and itchy.  He said they would put the e-collar on him after the neutering for me.  I'll keep trying myself, but I had a question - is it OK to put some hydrocortisone or Neosporin ointment on the cat's scab to keep it from itching?  Are there ingredients that would be dangerous to the cat?   I have olive oil too, so I could also use that.   He might still have some ear mites, but I think the scratching now is mostly due to the scab itchiness, as I can tell he has not scratched his ear anymore from yesterday.  I asked the vet about putting some kind of ointment on the ear, and he said don't even worry about it, we'll just use the e-collar -  but what if I can't get the e-collar on him?  I've gotta do something to make the scab less itchy.   How do I apply the olive oil or the Neosporin to the cat?  Just dab some on the wound and spread it around with a q-tip?

Side note:  After the events this morning, I was thinking to myself of a great side business for vet techs!!  Someone should form a "home response" team who could make appointments to come to your house and get your uncooperative cat in the carrier for you!   What a great idea lol!    

I would saturate a cotton ball with oil and apply it to the scab to prevent itching. It looks like a fairly large area.

Can your husband help you get him into the carrier or trap on Wednesday night? Maybe if you begin feeding him inside the trap with the door open these next two days you can get him more easily. You could then set it on Wednesday, or at least have help with the manhandling!

Poor guy is scared to death!

At least it's not an emergency vet trip and the neutering is fairly easily rescheduled!

sarthur2 said:

I would saturate a cotton ball with oil and apply it to the scab to prevent itching. It looks like a fairly large area.

Can your husband help you get him into the carrier or trap on Wednesday night? Maybe if you begin feeding him inside the trap with the door open these next two days you can get him more easily. You could then set it on Wednesday, or at least have help with the manhandling!

Poor guy is scared to death!

At least it's not an emergency vet trip and the neutering is fairly easily rescheduled!

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Oh thank goodness, I was hoping you would see my post!  

Yes, hubby is here at nights and can help me with getting him re-trapped Wednesday night.  I thought I could handle getting him into the carrier on my own this morning, so he went off to work at his usual time....well I thought wrong lol!     

I'm sure poor kitty is just scared - and the last thing I want is to really traumatize him.  You just wish you could talk some sense into the cat, ya know?  Like this is for your own good buddy!

I will try that with the oil & cotton ball tonight - it is a pretty big area, and I'm sure the scab gets itchy as all get out!   It just looks so gruesome when he claws that scab off............ 

Hubby and I tried to tag team him with the e-collar the night before.  It was the first time we had both gone down there to see him together.   Before it's always been either me or him separately.  I think the cat could tell something was up with both of us down there.    He went and hid in the corner and he hissed at my husband when he started trying to get the collar around his neck.    He's always been affectionate to both of us prior to that.   And he was affectionate with me this morning - both before and after the carrier manhandling, but he hissed at me during the actual manhandling itself haha

He's just scared. He doesn't know what's up.

I've had cats that have lived with me for 15 years that fight going in the carrier!

Once he's neutered and healed with a clean bill of health he's heading upstairs, right?

Yep, I'm fine with him ascending from the basement once he's been neutered, vaccinated, and ears fully de-mited     I'm gonna set him up with his own section in our bedroom - our master bedroom has a sun-room type area, so I was gonna section that off and make it his own space in there.  

We've been calling him Basement Cat, so we need to come up with something better 

Yes, he needs a real name!

I love the idea of the sun room area. I'll bet he will too!

Well today was the big day!  I didn't even try to get him in the carrier this time - I just set the trap in the basement with some wet food inside it.   Now this guy seems very food-motivated, but he sat there for a good half hour before deciding screw it, I'm going in 

So he got neutered, a deep ear cleaning, and another dose of the ivermectin.  The vet assured me he should be 100% ear mite free now!   They couldn't put the ecollar on for me after the surgery because it wouldn't fit on him in the carrier, and I was hoping he wouldn't need it.   But when I went  to give him his dinner, I could tell he'd been scratching it yet AGAIN - I saw blood on his back foot and fresh blood behind his ear.   I tried getting the ecollar on the cat myself without restraining him, but it just wasn't going to happen,  So my husband came and put the cat in a towel (the burrito method)  and oh my god was it a harrowing experience!  He cried and hissed and even bit my husband (not anything too severe).   I feel really bad about how it went down just now - it's probably not as bad in reality as I'm making it in my mind - but I didn't want the cat to be traumatized or frightened of either one of us.    Now, after walking backwards around the room in a futile attempt to back out of the collar, he's just laying there looking defeated and purring.  And I'm sure they aren't purrs of happiness    I hope he will forgive us.   It's just obvious he won't stop scratching his ear without some kind of intervention.  I just feel sooo bad.   How do you feed your cats with the ecollar on?  I'd been feeding him on a plate on the floor, but he can't get to it.  I'm not sure elevating the plate will help either, as I don't see how he could get to the food in the middle of the plate.  I guess I will just have to spoon feed him each meal?  Hopefully he won't need the collar on for more than a week in order for the new skin to regenerate.  Since the mites are gone and there weren't any scabs on his ears when he came back from the vet, I don't know why he keeps scratching - just habit at this point I guess.   I just hope he will stop eventually.  

Can you cut the collar down some so he can reach his food?

And do you plan to put something on the scab as it heals to keep it from itching?

I am so glad that he is now neutered and ear-mite free! Now to get his ear healed up so he can come out of exile!

OK I think I overreacted a little bit last night - he doesn't seem traumatized at all by the ecollar.   He's still in the basement for now, but when I woke up this morning, he was at the top of the stairs just like he always is, meowing for his breakfast!   It's sorta cute to see him bumbling around in the ecollar - it is transparent, but he's acting like it's hard for him to see easily.  He can actually still eat OK with the collar on - I just use the actual can instead of a plate - he can lower his head into the can, then I scoop out with a spoon the stuff at the bottom that's hard to get.  It seems to be a system that works for now.   Already his ear looks MUCH better.   I bet in a week's time, it's going to look amazing!!  I was just gonna dab it with olive oil like before - that did seem to help some (better than nothing) but he's just gonna scratch it whatever the case.....   I only fed him 2x yesterday (meals half the size as usual, so really just one meal I guess) and I noticed he hasn't pooped yet and only peed once.   Vet gave me 3 doses of take-home metacam for him.   I don't know if that stuff makes him sleepy, but it sure seems to alleviate any pain - if it wasn't for the cone, you'd never be able to tell he was in surgery yesterday!  I can't wait to see his physical transformation - the before and after pics of his ears are going to be incredible!  They may not stand up straight, but they will have skin...and fur haha!      

I'm torn whether to go ahead and bring him up from the basement or not - he sure doesn't seem to mind being down there, but I'm sure he'd like the sectioned-off sun room more.   Maybe I'll wait another 2 days until his metacam is all used up - I don't want him to be confused in addition to any disorientation from the pain medication.....

I'm just glad he seems to have adjusted to the ecollar pretty well - I'm concerned about the lack of poop - I hope the collar doesn't make it too hard to lumber into the litter pan, or maybe he just really hasn't had to go yet because there wasn't poop anywhere else in the room......we'll see.     I will post some pics over the weekend - I was worn out  last night and at work right now......Thanks everyone!

What a nice report .

If you will be home this weekend, I think moving him up to the sun room tomorrow is a good idea. He will enjoy it.

I do believe the surgery has thrown his system off a bit, and he will use the litter pan as soon as he needs to.

The metacam takes the edge off and does make cats a little sleepy.

Is he able to get to his water bowl to drink? The medicine may make him thirsty.

Love to see more pictures when time permits!