Help a Sailor's Cat

This is a very strange situation, but I just moved into a house, and the cat's owner is underway for a few more days, so I can't ask him questions about its health and medical history.

There are two cats (besides mine) in this house, and one seems to be a bit unhealthy.

Oreo (free roaming cat of the house) apparently has been in fights with another cat in the house (who is currently separated from Oreo in the basement). Oreo has what feels like scabs all over his neck, and some places on his body. After a cat fight, would there be scabs like that, or is a skin problem like that an indication of something more serious?

I have my kittens in my bedroom and bathroom for now, so I'm not worried about my babies, but I've never seen a cat with scab things like this, and I'm a bit worried about him.

Hun, you got fleas I hate to inform you. Well the cat does. It could be fighting scabs, but around the neck...it's fleas. Get him to a vet and get some flea treatment. DO NOT buy it from a pet store, over the counter medications like that can do way more harm to the cat then good. Call the vet, you may just be able to buy it and not bring the cat in.

On another note, the amount a male cat fights goes down usually when neutered. Is the cat neutered?

Agreed, that sounds like fleas. You can buy advantage and front line from pet co, which is what the vet is going to give you. Put it on ALL of your cats, even yours that are locked away, as fleas are like a horrible virus! Good luck!

-Jade

Originally Posted by AshleyJade

Agreed, that sounds like fleas. You can buy advantage and front line from pet co, which is what the vet is going to give you. Put it on ALL of your cats, even yours that are locked away, as fleas are like a horrible virus! Good luck!

-Jade

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It would be better to do this type of thing under the supervision of a vet, especially on young cats, who are more likely to have a negative reaction from the treatment.

Wouldn't I be able to see the fleas? That was the first thing I thought of, but the cat is mostly white, and I don't see anything. And he's been overgrooming a bit, so I'd think I would be able to see them.

Looking more closely at him (as I said, I've only been here a couple days, and have yet to meet the owner in person), it's actually worse on the back of one of his legs than it is around his neck. Is that a common place for fleas as well?

Edit: Also, this cat has been taken care of by a guy who hates him (the owner of the cat Oreo fights with) for a couple weeks, so he's been locked in a bedroom most of the time. He's really attention starved and sad. Would nervous overgrooming cause skin problems?

Originally Posted by AshleyJade

Agreed, that sounds like fleas. You can buy advantage and front line from pet co, which is what the vet is going to give you. Put it on ALL of your cats, even yours that are locked away, as fleas are like a horrible virus! Good luck!

-Jade

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Firstly, DO NOT treat this cat for fleas if you are not sure he/she actually has fleas and definitely DO NOT treat with any over-the-counter products. The over-the-counter products are not the same as the products you get from the vet (even if they have the same name they are usually a different formula made specifically for O-T-C sale) and therefore often don't really work very well.

Some, in fact, can cause serious illness and death for the cat.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

Firstly, DO NOT treat this cat for fleas if you are not sure he/she actually has fleas and definitely DO NOT treat with any over-the-counter products. The over-the-counter products are not the same as the products you get from the vet (even if they have the same name they are usually a different formula made specifically for O-T-C sale) and therefore often don't really work very well.

Some, in fact, can cause serious illness and death for the cat.

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Actually, frontline and advantage are preventatives. You use one application on the back of the neck, weather they have fleas or not. I do it to my cats, once a month, which was directed by my vet. It is a feline only vet clinic, and a AAFP certified vet. She sends me to petco to buy the advantage. I would never EVER recomend to use the hartz or any other OTC brand.

-Jade

With all due respect Ashley, your vet knows your cat, it's weight, health, etc. and would feel comfortable suggesting a medication for you. We here on the internet know nothing about this person's cat - it's general health, any previous conditions, allergies, etc. For us to recommend any medication (over-the-counter or not) without being able to examine this cat and as non-medical persons can be dangerous and irresponsible. If a poster took your advice and her cat died you could be open to a lawsuit so please be careful about dispensing medical information. Even trained vets won't diagnose over the internet or telephone.

Please read the following article.

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/petproduct.htm

We can all relate our own personal experiences, but seeing a vet about your kitty is the only way to go.

BTW we treat our cats monthly with Advantage except during the winter but we get the correct dosage from our vet for the weight of our cats since Mika is very tiny and Bijou is a strapping fellow.

Before the 'treatment of fleas' fight goes any further, could we get back to my second question? Could it be anything besides fleas? Allergies? Eczema? Scabs from a fight?

Not that I normally mind threads getting jacked, but this particular topic seems to be fought over at least weekly.

Originally Posted by GirlieQ

Before the 'treatment of fleas' fight goes any further, could we get back to my second question? Could it be anything besides fleas? Allergies? Eczema? Scabs from a fight?

Not that I normally mind threads getting jacked, but this particular topic seems to be fought over at least weekly.

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Sorry about that, I guess that is why I was posting that none of us can say for sure what is wrong with the cat - it could be fleas, allergies, scabs from a fight - yes indeed - it could be any or some of those and that is exactly why the cat needs to be seen by a vet. Nobody here can correctly diagnose your cat without seeing it, so please get it to a vet for an examination.

Get a flea comb and comb the cat. If it is fleas, you'll see them and their feces caught in the comb.