Bulging Dark Scab On Cat Leg - What Is It?

[DrLex]

Hi all

I look after a lovely semi-feral cat in the village where I live. He used to be completely wild but has befriended us and we now feed him, stroke him, remove his ticks (!) and such. He is around 5 years old. He showed up a couple of days ago with this black lump on his lower leg, bit above the paw. A day later it had apparently fallen off (scratched off?) and you could see an ugly wound, sort of oozing clear liquid. (see pic, while he's lying down). It doesn't appear to bother him - he doesn't attempt to lick it or touch it, as far as I can see. A few hours later, he shows up again and the thing is scabbed over again (see second pic, while he's standing up). This doesn't look like a normal wound (or am I being paranoid??). Thank you for your thoughts!

 

[Daisy6]

Welcome to TCS. Thank you for taking good care of a feral cat and joining us.

You are definitely not being paranoid. None of us are vets but it is obvious the cat needs to see one. Do you know if it happened suddenly or gradually?

 

[silkenpaw]

Looks pretty nasty. I definitely think it should be seen by a vet, cleaned and possibly cultured and treated.

Thank you for taking care of this cat.

 

[DrLex]

Thank you Daisy6. The problem is the cat cannot be taken to a vet (he cannot be 'taken' anywhere!) - I would have done this straight away, otherwise. Nor, unfortunately, is it that easy to bring a vet over, as we are in a fairly remote village, on the Greek mountains. I will try to get someone up here from the nearest town, if all else fails, but I was hoping for some insight from the wonderful TCS community first

To answer your question, it happened gradually, though rather fast. My partner says he noticed a smaller black scab or formation on the cat's carpal pad 4-5 days ago. It looked rather smooth - he thought it was just mud or something like that, at the time. It appears that this thing grew, fell off, and then scabbed over again, all in quite fast succession.

 

[DrLex]

Thanks Silkenpaw. As you will see from my earlier answer access to a vet is very tricky... But it sounds like I need to at least take lots of picture and go see one even without the cat, in the first instance.

 

[silkenpaw]

it sounds like I need to at least take lots of picture and go see [a vet] even without the cat

Sounds like a plan. If you can, try to take a photo after the wound is cleaned up a bit (take one before as well). The vet might be able to see more that way.

Good luck and let us know what happens, please.

 

[Daisy6]

Thanks Silkenpaw. As you will see from my earlier answer access to a vet is very tricky... But it sounds like I need to at least take lots of picture and go see one even without the cat, in the first instance.

Sending pictures to the vet is a great idea, but because of the rate this got worse, you definnitely should take the cat with you. There are ways to trap him that TCS members who rescue feral cats explain in another section of the forum. How close are you to the nearest veterinary practice?

 

[DrLex]

Thanks so much, both. I will call tomorrow and see if I can send pictures for at least a first diagnosis. Taking the cat to the vet would be extremely difficult and traumatic for him - nobody as far as I know has even lifted him, let alone put him in a cage. He would need to be completely sedated, and the drive to vet is over an hour, so dangerous. He has come to accept us two stroking him and spends many nights on our rug in the winter (he allows my partner to comb him and remove the odd tick), but he will strike with his very sharp claws if a stranger tries to touch him. It is more realistic to drive the vet here and back, with some low-level sedative involved for the examination and treatment. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Canadiangirl]

My 2cents worth is it looks like infection of some sort. And being that he won't let you do more than pet & comb him, you do need a professional to care for him. I would have said, drain the wound & antibiotics. Again a professional. Good luck. You as wonderful people to love an care for him.

 

[CalliL]

Hello! My feral cat has this SAME exact wound but on the front of his leg. However his gas never opened. I adopted him 2 years ago though & he’s been in the house with me since…now mostly tame but I will be giving him Gabapentin from the vet to slightly sedate him, & transporting him there in a small kennel for dogs as I can’t handle him to get him in a cat-carrier. Did you ever find out what this was? If your feral cat eats, you could slip him the sedative just as you said to get him to a vet. & that is the same advice my vet gave me Thank you so very much for helping your kitty. I have another feral cat outdoors & 2 other adoptees. I hope he is okay & please update us if you can. I’ll also do my best to post an update on mine since the problem is the same, after our appt. next week.

 

[fionasmom]

The OP and others who posted in this thread have not been back to TCS for several years, so you will probably not get a reply. If your cat has a similar wound, which is odd if he is indoor only, he definitely needs to see a vet. OP had mentioned several roadblocks to taking his cat to the vet, but if you have the ability, that is the best course of action.