Cat fur not drying out. Now a red rash.

[wearymicrobe]

Quick question. Just need assurance.

I have a 17 year old coon rescue that I am taking care of currently. She knocked over a bowl of water and decided that's where she would crash out for the night. Really weird cat.

Flash forward two days later her belly is still wet somehow and quite red, she has a very greasy coat which I think is holding in the water. No abscess smells, more like really stale pee. No tenderness when I touch it and see is acting as happy as normal.

I am going to give her a solid bath and dry tomorrow morning when it warms up. to get a good idea of what I am working with.

So can cats get wet induced rashes, is there anything that I need to know on treatment?

*Ninja Edit.

I have her locked up currently and she is sleeping on a huge white towel so I can see if any discharge comes out.

 

[snickerdoodle]

I am kind of curious exactly what that may be. I have no advice other than maybe to see a vet, but I wonder if a lion cut would be in order, or at least a belly shave to see the skin underneath? I had a chow with a very greasy coat, we had to shave her and wash her constantly, but that was back before we knew anything much about stuff. Update us, I am very curious as to what that could be. Never been up close and personal with a cat like yours

 

[nance]

I would be curious why she would lie in water and not just wash herself if she got wet....somethings wrong with that as well....

 

[wearymicrobe]

Don't know about the laying in water, its weird. She hates the bath though, found that out this morning. Nice and clean now, I can touch the spot now and its pretty inflamed but not open sores. I have a triple cream on her, (neosporin,bactien,general antibiotic)

I will say that she is weeping a clear fluid at the wound at a very slow rate. I put a clean towel under her when she slept and I collected a good bit of it for the Vet. Its not yellow or green, just clear and no tint. Which is a good sing in my book, like what you would get with a really bad rash that you had scratched.

 

[icklemiss21]

I would have her checked out by a vet, not moving from spilled water and staying wet for 2 days is not normal, that sounds like a lot of different antibiotics creams to treat her with

 

[northernglow]

Sounds very odd to me too. I suspect the rash was there before she even got wet. I would also cut the fur short from that area to make it more easy to clean and dry out. I wouldn't use any cream on the rash, but some disinfectant instead before you know what it is. And of course show it to the vet. Sounds definitely that there is something wrong with the kitty.

One of my longhairs loves to play with water and I have to dry her with a hair dryer quite often so her coat doesn't get matted (the fur texture is like Persian fur) but she does dry herself a lot too.

 

[wearymicrobe]

Bath this morning, dried her up with the hair drier. She was wet again near the wound when I got home.

She is going in tomorrow at 9:00 to get it checked. She scratched at it enough today to get it to bleed. Behavior is changing rapidly though. Hiding, not coming out for treats, not good signs in my book.

Will check in tomorrow morning. But I don't have high hopes, never seen a rescue go this fast.

 

[wearymicrobe]

OK got back from the vet, LArge cell cancer in two lymph nodes that we can feel, more then likely masticating. This is the short answer


Long Answer.

They are rapid onset. One of the larger masses ~2 inches broke the skin and that's what got infected. So she is now on massive antibiotics (cheap and make her feel better), shot of anti inflammatory meds, at home on a warm compress to speed healing of the wound.

There is a 3mm gap around the primary mass for excision but at her age and with her history of anesthesia I cannot do it. I am just going to let the cancer progress, heal her external wounds to make her comfortable and then have to let her go.

She is 17 rescued from a kill shelter (1 hour before) 7 years ago and has had a good healthy life. I can come to grips with this, when she looks uncomfortable or in pain I will have to do what I need to do.

Not happy but resigned to her fate, and keeping her happy.