Possum thread. :-)

[heyitskevinn]

Hi.......... Decided to make a thread for a cat that hasn't fully been mine until today, so to not clog up the site...
Her current issue is a swollen lip. The bottom lip, someone says it could be a dirty bowl issue which I admit, I've only been rinsing it with hot water and a paper towel as a "sponge" but no soap......Because I was scared some would still somehow be on it somewhere and she'd eat it.... I've started actually washing it but I'm wondering if the lip thing actually happens? She is eating off a presumably ceramic bowl. I ordered a stainless steel bowl and it's on the way. I did not buy her current one therefore I do not know if it contains traces of plastic. I would never feed her on plastic voluntarily however.

And what is a totally non toxic general wound treatment for cats I can get online? one they can lick of course. Please don't just write "go to the vet", my cat cannot tolerate this weather and driving until it cools off. It is more than an hour drive, the temp is usually in the 90s and up here, so humid none of my animals can stand it at all. Thank you all.

 

[mani]

Does it looks like a wound, or is it swollen without any break in the skin?

It doesn't sound like acne to me, but I suppose it could be. Do you have mosquitos or other bitey insects around?

 

[Furballsmom]

Regarding washing, try the original Dawn and rinsing really well, or try what I use for my humming bird feeders, which is hydrogen peroxide and a little brush, rinse well and let air dry before using.

 

[heyitskevinn]

Does it looks like a wound, or is it swollen without any break in the skin?

It doesn't sound like acne to me, but I suppose it could be. Do you have mosquitos or other bitey insects around?

We had a bout with fleas, but no other bugs besides regular flies and daddy long legs. Took care of the fleas though.
It's swollen, with a white-ish dot on the side.. No bleeding, just kinda puffy, but it's gone down today. It could very well have been the silverspray I used a day earlier. Won't use it again, that's for sure.

There WAS a mosquito in the bathroom who I killed on sight, which is right next to my room, and there are sweat bees outside. It could be possible one got in when I was at the grocery, or I may have let one in leaving or coming in. No idea.. What do you think I should do in regards to caring for it?

Regarding washing, try the original Dawn and rinsing really well, or try what I use for my humming bird feeders, which is hydrogen peroxide and a little brush, rinse well and let air dry before using.

Yep, that's what I've started using! dawn... With her own sponge to boot. And I use vinegar to get rid of hard water stains, or whatever happens to water dishes where it becomes scratchy where the water evaporates on the rim... She never drinks from it, so sometimes I forget about it until it evaporates a little and stains the glass. Never heard of the peroxide thing! I'll look into trying it, does it sanitize better than dawn?

 

[Furballsmom]

I don't know whether it sanitizes better than Dawn but I like that I don't have to be concerned that I haven't gotten all the soap residue if I happened to have a day where I wasn't paying enough attention
Speaking of sponges, I happened to read from America's Test Kitchen that a sponge that's been squeezed dry, or close to dry, harbors a lot less bacteria than one that's been left all wet

 

[mani]

We had a bout with fleas, but no other bugs besides regular flies and daddy long legs. Took care of the fleas though.
It's swollen, with a white-ish dot on the side.. No bleeding, just kinda puffy, but it's gone down today. It could very well have been the silverspray I used a day earlier. Won't use it again, that's for sure.

There WAS a mosquito in the bathroom who I killed on sight, which is right next to my room, and there are sweat bees outside. It could be possible one got in when I was at the grocery, or I may have let one in leaving or coming in. No idea.. What do you think I should do in regards to caring for it?

It's really hard to know what it could be without a picture.
If it's looking better today I guess it's a case of keeping it clean and watching.

 

[heyitskevinn]

It's really hard to know what it could be without a picture.
If it's looking better today I guess it's a case of keeping it clean and watching.

I think I found a cause, I put her in her carrier whenever I clean the box to avoid her peeing where the box was; but today I caught her rubbing her snout on the bars because she thought I was bringing food when I took the box in. Perhaps she did that when I came in the last time because she had to pee (she gets crazy if she has to pee! To let me know to allow her into the box.. ex: if she's in the bath. She also did pee immediately the last time when I let her out)
Rubbing the bars could have irritated her lip. Or she could have made contact with the actual plastic and it's kind of rough - it's not built for rubbing!
Dunno, it could be anything... But it's probably something kinda stupid like that!

 

[heyitskevinn]

I'll try to catch her sleeping to get a pic, she's very against me holding her head to get an angle.