What's Happened To This Poor Cat?

[Antonio65]

One of the cats of the colony I take care of seems to have a serious issue.

I noticed this thing on Saturday morning, but he was far away. At first I thought that those strange spots were colored patches of the fur, so I thought it was a totally different cat, a blow-in. But when I got nearer, I saw he was one of my cats with a red wound on his left cheeck and some black marks under his right eye.
He is a very elusive cat, doesn't get close and runs away when I try to approach him. He ran away before I was able to take my smartphone out of my pocket.

Yesterday I was able to take a close photo of him, and I noticed that the red wound on his left cheeck had become a dark scab, and the whole face had lost the hair and the bare skin is exposed.
The photo is the best I could take. The "industrial environment" is because the colony is at my workplace. This is in a dark and underground corridor, he's perched on a electrical duct.

I can't understand if it's a skin disease (which?) or a burning from a chemical or heat.
And I don't know if it can be dangerous and/or fatal or if it can be infective to other cats of the colony. But I am rather sure it is painful for him.
Yesterday the situation was much worse than on Saturday, so it seems it's something that is progressing.

As I said, he is absolutely wild and feral, I don't even know if I can trap him...
Thanks!

 

[tabbytom]

Oh dear, poor kitty. Looks like he got burnt with some chemicals.

Hopefully you can trap him and bring him to the vet.

 

[Antonio65]

I think that trapping this cat is as difficult as winning a lottery

Would a burning from chemicals expand on his face after two days? In the area where he lives there could be some gasoline, though I think it's highly unlikely he got in contact with some fuel.

I would like to show the photo to a vet, don't know if they can understand what it is from a photo...

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! If there are feral cat people in your area, TNR folks, humane society, cat shelters, they can help with trapping and providing a trap.
You can email that photo to a vet and explain it's a feral and a picture. Hopefully you can contact a decent vet.
If the area is expanding I'm afraid it will continue and the cat will lose flesh. A chemical burn could do this, yes.
If you can get a trap, some feral people swear by Kentucky fried chicken, if that's not available to you then something really smelly.
Thank goodness it appears the eyes are ok.

 

[tabbytom]

Agree with Furballsmom on the chemical burn that will eat into the flesh. Hope that you can trap it and bring him, I know it’s hard but try to trap him.

 

[Antonio65]

I do have a cat trap, but the cat is very shy and sly, it doesn't appear in the same place everyday, and when he does and sees someone (like me) he runs away and does not come back.
Meanwhile other cats of the colony might get trapped.
The place is huge, very large, with hundreds of hidden corners and niches where he can hide.
Trapping him is literally like winning a lottery.
I will ask some TNR folks or associations, especially to see if they have an idea to catch him.

Today I showed the photo to two girls who are getting graduate at the veterinary university and they didn't know what it can be. The only thing they came up with was the eosinophilic granuloma, but this doesn't seem to match the pattern.

 

[Furballsmom]

Best of luck to you!!

 

[KarenKat]

I have no medical knowledge, but the injured areas look like they form a perfect circle - maybe the poor kitty put his face in a pipe or container and got a chemical or steam burn, like others have suggested. Hopefully you will be able to trap him!

 

[Willowy]

That looks just really weird, I don't even have any guesses about what could have caused something like that. I hope you can catch him or else he heals up OK. . .ferals are pretty tough and it doesn't look too severe as long as he doesn't get infected. Poor guy, it does look painful though.