So a few months ago my friend's new and enormous indoor shelter cat was visited by his stepmother's new puppy. Unfortunately, the puppy had fleas, which he gave to both of the cats in the house. To make things worse, the big shelter cat (named Mister Mister) had what the vets at the time guessed was an allergic reaction to the parasites, because he scratched himself so much that he tore his skin up. It was actually much nastier than in that picture, this is after he recovered somewhat. The vets recommended aggressive flea treatment, a cat-specific antibiotic ointment, and to keep him from scratching himself whenever possible. He made a full recovery some weeks back:  Unfortunately, despite still being given flea treatments and having had no renewed contact with any outdoor animals, he just emerged from his usual hiding spot about half an hour ago looking like this(not for the faint of heart):  Now, obviously, it's vet time, but all vets in the area are closed until tomorrow morning. If anyone has any advice whatsoever, be it about cleaning the wound or how to keep him comfortable until morning or anything, it would be greatly appreciated. It's unclear what made Mister Mister rip himself up like this, some previously unknown irritant, etc, but it's obvious the wound is infected. I'm quite far away from this cat, but I consider him a buddy of mine, and I really don't want this to be how he goes out. Here he is in better spirits, some months back: 
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Jan 28, 2017 06:17
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| # ? May 5, 2024 03:54 |
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He's a beautiful cat. I hope things go well at the vet. If he has actually done this himself (assuming he's indoors and hasn't burned himself or something), it's most likely from using his hind legs to scratch non-stop. It's essential to figure out if he's doing it due to constant itches unrelated to fleas or not. If it's more obsessive scratching than actual irritation, you could discuss if he could possibly be medicated with the vet. One approach if this is a constant thing would be to trim his claws really well. If he's really neurotic and that would be traumatic, perhaps you could discuss if declawing would be reasonable with the vet? This is one of the few reasons I would consider declawing (hind legs). Only if he is and will be indoors of course. If anyone thinks this is a horrible idea, feel free to call me out on it. I wouldn't mess too much with the wound until you get to see a vet. Just keep him from scratching it. It's hard to say if it's actually infected from that photo, and I think it might look worse than it actually is. edit: my family had a dog who did this and the wounds looked very similar to this. It started after some skin irritation and became an obsession. Trimming claws and putting a T-shirt on him (so that scratching wouldn't break skin) worked pretty well, but a cat probably wouldn't go for that. lizard_phunk fucked around with this message at 12:43 on Jan 28, 2017 |
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Jan 28, 2017 12:40
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Oh, Jesus, poor cat! This is some basic first aid I'm linking because it details how to apply a bandage to a furry animal, although with a wound that size I don't know if it's feasible. It may also be I'm sure you and your friend know this but don't give any human medicine to the cat. This has instructions on what's safe to use as a disinfectant on the wound. I'd worry about making sure it's clean because cat claws are filthy and he probably embedded a bunch of garbage in his skin. Otherwise, keep him warm and as calm as possible, and try to prepare for escape attempts--he might try to hide on you again before you guys can get him to the vet. Ideally contain him in a single room with a door. Good luck! I hope he feels better soon  poor kitty! Augh.Edit: just checked the time stamps and my advice on first aid is probably stale news to you by now. In the future though a t-shirt of shame isn't the craziest idea, provided you can keep him in it. I also wonder if the vet might try an antihistamine? I don't know if they have anti-itching effects in cats too, though, so obviously don't hop him up on Benadryl as an experiment. That's a pretty crazy self-inflicted wound, I almost wonder...I've heard of cats with neurological problems self-mutilating too. It's something to ask the vet about. Please update us on this good cat when he's seen a vet 
Tiny Deer fucked around with this message at 14:22 on Jan 28, 2017 |
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Jan 28, 2017 14:16
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lizard_phunk posted:perhaps you could discuss if declawing would be reasonable with the vet? This cat needs to be kept 100% indoors and given a good flea treatment from the vet at least every 30 days. When you have fleas in the house, it's takes 3+ months for all the eggs to hatch out and be done with the problem, so your friend probably let down his guard too soon. This could also end up being some sort of food or environmental allergy, which is going to be a tougher battle, but you aren't going to know that until the house has been 100% flea free for many months.
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Jan 28, 2017 16:17
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Update: the cat has not yet seen a vet due to overbooking, but a vet has been contacted over the phone and has given instructions about what medicine to use and to keep an eye on him and such things. The cat's not running a fever and keeps hiding every chance he gets. This cat has never been outdoors according to his history, fyi.
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Jan 28, 2017 19:18
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Crooked Booty posted:This cat is severely allergic and itchy. This is absolutely not "overgrooming" or some "behavioral" problem. Declawing is a terrible idea and would be particularly cruel to this cat. That's like making a person with severe eczema or psoriasis wear oven mitts instead of treating their skin. Also the cat would just chew his skin open instead of scratching. He needs proper medical treatment of his allergies, not surgery to remove his claws. I didn't know all of that about fleas - thank you for chiming in with good advice! And nobody suggest declawing the poor guy again, these nail covers exist. I didn't think of them last night and they obviously won't help if he's biting, but they could help with the injuring himself even if they don't address the root cause.
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Jan 28, 2017 20:07
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Crooked Booty posted:This cat is severely allergic and itchy. This is absolutely not "overgrooming" or some "behavioral" problem. Declawing is a terrible idea and would be particularly cruel to this cat. That's like making a person with severe eczema or psoriasis wear oven mitts instead of treating their skin. Also the cat would just chew his skin open instead of scratching. He needs proper medical treatment of his allergies, not surgery to remove his claws. Thanks for the correction. I actually had no idea about the nail covers mentioned below which is obviously a much better idea. I know declawing is generally cruel. I certainly hope it's allergies/irritation causing this - but to be honest obsessive overgrooming can look like that and worse in pets.
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Jan 28, 2017 22:13
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lizard_phunk posted:Thanks for the correction. I actually had no idea about the nail covers mentioned below which is obviously a much better idea. One of my Sphynxes has constantly recurring skin allergies which has caused her in the past to tear at her ears til huge nasty scabs form. We've tried the hind leg nail caps and they worked on her as a kitten but now she just tears them off. My vet liked to prescribe expensive steroids. Every time. It cost us $200 to treat allergies combined with ear infections. They didn't seem to even work, so I stopped seeing that vet. I did some research. Found this and other sites recommending it: http://www.petmd.com/blogs/dailyvet/2010/february/zyrtec_for_cats-5403 Changed vets and my new vet is aware of, and happy with the fact I buy Zyrtec from Walgreens for this cat. I don't even give her the dose daily, just give her half a pill when I see a rash and it goes away within a day. If I see it in her ears, it's a massive relief that it goes away fast because otherwise she tears her ears apart and she's done that three times now.
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Jan 31, 2017 11:33
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| # ? May 5, 2024 03:54 |
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Update: Mister Mister has seen a vet, and it turns out he has an immune system disorder. They'll attempt to treat it with steroids. In addition, he's been reacting well to his antibiotic cream and has stopped scratching himself. Thank you for your advice and your concern.
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Feb 1, 2017 23:45
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