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Feral cat visitor with fur problem
I've been feeding a feral cat that has been coming into my house via my
late cat's cat flap. This small black cat is extremely cautious, however he now lets me stroke him while he's eating, and sometimes beforehand. He seems to have something wrong with his fur on the rear 3/4 of his body (from his shoulders backwards, getting progressively more noticeable towards his buttocks). The affected fur seems short and dull, and uneven in thickness. I'm wondering if he has been chewing it, because of some kind of irritation or something. However, I've never seen him doing so, and I've never seen him scratching. The cat is far too timid to be picked up and taken to a vet without causing him fear and distress,and I don;t want to betray the trust we have painstakingly built up. I could probably grab hold of him long enough to apply some Spot-on flea drops to the back of his neck, but I don't know if fleas are the problem. It could be some other kind of parasite or skin problem, couldn't it? Can anyone advise? Thank you, Al |
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Feral cat visitor with fur problem
On 7/28/2014 9:16 AM, AL_n wrote:
I could probably grab hold of him long enough to apply some Spot-on flea drops to the back of his neck, but I don't know if fleas are the problem. It could be some other kind of parasite or skin problem, couldn't it? Can anyone advise? ............Depends on where you live. I'm in FL where it's flea central and if you've got a cat chewing on him/herself, it's liable to be fleas. ..............I picked up a stray kitten that not only had fleas but feline lice! Everyone in the clinic rushed over to the microscope as it's pretty rare to see them. Revolution kills fleas and lice, so I'd go ahead and get some and apply it. Keep an eye on the cat and if you see no improvement in 3 weeks, reapply. ......Does this cat come in every day for food? If not, could be malnutrition. Or ringworm, in which case you'll have to dip the cat. buglady take out the dog before replying |
#3
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Feral cat visitor with fur problem
There are at least two types of flea control that can be given
orally. One kills the current fleas for a day. The other one lasts for a month and sterilizes any fleas that suck your cat's blood. I sympathize with taking care of outdoor cats, but please don't feed cats that aren't neutered. Give it fresh water (making sure any wild animals in the area that carry rabies like skunks and raccoons don't have access to that water, so they are less likely to stick around). Take care of it. Take it to the vet. Provide a comfortable place for it to die. But don't feed it. Please think ahead when you feed stray cats that are not neutered. They have jillions of kittens and almost all of those kittens die horrible deaths. If it can't feed itself, it can't feed its kittens either. Sad but true. -- "AL_n" fgdfgdfg fghfghfg.com wrote: I've been feeding a feral cat that has been coming into my house via my late cat's cat flap. This small black cat is extremely cautious, however he now lets me stroke him while he's eating, and sometimes beforehand. He seems to have something wrong with his fur on the rear 3/4 of his body (from his shoulders backwards, getting progressively more noticeable towards his buttocks). The affected fur seems short and dull, and uneven in thickness. I'm wondering if he has been chewing it, because of some kind of irritation or something. However, I've never seen him doing so, and I've never seen him scratching. The cat is far too timid to be picked up and taken to a vet without causing him fear and distress,and I don;t want to betray the trust we have painstakingly built up. I could probably grab hold of him long enough to apply some Spot-on flea drops to the back of his neck, but I don't know if fleas are the problem. It could be some other kind of parasite or skin problem, couldn't it? Can anyone advise? Thank you, Al |
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Feral cat visitor with fur problem
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#5
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Feral cat visitor with fur problem
John Doe wrote in news:lr64a5$k94$1@dont-
email.me: There are at least two types of flea control that can be given orally. One kills the current fleas for a day. The other one lasts for a month and sterilizes any fleas that suck your cat's blood. I sympathize with taking care of outdoor cats, but please don't feed cats that aren't neutered. Give it fresh water (making sure any wild animals in the area that carry rabies like skunks and raccoons don't have access to that water, so they are less likely to stick around). Take care of it. Take it to the vet. Provide a comfortable place for it to die. But don't feed it. Please think ahead when you feed stray cats that are not neutered. They have jillions of kittens and almost all of those kittens die horrible deaths. If it can't feed itself, it can't feed its kittens either. Sad but true. Hi, Thanks for the suggestions. This cat is a male. Do you discourage the feeding of male feral cats - or just females? This one seems to have a female sibling, who also occasionally comes to my house, but I've only been feeding the brother, because he looked so thin and fearful. Al |
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Feral cat visitor with fur problem
"AL_n" wrote in
: Buglady, Thanks for the reply. I'm in the UK. Fleas are are common here, although I haven't seen (or felt) any in my house. Yes, the cat comes in every day for food. I'll try your flea suggestion, and see if the situation improves. If not, I'll be thinking ringworm. Many thanks. Al PS - I have posted three photos of the cat and his fur he http://www.aalife.com/index.html Thanks for looking! Al |
#7
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Feral cat visitor with fur problem
"AL_n" wrote in
: Buglady, Thanks for the reply. I'm in the UK. Fleas are are common here, although I haven't seen (or felt) any in my house. Yes, the cat comes in every day for food. I'll try your flea suggestion, and see if the situation improves. If not, I'll be thinking ringworm. Many thanks. Al PS.. I have posted photos of the cat he http://tinyurl.com/njpef28 Thanks for looking. Al |
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Feral cat visitor with fur problem
On 7/30/2014 5:06 AM, AL_n wrote:
PS - I have posted three photos of the cat and his fur he http://www.aalife.com/index.html .........My first guess is fleas or some other parasite. Has he always looked this way (and maybe it's getting better?) or is this recent? .........His teeth seem to indicate he's young, so I wouldn't think it would be hyperthyroidism, which causes thinning of hair in a Xmas tree pattern above tail. .........I would work on the petting to get him tamed down. If you can only stroke lightly now, keep doing that, only more slowly and then put a bit of pressure in your hand, continuing on down the whole body and stroking his tail too. Once he's used to that, stroke the sides, front to back. Eventually you'll be able to get both hands in there. Slowly move a hand up to head and scratch under chin. I don't think there's a cat in the world that can resist that! Does he purr when you pet him? ..........Looks like he's been in some scrapes as his one ear is pretty tattered. If you can get him tamed down you can get him neutered, which will cut down on injury from cat fights........and kittens. buglady take out the dog before replying |
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