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[VirgoLisa]

Hello everyone, I'm baaaaaaaack! I know it's been a long time.  Lucky for me, things have been goin pretty good here.   I hope you are all well.  I'd like to apologize for the long post ahead of time. Half of it is just history.

If you recall, I had the female stray that visits us (Mama) spayed so she didnt have her fall litter.  Whew! However, word got out among the ferals that our yard is the place to be. We found two new youngsters from across the yard in one of our shelters. no problem to us, whats another mouth to feed, right?  Welllllllll, now one of them has a HORRIBLE URI.  We also noticed the hair on his hind legs and back was badly matted and thin looking. The hair on the rest of him is nice and thick and groomed.  The other strays won't go in any of the shelters we have.  I'm thinking they know he's sick and are staying as far away as possible.

The other night  was so cold, my husband checked on him.  Kitty was so bad that we thought his face was frozen shut.... (can you imagine?).... here we go again!

To make a long story short, we were at the vet an hour later.  Don't ask me how, but vet was able to get his hand in the carrier and pet his face.... WE COULDN'T BELIEVE IT.  It had to be the first human interaction this cat has ever had.  The vet is great.  Kitty looked content. Probably just enjoying the warmth.  Vet thought it best not to try and pull him out of the carrier because it would make him afraid of humans forever.  Vet only saw his crusty face.  Poor kitty couldn't even breathe.  He stopped eating cause he couldn't smell; we thought he was all matted in the back cause he stopped cleaning himself. 

Vet gave us Amoxitabs, 2 a day for 10 days.  He's 5 days into treatment. As far as the URI, he's better.  He can breathe from his nose.  He's not nearly as stuffy as he was.  He can smell his food and eating fine.  He's in the gatehouse.... (the decontamination room .. lol). I change my shoes and wash my hands every time i leave that room and come back into the house.  I also stay far away so he can't sneeze on me by accident. Vet said URI is very contagious.  Its important we don't bring his sickness in and get our 3 kitties sick.  (they just finished a 21 day course of meds for bartonella... 21 days x 3 cats = NO FUN)

TODAY I noticed today that the hair on his spine above his back leg down to his tail is almost gone!  (if I can get a picture of him later, I'll post it)
What have I done?! I cant let him out in the cold in this shape, he'll freeze to death. (no real heat in gatehouse, but he is out of the elements, has an insulated box and a fleece blanket)
Could he be allergic to the meds? How would I know?
Could he be so sick that he's losing his hair and nothing can be done? How would I know?
How do I know if I have to put him to sleep? 
Can I bring some kind of mysterious illness into the house no matter how hard I try not to?

Has anyone ever been in this situation or seen this before?  If I call the vet again, i'll have to bring him in.  I dont' have a problem with that, but if I can try something less traumatic first, it may be more helpful.   

I'm trying so hard to help this guy.  This is my first case of hair loss and it scares me. I can always count on you guys for answers and/or advice.   

Thanks so much.
Lisa

[kb2zct]

Hi Lisa:

Well, you and your husband have won the angle of the day award for what you have already done for this little one.

So, let me ask a few questions:  Are you able to pill the cat?  Is it a cat or a kitten?  Did the vet conduct blood tests for feline leukemia and feline aids?

Here is the reason I ask some of the questions:  If you are able to pill the cat, it's not a feral or even a hard stray.  You may be able to successfully adopt out the guy (gal) as a pet.  If the little one is a kitten, the chance of adoption success has increased quite a bit.

There are several things that could be causing a hair loss - allergies and fleas come to mind as two of the most common.  However, given his (her) poor health, any number of other things could be the cause, and some of those causes could also be contagious.  I hate to say it, but I think another vet visit is in order.

Also, please let me make one comment on "putting an animal to sleep".  As hard as that is to do, you need to remember that doing it is your final loving act to your pet.  To save them from unnecessary suffering and pain is an act of love - and no one should ever forget that.

Mark

[VirgoLisa]

Thank you for your kind words and the quick response. 

Nothing at all was done at the vet.  He didnt even look at the entire cat.  He only saw kitty in the carrier, saw his face and observed his demeanor.

I am crushing the pills up in the food; mushy stinky fish flavor.  Its working for now cause he still cant smell perfectly.  I'm sure once he gets his sniffer back, it will be a little harder.

He doesnt look like a kitten.  He was was born late spring/early summer of '11.  We started seeing him and his litter mates across the yard in august. Him and his brother were the only two who came into our yard. They were together all the time, in one of the shelters (we have 3) until Kitty got sick. Now we dont see the other one at all. Since kitty's been in the gatehouse, we changed the hay in the shelters and now the other cats are back using them.

Any home remedy for itching? Anything I can give him over the counter to help him feel more comfortable?

I think a visit to the vet tomorrow is in order.  Sigh......
I'll sleep better knowing there's no crazy disease lurking in the gatehouse.  I freaked out when the last 3 i took in had fleas!

Lisa

[Timambmin]

One of the rescues I am involved with have a older kitten about the same age.  She has a bad flea allergy and is bald the same area. She is quite itchy and has had to wear a collar to stop her scratching and biting at herself.  Beautiful little girl who has not been well treated in her short life, some sub humans used her to stub cigarettes out on :(. She is safe now and will be loved and made well again.

The lady who runs this particular rescue has had kittens in the same age group as your little fellow and successfully tamed them down to go on to be much loved pets. A truly remarkable lady.

Good luck at the vets x

[animalangel1]

Hi Lisa!!!! Was wondering where you went off to! It seems the kitty is getting better with the meds so keep that up.  I would certainly take him/her to the vet again to see what else is wrong. 

My Onyx is terrified of everything including the vet but rather than try to take him out of the carrier, we just take the top of it off.  (The top and bottom are two separate peices)  By doing it that way, Onyx just hunkers down in the carrier and refuses to move - apparently thinking that nobody can see him or something.    They can actually carry him around in the bottom half of the carrier and he doesn't try to escape or anything! 

You could also remove the top (if it's that type of carrier) and drape a towel over the kitty's head so he/she feels "hidden" while the vet inspects the rest of him/her. 

I think it would be most beneficial to "stress" the kitty for 5 minutes to determine what is exactly wrong and then try to fix it rather than let it suffer quietly indefinitely.  Of course, that's MY opinion...... Clearly the kitty needs more of an examination.  The vet could also give it a light sedative in order to examine him/her better too.  Perhaps you might suggest it? 

I would not think about putting the kitty down without a complete and proper exam.  Whatever might be causing the hair loss might be something relatively simple to fix - and would not really be worth costing the kitty it's life.

Please do keep us posted on what's going on...... I'll keep the kitty (and you guys) in my thoughts and prayers!

[galensgranny]

Could he be so sick that he's losing his hair and nothing can be done? How would I know?
How do I know if I have to put him to sleep? 
Can I bring some kind of mysterious illness into the house no matter how hard I try not to?

Don't panic.  Lisa, hair loss is not a sign that a cat is getting on to be needed to be euthanized!  Hair loss is not an uncommon thing. It could be something as simple as a flea allergy, or ringworm. If an area of the cat's body is painful the cat will lick the area and that will result in hair loss in that area. Maybe the cat got an injury.  If an abscess developed under the skin, the cat will keep licking the areas.

It certainly is not some "mysterious illness" that will sicken all your other cats.  There is no "crazy disease".

Here is some information on hair loss in cats:
http://www.manhattancats.com/Articles/hair_loss_in_cats.html

I advise you to take the cat back to the vet and have the vet have look at the entire cat's body. 

[VirgoLisa]

Thanks for the encouraging words. You've calmed me, for the moment at least.l Do you think fleas are still alive? Its been pretty cold here in NJ.  At what temp do they die? I am going to read the link on hair loss when I'm done with this post. 

Well, I've done it..... I'VE NAMED HIM!  Scruffy.  We all know what that means.  He can't come in though  but now I'm emotionally involved.   

Scruffy is responding to the meds.  He's come out of the box and he's getting into everything.  It's okay, though. He seems to be eating easier too.   He helped himself to the dry food that was on the shelf.   He decided he was hungry and ripped the bag open to snack during the night. I was actually happy to see it.  I guess it means he can smell now.  I filled his water bowl the next morning and he drank and drank.... like a kid downing an entire glass of milk all at once.  He also found a toy mouse that was left over from Mama and her baby from the spring  (please don't judge me.. lol) and was sleeping with it.

The only thing I'm worried about is his hair loss.  When he first came in all of the hair on his back legs and back spine was matted.  looked thin and clumped.  Now, it's falling out little by little.  There's hair all over the place. If any of this hair gets on our shoes or something and gets into the house, can our cats catch whatever Scruffy has?  I would think they would.

He's had 6 days of meds (out of 10) and I'd like to let him out. I have a feeling he'll stay close and I'll still be able to put meds in his food. I'm wondering if he'll be too cold because of his hair loss.  The room he's in (gate house) isn't heated so he's not used to being totally warm but out in the elements will be a different story. It's supposed to rain tonight.  My gut says to leave keep him in one more night.  I feel bad for him, though.  It's sunny today and I'm sure he'd love to lay outside and get fresh air. What to you all think?

Since he's feeling better, I KNOW its gunna be hard to get him in a carrier to get him to the vet. The first time, he kept banging his head on the gate of the carrier and chewed on the latch until i thought he was going to hurt his mouth.  I got him back in the other day (amazing what some tuna will do) and when he realized he was in the carrier, he went nuts again and i let him out. When we cover the carrier with a towel, it seems to calm him.

We changed his bedding two days ago and he ran around the room like a nut trying to get out... I've never seen a cat in such a panic before.  He even tried to get out of the door that leads INTO the house (that scared me a little). I JUST got the door shut in time. He seems like a sweet guy when you approach him but cornered i don't trust him.

Another thing.... (sigh).... now the other cats are back in the cleaned out shelters in my yard.  If he goes back out, there's a chance of him taking over again and the others having no place to go.

WHY DO I THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS????? 

Sorry for the novel.  Any ideas will help.  Thanks so much.

Lisa

[animalangel1]

Ok... first of all DO NOT LET HIM OUT until he has finished his complete round of meds or he will relapse and get very sick again and with THAT, he may not be where you or anyone else could catch him and get him back to the vet for more meds and he could DIE. 

Second of all - with bare spots of fur (or no fur) he will freeze to death if it gets too cold outside.  The fur is what helps them to stay warm.  I would not let him out until his fur has grown back in or until the temps are consistantly above 60 day and night.  That would still be cold with no fur (if it rains or something). 

The fur he is losing may just be from before you caught him.... people lose about 100 strands of hair every day (this is NORMAL) so cats likely do too but it will "look bad" because their bodies are smaller so it seems like more. 

Again - a vet would need to determine why Scruffy is losing his hair and more meds might be needed.  You can help him to calm down by staying out there with him - reading a book or magazine and such - and NOT looking directly at him.  He will come to realize that you are not someone to fear and he will settle.  It might take a while but you really NEED to make sure he gets all his meds.  Really - if he relapses, he could DIE. 

So..... don't let him out.  See if you can get him to a vet about the skin thing and make sure he gets all his medication.  I'd keep him for another month at least if it were me......he needs time to make sure his uri is gone and given a chance for his fur to grow back in if you want him to have any chance of survival.  It's winter, after all.

[kb2zct]

Lisa:

Just a few quick comments.

First - keep the little guy until the meds are finished.  In fact, given how severe the URI was, he may need a second round - another reason to send him to the vet's before you decide what to do with him.

Second:  Fur loss.  You need to have the vet determine what is causing this before you can let him go.  A cat without fur will not do well in the winter.  One might even argue that the fur problem could have weaken him so as to allow him to catch the URI.

Third - I think that fleas, next to the body, would survive in the winter.  Fleas could be causing the hair loss.  However, it could be a host of other things. 

Opps - I see that Michelle has already posted a response while I was working on this one.  I agree with everything she  has said. 

I might add that playing a radio in the room might help him adjust to people. 

Mark

[VirgoLisa]

Thanks Guys,  I understand and agree with what you said.  In a perfect world, that would be the best thing to do. I'll keep him in till his meds are done.

When we took Scruffy in, it was due to an EMERGENCY! Hubby is becoming impatient because we cant use the back door to the yard.   He grills almost every night for dinner.  The first few nights he didnt mind walking through the side alley to get to/from the front door/yard, but now he's had enough of that . I dont want him walking through the gate house and possibly bringing anything into the house for our cats/us to catch.  I tried talking to him bout taking his shoes off..... lol... good luck with that.  And since it looks like Scruffy is staying longer than we thought, he's becoming more impatient.  He's not heartless, this is just taking longer than we thought. Also, I usually use that door to feed the others in the morning. Now they're hanging around and I cant get the food to them till the afternoon.

I just fed Scruffy.  His attitude is good.  He is alert but looks terrible.  To see him from the front, it looks like he just has a dirty face (btw, his eyes are slanted and look black (dirty?).  I haven't seen them at all. I don't even know what color they are.) Today he has something stuck to his nose, like a long tuft of black fur.  Maybe after eating it will come off by itself.  His head, neck, chest and front legs have normal looking fur.

I've been reading about hair loss.  Most things sound like they would be in one area.  Scruffy looks like his hair is disintegrating from his back legs/spine down. I just have a horrible feeling I've bitten off more than I can chew with him. I want to cry. 

Only a trip to the vet will tell. Do I help him only to let him back out to spend the rest of his life on the street? Is that fair? Now i feel sick.  I'll do my best.

How long does it take hair to grow in anyway?