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[kb2zct]

Lisa:

Are there any rescue groups in the area that might take him in?  I think you would need to look for a feral rescue group.  Groups like this would have a structure set up to take him him, "gentle him" (the term to calm or tame a feral cat), and then find a home for him.

You could google feral rescue groups in your local area and then give them a call.  They might be willing to find him a home.

Regarding the hair loss...  If it is fleas, that can be treated easily with CAPSTAR (a pill that kills all adult fleas within a few hours) and then one of the topical applications (to get rid of any new fleas from eggs).  The hair loss could be from poor nutrition, a fungal infection, etc.  Only the vet can tell - and many of these would not necessary be "contagious".  I would add, however, that URI's are contagious, so you still need to be cautious not to bring an infection into the house. 

Mark

[VirgoLisa]

I made an appointment with the vet tonight. The dr. on in the office is my least favorite.  Too rough, in my opinion. Seems more like a dog dr.  I have to think about weather I want her to examine Scruffy.

After checking on the meds, the instructions say 'one week'.  if One Week is 7 days..... today is the 7th day.  I just checked on him and put a radio out there.  He was sitting there, actually PULLING at his hair until it came out!  It was one of the saddest things i've ever seen. I had to turn away. Could he be allergic to the Amoxitabs? Did I ask that before?  I asked the dr and they said cats usually do well on that.

maybe he left the hair alone when he was outside because it was the only thing keeping him warm. now that he's inside, he can work it out.  I'm grasping at straws here. I feel horrible.

Hopefully i'll get some answers tonight.  Thanks for your advice.

[galensgranny]

Lisa, from all the descriptions you gave, it sounds like fleas causing the hair loss.  The not looking so good in the face is likely due to his URI. He likely had some running eyes where the matter dried and then dust stuck to it. What was stuck to his nose was probably some clumped, dried mucous that got some fur or dust on it.  The matted fur would be due to his not grooming so well, or overgrooming.  If fleas were bothering him, probably it was due to overgrooming.  If due to not feeling well, it would be because he was just so tired from the illness to do a lot of bathing.  Humans are like that too when weak from an illness- mostly staying in bed a few days and not showering due to feeling too weak or sick.

The fact that he got up on the shelf and tore into the bag of food to eat is a great sign that he is getting better from the URI.  It also is a sign that he needs more food put out for him.

Fleas are hearty critters.  The ones out in the yard subject to several days in a row of below freezing temps- day and night-  will die, but those that stay on a warm body, can survive.  Flea eggs in a sheltered place will survive just about anything or else there would not be any fleas at all in places that get very cold. 

As Mark said, you can give Scruffy a Capstar pill.  That will kill any live fleas on him.  Even if you are not positive it is fleas, you can still give a Capstar pill.  It is not a prescription treatment.  They might have it at your local pet store, but if not, the vet's office probably sells it.

Regarding going out to yard through the gatehouse, you might try making a barricade near the door, then carefully slip out to feed the strays in the morning.

Walking on the floor in the gatehouse to go outside and then back into the house is so very unlikely to bring in a URI to the inside cats.  I think it is  not possible.  URI's are airborne, so the great contagion risk is if the sick cat is mingling with the healthy cats where the sick cat sneezes near the healthy cats, or if the sick and healthy cats share food and water bowl. Certainly, after you handle a sick cat you should wash your hands before touching the other cats, but taking shoes on and off would not be necessary over a cat having a URI.

If the cat has ringworm causing the hair loss, then yes, hairs could be contaminated.  Instead of your husband taking off his shoes, maybe put a mat in front of the door into the house and make him carefully wipe his feet.

maybe he left the hair alone when he was outside because it was the only thing keeping him warm. now that he's inside, he can work it out.  I'm grasping at straws here.

Maybe.

Hair loss is not a horrible disease.  Glad you are taking him to the vet. Good luck!

[animalangel1]

Ok.... I'm going to add my two cents to this thing about the hair loss because I have a different thought on it. I don't think it's fleas.  I think it's due to the URI and probably malnourishment and stress.  Here's why: 

Leo had barely any fur at all when I took him in and what little he did have was "crunchy".  He was emaciated and the hair filled in after he was on all the meds he was on for many and various illnesses and he's absolutley fine today.  It took several months for the fur to start growing in nice and thick though.....

Lexi was losing hair by the tons when I brought her home too.... again - malnourishment, emaciated and being sick.  Her fur is great now!! 

So, it could just simply be that the URI made him horribly sick (and I think another round of antibiotics will be needed if he still looks that bad) and being sick and outdoors and in the cold, etc. was stressful and the stress made/is making the hair fall out. 

Can't wait to see what the vet has to say!!! 

[VirgoLisa]

DING..DING..DING.....Michele wins.  Once again, I pushed the panic button.

EXAM;
The vet was actually very nice.  After getting the 'BIG GLOVES' Scruffy was totally examined.  He was a good boy.  Didn't try to get away once. 

DIAGNOSIS;
Other than the uri, he seems fine.  No bumps, scabs or fleas.    No fever.  He does have all the signs of bartonella.   We chose not to treat him for that cause he's going back outside anyway.  One fight with another cat and he's back infected again.  His eyes were WIDE open.  They're a beautiful green.

We think he's less than a year old.  I was surprised to find out he only had his four canine teeth.  That must be why its easier for him to eat mushy food and why he pushes everything to the back of his mouth (so he can 'gum' it). She found a lot of hair in this mouth.  We guessed it was from all of the grooming and not being able to spit it out.

There were a few other questions I had, and a few the doctor asked, but since I didn't know much about him it was hard to give/get any answers.

FUR;
When he came out of the carrier we had a chance to see him close up for the first time.  His hair didn't look bad at all.  It actually looked MUCH better than when we first found him. He did look dirty, though.

I told her about him pulling hair out. She asked if he was doing it before the meds cause he could be allergic to it. We really cant tell because we didn't know much about him before he showed up sick. What we THINK happened was he was sooooooo matted, all the hair that came out would have come out anyway, but he stopped cleaning himself cause he was sick; He may have had to pull the hair for grooming purposes; now that he's feeling better, he's taking care of business.  AND he he was malnourished and stressed. 
I asked about the thickness of his coat. She said he has enough to keep him warm. I'm not totally convinced, but we have the shelters out there.

GATEHOUSE;
We can walk through the gatehouse as long as we continue to take precautions. 

PIECE OF MIND:
initial exam (no charge), amoxi tabs and followup - $43.00

When we got back, I did a quick clean up, changed his bedding, and set up a radio with soft music playing.  He'll finish up his meds and be back out by the weekend.. as long as we're not in for a really cold spell. The question now is, will he want to leave? LOL.  In the meantime, the other two cats have returned to the outside shelters.

Thank you all for your help and guidance.

Lisa
 

[animalangel1]

First, I want to say Thank you!    I just HAD to take the opportunity to be a ham for a moment! 

So he does not need MORE antibiotics since he's still sick???  I would have thought he'd need a second round.....

As for the Bartonella..... that may be what has CAUSED his URI.  READ HERE: http://www.natvetlab.com/PDF/catownerbrochure.pdf

Also, this disease is contagious to other cats and humans (I've had two cats who had it and been scratched to bleeding but never got it so it's not THAT contagious to humans - DON'T PANIC - I know how you are!!  ).

Anyway, why not treat him?  He may NOT get it again - there's a 50/50 shot - but since he has it now - please read the link to see how NOT treating it will affect him.  It's not pretty.  That could also be why he lost his teeth.  Again.... it's all in that link and it can only get worse. 

By treating him (it's not that hard) you would also have to keep him in a bit longer which would give him a chance to FULLY recuperate from the URI and for the weather to get warmer as well before you let him loose - both very good reasons to treat him.

Did the vet say about how old Scruffy is by chance???? Is he neutered?

[VirgoLisa]

You crack me up!!!!!! I discussed all those things with the vet.

My 3 cats just finished 21 days of bartonella meds.  21days x 3cats= NO FUN!!!!!!!!!!! i Spent days trying to figure out how to outsmart them.  BTW... they catch on the the pill pockets after a while...... lol

Anyway..... you're right again, Smartie Pants,  he did show all the signs of bartonella; missing teeth and uri the most obvious. Although, no fever  (could be cause of amoxi).  If I can give him meds outside, i'll treat him. 

I'm lucky Hubby let him back in the house after last night.  He wasn't going to let him back in.  When he found out it was only for a few days, he agreed.  And that was in front of the vet when under pressure (didn't want to be the bad guy).

Scruffy may need more meds.  If after two more days he's not any better I can get a refill.  Then he'll be in another 7 days. I have to keep a closer eye on him to be sure he's not pulling out more hair, then he may be allergic. I have extra bartonella meds so I can just start him if he ends up staying a while more.

I'm not worried bout bartonella.  HOWEVER, he is a stray and there's more chance of 'accidentally' getting scratched by him than with my guys.

We don't know exactly how old he is.  He was born over the summer. That would put him at about 7 months old. He has a twin brother that used to come around, but we haven't seen him in a while.

He isn't neutered.  I already thought about it.  DONT START!  lol  One thing at a time.

[animalangel1]

LMAO!!! Lisa, you are too funny!!!!! Good that hubby came around (albeit under pressure) but it's good for Scruffy....poor little guy.  Hardly any teeth to spend the rest of his life trying to eat and survive.... my goodness..... I'm going to guess that he's going to stick around for wet food since that's about all he can eat so you now have a new "outdoor" kitty whether you like it or not!!!!  He won't be able to eat well enough to stay alive for very long without your help.  If he keeps the bartonella, he may well lose the only teeth he has and then he won't be able to eat at all unless you feed him.  Just something to consider..... (since I know you are already attached!  )

I would go ahead and get him the second round of meds ANYWAY just to make certain the URI is kicked to the curb..... you know how symptoms go away but the underlying issue is still present and then you have a relapse on your hands... the second round (erring on the side of caution) will prevent you having to start from scratch all over again and also from keeping Scruffy inside that much longer to infuriate your loving husband. 

His twin brother might have already died somewhere due to the same URI that Scruffy has if they used to hang around together.... or been hit by a car or some other horrible thing. 

He isn't neutered.  I already thought about it.  DONT START!  lol  One thing at a time.

 

[VirgoLisa]

Scruffy is doing much better.  He can breathe much easier now.  When he sees me coming I can hear him starting to sniff.  He knows something good is coming.  He's also opening his eyes more. 

The weather is going to be unseasonably warm and dry here the next few days.  Tomorrow morning is his last pill.  It will have been 10 days.  I'm thinking about opening the door.  If he wants to go, he can.  I'll leave it open for a while.  If he wants to come back, he can. No matter how you look at it, we did our job.  He was so terribly sick.  He's about 90% now. Even if we never see him again (but i doubt that) we did a good thing and probably saved his life. 

GOOD NEWS.... last night we saw his brother (PJ... for Panama Jr.  he looks just like our first cat, Panama; he was the BEST cat in the world!)  He's not as social.  If we leave food for him, he'll come back and eat once we're gone.  Maybe he was washing Scruffy all along and now he's back looking for him. 

Anyone ever use straw in their shelters?  we use that along with insulation.  When we changed Scruffy's bedding, we put straw. I cant decide if he likes it or not.  It will keep him warmer at night, though.  There is an indentation where he was sleeping so i know he's been in there at some point

<Lisa

[animalangel1]

Another job well done Lisa.... as long as you are absolutely positive he won't relapse in a week or two..... I'm a worrier too and I am worried about that. Sorry!!! 

I use straw in all the feral houses I have on the property.  I put in all new straw about a month or so ago.  I see that someone has been using our various shelters too by the body imprints in the straw.  I put a whole bunch in and fluffed it so that if the cats need to burrow into it they can for extra warmth rather than just lay on top of it.