LoveToKnow Cats:AllComments

From LoveToKnow Cats

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Hi Britt,

I know many people swear by the tea tree oil. It is a very popular healing oil. However, please be careful about letting your cat outside if he likes to fight. There are many diseases cats can catch from other cats. There is not a vaccination for every disease and some are fatal.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

I have a male cat who has gotten into a few fights. The first couple of times I took him to the vet for antibiotics to help him heal. But that became pretty expensive very quickly. Now, instead of antibiotics, I clean his wound with a cottonball and warm water to wash away any dirt. I cut away some of hte hair around the wound to stop matting which would stop drainage. Then I pour a little Tea Tree Oil on the wound. I do this once a day and within 3 or 4 days the wound has closed without any redness and no further signs of infection.

Tea Tree Oil is easy to obtain from most grocery stores or pharmacies. It is an essential oil and does not sting or burn, it is also not toxic. Tea Tree Oil is safe for both humans and animals. I have used it on major cuts, burns, rashes and infections that I have had and with much success. The advantage of Tea Tree Oil is that it is an antiseptic that still allows the infected area to breathe, resulting in quicker healing. Most Central African and American tribes have relied on this oil for centuries because of these properties. In humid climates like those along the equator, moisture on a wound (or lack of oxygen due to oily creams) increases the chances of a major infection and possible gangrene.

I had the unfortunate opportunity to see a stray young cat, about a year old, suffering from severe symtpoms of infection. The wound was extremely large by the time I came across her, about 2 inches in diameter. It was yellow with pus, was embeded with lots of dirt and hair matted over the wound to prevent drainage. The cat was starting to experience hair loss behind the ears and on the belly, as well as peeling, dry skin and coat. I was able to bathe the wound as above and wash the area with Tea Tree Oil. Being a stray I was not able to get close to her again for a few days but when I next checked her 3 days later, the wound had closed without furher signs of infection. The cat has regrown her hair and I am happy to say her skin and coat are healthy once more. I have no doubts as to the power of Tea Tree Oil after that incident.

-- Contributed by: Britt

Hi Anj,

Sometimes the best thing you can do is to clean with soap and water and leave it alone. Cats tend to want to lick off anything you put on their fur and with it being in such an easily accessible spot for him, he will just lick off any ointments meant to help him heal.

Keep a close eye on the wound. If it grows worse, seems infected or grows larger, I'd go ahead and take him to the vet.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

hi,i have a pet cat and i dont know what to do about the wound in his upper right front feet.it seems that the wound is getting larger,im afraid that it will scatter around.its not a bite or a scratch,its not bleeding but it shows some watery fluids on the skin..not coming from scratch or bite.it dries but he keep on cleaning with his tougue becomes wet again.pls help on hw to treat it.i lready use antiseptic to clean but evrytime i do it my cat wipe it with his tougue.asap plsss tnx

-- Contributed by: anj

Hi John,

Poor cat. It sounds like she's been through the ringer. The pus indicates an infection. You really need to take her to the vet and get her some antibiotics. Do not try to treat her with human medications, as these can sometimes be toxic to cats.

The best thing you can do for her is to wash what you see with soap and water and try to keep her calm until you can get her medical attention.

Also, if you have other cats, try to keep her isolated from them in case she's picked up an contagious diseases.

I hope she heals soon.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

my cat was missing for two days and came back yesterday (july 14)and she was really hurt 1. pus is coming out the noise 2. body feel more stiff 3. not drinking water 4.very digusted coff 5.feet very dirty 6.i dont feel nor see skin injury 7. back of mouth is dark. can u give me some adivce on how to treat her. (i think she fought a possom or another cat)

-- Contributed by: john

Hi Steven,

Do you think he got in a fight or has he been digging at the area? Unless he is showing other symptoms, I'd just keep an eye on him for now and try to keep the area as clean as possible. It may clear up on its own. If, he shows any lethargy or change in appetite, then I would go ahead and take him to the vet for some additional tests.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hello there my cat has alot of hair missing around his eyes and near his nose. There is also a couple of bald patches on his back and head the areas are a dark colour and are quite crusty to touch i would also mention that he has a fair bit of hair loss on his neck and dosnt seem to be growing back as it was a bit bloody at one point any ideas thanks.

-- Contributed by: steven

Hi Traci,

It may be feline acne. I know, it sounds weird. He may also have dug at his chin with is claws if he was nervous or had fleas. I'd keep a close eye on it and see if it clears up on its own. If not, then a trip to the vet is in order.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hi there, I just adopted a 3 yr old cat last weekend, he was a rescue cat. When I picked him up he had these little black specks, i thought was dirt, around the corner of his lower left mouth with a little bump under it. It is almost gone but now he has a larger one under his chin, black specks but bigger bump underneath it.Any thoughts? Thanks

-- Contributed by: Traci

Hi Marisa,

It is possible that Muffin has another type of parasite, but if you used the treatment prescribed for your daughter, that may be the main issue. Felines are highly sensitive to our medications and they can actually be toxic to cats. I would go ahead and phone the vet and explain the situation and ask if you need a different type of medication or different dosage for her. The vet may want to see her to confirm that it is indeed ringworm. Once you get the proper medicine, it will likely clear right up. Good luck! :)

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hi. I am new here, but I am in need of some help. Muffin, my 5 year old indoor cat about 2 weeks ago started losing a small amount of fur under her left ear. I thought nothing of it until the same day my daughter came home from school announcing she had ringworm on her arm. Okay...1+1=2 right...so I started treating Muffin for Ringworm under her ear, and myself and my daughter (lol ringworm is not fun). Today I was treating myself and Muffin with the ringworm anti-fungal I got from the pharmacy to find that where the loss of hair originated on Muffin has now started to turn black. So I looked closer (since Muffin is a black and white cat and black fur is where the sore is) thinking that it might be just fur growing back. It isn't. She now also has small cuts almost like paper cuts around the whole area that are bleeding a small amount. I don't know what else to do for her, she gets bathed once a month (more if she gets too dirty) she is a short hair and hates to be brushed, but she is rarely outside (only if she sneaks out the door) and never for more that a minute at most. I don't know what else to do or think. Any thoughts?

Thanks

-- Contributed by: Marisa

Hi Katie, Since the wound appeared suddenly and seems to have a cut, I'd suspect that she either got in a fight with another cat or hurt herself in some way. She may have then dug at the area as it was irritating her. For now, I'd just clean it with soap and water and keep an eye on it for now. As long as she appears otherwise healthy, it may not be anything to worry about. I would try to keep her indoors if possible. It will be much safer for her and she'll live a longer life.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

A penny sized patch of skin & an inch of fur around it have completely gone. It's relatively deep, moist & occasionally seeps or bleeds. When the first one appeared (on the shoulder) we saw a vet immediately, he dismissed a flea reaction & did nothing but recommend a biopsy as he suspected Eosinophilic dermatitis (eczema like disease). We have not yet gone ahead with this as after researching it we felt that there were few similar symptoms & it was unnecessary to put her through this without any initial treatment. It did grow wider but after using antiseptic healing powder ourselves it has just about cleared up & her fur is growing back. We contacted the vet to inform him, of which he was suprised it hadn't spread further and asked us to leave it for another week to heal independently which it did. However, last night we noticed a 2nd patch near her 'armpit'. This has a small flap of skin; it's clean cut possibly deeper than the first & alot of fur is missing. (I can email pictures?) She is a healthy 3yr old indoor & outdoor cat, still playful, no signs of pain & even happy to have it cleaned. Does this seem like a skin disease or are they only wounds? I just want to help her!

-- Contributed by: Katie

Hi Jennifer,

The knots are probably because the cat's long fur needs groomed more often. Some breeds and fur types require more maintenance. However, the hole sounds a little more serious. This is likely from the cat digging and scratching. The cat may be doing this because the knots bother him/her. Or, the cat may have fleas or another parasite. Your friend should take the cat to the vet to find out for sure.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

i have a friend who have a long hair cat with alot of nots in the hair and he keep on getting hole in his skin that you can see into the cat body what can cause these hole in the skin

-- Contributed by: jennifer

Hi Lisa,

First, don't beat yourself up. This is your first long-haired cat, and you thought he just had matted fur. I can tell that you really love this cat and if you'd known you would have sought help sooner. I would probably leave the wound alone for a few days and see if it clear up. Just keep a close eye on him. If he licks the wound, he could irritate it more. You really don't want to put any medications on it, as they could harm him if he ingests them. A little peroxide is probably fine, because it will dry so quickly.

If the condition does not clear and continues to pus, I would try to find a way to take him to the vet. An infection can spread through his body and could cause damage to organs, for example. Perhaps there is a vet in your area who works on a sliding scale? I would call the local animal shelters and inquire about help available for pet owners on a budget too.

Please check back and let us know if he's doing better.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

My cat is a longhair tabby, and a few days ago I noticed the fur on his back was matted. I thought it was strange since I brush him, and so I just cut out the knots. Under one of them appeared a superficial skin wound about 3/4 inch in diameter. I thought that I had nicked him with the scissors. The next day I noticed again that his hair was matted. I thought I must not have been caring for his hygiene properly, so I gave him a bath. The exposed sore still did not appear serious. It wasn't until the next day (yesterday) that I realized something was very wrong. There was yellowish pus coming from the that general area. I couldn't tell exactly where from, but a paper towel would soak up a large amount of pus. Upon further inspection, I discovered that there was another wound about 2 inches from the already exposed one. Some of his fur had fallen out of this nearby area on its own. He would lick me on my arm continuously whenever I looked at the area as if to say "please help me." Now I realized that it was discharge from the wounds that caused his matted fur. I know it sounds so dumb, but he's the first longhair cat I've adopted. I cleaned the pus and hoped for the best; however, today, when he curled into my arm to be pet, what appeared to be a mixture of blood and pus like squirted onto me. I was totally in shock! I applied pressure to stop the bleeding and then used a washcloth soaked in warm, soapy water with a cap full of hydrogen peroxide in it to gently pat and rub the area. The second wound is covered by crusted, matted fur. There is a tiny cut just outside of the area covered by the matted fur, but the blood/pus comes from both areas. Now that I am aware of the wounds, I'd say that it seems like he might have gotten caught crawling under a chainlink fence or something vs. being in a cat fight, because he doesn't really have any claw scratches or any other wounds on the front of his body. Believe me when I say that I feel like the worst cat companion on earth. I really can't take him to the vet right now, which makes me feel even worse. Can you give me any advice to treat him at home and when I should definitely find a way to take him to the vet regardless of what the obstacles are? Should I attempt to carefully remove the crusty, matted fur that is covering the second wound? This is what I have available right now: the soapy dilute peroxide compress I mentioned above, sterile gauze, an Ace bandage, Bacitracin, NeoSporin, Betadine, Bactroban (a prescription topical antibiotic ointment for humans), TriDerma (a fast-healing cream used for hard-to-heal wounds on humans) and an equine veterinary cut heal product. I'm planning to now clean these areas three times a day, but if you could tell me how and, more importantly, with what, I would really appreciate it. I can't believe how stupid I was not to notice he had wounds under his matted fur, especially after I found the first one! If I can help Frisco's wounds heal ASAP, I'd sure feel a lot better. I also plan not to let him play outside until the wounds heal, but maybe it would be better to let some fresh air get on them? I would be so grateful for any help and advice you could offer.

-- Contributed by: Lisa R

Hi Celeste,

So, the skin was pink and is now black or is he a black cat that had black skin under his fur? If the skin was pink and is turning black, take him to a vet immediately as it could indicate some type of fungus or infection. Please check back and let me know if he's okay and what the vet has to say.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

My cat had a wound last week on his side. He took great care of it. It seemed to have completely, except for now the bald spot. Now the bare skin is becoming black

-- Contributed by: celeste

Hi Kiera,

It sounds like your cat is having a reaction to something. It could be any number of things. A single flea can cause havoc. It could also be an allergy to anything from new carpet to his food. Since the area is swollen and raw, I would probably go ahead and take him to the vet. I know it is hard to know when something is minor and when it's time to take a cat in. I find that when I'm not certain, it is best to err on the side of caution. I try to combine such a visit and get any upcoming shots or other treatments out of the way to save on the office visit bills.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

my cat has a growing infection on his back near his tail. His vaccines are current. It is not oozing or bloody but it is swollen and raw. He does not seem to be in pain but I am concerned. What could be causing this?

-- Contributed by: kiera

Hi Brian,

Cats can have allergies to the same things that humans do, and this includes detergents. More commonly, cats are allergic to their food. You may want to look into a high quality, organic cat food for him. Remember to switch him slowly, in 25 percent increments.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

My cat seems to have a skin allergy, can this be caused by detergents used for washing clothes and bedding? He does not have fleas.

-- Contributed by: Brian

Hi, Sonia,

Likely, the cat has picked up fleas and hasbeen digging at them, thus creating the sores. The best thing to do is to take her to your vet and have her treated as well as the puppy and then to keep a good flea preventative on her. The sores should heal quickly once you are able to rid her of the fleas. Good luck!

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

can you tell me what could have caused these bloody ... sores to come onto my cats back she is 3 yrs old and she loves to go out doors and play with my new puppy and my puppy has fleas

-- Contributed by: sonia lacasse
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