Stray Cat Questions

MikyPiky

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I have a few stray cats around where we live, I just have a few questions about them.

1. The one cat has a bunch of scabs around his neck, is this from fighting with other cats, or maybe he has a allergy?

2. The other cat has a bare spot right behind his ears, what is this from? He also sneezes a lot, would this be from a cold?

3. Just a random question. These 2 cats are both male, one is neutered one is not. They are quite friendly and we are pretty sure they were abandoned by the previous owners. They have gotten along completely fine till today. The bigger un-neutered male was grooming himself, and the other cat sat behind him and started grooming himself (he wasn't touching the other cat). Then the bigger cat looked behind himself at the other cat and hissed and swatted at his face. The other cat got scared and ran away. Why did he suddenly lash out like that? It was very weird behavior to me, but there is probably a reason for it.

If you could help me with any of these questions I would be very grateful!
 

vyger

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It is very hard to tell from just a description but the cats could have mange. It is caused by a mite that burrows into the skin and lays eggs there. It causes scabs and bald spots from the itchy bites. There is a treatment for it but it involves giving them a bath in an insecticide solution. There are also other skin conditions they can get like ringworm. Just so you know, mange is contagious just like lice and people can get the bugs. The only way to really know is to have it looked at by a vet and the best treatment is also by a vet. It is one of the things that makes life on the street hard for uncared for cats.
You might find it interesting to know that some of the early reintroduction attempts of wolves went badly because of mange infections. The wolfs lost much of their fur and in the winter time could not keep warm enough. To combat the cold their metabolisms shifted into high gear to generate heat but they couldn't find enough to eat because of the needed calorie increase and so they starved to death.

And yes sometimes cats will take swipes at each other just because. Maybe it was giving it's friend a stink eye.
 

Jcatbird

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Many things can cause scabs, itch and bare spots. Some cats, like my Mama cat, are sensitive to flea bites. She can’t tolerate them well at all. Sometimes a dominance grasp by another cat can leave small scabs.
I hate to think those two were abandoned by others. That’s so sad. I spend my time working very hard trying to rescue cats that have had irresponsible guardians. If you can help them, please do. The male that is not neutered needs to be. Many groups will assist you with that if you are willing. Are the cats getting food or shelter? There are programs in some places that do help feral and stray cats. If you have questions or need help, please post back. There are many here who would be happy to try and assist you and the kitties.
 

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Just to add a little to Jcatybird comment, if these guys are strays with previous owners you are many steps ahead in the process of helping them. They will be much easier to work with, catch and transport and even care for. They are lost souls rather than wild souls. The wild ones are the real challenge the lost ones just need a helping hand. And there is no real way to tell what is wrong with them without it being look at and evaluated. It could be as simple as flea bites, there is no way to know from across the internet.
If you feel uncomfortable making a commitment to help or are just unsure about how to go about it check around for someone who can and mention them. Sometimes all it takes to help is letting the right people know.
 
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MikyPiky

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Many things can cause scabs, itch and bare spots. Some cats, like my Mama cat, are sensitive to flea bites. She can’t tolerate them well at all. Sometimes a dominance grasp by another cat can leave small scabs.
I hate to think those two were abandoned by others. That’s so sad. I spend my time working very hard trying to rescue cats that have had irresponsible guardians. If you can help them, please do. The male that is not neutered needs to be. Many groups will assist you with that if you are willing. Are the cats getting food or shelter? There are programs in some places that do help feral and stray cats. If you have questions or need help, please post back. There are many here who would be happy to try and assist you and the kitties.
We are helping the cats as much as we can. We have built insulated homes for them, and we give them food and fresh water everyday. I have been researching if there are any tnr projects in the nearby cities, but there are none. We don't have enough money to neuter him, though I wish I could.

It also saddens me a lot too that people can be so cruel to just abandon their cats, I am trying my best to give them a good life. Thanks for all the help!
 
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MikyPiky

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It is very hard to tell from just a description but the cats could have mange. It is caused by a mite that burrows into the skin and lays eggs there. It causes scabs and bald spots from the itchy bites. There is a treatment for it but it involves giving them a bath in an insecticide solution. There are also other skin conditions they can get like ringworm. Just so you know, mange is contagious just like lice and people can get the bugs. The only way to really know is to have it looked at by a vet and the best treatment is also by a vet. It is one of the things that makes life on the street hard for uncared for cats.
You might find it interesting to know that some of the early reintroduction attempts of wolves went badly because of mange infections. The wolfs lost much of their fur and in the winter time could not keep warm enough. To combat the cold their metabolisms shifted into high gear to generate heat but they couldn't find enough to eat because of the needed calorie increase and so they starved to death.

And yes sometimes cats will take swipes at each other just because. Maybe it was giving it's friend a stink eye.
Thanks for all the information, I am trying my best to take care of the cats. Hopefully we can find a solution for them! And yes I'm pretty sure he was giving him a stink eye. Lol.
 
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MikyPiky

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Just to add a little to Jcatybird comment, if these guys are strays with previous owners you are many steps ahead in the process of helping them. They will be much easier to work with, catch and transport and even care for. They are lost souls rather than wild souls. The wild ones are the real challenge the lost ones just need a helping hand. And there is no real way to tell what is wrong with them without it being look at and evaluated. It could be as simple as flea bites, there is no way to know from across the internet.
If you feel uncomfortable making a commitment to help or are just unsure about how to go about it check around for someone who can and mention them. Sometimes all it takes to help is letting the right people know.
I agree with everything you say, I am trying my best to give them a good life. Thanks a lot!
 

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There are some National groups if you are in the U.S. that might help. Local Humane Societies sometimes help with neutering and also something called,”The Barn Cat” program. Some of these programs also try to assist with immunizations and sometimes with food. Calling pet supply companies helped me. Purina sent coupons for a good bit of free food and other companies may as well. I got help with cat litter too. It takes texting, emailing and phone calls. I was dealing with a very large number of kitties and , at times, it seemed there was little I could do beyond feeding. In time, all the cats did get spayed and neutered as well as shots. I was able to find homes for most of them. The rest are safe with me now. Don’t give up. You are doing a truly wonderful thing by helping them in any way you can. I’m am very grateful to find people like you. I often tell
people that they are either part of the problem or part of the solution. Thank you for being part of the solution. Every life counts.
 
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MikyPiky

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Thanks for the encouragement! I do live in Canada so that doesn't work for me, thanks though. I am still looking for a good shelter to possibly take them in. Do you think that would be the best idea right now?
 

vyger

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Thanks for the encouragement! I do live in Canada so that doesn't work for me, thanks though. I am still looking for a good shelter to possibly take them in. Do you think that would be the best idea right now?
There is a non profit group in Canada that does a lot of really good things. They are :
While it is not likely they are near you they could know who to get you in contact with.
These people have produced a lot of videos and do a lot of advocating. Here are a couple of their videos



By the way, mason, the cat they mentioned in the last video died a few months ago of kidney failure. He had such a following that it made the national news.
 

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Hi MikyPiky and welcome to the forum !

We have thousands of rescue organizations "north of the 49th"......and, the folks who volunteer/work for them will know how to get help for these kitties.

Google exactly this: "cat rescue in (name of closest city/town)".

Now, how about a few pics of these little ones......?
.
 
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MikyPiky

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I have some great news everyone! I have found a really good shelter for these strays! It was kind of hard to find a shelter that takes in cats from the surrounding area of the city, most of them are really strict and only allow cats from the city. But I am really happy to give these guys a better home, I will miss them but at least I have my 2 cats, they were both strays before I rescued them! I hope I can send you some pics of them, cause they wont be here much longer. Thanks so much everyone for being kind and giving me lots of good information, hopefully the cats will get new homes where they will be warm and fed.


P.S. My cat Charcoal is sitting on me as I write this, I think he is dreaming of birds. :)
 

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That is such great news! You did something truly exceptional! Thank you for telling us. Charcoal is giving you support! ;) ( and dreaming of birds. Lol)We’d love to hear when the kitties are in the shelter as well as more about your current kitties.
 
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MikyPiky

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That is such great news! You did something truly exceptional! Thank you for telling us. Charcoal is giving you support! ;) ( and dreaming of birds. Lol)We’d love to hear when the kitties are in the shelter as well as more about your current kitties.
Yes I am very Happy too! I will hopefully take some pictures of the strays before we take them to the shelter, and I will update you when we take them there.

Here's some more info about my cats, Charcoal and Popoki (cat in Hawaiian).

We got Popoki first, he was the kitten of a stray cat from a nearby town. The mom (she has been spayed now) stopped caring for him and his brother, so my friends took them in. They kept the one kitten and we got the other. He is a medium brown Maine coon tabby, he is absolutely gorgeous and very fluffy. He is a very mellow cat, when we got him neutered the vet said he was the most calm cat she's ever seen! We have grown to love him very much and are so thankful for him!


Charcoal was a completely different situation. The first time we ever saw him he was meowing at our door, he is a big tuxedo cat, we have no idea he was. We soon started feeding him but he was very scared of us. Slowly over the months he got more and more used to us till he actually started walking into our house. We were scared that he was going to fight with Popoki so we had no thought of keeping him. One month he disappeared completely and we thought he had died, but he came back one day and we were so happy! Soon it was spring and he never left our property, he was so snuggly and he would just sit on my lap and head bump and lick me, I loved him a lot but I still didn't think we could keep him because of Popoki. At this time we did let Popoki outside (he's an inside cat now) but the cats never met till one day. Charcoal was sitting in the sun on our porch and Popoki came up to him, Charcoal hissed once then they sniffed each other, they have been friends ever since! A little while later we decided to take him in, we got him neutered and he has been our cat for over a year now. He is very tame now, and he loves his food! But he is still the adorable cuddly cat he used to be!

I could go on and on about these little boys, but I think that is enough for now. I hope you enjoyed these little stories!
 

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I most certainly did enjoy them! :redheartpump: Those are very lucky kitties to have found you. That’s really neat about them meeting outside and becoming friendly so quickly. Brothers from the start. I’d say it was meant to be!
I love all kitties but Maine Coon have such personality. I have some that have part Maine Coon. I also have a female tuxedo named Banjo. She is always getting into things and making me laugh. Do your babies have a favorite thing to do for fun? Banjo is in love with a frog that gets on the door and in the house. Lol She never hurts him either. They are cute together.
 
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MikyPiky

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I most certainly did enjoy them! :redheartpump: Those are very lucky kitties to have found you. That’s really neat about them meeting outside and becoming friendly so quickly. Brothers from the start. I’d say it was meant to be!
I love all kitties but Maine Coon have such personality. I have some that have part Maine Coon. I also have a female tuxedo named Banjo. She is always getting into things and making me laugh. Do your babies have a favorite thing to do for fun? Banjo is in love with a frog that gets on the door and in the house. Lol She never hurts him either. They are cute together.
Yes it was definitely meant to be!

Banjo sounds adorable! And she's also a tuxedo cat, I love that type of marking! It may sound weird but our cats drink out of the fishbowl, we have a betta in it. They never ever hurt him and the cats are almost friends with the fish! They will touch noses when they drink, its adorable! Popoki is a very talkative cat, you can have whole conversations with him, I think its the Maine coon in him, they are known for being very vocal! Both the cats love to look out window, they sit there for hours watching birds and the stray cats, after a few hours though they will have fallen asleep. Lol. They have plenty more little traits but I have to go now! Thanks for sharing a little about your cats, and we love to know more!
 
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MikyPiky

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Here are some pictures of the cats!

20191116_130305.jpg

This is the bigger, un-neutered male I was talking about, his name is Buttercrum.

20191116_111607.jpg

This is the smaller neutered male I mentioned, his name is skraggles, skrag for short.

Polish_20191116_151342343.jpg

This girl right here is another stray cat, her name is Momma, and the kitten below is her baby girl.


Polish_20191116_151658004.jpg

We haven't named her yet so we just call her kitten. I think she is about 8 weeks old. She is so adorable!


Now here are some pictures of my current sweeties!


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This is Popoki, he is a Maine coon tabby and absolutely gorgeous! He was a stray kitten before we adopted him.


Tawa.jpg

This is his big "brother" Charcoal, he is a big cuddly cutie. He was also a stray before we adopted him.
 

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Jcatbird

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Awww! I am in love with them all! Your babies are beautiful. I find the tuxedos are really sweet and smart. You’re right about the Maine Coon being vocal! Lol Mine like to talk and go around singing to themselves. It always cracks me up. Mane if mine have a bit of that genetic line although some don’t show it in their appearance. That kitten looks like it could have a bit too. That baby will melt hearts. I could snuggle every kitty pictured! Butter rum is a great name! I have a Sherdert and my most recent rescue is a ginger tabby named Wanda Heart. Orange tabby females are kind of unusual so I was surprised to discover the baby is a girl.
Hopefully all the kitties will quickly find homes. Those sweet faces would win me over! Melting here! 💓 Thank you so much for the photos and all you are doing to help the outside kitties! They all need a safe place.
 
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MikyPiky

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Yes they are all really adorable! I so hope they can all find loving homes!

What do you mean by a Sherdert? And that is quite weird that Wanda is a girl, isn't that really rare?

I would love to see some pictures of your cats if that's possible. How many cats do you have? It sounds like you a quite a few, I have only ever had 2 cats at a time.
 

Jcatbird

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Heh! Sherdert is a typo! It should be Sherbert. My vision isn’t the best and I’m replying on a small phone screen. Lol I do have quite a few kitties. All are rescued ferals that were in a very bad place. All are safe and happy now though. They keep me laughing!
Here is Sherbert.
2479F088-D228-444E-BA27-EB7132B332BD.jpeg

I’ve worked to rescue a lot of kitties so ,many pass through our home. It would take a lot of space to send photos of everyone but here are some of my resident babies.

Left is Whistle and right is his sister Banjo.
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This is Lady.
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This is my unusual female orange tabby. Yes, this is rare for her to be female. Wanda Heart.
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The kitties love the sunroom.
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This is my giant sized silly boy, Bonjure.
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Meet Muffin.
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BJ is an older rescue that was feral. Now he’s a complete lap cat. (Big teddy bear! Lol)
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The kitty looking up at BJ is the love of his life, Flowers. She was a feral that was rescued shortly before BJ. They were very happy to be reunited and remain bonded.
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My eldest kitty is Dolly and the youngest is Wanda Heart. Many are related. The first came here over ten years ago. 77 kitties from the last colony got vet care and then adopted into safe homes. It took a long time to get that accomplished but I wouldn’t trade one moment of the time spent with the kitties.
 
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