Cat rehabilitation while caged outside?

[comithy]

I recently rescued a male cat who is suffering from a severe fungal infection. The vet told me to preferably keep him indoors, but would it be alright to keep him in a large cage outside as he undergoes rehabilitation?

The cage is under a roof and will not be affected by most weather conditions (covered from rain, partially covered from sunlight. However there are other cats that roam around my house alot so I've been keeping the rescued kitty partially covered to avoid them from coming too close. I dont have much space in my house to keep his big cage so I would just like some advice.

 

[poolcat]

Did your vet say why inside would be better? And if he were inside, why in a cage?

What kind of fungal infection is it? Do you have to medicate him, and is he hard to catch? How long do you expect him to be caged? Where will he live after he recovers?

How is he reacting to being in the cage? Is there room for a box that he can hide in?

I'm sorry for all the questions. You may get some useful suggestions, depending on his situation. In any case, it's good of you to rescue this boy.

 

[fionasmom]

Thank you for helping this cat. If you can bring him inside, it will be easier for you. I do understand that you have some space limitations. I have kept sick ferals outside in a large dog crate. Of course, this is LA and it happened in the summer in all cases, so rain and cold weather were not an issue. I was able to provide complete shade given the structure of my patio and, frankly, it did work.

If he has to be in a cage, size is a big issue. It has to be big enough for him to have a litter box, food, and water without the litter ending up in the water, etc.

poolcat is asking some good question and it might help us to give some advice if we knew a little more about the situation.

 

[comithy]

Did your vet say why inside would be better? And if he were inside, why in a cage?

What kind of fungal infection is it? Do you have to medicate him, and is he hard to catch? How long do you expect him to be caged? Where will he live after he recovers?

How is he reacting to being in the cage? Is there room for a box that he can hide in?

I'm sorry for all the questions. You may get some useful suggestions, depending on his situation. In any case, it's good of you to rescue this boy.

Hi no worries about the questions.

The vet stated 'inside' because apparently fungal infections are common in street cats. I assume that he thought that I would release the cat back to the streets after its vet checkup. When I got home was when I started doubting what it meant by 'inside'. As in, in the house or just inside somewhere safe?

The infection looks severe but hes a very sweet boy and doesnt show any discomfort aside from occasionally shaking off some scabs. Hes on medication for 2 weeks (and expected to be caged for the same time length). He'll most probably be adopted to a different home when he's well enough (i work for an animal welfare NGO so its easier to find potential owners). He doesnt mind the cage and is only vocal when hes hungry or wants attention. Theres a spot in the very back which I've covered with cloth to make for a hiding spot but he was quick to be comfortable with us and usually stays where we can see him.

Hope this helps

 

[fionasmom]

Given that you are faced with a situation which is not ideal, I would say that you are making the best of it and he seems to agree. If it is working, and you are now into the two week window, it will probably be okay. I kept my Kate in a large dog crate for two weeks when I rescued her because of a serious URI that she had which prevented her from safely coming in the house. Fourteen years later, she is still here, inside only, and fine.

 

[comithy]

Thank you for helping this cat. If you can bring him inside, it will be easier for you. I do understand that you have some space limitations. I have kept sick ferals outside in a large dog crate. Of course, this is LA and it happened in the summer in all cases, so rain and cold weather were not an issue. I was able to provide complete shade given the structure of my patio and, frankly, it did work.

If he has to be in a cage, size is a big issue. It has to be big enough for him to have a litter box, food, and water without the litter ending up in the water, etc.

poolcat is asking some good question and it might help us to give some advice if we knew a little more about the situation.

Thanks for the input. Ive replied to poolcat as well.

Weather shouldn't be that much of a problem where I live as well as its mostly sunny but we do get occasional thunderstorms. His cage will be reinforced from the outside with a wooden layer during such situations. Its also placed under our open garage and also set against the only wall + blocked in by two cars which helps. I was mostly worried that he would be scared by the sound of cars but he was living in a parking lot before we rescued him so not much affects him. Hes happy to just lay around and eat all day.

The cage is big enough that his food and litter are on opposite ends and theres more than enough space for him to stretch out - and his litter is also enclosed so its quite sanitary.

 

[comithy]

Given that you are faced with a situation which is not ideal, I would say that you are making the best of it and he seems to agree. If it is working, and you are now into the two week window, it will probably be okay. I kept my Kate in a large dog crate for two weeks when I rescued her because of a serious URI that she had which prevented her from safely coming in the house. Fourteen years later, she is still here, inside only, and fine.

Thanks! This gave me some piece of mind

 

[SweetLittleKitty]

I recently rescued a male cat who is suffering from a severe fungal infection. The vet told me to preferably keep him indoors, but would it be alright to keep him in a large cage outside as he undergoes rehabilitation?

The cage is under a roof and will not be affected by most weather conditions (covered from rain, partially covered from sunlight. However there are other cats that roam around my house alot so I've been keeping the rescued kitty partially covered to avoid them from coming too close. I don't have much space in my house to keep his big cage so I would just like some advice.

Yes, it would be okay, especially if the cage is the equivalent of a large dog kennel that can fit a litter box, food and water, and possibly also a kitty carrier where he can sleep inside and perch on top of it. He may not like it at first and may tear things up inside, but I have used these dog kennels as temporary containments for cats (like if I am moving and need to keep them contained during the transition process, even for a month) and hey work fine. Very large ones can be purchased at local feed stores for about one hundred dollars. It is not cruel- you are rescuing a cat and this is the only option temporarily.

 

[comithy]

I'd like to know a bit more about the healing process if anyone has ever had pets that have had the same infection.

Wilson's infection doesnt look as bad as before (pics below), but its been looking slightly watery. I felt around the affected site (gloved) and the grey-brown lumps are scabs. He also hasnt been showing any symptoms of secondary infections and has been eating, drinking, using the toilet normally. I'm only concerned because I don't know what a fungal infection looks like when it heals normally. He also accidentally got out of his cage once and started scratching his back in the rough dirt of our potted plants, which made the wound dirty (and I'm worried it set back his recovery).

The pic of him in the streets is the before, and the close-up is his current state.

The vet prescribed two pills to be taken orally & no topical medicine and I'll have to bring Wilson back for a check up after 2 weeks.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I posted a while ago about a cat I rescued (Wilson) that was suffering from a fungal infection, and I'd like to know a bit more about the healing process if anyone has ever had pets that have had the same infection.

Wilson's infection doesnt look as bad as before (pics below), but its been looking slightly watery. I felt around the affected site (gloved) and the grey-brown lumps are scabs. He also hasnt been showing any symptoms of secondary infections and has been eating, drinking, using the toilet normally. I'm only concerned because I don't know what a fungal infection looks like when it heals normally. He also accidentally got out of his cage once and started scratching his back in the rough dirt of our potted plants, which made the wound dirty (and I'm worried it set back his recovery).

The pic of him in the streets is the before, and the close-up is his current state.

View attachment 410010
View attachment 410011

The vet prescribed two pills to be taken orally & no topical medicine and I'll have to bring Wilson back for a check up after 2 weeks.

*PRAYERS* for this sweet little man! and much, much gratitude to you for rescuing and adopting him! I have not seen anything like this and do not have knowledge of it but by posting, I am hoping others who do will respond and be of support and encouragement. You are keeping him indoors only, I hope? Experts do recommend this for all cats' safety and health, no matter where you live, traditions or culture. Please do keep him away from the plants and dirt. Maybe remove them to an area where he cannot go. It's crucial to keep him very clean and keep all foreign matter out of his affected areas. Please keep us informed, won't you?

 

[fionasmom]

What condition was he diagnosed with? You are a saint for helping him. When you said "fungal infection" before, I thought you meant some scabby stuff like ringworm. I can see your point that gray scabs are forming and he seems to feel better, but am in no position to determine if this should look better than it does. What are you giving him?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

What condition was he diagnosed with? You are a saint for helping him. When you said "fungal infection" before, I thought you meant some scabby stuff like ringworm. I can see your point that gray scabs are forming and he seems to feel better, but am in no position to determine if this should look better than it does. What are you giving him?

Ditto that.

 

[hexiesfriend]

It is very very important that you know what type of fungal infection this is. if your vet called it crypto please be very careful this is a very serious condition that can kill your cat, mine died from it. If this is just ringworm it’s the worst case I’ve ever seen. Antifungals can take 2 weeks to start working

 

[Meowmee]

That looks really bad. Has your dvm properly diagnosed it? As people said the right meds are very important. I would bring him inside if possible. He has a serious thing going on and will heal faster inside imo.

 

[poolcat]

I would want to know if this infection can spread from cats to humans before bringing the poor guy inside. He may be shedding spores. Doesn't look like anything you'd want to inhale.

Seems like sunlight might help it heal, so if you can position his crate so he can sit in it part of the day that would be good . . . while still providing a shaded area.

 

[comithy]

I recently rescued a male cat who is suffering from a severe fungal infection. The vet told me to preferably keep him indoors, but would it be alright to keep him in a large cage outside as he undergoes rehabilitation?

The cage is under a roof and will not be affected by most weather conditions (covered from rain, partially covered from sunlight. However there are other cats that roam around my house alot so I've been keeping the rescued kitty partially covered to avoid them from coming too close. I dont have much space in my house to keep his big cage so I would just like some advice.

I hope this post can be seen!

To address some of the qsns and concerns : we brought Wilson inside due to it being extremely hot outside, and some stray cats started coming to aggravate him. He is now in a cage in an isolated room. The sun does hit him during some points of the day and the windows are always open to allow for ventilation. Hes been scabbing over more so I assume thats a good thing.

What kind of fungal infection is it?
The dr didnt mention (Probably for simplicity's sake) but he did mention that it wasnt something to be overly cautious about. He said I only needed to wash my hands after handling him and before touching my other cats. I'm cautious by nature so I use a mask & faceshield (seems like overkill, but i found out i was allergic to his dander) and wipe down myself after i feed & clean him/his cage and before i leave the room. I monitor my other cats as well to see if there have been any changes and fortunately it seems like we're in the clear. I do hope the infection just looks more serious than it is!

Medicine:
1x neomec ivermectin injection
Medofulvin tabs
Prednisolone tabs

He'll probably be given more meds at his 2week checkup but this is it for now.

 

[fionasmom]

Thank so much for replying. Once again, it sounds as if you have this under as much control as you can. I agree with exercising caution when around him, but it is for the best that he is inside and that you had a room to use for him. He is on some standard antifungals, along with the pred. Fulvin can cause some photosensitivity, so it might be just as well that he is not exposed to too much sun. Please keep us posted as to his progress.

 

[Meowmee]

I hope this post can be seen!

To address some of the qsns and concerns : we brought Wilson inside due to it being extremely hot outside, and some stray cats started coming to aggravate him. He is now in a cage in an isolated room. The sun does hit him during some points of the day and the windows are always open to allow for ventilation. Hes been scabbing over more so I assume thats a good thing.

What kind of fungal infection is it?
The dr didnt mention (Probably for simplicity's sake) but he did mention that it wasnt something to be overly cautious about. He said I only needed to wash my hands after handling him and before touching my other cats. I'm cautious by nature so I use a mask & faceshield (seems like overkill, but i found out i was allergic to his dander) and wipe down myself after i feed & clean him/his cage and before i leave the room. I monitor my other cats as well to see if there have been any changes and fortunately it seems like we're in the clear. I do hope the infection just looks more serious than it is!

Medicine:
1x neomec ivermectin injection
Medofulvin tabs
Prednisolone tabs

He'll probably be given more meds at his 2week checkup but this is it for now.

Great I had Merlin inside with c difficile and possible rabies. He did not have rabies and the c difficile was never transmitted in spite if the fact that a dvm sent him home covered in feces knowing this. It has millions of tiny spores but like you I was very careful, gloves etc. It can only be killed with a high bleach application.

 

[comithy]

Hello again! So for the last month, I've been caring for Wilson as he gets treated for his fungal infection and it has been quite a ride I would say. He recently scratched a hole in my mesh window cover (I left the actual window open for ventilation) and jumped out of my 2nd story bedroom like a furry spiderman and disappeared for an hour or so. Thankfully he was fine and we managed to find him bothering my neighbors. We've moved him from my room and back into a large crate in the garage where he'll hopefully not feel so inclined to escape lol.

His infection has healed very nicely (around 95%) and he has stopped all treatments as per the vet. All that's left is to clean his infection site daily with iodine. Since he's feeling better, he's also been yowling a lot cause he smells all the female cats roaming around and he's managed to scare off 2 of our regular female outdoor cats from coming back . They absolutely refuse to step foot into our compound because of his constant meowing so we've been debating sending him for neutering soon but I was wondering if vets would accept him due to his infection? As mentioned he has stopped all treatments and he's eating and using the toilet quite normally so if anyone has any idea that would be great!

I think that's all for his update

 

[Meowmee]

Hello again! So for the last month, I've been caring for Wilson as he gets treated for his fungal infection and it has been quite a ride I would say. He recently scratched a hole in my mesh window cover (I left the actual window open for ventilation) and jumped out of my 2nd story bedroom like a furry spiderman and disappeared for an hour or so. Thankfully he was fine and we managed to find him bothering my neighbors. We've moved him from my room and back into a large crate in the garage where he'll hopefully not feel so inclined to escape lol.

His infection has healed very nicely (around 95%) and he has stopped all treatments as per the vet. All that's left is to clean his infection site daily with iodine. Since he's feeling better, he's also been yowling a lot cause he smells all the female cats roaming around and he's managed to scare off 2 of our regular female outdoor cats from coming back . They absolutely refuse to step foot into our compound because of his constant meowing so we've been debating sending him for neutering soon but I was wondering if vets would accept him due to his infection? As mentioned he has stopped all treatments and he's eating and using the toilet quite normally so if anyone has any idea that would be great!

I think that's all for his update

That is great he is recovering and that you got him back inside after his escape. I would ask the dvm about when he can be neutered.