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- Dec 11, 2017
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I've been caring for an outdoor semi-feral cat who's just been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in the left (white) ear and per the vet it will need amputation. My concern is the vet wants the cat to be able to wear an e-collar for 10 days post-surgery so the cat won't scratch at the site and it won't get infected. Being an outdoor cat I'm worried about the logistics of this and wanted to know if anyone has experience with something like this and possible alternatives? When I've TNR'd another cat she was able to be released after 24hrs after spay surgery and an ear-tip, is this all that different?
For a bit more context: This cat "Brother" (who I now have found out is a girl, so needs a new name) has had some redness in the ear in the past especially during summer and we've chalked it up to being sun-burned and resulting blisters, usually clearing up in the winter. But this year it got so much worse and by late October a large chunk of the ear was blistered over and I knew I needed to get her help. I started pushing our boundaries more with petting her to get her more acclimated to me. Then last week a chuck of her ear was gone and my heart sank. I called my local vets to see who had the soonest opening, got the carrier outside to get use to it's presence, began petting with two hands, and even managed to pick her up from the ground to the coffee table we feed on. Today was the appointment and I know I severed some trust when I put her in that carrier. The vet gave me some Gabapentin to mix in the food the night before and in the morning, but not sure how much she ate (also how much the other outdoor cat "Momma" ate of it). I also gave Zylkene Monday and Tuesday morning. I was told she did really well with the exam, much better than expected, and other than expected dental issues appears in good health. The vet gave her an antibiotic in case there is an infection going on too, but the ultimate decision is for amputation to prevent it spreading to the face. The surgery will be on 12/06 and I'm hoping to regain enough trust by then that I can get her in the carrier again (she avoided a traditional humane trap a couple of years ago when I was trapping a different cat).
I would love to keep her indoors if I could, but I'm currently with my parents and while they don't mind feeding the outdoor cats they balk at the idea of bringing them indoors. Their reasoning being it's unfair to the cat whose only home has been outdoors, and worried about interactions with our pet dog and cat while indoors (outside "Brother" and our small dog get along well, but in a new environment and for prolonged periods may be different). My ultimate goal is to be able to take her with me when I move and be an indoor cat.
** To add to this I'm concerned "Momma" has skin cancer as well, only on her nose... which in talking to the vet is a much more involved process needing skin grafts, etc. But she is feral, still hisses at me and won't come close after 5 yrs of feeding her, I don't have much hope of being able to treat her in the same manner. Anyone dealt with skin cancer in feral cats? Anything I should be watching for to tell me things have gotten truly bad for her?
For a bit more context: This cat "Brother" (who I now have found out is a girl, so needs a new name) has had some redness in the ear in the past especially during summer and we've chalked it up to being sun-burned and resulting blisters, usually clearing up in the winter. But this year it got so much worse and by late October a large chunk of the ear was blistered over and I knew I needed to get her help. I started pushing our boundaries more with petting her to get her more acclimated to me. Then last week a chuck of her ear was gone and my heart sank. I called my local vets to see who had the soonest opening, got the carrier outside to get use to it's presence, began petting with two hands, and even managed to pick her up from the ground to the coffee table we feed on. Today was the appointment and I know I severed some trust when I put her in that carrier. The vet gave me some Gabapentin to mix in the food the night before and in the morning, but not sure how much she ate (also how much the other outdoor cat "Momma" ate of it). I also gave Zylkene Monday and Tuesday morning. I was told she did really well with the exam, much better than expected, and other than expected dental issues appears in good health. The vet gave her an antibiotic in case there is an infection going on too, but the ultimate decision is for amputation to prevent it spreading to the face. The surgery will be on 12/06 and I'm hoping to regain enough trust by then that I can get her in the carrier again (she avoided a traditional humane trap a couple of years ago when I was trapping a different cat).
I would love to keep her indoors if I could, but I'm currently with my parents and while they don't mind feeding the outdoor cats they balk at the idea of bringing them indoors. Their reasoning being it's unfair to the cat whose only home has been outdoors, and worried about interactions with our pet dog and cat while indoors (outside "Brother" and our small dog get along well, but in a new environment and for prolonged periods may be different). My ultimate goal is to be able to take her with me when I move and be an indoor cat.
** To add to this I'm concerned "Momma" has skin cancer as well, only on her nose... which in talking to the vet is a much more involved process needing skin grafts, etc. But she is feral, still hisses at me and won't come close after 5 yrs of feeding her, I don't have much hope of being able to treat her in the same manner. Anyone dealt with skin cancer in feral cats? Anything I should be watching for to tell me things have gotten truly bad for her?