First Time Cat Dad. Worried & Need Help

[Kilbarrack]

Hi Everyone!
I rescued a female cat called Lilly about 8 weeks ago who is 6/7ish. She literally clung to me for the first two weeks & I slowly encouraged her outside. Now she's out all the time & she pretty much only comes home for food or to sleep if it's too cold at night! But she has started to grow small lumps all over her body that she didn't have. As she's out so much & there are wild fields full of tall grasses & my neighbours told me (as I'm new here) that there are foxes & feral cats that live out there too, I'm worried she's caught something off them.
I initially thought they were burrs or something caught in her fur. I picked a few of them off & a tiny tuft of hair came out with it. She didn't seem to mind, but I looked at one & I realised there was a tiny bit of blood on it. It was then I realised they weren't burrs etc...
I cant really afford a vet unless I have to bring her, so I was hoping someone here know is it something I need to worry about? Is it something she's coming in contact with?

I'd appreciate any help or advice from experienced cat mams & dads

Lilly & Ciarán

 

[noani]

Hi Ciaràn,

She looks gorgeous!
Did you get her from a shelter or was she a feral?
Do you have any picture of what the lumps look like, or the site where furr came off?
Is it possible for you to keep her inside?

 

[fionasmom]

Welcome to The Cat Site to you and Lilly! I had the same questions as noani does. Did you adopt her from a shelter? I assumed you might since you know her age and frankly she does not look like your average stray. You may live in an area or part of the world where cats are more free roaming; however, since she is developing symptoms, I would try to keep her inside. If she has decided that she likes to go out, this might take a little bit of behavior modification and might have to be done incrementally.

Does she seem ill otherwise? Anything else wrong like not eating, suspicious poops, not peeing, coughing, etc? Since you are confronting a medical condition of some kind, keeping her inside to see if this starts to get a little better could help you to avoid a vet visit, at least for now. If other symptoms develop, you might have to go for a check up.

Hair loss in cats can run the gamut of reasons. Allergies (which, in itself, is wide open to discussion), hormonal imbalances, fleas or other pests. If she is encountering wildlife, it becomes a little more complicated. Just an example, only one of my indoor cats had the same thing happen to her when I used Revolution on her for flea prevention. It did not happen to my other cats and has never happened to my dog, but suddenly she was losing tufts of fur with some sort of skin debris attached to each tuft.

I think that as a first step, you have to consider keeping her inside for observation. She is a beautiful little girl.

 

[ZeusTheCat]

Has she been treated for fleas? Flea bites leave little bumps and spots of dried blood with fur stuck to it like that. I’d recommend making her an indoor cat. She won’t live long outdoors, especially since she’s already middle aged.

 

[Kilbarrack]

Hi & thanks for taking the time to reply.
No she actually came from a person that had too many cats & she was sending her to the pound. But she was kind of the bullied cat & she's been on Prozac or something similar, once for her nerves. But I was told that shows up as a kind of scaly thing just above her tail on her back. These are on her back, sides, each side & under her neck. She's outside now, so when she comes in I will try to get a few pictures of them & post it.

 

[Kilbarrack]

Welcome to The Cat Site to you and Lilly! I had the same questions as noani does. Did you adopt her from a shelter? I assumed you might since you know her age and frankly she does not look like your average stray. You may live in an area or part of the world where cats are more free roaming; however, since she is developing symptoms, I would try to keep her inside. If she has decided that she likes to go out, this might take a little bit of behavior modification and might have to be done incrementally.

Does she seem ill otherwise? Anything else wrong like not eating, suspicious poops, not peeing, coughing, etc? Since you are confronting a medical condition of some kind, keeping her inside to see if this starts to get a little better could help you to avoid a vet visit, at least for now. If other symptoms develop, you might have to go for a check up.

Hair loss in cats can run the gamut of reasons. Allergies (which, in itself, is wide open to discussion), hormonal imbalances, fleas or other pests. If she is encountering wildlife, it becomes a little more complicated. Just an example, only one of my indoor cats had the same thing happen to her when I used Revolution on her for flea prevention. It did not happen to my other cats and has never happened to my dog, but suddenly she was losing tufts of fur with some sort of skin debris attached to each tuft.

I think that as a first step, you have to consider keeping her inside for observation. She is a beautiful little girl.

Hi & thanks for taking so much time to help us both out!
No she is fine. She eats really well. I'm feeding her Felix pouches with jelly & I give her dry Whiskas separately & she loves that too. She is full of life & if I even try to keep her in, she sits on a table beside the back door & cries literally non stop. Last week I had to get up at 2.30 am & let her out as she was crying so much
I live alone so this is the best I could do to take some pictures.

 

[Kilbarrack]

Has she been treated for fleas? Flea bites leave little bumps and spots of dried blood with fur stuck to it like that. I’d recommend making her an indoor cat. She won’t live long outdoors, especially since she’s already middle aged.

Hi & thanks!
Yes I gave her two doses of flea drops since she arrived. She had some on her but they seem to be gone. The women in the shop said they should last about 4 weeks?

 

[maggie101]

If she is injured in any way keep her inside to heal. Outside could make things worse for her physically then it will cost more if she has to be taken to a vet. I think it's longer than 4 weeks but look at the box. She is gorgeous! Thanks for rescuing her

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. You have already gotten some good tips to go on. But, I'd stop picking at those places, and keep her inside, just to see if they disappear if she is not exposed to the outdoors. I realize she wants outside, but you can try to distract her with toys, cuddles, etc. See TCS article link below for some possible tips. I know there are countries, and parts of the US, where people think their cats need to have outside access - it is rarely the case, IMO.

Most flea 'drops' are topicals to apply to the back of the neck where a cat can't reach and most of them are supposed to be effective for 1 month/30 days.

Also, what you describe could be related to food allergies, litter allergies, and/or environmental allergies. Don't discount any of these as potential causes. It is an investigative process to be sure.
The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside – TheCatSite Articles

 

[daftcat75]

I understand not being able to afford vet care. I've been there before. I strongly encourage you to make her an indoor only cat. Your occasions for vet care and the average price of those visits will be greatly reduced with an indoor life. You can make your home more interesting for a formerly outdoor cat by providing lots of vertical spaces--a cat tree or shelf or simply allowing her to get on the counters and the fridge because it's easier to wipe down your counters than to keep her off of them. A cat tunnel or a box will satisfy ground-oriented cats. Some cats like heights and some prefer the ground. Ground kitties will like boxes and beds to go under. Though all kitties like boxes really. You can also train her to walk on a leash and harness (she'll walk you more than you walk her) if she really, really will not give up her outdoor cravings. This is the best of both worlds. She gets to go outside under your supervision but she will still get into far less trouble than an unsupervised outdoor cat. Less trouble = less vet visits and lower vet bills.

 

[ZeusTheCat]

Hi & thanks!
Yes I gave her two doses of flea drops since she arrived. She had some on her but they seem to be gone. The women in the shop said they should last about 4 weeks?

It could be that the bite spots are still healing. Also, if she’s outside, other insects can be biting her. Sand fleas, no-see-ums, chiggers and mites are all out there too. She could even be allergic to something outside and is itching a lot. We have a cat that’s terribly allergic to the sand and dust outside. But it’s probably just old flea bites still healing. Try keeping her inside and see if it clears up.

Also, check to see if you have something like Aid To Animals nearby. They offer low cost vet services.

 

[Kilbarrack]

It could be that the bite spots are still healing. Also, if she’s outside, other insects can be biting her. Sand fleas, no-see-ums, chiggers and mites are all out there too. She could even be allergic to something outside and is itching a lot. We have a cat that’s terribly allergic to the sand and dust outside. But it’s probably just old flea bites still healing. Try keeping her inside and see if it clears up.

Also, check to see if you have something like Aid To Animals nearby. They offer low cost vet services.

Hi & thank you for your help!
I live in Ireland & I haven't heard of those insects, but I'm guessing the equivalent of them are here in one form or other. It's impossible to keep her in, but winter is starting to bite now, so I'm hoping the bad weather will make it easier
Again, thanks

 

[Kilbarrack]

I understand not being able to afford vet care. I've been there before. I strongly encourage you to make her an indoor only cat. Your occasions for vet care and the average price of those visits will be greatly reduced with an indoor life. You can make your home more interesting for a formerly outdoor cat by providing lots of vertical spaces--a cat tree or shelf or simply allowing her to get on the counters and the fridge because it's easier to wipe down your counters than to keep her off of them. A cat tunnel or a box will satisfy ground-oriented cats. Some cats like heights and some prefer the ground. Ground kitties will like boxes and beds to go under. Though all kitties like boxes really. You can also train her to walk on a leash and harness (she'll walk you more than you walk her) if she really, really will not give up her outdoor cravings. This is the best of both worlds. She gets to go outside under your supervision but she will still get into far less trouble than an unsupervised outdoor cat. Less trouble = less vet visits and lower vet bills.

That's really good advice, thank you!!
I bought string & toys & hung them from the ceiling so we could play with them. For the first 2/3 weeks she was mostly indoors & loved playing with them. Though she sniffed the jar of catnip I bought & wasn't interested. Then she realised she had fields to hunt in & other cats to play with, so I ended up taking them down because she was like "Dad, I know you're trying really hard to make me feel welcome & you did a great job, but will ya open the door already & let me outta here?!?"

I think I'll just bring her to the vets & get her checked out. I'd rather find out what it is & get her treated ASAP.

Again, I appreciate you taking the time to help

 

[noani]

A vet visit might be good if you can do that

You could try finding and getting in touch with some local(ish) volunteer organisations or similar, they might have some insight into what other insects might be to blame and what repels them, if your current flea spot on doesn't cover them.

From when I lived in Ireland I remember people calling them midges? I'm not sure if they are everywhere in Ireland (I used to live out in the west off of Westport) but man were they a PEST to man and animal alike!

It wasn't uncommon to see dogs covered in midge bites and some would have a hypersensitivity reaction that looked similar to those spots. But of course a vet or experienced people in the area will know more about this

 

[Kilbarrack]

A vet visit might be good if you can do that

You could try finding and getting in touch with some local(ish) volunteer organisations or similar, they might have some insight into what other insects might be to blame and what repels them, if your current flea spot on doesn't cover them.

From when I lived in Ireland I remember people calling them midges? I'm not sure if they are everywhere in Ireland (I used to live out in the west off of Westport) but man were they a PEST to man and animal alike!

It wasn't uncommon to see dogs covered in midge bites and some would have a hypersensitivity reaction that looked similar to those spots. But of course a vet or experienced people in the area will know more about this

Ah yes midges I remember being covered in hives after playing in the local fields on a Summer's day!
I get paid tomorrow so I'll bring her to the vets & get her a full check up
Again, I really appreciate your help

 

[Anchoress]

A vet visit might be good if you can do that

You could try finding and getting in touch with some local(ish) volunteer organisations or similar, they might have some insight into what other insects might be to blame and what repels them, if your current flea spot on doesn't cover them.

From when I lived in Ireland I remember people calling them midges? I'm not sure if they are everywhere in Ireland (I used to live out in the west off of Westport) but man were they a PEST to man and animal alike!

It wasn't uncommon to see dogs covered in midge bites and some would have a hypersensitivity reaction that looked similar to those spots. But of course a vet or experienced people in the area will know more about this

Yes the dreaded midge. We say "the midge" Bites can vary in size but the intense itch of them causes scratching ..They swarm mainly early morning and evening but this is late in the year for them . Really best to keep cat in. Mine object but it is what is best for them

OP I am in Co Mayo and happy to help.

 

[noani]

Ah yes midges I remember being covered in hives after playing in the local fields on a Summer's day!
I get paid tomorrow so I'll bring her to the vets & get her a full check up
Again, I really appreciate your help

Great, that will help also ease your mind I imagine. Keep us posted