Has anyone seen this spot on their cat?

[vickienblaze]

I think that my cat's back nails are cutting him. He scratches at this spot with his back nails. I have tried to cut them, but he is NOT a fan. I have a vet visit but it isn't until next Friday due to weather and their openings. I was just wondering if anyone has any advice on cutting his nails or stopping him from scratching at it. I'm trying to redirect him if he scratches but I can't watch him 24/7. This is my first cat so I'm just a little worried.

 

[vickienblaze]

His whiskers on that side are also growing back because before I adopted him the shelter had to treat an abscess under his eye, so they trimmed his whiskers down.

 

[IndyJones]

It almost looks like an abrasion of some sort. Is he itchy at all?

At anyrate good you have an apt see what the vet says.

 

[vickienblaze]

He's been normal at grooming and scratching. I noticed it this morning but it wasn't this bad. I set the vet appointment this morning when I saw it. I noticed that he scratches that area kind of frequently with his back nails. I'm not super sure if he's itchy to be honest with you because I just thought he was grooming like normal.

 

[vickienblaze]

I think it may be allergies because I have noticed that he scratches more and has been sneezing.

 

[white shadow]

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Hi vickienblaze - right away, I'm wondering why he would be scratching that area to the point of injury.

You mentioned "the shelter had to treat an abscess under his eye" - I think I'm seeing an area/patch just above this current wound that looks very similar, hair missing but just less any broken skin. Is that the area where the abscess was?

I see your new post about grooming...........but, scratching isn't a part of normal grooming. Any normal scratching is very short in duration, unless there's a parasite or skin issue going on.

You used a soft cone after his neuter operation........if I were you, I'd put it on again.

Now you've mentioned sneezing.......is there/has there been any discharge from his eye(s) ?
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[vickienblaze]

That is where the abscess was. The abscess under his eye is healed and they didn't give me any information on it besides what's on his medical sheet. He does have fur missing on his cheek because they cut the whiskers back and shaved the skin. I did have to put a soft cone on him so I can definitely put it back on. I noticed clear discharge once about a week ago but that's when his soft cone was on and I haven't noticed it since. (I do check when he sneezes just in case) Now that I'm hyper-focused on how much he is actually scratching, it definitely seems he's over-scratching.

 

[vickienblaze]

Also I'm sorry if I sound crazy! I just get a little nervous and I've only had him a week and a half. I did put the soft cone back on so that should be a temporary solution to curb the scratching until I can get to the vet on Friday.

 

[white shadow]

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If you don't have a complete copy of.his medical records from the shelter and Vet who treated the abscess, then arrange to get them before the Vet appointment Friday.

The Vet you're seeing Friday......have you been there before? Is it a cat-only clinic by any chance?

I went back and read your first two posts when you joined TCS - relax, there's tonnes of support here! We'll make up for what you feel you're missing!
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[vickienblaze]

Thank you for reading my first two posts! I will say that I have calmed down significantly and my anxiety has settled a good bit especailly now that his personality is coming out a little bit each day!

I have a complete medical record and the vet photocopied them as well when I went! The medical record explains the abscess and the medicine that he was on after.

I actually went to this vet about two days after I got him because of the neuter site as well as I wanted to discuss the best food options for him because the internet has such mixed reviews on the "correct" way to feed a cat. It is not a cat-only clinic, but I could try to see if there is one near me.

I do greatly appreciate how amazing everyone has been on here so far because I'm a worrier to my core. Looking stuff up on the internet is telling me the worst possible case scenario.

 

[stephanietx]

If you need feeding advice, there's an awesome cat nutrition forum here on TCS. Lots of great people to answer questions and give advice.

Keep us posted on what the vet says. It's so hard when these mysterious things pop up on our kitties.

 

[vickienblaze]

I took Blaze to the vet this morning and he has a slight ear infection. The vet believes that he was scratching his ears and his neck was getting the claws. They cleaned his ears and gave him a steroid shot.
The vet also gave me a liquid antibiotic, a cream for the spot, and an ear solution for two weeks! Then we'll do a checkup in two weeks and hopefully, his infection will be cleared up so he'll stop scratching!

 

[white shadow]

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........and, you're going to keep the collar on as well, right?

Did they trim his claws too?

An ear infection would certainly explain his scratching the ear area. Now, cats don't appreciate getting ear drops! They'll usually shake their heads in an effort to expel the drops........so, being aware of that, you'll need to hold/cuddle/distract him (prevent him from shaking his head) for a couple/few minutes immediately after giving the drops. Also - giving a treat right away will both distract and be seen as a reward, and will likely result in a calmer cat for the next dosing. Having a liquid treat like a Churu ready at hand to present when you go to give the drops works like a charm.

Keep us updated, ask anything (we are ALL EARS here), and,if you have spare time, look through the "Fur Pictures" forum for threads where you could post some of his.
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[vickienblaze]

I was, but the vet recommended leaving it off because there was a smaller spot that sits right where the soft collar does. I'm home all day due to the snowy weather in Tennessee so I've been keeping an eye on him and put the ointment on them as soon as I got home and he hasn't been scratching at it! Thank you for the advice on the ear drops and he will definitely get treats after putting them in! I have been looking at all the different forums and it's so adorable to see everyone's babies on here!

 

[stephanietx]

Good job getting him to the vet, even in snowy weather. Tennessee has really gotten the snow this week! Hope your boy is on the road to recovery!

 

[vickienblaze]

Does anyone have any advice for giving a cat liquid medication or would it be better to mix it with a tiny bit of lickable treats? white shadow stephanietx

 

[white shadow]

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So, I guess it's the antibiotic you're speaking of.

Have you tried giving it yet? Tell us about that.

You're only two weeks into having your first cat. I know there's an article on TCS about this, but I can't find it. I hope they don't mind, but I'm going to see if FeebysOwner or iPappy can dig it out.......or if might know of a thread about it.

Hang in for a little bit.........I do know from experience that it can be difficult.
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[iPappy]

If all else fails, I will burrito wrap and GENTLY syringe it in a drop or two at a time. It's not always well liked by the cat, but, neither is having an ear infection!
I personally would try sneaking it into food first. One of my cats took his liquid medication like this with no issues.

 

[vickienblaze]

Yes, it was the liquid antibiotic. I ended up looking up the actual medicine to see if I could administer it through food and it was safe to do that. I feed Blaze wet food at 6pm every day so I mixed it into that and he ate all of it. I didn't want to administer it through the mouth because it's quite a lot in one dose and I don't want to break his trust or anything so early on.

I haven't given him the ear drops yet, but I have my fingers crossed that we'll get through it with treats and cuddling!

I've been looking through the articles and forums for cat toys, treats, and cat nip so I'll look to see if I can find one about administering the liquid antibiotic. Thank you for responding! I really appreciate all the help that everyone has given me.

 

[FeebysOwner]

What med is it? Just curious. Try a lickable treat, or you can get a can of tuna in water and use the 'juice' to mix the meds with, then perhaps give him a bite of tuna afterward? Baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut Stage 1) might be another option to try.

As mentioned above, you can mix it in with a bite of food, but it might be better to use a food that you don't give him all the time.

Glad you were able to give him the med with his food, but have a back up plan just in case.

The TCS article on giving meds is more geared toward pills rather than liquids.