Kitten Skin Issue

[Cielle]

Hello forum! Last night on my walk home, I found a kitten screaming in the middle of a parking lot in New Orleans. I watched about ten minutes before I felt bad for ignoring the little thing, and didnt see mom nearby. It had dirt on its face and was covered in fleas. Picked up KMR, have been bottle feeding it around the clock, and gave it a dishsoap bath to rid it
of the fleas. He looks to be somewhere between two and three weeks old, still needs help eliminating.
Anyway I'm here because after the bath, I noticed that some of the dirt wasn't washing off. It was actually some kind of weird skin condition on his paws, ankles, and his tail. The skin is scaly and bumpy, on his paws especially it looks like a weird growth. Any idea what it could be?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

First, BLESS YOU! And welcome to TCS. Now, let's see...I think I might know where to find an article here about skin issues in cats. Hang on...

~elevator music plays~

THERE it is! Had to look twice, and it was on THE FIRST PAGE!!!
Skin Conditions In Cats

Hopefully, that will give you some direction until someone with more experience gets here. We have several members who work with ferals and rescues who see all sorts of things, and most of them check this forum fairly regularly. There is also a whole forum dedicated to caring for strays and ferals. You might want to go there and copy and paste the link for your thread here so that those experts will see it a bit faster. I wouldn't redo the entire thread, just make sure the link is there.

 

[Cielle]

Thank you for the links! And I'll definitely paste the link over there.
Anyway, updates! I got Cakepop to the vet yesterday evening and they seemed pretty sure the weird stuff between his toes was just scabs. They think the tail issue might be due to ringworm but they aren't certain. Gave me an anti fungal shampoo since the little guy isn't big enough for ingested medicine for that. Also got some Clavamox to help with his stuffy nose.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Oh, spit. I'm kittensmitten again! What a cutie! We have lots of articles about ringworm. I'll link a few for you here. Not sure they deal with kittens that young, but the cleaning and disinfecting sections will be accurate.

Ringworm Infestation In Cats: The Housecleaning Regime
Ringworm In Cats: How To Win The Fight

If you go to the search function at the top of the page and search "ringworm" you are going to find DOZENS of threads by members who have gone or are going through this! You are in excellent company! All sorts of advice there, as well.

Again, thank you for taking him in. How could someone just leave him to die like that? And make no mistake, that is what it was. Or his mama was killed. But he is with you now, so his bitty life has taken a drastic upturn!

BTW, my elder son was born in Terrebonne Parish. We lived in both Morgan City and Houma for a total of 3 or 4 years, and I still get a little nostalgic whenever I hear someone ask for "on-yons."

 

[neely]

I just wanted to stop by and welcome you to TCS! Thank you ever so much for rescuing this precious kitten. Is his permanent name Cakepop? If so, very cute. Mamanyt1953 gave you some very helpful links for reference. Please keep us updated on your little guy's progress. Good luck.

 

[Cielle]

I had to take him to my sister's house today, so someone could keep up with his feedings while I'm at work. Left my computer charger at home though, so haven't started spreading this thread around yet. Anyway, progress report! I think Cakepop is gonna be his permanent name, but my roommate has been calling him Baby, and he may end up as the amalgam "Babycake" as a compromise. Little guy's doing a lot better with eating today! I think the clavamox clearing his sinuses is making it easier for him to keep his mouth shut to eat and still be able to breathe.
Thank you so much for the ringworm links!! I was getting really worried about this being a recurring thing, what with how contagious and hardy ringworm can be, and I was having trouble finding info about eradicating it. And we are actually scheduled to adopt a different kitten on August tenth, and I was really worried about potentially having to either back out of giving him a home or bringing him into an infectious environment. Looks like we'll have to quarantine him anyway, though, with how long this could take. So thankful for this forum for giving me a direction, though!
And Mamanyt, my dad has lived in Gray in Terrebonne parish for like 40 years! You might know him. Gonna post some update pics in a few minutes!

 

[Cielle]

Also, we just moved into a new house with no carpet, and we don't really have any furniture besides beds. I've been keeping him mostly in the bathroom in a box with towels I've been changing out daily. We also got him a heating pad today. Anyway I think if I keep him out of the bedrooms we'll have a good shot at nipping this in the bud.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Ya know, he does kinda look like a "Babycake," really...Perhaps "Baby Cakepop," "Babycake" for short! He's adorable.

 

[neely]

Your updated pics are priceless -Babycake is a great compromise because the name fits him to a T. Wishing your new little guy and you the very best of luck, can't wait to see more pics as he grows up.

 

[Cielle]

I found a low cost animal clinic in the area, and took him to get a wood's light test yesterday. I wanted to be sure it's ringworm we're dealing with since the first vet didn't do a culture sample or any kind of test to be sure. His tail was pretty glowy so that's confirmed. He had a lime-sulfur dip yesterday and I'm currently washing pretty much all the towels and blankets in the house with bleach.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Knowing the problem is, indeed, half the answer! Ringworm is a lady-dog, but so treatable! Once he's over it, I SO WANT TO SNORGLE IN THAT PRECIOUS BELLEH FLOOF! Oh, LORD, that is a cute kitten!

 

[Cielle]

The inflammation on the tail has gone down, and he's getting another lime sulfur dip today when I get home from work. He's started biting at the tail, though, which worries me. I know it's probably itchy because it's healing but I don't want him to hurt himself.
His weight has gone up a lot though, and he's much less sniffly after a few days on clavamox. Here's some comparison shots to show his size. The day I found him, and the fifth day I had him

 

[pushylady]

little Babycakes is thriving under your care! So lucky that you found him. I'm sure he will reward you with many years of love in return.

 

[mightyboosh]

Great praise for the rescue and in my opinion, it has to be Babycake.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

If his tail is itchy, you can brew a cup of chamomile tea, chill it in the fridge, and swab that itchy tail with it. It's safe internally and externally in cats, so that won't be an issue should he lick it. He can't overdose, even at his age, on the amount you would use on his tail. It's very soothing for all sorts of skin issues in man and beast, and good internally for stress in both!

 

[neely]

Cuteness overload! You're doing a fantastic job and finding Babycake must have been fate.

 

[Cielle]

My little babycake is a tough guy! He's super energetic right now and regularly tries to challenge my sister's dog when she babysits him while I'm at work. The ringworm is clearing up, he's stopped trying to chew the wounds, and I got a swiffer mop thing so I can really start cleaning my floors. He also started eating wet kibble yesterday, I found a deal at pet smart for blue buffalo kitten food. The upper respiratory infection seems to still be hanging around, we're going back to the vet tomorrow probably to get more Clavamox and we might do an FIV and FeLV test if he is heavy enough. Getting core shots next week or the following depending on weight. I'll show you guys some pics soon but they don't seem to want upload at the moment.

 

[Cielle]

 

[pushylady]

he keeps getting cuter!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

This is the power of love and caring in action. Thank you for letting us be a part of this journey.