New Foster Coming Tomorrow

[Kris107]

I've fostered dozens of kittens over the years (since 2011) but this is our first time fostering an adult cat. The rescue said she has some wounds/scabs that their vet thinks might be related to allergies. So, as a goofy name, I've been calling her Scabby Gabby. We'll get her tomorrow afternoon and she'll be with us for 3-4 weeks or until her skin clears up. I work from home in the room she'll be staying in, so I'm going to have a new coworker! We'll see what she's like. The rescue said she's a very sweet calico. Once she settles in a bit, I'll try to get some pictures. This is the first foster we've had with our resident cat, so we'll see how he handles having a door shut and mom inaccessible!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, I'd suggest some calming treats and maybe even Cat Music.

Do you have hypoallergenic food for her, or is this still in the food/allergy testing mode? Something you might also try is chamomile tea. Brew some tea, cool it and dab it on the wounds. It is anti fungal, anti bacterial and will help ease the itch.

 

[Kris107]

She'll be coming with some duck-based food that they're trying her on. They want her out of the rescue facility in case it has to do with something environmental there. Interesting about the chamomile tea! That's fine if she licks it later and ingests? I was thinking colloidal silver but that's mostly just antibacterial. The rescue said she's not on any meds or ointments, so maybe most are scabbed over at this point. We'll see!!!

 

[Furballsmom]

That's fine if she licks it later and ingests?

It is safe, sorry I forgot to mention that

 

[neely]

Best of luck with your new foster kitty and please post pics when she comes home. Just to add to Furballsmom 's great suggestion:
Buy a box of chamomile tea bags in the coffee/tea aisle of the grocery store. Get PLAIN chamomile, no blends, which will be clearly marked. I recommend the commercial bags because they are all 100% German chamomile, which is medicinally active and safe for cats. The English variety which is popular in gardens is pretty useless medicinally, and TOXIC to cats...brew a cup of the tea, and chill it in the fridge (it will keep in there for about 3 days)...For external use, simply dip a cotton ball or clean, soft cloth in the tea, and swab it on the area. The tea has both soothing and healing properties, and can be dabbed on the skin multiple times a day. It won't cure what is causing the issue, but should help to make it feel better.

 

[Kris107]

Great! Maybe I'll try Vitamin Cottage or Sprouts for the right kind of tea and give it a shot. I have no idea if her spots/scabs/wounds bother her or not. I don't think she's coming with a cone on or anything.

 

[Kris107]

Here she is!

Got the cat music on! Her scabs aren't super noticeable.

 

[Furballsmom]

What a gorgeous sweetie

 

[neely]

Pawsitively precious. Please keep us posted on her progress. I hope she acclimates and her skin condition heals up.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Awww bless you for taking in this precious little lady. She is absolutely purr-fect!!! She is gorgeous! I'm glad you were willing to foster her even though she wasn't the age you usually foster. Thank you for giving her a chance to be able to heal and relax
I hope she is enjoying the cat music.
Yes, like neely said will you please keep us posted on her progesss?

 

[Kris107]

Scabby Gabby is doing well! She let's me trim her nails which is better than our cat! She doesn't really seem to have any open wounds, just scabs/bumps. I haven't been able to root through her fur to investigate super closely. The spots don't seem to bother her and keeping her nails trimmed could help too. She'll be a great cat for someone!

 

[Furballsmom]

Awww, what a good girl! Thanks ever so much for the update!

 

[Kris107]

One of Scabby Gabby's spots looks a bit raw right now so I'm going to try the chamomile route! The shelter recommended some topical ointments but I'll try something more natural first I think. I wish we knew the cause! I don't even see her licking or scratching it that often. I thought about cone-ing her just in case but it's kind of where a cone would sit and she'd still be able to scratch with her back legs. It's on the back of her neck, so a tough spot.

 

[Kris107]

Thinking maybe she scraped or scratched the scab off to the side? Ugh. The rescue said they tried a cone on her but she'd always get it off. I don't think a cone would help bc I don't think she's licking it. It's below her neck (kinda right above where her shoulder blade meet maybe?) so a cone wouldn't help if she did that with her back legs.

 

[Furballsmom]

If she isn't licking or scratching it, although I'm not a vet but it may be that the scab is coming off as a normal part of the healing process. It looks like it's nice and pink underneath?

 

[Kris107]

Yeah, it's hard to tell so I'm going to keep it clean and keep watching it. It kind of looks like granulated tissue, so not exactly like new skin. Time will tell I guess!