Substitute for Straw for Bedding?

[sixcats6]

Desperate for some help with my feral Chico who sleeps on my front porch. He comes to my house every day at sundown, eats about five or six cans of wet food and then beds down in a Kitty Tube until sunrise. I don't see him all day. 

Last December, he began fur-mowing and licked his back nearly bare. I tried to catch him & take him to a vet but he freaked out when I tried to shove him in a carrier. I called the vet who said it was probably fleas. For the last year, I have been applying Advantage II on him. Over the summer, his coat came back and all summer long, it looked lovely. I thought my problems were over but now, over the last few days, he's been fur mowing again. At first it was very lightly but now tonight he's licked his back bald again and even created a sore on his back.  I'm guessing he's allergic to something and the only thing I think of is perhaps his straw bedding. He doesn't sleep in the house in the summer but rather lays on a huge cat scratcher I have for him.

So I'm looking for advice: Should I take out the straw? I always replace the straw at the start of every season. What can I use that will keep him as warm? Or could he be allergic to something else?  He eats the same food every day (more or less) and everything else remains the same for him.

Any help would be appreciated

 

[Norachan]

Hi @sixcats6  Welcome to The Cat Site.

Over grooming that way could be caused by a lot of things, but as he's fine all summer, when there are more fleas about, I'd venture a guess that it probably isn't a flea allergy.

You can use shredded paper as bedding. Make sure it's shredded, not just folded newspapers. Cats need to be able to burrow into the bedding, if they just lie on top of it they won't be any warmer. Another option is Mylar thermal blankets, these are sold at outdoor goods and camping stores.

If you feel that he really needs to see a vet then trapping him in a humane trap will be easier than trying to shove him into a carrier. Most vets who treat feral cats have a trap. You might be able to borrow one from an animal shelter too.

Good luck, keep us posted on how it goes.

 

[sixcats6]

Thanks so much for the suggestions. I am going to try to buy some mylar blankets. And tomorrow the straw is coming out and the shredded newspaper is going in. I really hope he makes it through the winter without any fur on his back. He did last year, which was some kind of miracle. 

I have a humane trap but he is too smart to be tricked by it. He just heads to the backyard where the other feral, Sammy, lives, and eats Sammy's food.

 

[Norachan]

I have a Houdini feral like that too. He actually learnt how to pull the bait out of the back of the trap without setting it off. I guess living outside means they have extra smarts.

Maybe you could take a photo or a video of him and show it to your vet, see what he thinks. Testing for allergies usually takes a long time and you need a cooperative cat. Your vet should be able to rule out injury or infected bites from a photo, just in case his sore wasn't self inflicted.

 

[shadowsrescue]

I have a feral who refuses to use straw bedding.  He would go in and come out sneezing.  I had to find something better too.  I used the mylar self heating mats, but in very cold weather they seemed to do next to nothing.  I then used MIcrowave heat discs with the mylar heat beds.  They are available on Amazon   They would stay warm for 3-8 hours depending on how cold it was.  It was a bit of a pain to heat them each day and also to be sure I did it before my feral went into his shelter so I didn't disturb him.  I then moved to K&H outdoor heat pads.  For this you must have electricity outside.  I do believe that the kitty tube now sells a heat pad that fits inside it. 

 

[Willowy]

Shredded aspen should work and most people/cats aren't allergic to it.

 

[ondine]

You could try sprinkling diatomaceous earth (DE) on the bedding.  If it is fleas, that will kill them.  Make sure to get food grade DE and you can also sprinkle it onto his food.  This will kill the tape worms in his system (they have a symbiotic relationship with fleas).  Careful when you spread it - it is very like flour and can be inhaled very easily.

But I would also try changing his food gradually.  He may be allergic to some ingredient in one of the foods you are giving him.

 

[sixcats6]

Thanks ShadowsRescue and Willowy for your invaluable input.

I have a very old house and there's no electricity on the front porch so the heating pad idea is out. I have considered the microwave pads. Think I will order one just to be on the safe side and give it a try.  Will also look into shredded aspen.

Today I emptied all the straw out and ordered a mylar blanket. For the time being, I put an old shirt of mine at the bottom of the kitty tube and put in shredded newspaper. Until Wednesday, we have temps in the 40s during the day and the 20s at night but then we get a cold blast.

Chico is so fussy that I'm afraid now he won't go in there at all, in which case I suppose I'll go back to the straw. (I just ordered a new batch).

 

[sixcats6]

Thanks Norachan and Ondine. As for the food, I don't think that is the problem because all summer long, he's fine. Ditto the fleas. All summer long, he's fine. And if it was a flea allergy, you'd think it would be worse in the summer. This started last December and then he stopped it come spring. He had a beautiful coat all summer long. I thought it was fleas and that the Advantage was working. We had a very warmish December this year and now come January, he's back fur-mowing again. I'm thinking straw allergy because now that it is cold, he goes into his Kitty Tube much more than he does when its warm outside, I'd think maybe its the Kitty Tube itself but last year he had a different bed.

 

[Columbine]

What type of straw are you using? Wheat straw is harder than barley or oat straw, and barley straw could be more prickly if it still contains the awns.

If you continue to have problems switching to a different type of straw might help. Don't get me wrong - all three are good options. It's simply that it's possible he'd be reacting to one type but be fine with another.

Hope that makes sense :cross: (coming at this from a horse owner's perspective )

 

[sixcats6]

Columbine, using wheat straw that I order in the mail. It's kept in the garage so it never gets wet or moldy. I could try and see if anyone around here sells oat straw. Good idea

 

[snugglecat]

 
Columbine, using wheat straw that I order in the mail. It's kept in the garage so it never gets wet or moldy. I could try and see if anyone around here sells oat straw. Good idea

I too think a few of my ferals cats are allergic to straw. They all seem to be fine during the summer months but when it starts getting cold and they sleep in the shelter's they start pulling fur out and have bald spots.

Shadow who has never slept in a shelter until this year and has always had a nice coat is pulling her fur out and has bald spots. The worst spot is the side she lays on when in the shelter. She is constantly chewing on herself and she is one I put Revolution on so I know it's not fleas.

Please let me know if you find something that works. I have no idea what kind of straw mine is because I get it free from a woman down the road. I would hate to use shredded news paper because we get a lot of rain here. I didn't even know there was different kinds of straw.

 

[sixcats6]

Snugglecat

Thanks for your info. The newspaper I used today was a big bust. As I suspected, Chico refused to go in his bed. It's raining here and the newspaper just felt damp, simply from sitting outside. So I put some of the new wheat straw back in his house. I don't know yet if  he's back in there  or not. Tomorrow we have a 20 degree night and I think he'll need his shelter. He's very fussy and all this changing of his bedding is something he hates, poor guy.

On Amazon, there was organic oat straw so I ordered that, and I'll give it a go and report back on how it effects Chico. It probably won't arrive for another week or so. 

The other mystery in the Chico situation is how he spends his daytime hours. I have no idea where he goes from 6 AM to 6 PM, or if he's exposed to other things that could be irritating him during those hours. 

It's just so sad to see a cat pulling out his own fur on the eve of days when our temps will be in the single digits!

 

[cluelesshelper]

I used a sheepskin pelt rug; found a reasonable priced one in Marshalls ($40).  I put the straw under it and around it; but where they lay in the middle is straw free.  I use those 18 hour disposable body warmers or large hand warmers (amazon) between layers of a small fleece throw ($3 at biglots) on top of the pelt when it's going to be 30 or less through the night.  I insulated a cheap dog house I bought at target and made the opening smaller with a piece of wood.  I drilled another small door in the side and covered it with a piece of shelf  thick plastic grooved shelf liner (just stapled it in and made a small slit to easily get out.  When they got confident in there, I semi blocked the extra door with straw and another fleece throw to keep it less drafty.  I put a wool throw over the house and they cover both doors also, but they can still get in by going under the blanket.  They are indoors now for the most part, but this house seemed to work with the warmers when they used it.  The house is on a porch so it doesn't get wet and is blocked from northern winds.  It is not sunny at all so the body warmers were necessary for day time too.  I google sales for them and just buy in bulk when they have a decent sale; $25 for 40/free shipping.  It's not cheap but a good night sleep without worrying about the fur balls freezing was priceless to me.  

 

[sixcats6]

Oh my gosh Cluelesshelper your kitties are so lucky!  I like the idea of buying those handwarmers in bulk. And I know what you mean about worrying about the guys outside freezing. it's quite a terrible feeling. 

 The latest on Chico, for those who have asked me, is that the sore on his back (which he licked raw)  has scabbed over. I held off giving him his Advantage for which he's due in hopes it will heal even more. 

I emptied his bed out of wheat straw and tried a microwave warming disk, a blanket and shredded newspaper. He would NOT go in the Kitty Tube but instead ran to the backyard and got in one of the houses I have back there for the other feral, Sammy. (And then there were fights between them). So I ordered oat straw and filled Chico's Kitty Tube with that. He's back in it and, for the last 4-5 days, has refrained from any more fur mowing. So many oat straw is the answer.

Chico is also gone from my house from 6 AM to 6 PM so I have no idea what he gets into during those hours that might be causing the fur mowing...