Vets: WTH happened to this cat...

[widebody911]

This cat has lived on my property since she was a kitten, almost 8 years now. I got her fixed and all her shots, and have had to patch her up a couple of times before. She didn't show up for chow for a couple of days, and when I did find her, she was kind of scraggly looking and very skittish and head-shy. She has a series of wounds in front of and under/behind her ears, almost like abrasions. What's interesting is the wounds appear to be symmetrical, which is odd (or even, depending on how you look at it). I tried to clean them up but she was having no part of that. I've been giving her ClavaMox for 3 days now. She's normally very social, but she's been hiding in the back yard, so I set her up with food and water out there. She's eating voraciously now, which is a good thing.

I have no idea what she got into; I asked her, but she refuses to tell me.

[GWN7]

One wound? Or one on each side? Bird of prey or coyote and she got away.

[john70t]

I'm guessing but she could be scratching herself raw: Ear mites/fleas or waxy buildup.

My kitty got an infection from doing just that, according to the vet.
Fixed with a antibiotic shot in the abscess lump and by using Tressaderm ear drops.

He also gets the 1x/month flea/heartworm/hookworm/roundworm/ear mites combo drops applied between the shoulder blades.
"Revolution"(selamectin) by zoetis pharma.

[fanaudical]

I'll second the possibility of ear mites. One of my previous cats had this problem (right down to being anti-social and scratching all the fur off the back of his ears).

[gshase]

I was in the Navy and we didn't work on cats. Check with someone who was in the Air Force.

[SiberianDVM]

Scratching at her ears. Ear mites or fleas.

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by GWN7

One wound? Or one on each side? Bird of prey or coyote and she got away.

Each side, around the ears - symmetrical, actually.

I'll pick up some ear-mite-meds on the way home from work today.

Thanks!

[john70t]

Kitty didn't like the ear drops.
I thought it was because they were cold from the fridge, but it was actually the squeaking sound of the bottle that freaked him out.
If I did it silently, he'd sit still.

A treat that works well for both dogs and cats are the Bil-Jac brand chicken liver snacks. Sold in a purple bag.
Get the smallest ones (littlejacs) and it'll last a long time.
They both like the Purina Temptations also.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by gshase

I was in the Navy and we didn't work on cats. Check with someone who was in the Air Force.

I'm pretty sure cats are a navy thing .........

[rusnak]

I envy people who have tame cats that you can pick up. My dad is sort of the neighborhood crazy cat lady. They take off every weekend to the vacay home, and since I am the responsible one of the family, I go to their house and feed all of the crazy ungrateful cats that they have trained to show up and eat at their house. I like maybe 2 of them. The rest are just mean.

[Mike80911]

I was watching one of those veterinarian shows last night and a cat had a similar issue. Turned out to be a parasite eating the cats flesh. You might want to get him to the vet

[Tobra]

Maybe it is allergic to old air cooled cars.

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Maybe it is allergic to old air cooled cars.

She was born under a 1957 oval sunroof, and lived in it for a while, as well as a 198 VW single cab, so probably not that...

[WPOZZZ]

Originally Posted by Mike80911

I was watching one of those veterinarian shows last night and a cat had a similar issue. Turned out to be a parasite eating the cats flesh. You might want to get him to the vet

Isn't that scabies?

It looks like the start of scabies, but if the cat is skittish, it may have been attacked as well.

[widebody911]

Quick update. I got some ear mite goop and kept her on the antibiotics for a week or so to prevent a secondary issue with the open sores. She's in much better spirits now, although still a little scratchy, which could be because of the scabbing. There is no "F" in way she would tolerate an E-colllar.

It's also impossible to get her to sit still for a picture.

[john70t]

I ain't any wound tech specialist but that right side still doesn't look great although it's shrunk in size, scabbed over, and more consolidated.

It's been over a couple weeks and animals usually heal by then.
If the site is swollen under the scab, there may be some infection still active inside.

You could try a loose break-away collar to see if she'll tolerate it, but the combo monthly application drops might be better suited for an outdoor cat.