Adopted world's most frightened cat
- Thread starter i'mnotsofast
- Start date
he's your buddy already
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
The bloody cat keeps walking all over me.
FFS! All this fuss about nothing! Glad he likes you
i'mnotsofast
Well-Known Member
He's got three or four horrible-looking grey lumps or blisters on the back of his head. The hair has fallen out or parted in those places. The lumps are somewhere bigger than a pea and smaller than a Malteser. A bit of quick Googling makes me think they might be abscesses, caused by being bitten by other cats in the two weeks he was living outside. Does that sound most likely?
I really don't want to have to take the cat to a vet...
I really don't want to have to take the cat to a vet...
i'mnotsofast
Well-Known Member
FFS! All this fuss about nothing! Glad he likes you
It's bizarre, because he was petrified all day, hiding behind the sofa. Something happens when it's dark outside, he becomes much more confident. I guess he's just nocturnal.
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
I'd let him settle down for a bit, then ask a vet for advice. If you don't want to do that, you could try asking the Blue Cross or some other charity to look at him (if you haven't got the money for vet's fees)
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
Most cats are nocturnal.
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
i'mnotsofast
Well-Known Member
Like sheep get? I thought that was just a rural thing. Where will he have picked them up? They have to be burnt off, don't they?
I can't see the head of a tick or anything like that, though, just the nasty lump a bit like a grey gooseberry.
Can you take a pic?
i'mnotsofast
Well-Known Member
Right so I should stay away from the cat shouldn't I? Can I catch them myself?
I'm going to be scratching all night now....
i'mnotsofast
Well-Known Member
I don't have a camera, just a bad webcam. Next time the cat jumps on the laptop I'll try twisting its head round
.
If you get them off the cat there won't be more, they're not like fleas. My mum used to get them off with petrol.
Says here not to do that though
http://www.lyme.org/removal.html
All this tick stuff is presuming they are actually ticks. Having not seen them myself I can't say for sure, sounds like it from what you said
http://www.lyme.org/removal.html
All this tick stuff is presuming they are actually ticks. Having not seen them myself I can't say for sure, sounds like it from what you said
You need to be prepared to do this, it's part of having a pet.
Puddy_Tat
naturally fluffy
Corax
Luke 5:16
It's not dying from them, and they're not fleas so you're not going to be infested or anything. Given that, I'd give it a week or so before taking puss to see the vet. Don't worry about it for the moment, it's more important that s/he settles. Nothing wrong with asking a vet for advice in the meantime of course.
Pics would definitely help. Despite the confident diagnoses you've received, it's not generally accepted as possible to identify diseases/parasites from one line of text...
And if you do end up having to visit the vets, get advice o how to do it. There are better and worse ways of going about it, and your nervous cat needs it to be done right.
ETA: Sorry lizzieloo, I'd missed this one:
Pics would definitely help. Despite the confident diagnoses you've received, it's not generally accepted as possible to identify diseases/parasites from one line of text...
And if you do end up having to visit the vets, get advice o how to do it. There are better and worse ways of going about it, and your nervous cat needs it to be done right.
ETA: Sorry lizzieloo, I'd missed this one:
Yep.
i'mnotsofast
Well-Known Member
How much do you think it would cost to get the ticks removed by a random vet I'd never been to before?
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
Are you unemployed? Could go to Blue Cross
i'mnotsofast
Well-Known Member
Pics would definitely help. Despite the confident diagnoses you've received, it's not generally accepted as possible to identify diseases/parasites from one line of text...
I tried twisting the cat's head round to get a pic with the webcam, which was fun. But the frame-rate is so low, the slightest movement would mean a blurred pic. So no luck. Tomorrow I'll see if my housemate has a camera on his phone.
It's part of owning a pet. My dogs cost about a grand during the first 6 months of owning them
ETA Might have got your meaning wrong then.
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
I think that's probably better than trying to throttle the poor cat
spirals
Something uber witty here.
You can get this little gadget, it's green plastic tilted tweezers (kinda) from the vets for about £4. Then you can remove them for free (well once you've brought the gadget obviously) but at our vets a nurse will do it for free as part of a basic welfare check which usually ends up with us buying worming/anti tick stuff too.
i'mnotsofast
Well-Known Member
No I'm not, so I wouldn't qualify for them or Celia Hammond. Although I looked after a friend's dog for a few months I've never been to a vet so don't know how much they cost, though I hear it can be a lot! I know in future getting pet insurance is pretty much a necessity.
