Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: kris on November 18, 2006, 13:17:46 PM
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Hi catchatters, my Fred had developed a wee crusty lump on the back of his neck appeared about a week ago and it still there, if anything a bit bigger than it was, it's hard, dark coloured and rough to the touch, it doesn't seem to bother him, me, fumbling around it every day, any ideas what it might be?
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Sorry Kris ho idea but I think maybe a visit to Mr Vet for a checkup may be in order. Lumps are never good and a crusty lump sounds even worse!
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I'd definitely have it checked over Kris just to be on safe side.
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is it a lump or a scab ??
if a lump then i'd prob have it checked out on monday (dont think it warrents an emergency) but if its a scab then he's probably scratched himself.
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Well it seems to be embedded in the skin rather than a lump inside, if you know what I mean. It's not bothering him and he is otherwise fine in himself, I have to admit, his back claws need trimming (he's indoor) but he is a bit sensitive with back leg touching so I have been a bit lax in trimming them, so my first thought was, he has broken the skin having a big old scratch and it's just scabbing over but a week has gone by now and it has not yet come off and it does seem to be slightly bigger, about 3 mm maybe, I have booked him in to the vet for next week so hopefully that will give an answer. I'm still hoping it'll just fall off on it's own!!
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Think you neeed get him checked at vet
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I agree if still there tomorrow I would take Fred to the vets.
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Ooops, obviously my update got lost in the changeover last night.
The crusty lump has become a bit more bloody on the journey, why is it that things always look terrible under the vet lights and you feel like a cat abuser for leaving it as long as a week before bringing him in.
Vet wasn't sure, first thought was allergy, my thought was ringworm, she used the special light and it didn't fluresce but as she explained, not flurescing doesn't mean no ringworm so she sent a sample away for testing to be sure, meantime she gave him an anti-inflammatory injection and some ant inflammatory cream for me to dab on twice a day (it's on the back of his neck that he can't reaching while cleaning). If it's an allergy we will need to look into his diet, if it's ringworm then we might end up showing symptoms before the vet results come back!!
He appears completely unbothered by it either way!
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The crusty lump has become a bit more Bloomin on the journey,
Ooops, something didn't like the word I used to describe the fact that the scab had begun to bleed :scared:
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I'd be suprised if it came back as ringworm when it didnt flurese under the woods lamp.
hope it gets sorted anyway what ever it is.
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I'd be suprised if it came back as ringworm when it didnt flurese under the woods lamp.
hope it gets sorted anyway what ever it is.
I agree actually I think the vet might be right and it's an allergy but it was very nasty a great big black scabby lump although I think it got worse because I was checking it out about 20 times a day and probably contributed to it falling off before it was ready. I had changed his food about 3 months ago so I have changed it again in the hope that it's just an allergy to something in the food he was on....
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this may be daft but you say it was on the back of his neck....it couldnt be related to an injection site , could it?
yes blooming is one of the words used on this site as a substitute word lol, maybe tan could get in to come up in red or something ;D
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this may be daft but you say it was on the back of his neck....it couldnt be related to an injection site , could it?
yes blooming is one of the words used on this site as a substitute word lol, maybe tan could get in to come up in red or something ;D
I did ask the vet that actually, I wondered if it was maybe where his chip had gone in (we checked and chip still fine about an inch below) or if it was because of injections because when he got his eyelid closed up he got a big lump and scab in his front leg where I suppose something was attached to him (Minds gone blank for what you inject a cat with during an operation) but she looked at me a bit funny so I'm thinking ...not.
The anti inflammatory seems to have calmed it down a lot, it's all dried up and rescabbed smaller than before, also I am poking and prodding at it less :shify: Only two things have changed in recent months, 3 months or so go I started feeding him M&S dry food with his wet pouches (it's just really convenient for me...nearest supermarket is a 2 mile hike) whereas before he had been on a mixture of dry foods with his wet and about a month ago my boyfriend bought citrus fairy washing up liquid instead of our usual e-cover, I know that he doesn't like the new washing up liquid because unless we rinse a LOT he backs away from his bowls and lifts the food out to eat it.
So, two things that might be the cause of his allergies....
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wow sorry to hyjack but I think you have just given me a eureka moment Kris. :garf:
I couldn't fathom why BooBoo (aka lardass) was always pulling her tuna and chicken off the plate and making a right royal mess all over the floor with it.
It will be the washing liquid of course !.... why didn't I think of that.
Sorry Kris hope your vet finds the cause of the lump. It does sound like an allergy thing but then you would maybe expect to see it elsewhere as well.
Fred is certainly a beautiful chap isn't he.
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wow sorry to hyjack but I think you have just given me a eureka moment Kris. :garf:
I couldn't fathom why BooBoo (aka lardass) was always pulling her tuna and chicken off the plate and making a right royal mess all over the floor with it.
It will be the washing liquid of course !.... why didn't I think of that.
Sorry Kris hope your vet finds the cause of the lump. It does sound like an allergy thing but then you would maybe expect to see it elsewhere as well.
Fred is certainly a beautiful chap isn't he.
Aw thank you, we think he's lovely but we are a bit biased ;D
The washing up liquid thing, I know, I was the same when I suddenly clicked, he was making a right old mess, either dragging lumps out to two foot away and eating off the floor or else scooping the food up with his paw, for a couple of days we just laughed at him...ooh so cute we would chorus grinning away....feel terrible now...ooops.
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Also it will be cos of the smell of citrus cos cats dont like it, usually ;D
I just use basic fairy, the original, on the cat dishes but something different on my dishes.
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Hi Kris,
Did the vet rule out Papulocrutous Dermatitis? Basically small scabs of about 2/3 millimetres in diameter which are caused by flea saliver. They tend to be reddy brown in colour. Most tend to be located on the rea of the back and by the tail base.
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Hi Kris,
Did the vet rule out Papulocrutous Dermatitis? Basically small scabs of about 2/3 millimetres in diameter which are caused by flea saliver. They tend to be reddy brown in colour. Most tend to be located on the rea of the back and by the tail base.
He is an indoor cats and doesn't have fleas as far as we know so that rules out flea allergy, I suppose there is a chance WE could have brought fleas in but he has not other flea symptoms and is a very pale colour, I'd have spotted flea droppings I'd have thought....
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Have you combed him and put the contents of the flea comb on some damp tissue? If any specks turn red, that is flea droppings.
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Hi Kris,
Tha fact that he is an indoor cat doesn't mean that he can't get a flea allergy. Many years ago it was thought that fleas would not survive indoors but that was before fitted carpets and central heating being commonplace. Those two things alone mean that fleas can easily live in the home and is why Frontline brought out their Frontline Combo product which tackles the home and the cat.
Please take Ela's advice.
Another way is to get a piece of A4 paper and soak it under the tap. Place it on a flat surface and hold your cat on his hind legs as you stroke his coat vigourously and see what drops on to the wet paper. As Ela says any flea dirt will turn reddy brown and may run. However be thorough with both flanks and the top of the back and tail base area and shake the fur gently both ways to get out lose dirt.
Regardless of whether there is evidence of fleas, boil washing the cat bedding/blankets, etc will normally get rid of the little :censored: and steam cleaning the carpeting also helps. In addition there are other veterinary products that you can buy.
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Beanie and Ela, thank you very much I'll wait until he wakes up and get him to dance over some damp A4 and hope no-one spots me!!
Dark red crusty lump of 3 mm diameter certainly sounds like the symptoms he was showing, I'd much rather he had a flea allergy than be allergic to some unknown ingredient in food, does that sound daft, at least then I'd know what it was....
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Hi Kris,
It doesn't sound daft at all. It is always better to know what you are treating. From what you say it does sound like a flea problem.