Any vets in the house? Not for the squeemish.

[WTNLVR]

This is a neighborhood cat I thought was a stray. Well, she obviously has a home because she showed up like this this am. I almost screamed because at first I thought there were body parts hanging out of her face LOL. I had noticed her jowls were like a chipmunks but I thought it was her winter coat coming in. I know nothing about cats only dogs. Anyway, she has a peice of fabric tied through her jaw it appears. She can eat and make pleanty of meows and seems unaffected overall. Any idea what they did to her? Is this fabric a drain of some sort, or something else? I''d ask her owners, but I have no idea who they are. She is the cutest most friendly cat I''ve ever known.

 

[WTNLVR]

Pic 2

 

[WTNLVR]

really gross.

 

[ecf8503]

Date: 10/7/2006 2:28:29 PM
Author:WTNLVR
This is a neighborhood cat I thought was a stray. Well, she obviously has a home because she showed up like this this am. I almost screamed because at first I thought there were body parts hanging out of her face LOL. I had noticed her jowls were like a chipmunks but I thought it was her winter coat coming in. I know nothing about cats only dogs. Anyway, she has a peice of fabric tied through her jaw it appears. She can eat and make pleanty of meows and seems unaffected overall. Any idea what they did to her? Is this fabric a drain of some sort, or something else? I''d ask her owners, but I have no idea who they are. She is the cutest most friendly cat I''ve ever known.

Hi WTNLVR -

I am a vet (worked in cat-only practices for years). It''s hard to say exactly what that is on her face - strange things happen, especially to stray animals. I would hope that if she had owners that they would have noticed this and done something about it - therefore, I''ll assume she doesn''t have a home or if she does not a very good one.

It may be fabric - or something else. Either way, it shouldn''t be there. It sounds like she is medically stable, but the fact is that there is a huge risk of serious infection and damage to very important parts of her anatomy. Any way you look at it, she needs medical attention. Are you considering keeping her? She sounds like a very nice cat. If you can''t keep her, then I''d still contact a vet in your area and tell them what the situation is (you can''t keep her but would like her to get proper medical care anyway) - they may take her or give you advice on who to contact (rescue societies, other vets, etc).

At the very least she should get a proper medical exam - hope that helps!

Christine (D.V.M.)

 

[WTNLVR]

Thanks for your response. It's actually fabric that is tied in a knot thru her skin. The side of her face has been shaved down. There is no way this was done to her unless she was put under by a vet. She is not a stray and I really don't want to touch someone elses animal. I know I would be really ticked if that happened to my animal. However, if it is still like this I will try to grab her and bring her to a vet. It is just very odd. There are only 2 vets in town, so I just may bring the pics into the vet and ask if they did this and what it is. I agree though, it looks like a raging infection waiting to happen. If it were my cat I would not let her out of the house like that.

 

[ecf8503]

I see that the hair has been shaved - so you are correct, it likely is something that was done under anesthesia. Based on location, the most likely scenario is that there was an abscess on his cheek, and that this is a drain, although, to be completely honest, this is about the worst drain choice possible, as fabric wicks bacteria and holds it. Bad medicine, IMHO, on the part of whoever did this "surgery". Do you live in a rural area?

Is this an intact male cat? Non-neutered males often get into fights and cheek abscesses are extremely common. Also, non-neutered males have very big cheeks due to the testosterone levels (this goes away after they are neutered). May explain the "chipmunk cheeks" you described earlier -

 

[WTNLVR]

It''s a female. Not really rural but there are some vets in the area that I stopped going to due to their questionable abilities. I''m actually outside of Boston and there is a vet on almost every corner. Definately not done at Tufts. She probably had an abcess as I had noticed her puffy cheek for a couple of weeks. Thanks for the info.

 

[Kaleigh]

Poor Kitty, good luck at the vets!!!

 

[monarch64]

Awww, she''s so pretty, and I hope everything works out for the best! Good luck with your new kitty, WTNlvr!

 

[moremoremore]

Poor baby....Hmmm. Well, you are wonderful for caring about her!!!
Do you have a cat carrier? You can borrow one from your local animal league for a small fee I'm sure...Even if kitty does have owners, that doesn't mean they are good owners....Maybe your vet can check her out for free/do it pro bono....
How do you know she has owners? Well, they SUCK for not having a collar on her and for letting her outside with any type of medical treatment going on...Please do let us know what happens. She is beautiful!!! She could surely find more caring owners.... Poor gal..

 

[diane5006]

Hi I am not a vet...but cloth (usually a guaze or iodoform gauze) is used on certain types of wounds/abcess in people...but they need to be changed at least daily...

When I first saw the pics I thought drain...but is does look weird...almost like twine...also could the bald patch...be an area the he scratched bare...just a thought...

If it was a drain that was put in...maybe he ran away when they were trting to take him to get it changed

You said you were outside of Boston

Angel Memorial is in Boston it is the MSPCA hospital...they are a good resource...

Here is a link

http://www.mspca.org/site/pp.asp?c=gtIUK4OSG&b=126332

Best of luck with Kitty

 

[FireGoddess]

WTLVR I just say thanks every day for caring people like you. I hate mistreatment of anyone and anything, but negligence to animals really kills me - they depend on us for their care, and we are responsible for them.

I agree this looks like it was done with the cat knocked out but if it were my cat it would NEVER be allowed to roam outside while that thing was healing. As was mentioned, that looks prime for a future bacterial infection and worse problems than the cat probably had in the first place.

I would take pics (or the cat, if possible) to your vet and ask whether they know whose animal it is, because it honestly should be kept inside until that heals.

 

[Mokey]

style="WIDTH: 99%; HEIGHT: 61px">Date: 10/8/2006 12:23:38 PM
Author: FireGoddess
WTLVR I just say thanks every day for caring people like you. I hate mistreatment of anyone and anything, but negligence to animals really kills me - they depend on us for their care, and we are responsible for them.

Ditto to what FireGoddess said! The world needs more caring people like you to take notice of things like this and actually care enough to seek help for an animal that is not yours. Please keep us all posted on this special kitty. Mokey

 

[WTNLVR]

Well, good news! I came home tonight and found kitty on my front porch. No more red fabric and wounds are healing nicely with no signs of infection. I guess her owners were able to corral her and take care of her. I''m so relieved. I was going to take her to the vet myself if it was still there tonight.

 

[moremoremore]

Great news!!!! You ARE a fab kitty mommy!!! Even if she's not your own...Now, if only we could get those turds to put a collar on her

Head bonks! Kitty loves you I think! Does she come to your house all the time? Does she let you pick her up? I might have to kitty nap her LOL

 

[Kaleigh]

Oh that''s great news, and agree she must love you. Wonder why they don''t put a collar on her. Guess she lives very close by?? Glad to hear she is doing well. Thanks for the update.

 

[Cind11]

When I first saw this I thought it just looked so awful. I''m glad it sounds like she is straightened out now. It sure would be nice if her owners had some kind of identification on her. I wish people wouldn''t let cats outside. My four never set a paw out. Too many bad things can happen. It was nice of you to be concerned about her.

 

[FireGoddess]

Well I''m glad to hear her owners are doing something...though they shouldn''t have let her out in that condition. What a fuzzy little love...head bonks!!

 

[moremoremore]

I agree Cind. I would die, just die if my babies got outside. I mean, to think of the horrors that can be out there for them....And without id no less? Please. Bad bad bad.