Advice needed: I rescued a cat. Her tail... (Gross-out Warning)

[Hissyspit]

She's wonderful, but her tail is all ragged. It looks like she is infested there with small worms and she has licked away much of the hair. They are yellowish-white about 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch long. Anyone know what might be the problem? Should I pour hydrogen peroxide on her tail? She will go to the vet first thing in the morning, but I was wondering if there was anything I could do know.

(As much as I love you all, no smart-ass answers, please. Need to know what to do.)

[insane_cratic_gal]

1. Maggots?

Does she have a wound on her tail?


I would just give the ol girl a bath

I found this too

<Snip>


is quite common to have maggots suddenly appear on
otherwise healthy dogs or cats. This will generally happen
during the warm summer months and seems to occur more on pets
which are kept outside. It also seems to be more common on
animals which are either sickly or have sustained some sort
of injury. Animals with long hair can hide the maggots and
it can be hard to see them without making a close inspection.
Though not life threatening, maggots on any animal eating
at their hair and skin is not good. Such a condition will
only serve to weaken the animal and make them susceptible
to disease and infection. If you find maggots on your pet,
there are two products which need to be used. First, the
animal should be washed well to help remove any maggots
that are alive. Use some MELALEUCA SHAMPOO for this job. It
will both help to dislodge maggots and maggot eggs. This
special formulation will also promote healing of the skin
and fur and help to take away the "itch". Taking away
the irritation and itch on the animal is key to getting it
healed. Once it has been cleaned, apply some of our


And one more article

http://www.petplace.com/cats/myiasis-maggots-in-cats/page1.aspx#

[Hissyspit]

3. That's probably it. I don't know why I didn't even think of that.

I guess I'm used to seeing maggots that look bigger, and I usually default to assuming the worst, too.

Thanks!

[Dangerously Amused]

2. Aww, poor baby!

And bless your heart for taking her in. Not sure what to do about it for now, but I think the bath was a good idea to start. I know that with fleas you don't even need a special "flea soap" really, just any old shampoo will get rid of them. Maybe that will prove true in this case as well. If nothing else it will probably make her feel more comfortable (afterwards, not during... she will probably hate it and fight it, but I'm guessing you knew that). I'm sure the vet will know...

Big hugs to you for your exceptional kindness!


:hug:

[CraftyGal]

4. Good luck, poor thing...

I hope you get to bottom of said problem. I am a huge animal lover especially cats.

Crafty

[Hissyspit]

26. Welcome to DU!

Thanks!

:toast:

[Hissyspit]

5. I did rinse her tail off earlier and used a towel, but they are still

there. I think she can wait until tomorrow. Her right front paw is

He is adorable and loving, white with black ears and face, probably some Siamese in her. She was on the side of the highway (rural) and was going to get hit, so I whipped around and stopped and she came right over to me. Guess I have a new cat. We'll see what the vet says tomorrow. I am just so paranoid that she will have feline leukemia.

[KT2000]

6. could it be tapeworm?

cats get tapeworm from fleas. They look like pieces of rice on the back end of the cat. They come from the anus as they hatch in the intestines. The vet can give you a pill that will take care of that if that is what it is.

Other than that i would leave it up to the vet to figure out. She could have gotten into something in her travels, or maggots (especially in the heat) could have gotten into an infection.

[barb162]

8. That's what it sounds like to me

[Hissyspit]

10. I'm thinking it's maggots. There is pus on her tail and they are probably

feeding on it.

[barb162]

12. ooh geez.

Maybe wash it lightly then with the peroxide. But expect her to jump and maybe scratch you if it starts stinging her like crazy from an open wound, which it sounds like it has to be. This cat needs antibiotics bigtime

[Hissyspit]

14. She's going in first thing in the morning. She is a sweetheart.

[KT2000]

17. She's lucky to have you

the vet trip will probably fix it well.

All my best to you and your new friend.
Post her pic when she is all prettied up!

[Hissyspit]

18. O.K. I will.

[Richard Steele]

7. Whatever they are, remove them as best you can.

And keep her isolated from friends, family and other cats
until her worm problem is resolved.

Your Hydrogen Peroxide notions? Go for it! It can only help.

HP is deadly to the average "yellowish-white worm", but
it won't do any harm beyond a week of dry flakey skin
when applied topically to a mammal like a cat.


And, BTW- You totally ROCK for taking this cat into your care.

"insomuch as you have done for the least amongst you" and all that jazz, knowhutImean?

[Hissyspit]

9. She is isolated. I think it is most likely maggots. I am well familiar

with tapeworms. They don't seem to survive outside the bowels.

I think I will try the HP.

Thanks!

[barb162]

13. Tapeworms can survive a few hours only without moisture

Oh that poor cat

[Richard Steele]

16. Yeah, there's just no way to confuse tapeworms with maggots.

On the plus side, "maggots" are incapable of causing harm
to living tissue. They are actually BENEFICIAL to living beings.

They are simply not biologically equipped to draw their sustenance
from living tissue; they can only eat stuff that has been dead for awhile.

Modern medical science has only recently rediscovered what "folk medicine"
has known for thousands of years: Maggots do not "infest" wounds,
they CLEAN them.

They can only eat DEAD tissue, and that's a GOOD thing when a body
has some DEAD tissue it needs to be rid of.

[hedgehog]

22. I'd leave her just as she is until you see the vet.

The maggots are most likely cleaning out a wound. i t looks yucky, but it might be the best thing for her until the vet can see what's going on. I wouldn't traumatize her with a bath or by pouring something on her tail that will hurt.

[Kali]

27. That isn't completely true

Many species do consume living tissue.

[barb162]

11. If she has an open wound there somewhere

I hestitate with the hydrogen peroxide. That might burn the skin a bit? How about some of the mildest soap you have and see if she will let you wash it a bit.

This poor little thing. Almost every cat that is a stray has tapeworms according to my vet. And every stray I have taken in did have tapeworms. The two pills do the job every time. Keep your other animals away from her until she sees the vet, okay?

[Hissyspit]

15. I did wash with the soap and all.

And she is isolated. I will try the HP a little and see how she reacts. She is very hyper, but cooperative.

[Whoa_Nelly]

19. Here's a couple of sites to help you out

This one describes the buggy critters

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggot

This site offers treatment:
http://www.petplace.com/cats/myiasis-maggots-in-cats/page1.aspx#


And this one offers up ways to get rid of'em
http://www.ucihs.uci.edu/som/pathology/sherman/faq2.htm

6. My pet dog has maggots; what should I do?

Maggots are attracted by soiled fur, excrement, rotting flesh, and wounds. Some maggots can be good; others can be dangerous. The cause of the maggots (a wound, infection, tumor) could be as serious or more serious than the maggots themselves. Therefore, they should be removed (washing with a mixture of 4 parts water with one part povidone iodine ("betadine") or household (3%) hydrogen peroxide usually works well. Keep the area clean and dry. Contact your veterinarian

[Hissyspit]

20. Thanks, Whoa Nelly

[Dangerously Amused]

21. Update? How is the sweet girl?

[Hissyspit]

23. Post w/ pic coming soon. I will PM you. n/t

[ScreamingMeemie]

24. It sounds like round worm (like tapeworm but not). It is very common

in outdoor strays and in kittens. A kitten treated for roundworm will pass it on to her kittens even if she herself was treated as a kitten. They lay dormant. the only reason I know this is that the kitten we got for my father was just treated for us and it DID look a lot like maggots. Good luck. Easy treatment. One pill and a poop recheck. :hi:

[Hissyspit]

25. Yeah, it was roundworm.

Here's the update: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x5423133