SERIOUS cat illness??? What is this!?

Question

All three of our cats have been stricken with an odd illness, and I'm very worried. They've displayed symptoms for about two weeks. They fight a lot so I didn't necessarily realize that there was something wrong. They all have flea colors and I haven't seen anything on them (although my rats did get mites of some kind recently?? I THINK are all gone now?). Anyhow - here are the symptoms:

Red irritated areas of skin

Some hair loss around injuries

Large wounds (like this: http://cruiser.smugmug.com/photos/31630352-L.jpg NO that is not one of my cats)

Scabs

I have no idea where the wounds are coming from...

And I THINK that's it.

The wounds are all over one or their bodies, on the stomach of another, and on the tummy and legs of the last kitty. I came home today and one of them had left a bloody trail in the kitchen because he had an open would on his back (the size of a folded dollar!!! =O)

I will make sure they get help from a vet, but do you have any idea what's wrong with them!? Is it serious? Could it be worms? What about another parasite? Is it a contagious infection of some sort? I'm really worried.

For about three days the cats wen without their flea collars because I forgot to buy their new ones, but only for three days. They have flea collars on now (they usually do) but could it have involved that? I saw a few TINY round black bugs on my rat's cage a while back, we cleaned him and all the stuff around him, but I wonder...???

Please help me! I'm losing my mind! What could be wrong with them!?

Answer 1

Just fyi, flea collars are pretty much worthless.

It sounds like an allergic reaction to a flea bite or something. But the wounds, I have no idea. unless they're doing that to themselves trying to scratch? That's the only thing to comes to mind.  

Answer 2

sounds like a flea allergy or mange but it could be anything because we can't see it so we can't know for certain. you need to go to the vet soon as possible their the only people who can truely help you. as for flea collars there useless you need frontline  or a similar product from the vet because pet shop products don't work.

Answer 3

well im sorry to say but if all three cats have this then it is probably something in their environment that is effecting them. have a look around the house and check if there is anything that they may have recently come in contact with that could possibly be the causing of an allergic reaction. it looks and sounds very serious and im sorry that i dont have a better answer for you but i hope your cats get better soon and that it isnt anything to serious. good luck!

Answer 4

COuld be something called Mange.

If it is all 3 its not an allergic reaction - very unlikely- and i would say it could be some kind of parasite; hopefully if you get them treated today all will be well. I know it may be expensive with 3 cats!

It wont be flea's, even if they have them bad they wouldn;t look like that. The best flea treatment is one from the vets but it is quite expensive for 3 cats (it is here in the UK anyway!) however you can get flea sprays from the vet which are reasonably cheap and much more effective than flea collars alone.

Answer 5

hmm with the hair loss and irritated skin condition sounds like it could be mites or it could possible be a condition called mange. The symptoms they're having suggests that the wounds and scabs are from themselves. Mange is spreadable. Mange is a mite like creature that lives underneath the skin of an animal and drives them crazy and makes them really itchy so bad to the point where some of them have been known to scratch their skin open. A vet can run a test on that. It's a slide that can tell you if it is mange then what type it's.

I hope it's not mange, though it's treatable.

Take your Cats to the vet as no one on here can tell you for sure.

Please let us know what happens and how they treat your cats.

Good luck with your kitty's

By the way don't let your kitty's anywhere near your ferret or vice versa.

Not until after you've checked with your vet first.

Answer 6

This is serious, please see a vet today.  If your vet cannot see you today, then go to the emergency vet.  No one here a Yahoo can give you the help you need.  We can only beg you to go to a vet and give these animals proper care.

So off the computer and starting dialing!

Good Luck!

Answer 7

The only thing I can think of is that since you said they fight, they could be open wounds from abscesses that have burst?  It that's the case, they need vet care sooner rather than later, as those wounds are going to need antibiotics!

For what it's worth - flea collars are woefully ineffective, and are just a source of irritation.  Since you're taking them to the vet, get a safe and effective flea treatment for them at that time.