My stray cat is losing weight and has skin bumps. Are my cats safe?

He needs to be seen by a veterinarian. He could be suffering from an overactive thyroid gland or kidney failure, or is losing his hair due to mange mites. Mites are easily treated with a miticide. An overactive thyroid is also treated relatively easily (your vet will give you the particulars, there are several ways to treat) and even for renal problems there are various ways to give him good quality of life. It may be useful if someone in your neighborhood takes him in as their pet for treatment, and you all could pitch in for the vet costs.

He is probably suffering from severe mange, he could possibly be suffering from some other infection as well, you will need to take him to the vet ASAP in order to get it checked and treated, he will need several injections in order to treat these conditions.

I don't think I can help very much. I can't really tell what is wrong with the skin. Thin, weak, poor appetite, those are things that more likely indicate internal illness. In a stray, unvaccinated cat, FeLV or FIV would be on the top of my list. There is no cure for these viruses. We also can't prescribe medications, even OTC, as it is illegal.

It would be impossible to tell what's wrong without an exam. If he will let you handle him, catching him and bringing him to a vet so he can be sedated, checked for illness or injuries, dewormed, vaccinated, etc can help ensure he stays healthy, and doesn't get ill or spread disease to other pets once re-released. If you can't handle him, most humane societies have humane traps you can rent and smelly wet food or warmed up chicken can be used as bait to entice him to enter. As for food, any [commercial adult cat food](https://www.petco.com/category/cat/cat-food) should be good for helping him gain weight and stay healthy once he's been seen by a vet. Science Diet, Nutro, Royal Canin, Purina, etc all offer great options for food.

Hello. Weight loss of that amount is, unfortunately, going to require some investigation. If the cat’s feeding routine has basically remained unchanged, he has been dewormed....then we need to be looking for other, more serious problems. A thorough physical exam, bloodwork and possibly x-rays. He will likely need sedation for all of this, so presenting him to the vet in a humane trap that he can be sedated while still in the trap is the safest method for all involved. Reasons for dramatic weight loss could include diabetes, intestinal diseases, kidney or liver issues, cancer, etc. I deal with feral cats all the time and it is relatively simple to sedate them through the trap in order to do any procedures necessary. Good luck

Thank you for trying to help Forest! Because he is an outdoor cat there is a good chance he may have fleas or gastrointestinal parasites that are causing some issues. You may want to try to apply Frontline plus to the back of his neck if he will allow you to do so safely. The best option would really be to take Forest to a veterinarian for evaluation as any number of things could be causing his thin body condition and skin lesion. There may be a feral cat rescue in your area that would be willing to work with you to trap Forest, make sure he is vaccinated and neutered, and do a health exam. Good luck and I hope Forest is doing better soon!

Given his symptoms, he should be physically examined by your veterinarian. A fine needle aspirate can be done in the clinic to collect samples for pathology. This may determine if the bump is something that needs to be addressed or simply monitored. Your vet may recommend lab work (CBC, chemistry panel, urinalysis) to diagnose the underlying cause for the vomiting and weight loss. These symptoms have multiple causes. Abdominal x-rays may also be recommended. Supportive care (IV or subcutaneous fluids, antibiotics, anti-emetics, etc.) can be administered as indicated.