How can I help a neighbor's neglected cat with sores and weight loss?

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Hair loss can have many causes in cats- skin infection such as a bacterial infection, allergy such as to food or a flea allergy (especially if Simba is not on any flea preventative) or fungal infection like ringworm can all be causes. Sometimes anxiety can cause cats to lick off their fur but this is typically a diagnosis that is made after all other health conditions are ruled out first. The weight loss could be due to due to simply eating less (this would be a good thing if Simba was previously overweight). Of course, weight loss can also be caused by many different underlying health condition such as certain infections, hyperthyroidism, liver, kidney disease, certain cancers and other endocrine disease. I would recommend Simba see his veterinarian soon for an evaluation. Your veterinary may take a skin scraping and hair sample from the area of hair loss and may recommend running blood work or other diagnostics as necessary. I hope this helps!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. This cat could be malnourished or could have some type of systemic disease or infection. It is hard to say just by looking at him. If you plan on caring for him, you could take him to the veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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!

Poor kitty. Unfortunately without having this cat seen for a physical exam and treated once the underlying cause for the scabs is found, you won't be able to help much. Most skin issues in cats involve an allergy, and this will require either medication in the form of an injection that the vet can give or an oral medication that is prescribed. Cats don't really respond well at all to medication found over the counter for skin allergies and most medications that can be tried in dogs are not well tolerated in cats, so we have to be very careful with them. I would recommend trying to trap this kitty somehow so you can take it in to see a vet soon. You can also try to apply a flea preventative (i.e Advantage, Revolution) in case it has a flea allergy that is causing these skin lesions. This may help some, but from your description, this kitty likely also has a secondary bacterial infection that needs to be treated with prescription antibiotics as well. I do hope that this poor cat can get some medical attention soon! Best of luck and take care.

These lesions can be caused by a few different things, including fleas, mange, lice, infections (bacterial or yeast), ringworm, allergies, among others. They can also be self-induced trauma from itching. If you can't catch her, it will be very difficult to treat. If you can catch her, you can try either a topical flea preventative or flea collar like Seresto, or a medicated shampoo that is anti-fungal and anti-bacterial like Dechra MalAcetic Ultra Shampoo. But I really think this needs to be seen by a vet as the yellow coloring may indicate bacterial infection and she may benefit from antibiotics.

Especially as Sampson was positive for worms in November and is an outdoor cat, it ideal to keep him on monthly Revolution for cats (a topical preventative against fleas, heartworm, roundworms, hookworms and ear mites). Hair loss at the base of the tail is likely due to flea allergy dermatitis and coughing could be due to lungworms, feline asthma, hairballs, or heart disease among other differentials. At his age, Sampson is considered senior/geriatric and a full panel of bloodwork including thyroid levels is recommended to rule out hyperthyroidism, liver, kidney disease among other things that can result in a poor body condition. A fecal exam is recommended as well as tapeworms are transmitted by fleas, can cause weight loss, and are not prevented by Revolution. A visit to the veterinarian for screening bloodwork, a fecal exam, screening chest radiographs, and examination of the hair loss at the base of the tail to rule out other conditions such as behavioral overgrooming/ringworm/endocrine disorders, etc. is recommended. In the best case scenario, the hair loss at the base of the of the tail is due to flea allergy dermatitis which can be alleviated with Revolution +/- topical steroid/antibiotic ointment/medicated shampoo if it is itchy, and the coughing is due to something as relatively benign as hairballs which can be alleviated by a prescription GI/hairball diet. As there are numerous other possible causes though, a full checkup and workup at your local veterinarian's would likely result in the best outcome. He is super handsome by the way!

How lovely of you to look after this stray! There are a number of things that could cause him to lose weight, such as intestinal worms, diabetes, kidney disease, or hyperthyroidism to name a few. He could also possibly have fleas. It's important to make sure your cats are up to date on their flea treatments and deworming treatments. As for the stray, I would take him into the SPCA if you don't want to assume financial responsibility for him. They can get him the veterinary attention he needs and find him a home. Otherwise, you can take him into the vet yourself :-)