feral cat with rodent ulcer

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sherid67@yahoo.com - 06 Sep 2007 13:11 GMT

I posted this alt.veterinary, but didn't get too many replies. I'm
hoping someone here can help.

I think one of my feral cats has a rodent ulcer. There appears to be
a
lump on one side of her upper lip. She's eating just fine but I am so
worried about this. The vet will not prescribe anything or even make
a
judgment without seeing her, but she has been untrappable for a long
time (she was trapped once when I got her spayed, but is now
terrified
of the trap).

What should I do. I don't want this lump to get bigger, but I feel
helpless. I do have a bottle of 5mg prednisone. I could possibly
crush
a pill up and put this in her canned food, but I don't know the
proper
dosage or if prednisone has some adverse effects on cats. She is
around 10 lbs. and 4 years old.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Sheri

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cybercat - 06 Sep 2007 19:54 GMT

>I posted this alt.veterinary, but didn't get too many replies. I'm
> hoping someone here can help.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> a
> judgment without seeing her

Trap her and take her in.

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cybercat - 06 Sep 2007 20:01 GMT

>I posted this alt.veterinary, but didn't get too many replies. I'm
> hoping someone here can help.
>
> I think one of my feral cats has a rodent ulcer.

I hit "send" too soon. The thing is, the lump could be anything.
And I don't think anyone would recommend medicating any
cat without having her checked by a vet. She may just have
an infected wound or cut.

Good luck with it.

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James - 06 Sep 2007 20:24 GMT

On Sep 6, 8:11 am, sheri...@yahoo.com wrote:

> I posted this alt.veterinary, but didn't get too many replies. I'm
> hoping someone here can help.
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>
> Sheri

Where did you get the a bottle of 5mg prednisone and what was it for?
I know it's used for poison ivy, and gout.

If you can get her to go in the house it might be easier to catch her.

Reply to this Message

cindys - 07 Sep 2007 02:48 GMT

snip

> Where did you get the a bottle of 5mg prednisone and what was it for?
> I know it's used for poison ivy, and gout.

-----------
Prednisone is used for a myriad of medical issues: Asthma attacks, allergic
reactions, flares of multiple sclerosis, to name a few others. Basically,
prednisone reduces inflammation, but it has a lot of nasty side effects. In
the acute stage of an illness, a human is typically given a large initial
dose, then put on a schedule to wean off over the course of a few weeks.
It's not the sort of thing you take or give someone on an impulse. 5 mg is a
small dose for a human, but it may be a very large dose for a cat.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

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sherid67@yahoo.com - 09 Sep 2007 16:34 GMT

Hi Everyone,

She is in the house (lives in my den and a large screened-in porch
area adjacent to that), but I tried for days to trap her. She'll let
my mother reach out and touch her lightly sometimes while she's
eating, but the minute she sees that trap, she runs and hides. I tried
to chase her into it, and she started breathing so hard and shaking
that I thought she was going to have a heart attack.

My vet said that these oral lumps are frequently cancerous. I'm at my
wit's end with this situation. Most of my cats are not feral, and
they're hard enough to get to the vet and administer medication. This
situation is impossible.

By the way, the prednisone was for a family member with asthma. I may
try it for a week or so and see what happens. It's got to better than
doing nothing.

Sheri

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cybercat - 09 Sep 2007 20:18 GMT

> Hi Everyone,
>
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> My vet said that these oral lumps are frequently cancerous. I'm at my
> wit's end with this situation.

Somebody can trap this cat, Sheri. Do not give her prednisone without
a vet's supervision. The vet visit will not cost that much. The vet may
work with you--or you can sell something on ebay to cover it. There's
a way to get a semi-feral cat to the vet.

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sherid67@yahoo.com - 10 Sep 2007 18:47 GMT

The cost of the vet visit isn't an issue. It took months to trap her
when she was outside and I had to completely stop putting food out for
her. She retaliated by bringing parts of dead squirrels up on the
porch. This cat has major attitude!!

I may wait a little while and see if the lump looks any bigger. I may
also try to change her food, just in case it's an allergic reaction.
She is eating Royal Canin now which is one of the better brands. The
only brand I've had trouble with was Science Diet (one of my threw up
everyday on it).

Thanks,

Sheri

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