Ask Me Help Desk - Cat has strange crust on her side, what could it be?

I just noticed while I was petting my cat that there seems to be something hard under her fur, on her side. There is a single, hard, roundish crust on her left side, above her stomach and under her spine some 7cm, hidden in the fur, not noticeable unless by touch. It's dark reddish from what I can see, about 1.5cm in diameter, there is fur on it and around it, from what I can see, it looks like that entire patch of fur could be detached. She showed now interest in touching it, though she did become a bit agitated when I attempted to mess with the fur to find it. Not sure if due to pain. Never noticed this before, also never noticed any kind of hard surfaces resembling crusts (scabs?) on any other part of her body.
Any info would be appreciated.

You take her to the vet. How do you expect us to diagnose from a description?

Quote:

Originally Posted by tickle

You take her to the vet. How do you expect us to diagnose from a description?

The only reason I am asking this question here is because there are *no* available vets in my location at this time of night. I am not "expecting" a clear straightup diagnosis but as I said, any kind of information that could be helpful, such as possible things to watch for, if there is a condition with the described scabbing one might know of and I missed (because I have done research and failed in finding anything similar), or if anyone had similar occurrences, if there is anything I can do about it until I *can* access a vet etc. In other words, I was looking for anything that might be more helpful and reassuring than the patronising non-asnwer you are giving me - as if people don't ask millions of questions like this about possible medical problems and get ideas on what they could be and how to solve them.

If you feel that I have provided insufficient information about the problem, and you think you might have an idea, you can try asking me to elaborate or asking me a specific question and I will try and describe the situation better. Otherwise, you might as well tell anyone with any kind of problem to "just go to a professional", effectively defeating the purpose of this website.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackdragons

The only reason I am asking this question here is because there are *no* available vets in my location at this time of night. I am not "expecting" a clear straightup diagnosis but as I said, any kind of information that could be helpful, such as possible things to watch for, if there is a condition with the described scabbing one might know of and I missed (because I have done research and failed in finding anything similar), or if anyone had similar occurrences, if there is anything I can do about it until I *can* access a vet etc. In other words, I was looking for anything that might be more helpful and reassuring than the patronising non-asnwer you are giving me - as if people don't ask millions of questions like this about possible medical problems and get ideas on what they could be and how to solve them.

If you feel that I have provided insufficient information about the problem, and you think you might have an idea, you can try asking me to elaborate or asking me a specific question and I will try and describe the situation better. Otherwise, you might as well tell anyone with any kind of problem to "just go to a professional", effectively defeating the purpose of this website.

Can you post a picture? It's very hard to get an idea of what you're describing, simply by a description. A picture would definitely be more helpful.

A few more questions:

How old is the cat?
Is the cat up to date on shots?
Is the cat an indoor cat, or outdoor cat?
If indoor, is she every outside unsupervised?
Is she eating?
Is she drinking?
I she defecating and urinating?
Any other changes?

From what you've posted so far, I have a few guesses, but they're only guesses. A picture would really help me guess better, but even then, it will be just a guess, and I hope you realize that. No one can tell you exactly what's causing this online.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alty

Can you post a picture? It's very hard to get an idea of what you're describing, simply by a description. A picture would definitely be more helpful.

A few more questions:

How old is the cat?
Is the cat up to date on shots?
Is the cat an indoor cat, or outdoor cat?
If indoor, is she every outside unsupervised?
Is she eating?
Is she drinking?
I she defecating and urinating?
Any other changes?

From what you've posted so far, I have a few guesses, but they're only guesses. A picture would really help me guess better, but even then, it will be just a guess, and I hope you realize that. No one can tell you exactly what's causing this online.

Hi, thank you for replying. I will attempt to take a picture once again, the best I could do so far with my phone is the edge of the scab area - http://i62.tinypic.com/vs175e.jpg EDIT: new picture - http://i62.tinypic.com/103tkw6.jpg

The scab itself is very hard to photograph due to the amount of hair on it, but it is a dark reddish-brownish color, quite hard, of irregular shape. The cat doesn't seem to notice it *at all*. It is also completely hidden in the fur, and otherwise unnoticable unless by touch. EDIT: on more inspection the color is a bit more fleshy rather than a deep dark color.

She is around 7 months old, recently spayed, got her spot-on anti-flea and tick solution yesterday (behind the neck, nowhere near the scab). She is up to date on shots (at least per my vet).
She prefers to stay indoors but also goes out into the yard (we have quite a big yard, other cats also have access to it - this is not possible to prevent).
It is also not possible to supervise her all the time when she is out. She has a sister who has no scabs like this on her, they do play a bit aggressively sometimes but the scab seems quite large and I didn't notice any wounds on her.
She is eating and drinking as normal, defecating, urinating, playing, and otherwise appears perfectly fine and healthy.
I do realize a diagnosis is not possible, however I am slightly panicking and my vet is still unavailable, I would like to know how urgent this is and if there is anything I can do - any information, as I said. Thank you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alty

Can you post a picture? It's very hard to get an idea of what you're describing, simply by a description. A picture would definitely be more helpful.

A few more questions:

How old is the cat?
Is the cat up to date on shots?
Is the cat an indoor cat, or outdoor cat?
If indoor, is she every outside unsupervised?
Is she eating?
Is she drinking?
I she defecating and urinating?
Any other changes?

From what you've posted so far, I have a few guesses, but they're only guesses. A picture would really help me guess better, but even then, it will be just a guess, and I hope you realize that. No one can tell you exactly what's causing this online.

Image - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting - seems the 2nd picture in my last post is broken, this link should work.

Sadly I can't really tell from the picture, because of the fur. It could be tick, it could be a wound. My first thought was a shot from a bibi (sp?) gun. It happens all the time in my neighborhood, sadly. :(

I hope you have a chance to get into the vet soon. For now, if it's not bothering her, don't touch it too much. Make sure that it's not showing signs of infection. No matter what, I'd get this checked as soon as possible.

Please let me know how it works out, and good luck. Sending your kitty hugs.

Cats don't react well to infections and if yours becomes lethargic and won't move at all, won't eat or drink, then it is time for the vet and antibiotics to clear it up. Surprisingly enough 'cat scratch fever' is a legitimate ailment, and the symptoms are as described above.