Scab on tail and flicking it around like a crazy thing!????!

[sarah5]

OK Thomas is very prone to fleas at the moment - have tried everything :roll: Yet he is still flicking his tail around in a crazy manner, jumping on it and racing around growling at his own tail! Now I just flea-combed him and found a huge scab on his tail which he went absolutely ballistic at me about (got a terrible scratch to prove it :( )

He won't let me get near him (he's a feisty git, can be extremely ferocious) but I was just wondering - could this scab on his tail be somewhere that the fleas are festering?

Just a thought - surely if it was just a scab he would leave it alone?

And if it is possible the fleas are somehow festering on this scab - how the heck can I get the scab off without putting Thomas to sleep to do it?!?

[Moli]

Think I would get him to the vets Sarah, just to find out what has caused it...

[Mags]

Do you think Thomas could have been bitten by another cat and that's what caused the scab?

[sarah5]

Mags, yes that's possible, we have two cats and they do *occasionally* have a wee argument lol! In fact I posted here a while back that my Scrabble had a scab on his tail, we took him to the vets and got some anti-b's and she cut it out.

But I don't get the swinging around thing, he does that when he has a flea.. although I guess if there is a flea it might head for the scab and irritate it further.. hence a need to get it off and sorted?

[Mags]

If it is a cat bite and there is still some infection in there, that would make his tail thrash about a bit ........will he let you touch it?

[sarah5]

If it is a cat bite and there is still some infection in there, that would make his tail thrash about a bit ........will he let you touch it?

Oh my goodness no, he won't let me get near it :( in fact he growls at me if I so must as stroke down near his tail...

[Mags]

It sounds as though it is very painful for him ........maybe a vet check sometime?

[sarah5]

I think you might be right Mags & Moli, thank you for the advice. Will take him this week and get it checked out.. poor vet, I hope Thomas isn't the first aggressive cat she will have seen :(

[Moli]

Sure they will realise he is in pain, and thats why he is being aggressive, poor boy, please let us know how he gets on...

[dinahsmum]

It's a classic place for a cat bite and consequent abcess. a/bs will soon sort him (it must be painful - poor thing)

[Amber]

We always say at work that we can tell the one's who stand and fight, and the ones who run away, as we either get the cat bites in one of two places, either on the head/shoulders, or on the tail :roll:

The tail as has been said is a classic place for cat bites, and the abcesses are often extremely painful as you've probably found out from before! A clean up and some ab's should see him right ;) and don't worry the vets will be used to grumpy kitties - trust me ;) :lol:

[sarah5]

Thanks again everyone, haven't taken him yet as it hasn't been bothering him until today so am going to make an appointment for asap. Will report back when I've been.
Thanks x

[Kay]

Hope everything goes well at the vets when you take him. Keep us up to date.