Ok, I am not one to concern myself over the health of barn cats usually, but this problem is really upsetting. I have two otherwise healthy young male cats with a hole in their neck. It looks for all the world like it was drilled with a bit. One of the cats showed signs of infection around the hole, as it was an angry red, so I put some antibiotic ointment on it, and it seemed to clear up the infection. Now it is a normal color, but the hole is still there. The hair is gone around it, and just this little round hole in the center. I am thinking it is some kind of parasite?

Does anyone have any idea what this is, and what I could do about it?

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), August 31, 2001

Answers

Id bet they were bit by something,, another animal or each other. When they get bit,, it will get infected,, and actually POP open,, sometimes a perfect round hole,,sometimes not. At this point,, just keep ointment one it

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), August 31, 2001.

As these are perhaps tomcats? If so, they fight and often get bit on the neck, which abcesses and often leaves a round hole. Peroxide is a good flush and then apply ABs. The trick here is to be sure it heals from the inside out, if it just closes over the top, it will just abcess again. Hope this helps. If you are pretty sure you might have something like a parasitic cyst, you might check with your Vet. Don't know what part of the country you are in and what may live there. :)

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), August 31, 2001.

Buckshot will do the same thing, but you usually find that on their hind quarters.

-- beckie (sunshine_horses@yahoo.com), August 31, 2001.

I know how to say it but I don't know how to spell it so I will spell it like it sounds :) Wolves. (Not the canines, a parastie) My welcome to East Texas and our woods property, was exactly 15 years ago this month, and one of my cats had this. Upon closer examination there was this mouth thing that would come up every so often, as if to get air. My husband took some needle nose pliers to this thing, with the cat in a pillow case, I thought I was going to throw up! He pulled out this fat, pointed on both end, worm/grub/alien looking thing. The cat was screaming and mad. She was fine later. The worst thing came at supper as I put fried steak fingers on the table, and yep!!! same color and nearly the same shape as the worm! We went out for pizza and the dogs got the steak fingers! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), August 31, 2001.

Vicki your knowledge amazes me!I still think you should write a book.All your knowledge should be recorded.Daffodyllady look up rodent botfly,warbles,or Cuterebra. Bettie

-- Bettie Ferguson (jobett@dixie-net.com), August 31, 2001.

I think I know what this is. Some of our kittens have had it. Look into the hole, you may see a worm. It's a kind of fly that lays it's eggs into a cat's fur, and then the larva eats away at the cat. The only way to get it out is with tweezers, which I observed a vet do. It's very nasty, but if you don't get the larva out, the cat will die. I would reach in with tweezers and see what you pull out. Mary

-- Mary Fraley (kmfraley@orwell.net), August 31, 2001.

EEEEWWWWWWWWww. My skin is crawling. Okay, I have parked the tweezers by the back door for the next time I see the cats. I dont think I can do anything with the one cat, as it is too wild to touch. But the other cat is a favorite. Dont know how tame it'll be after this is over though. LOL.

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), September 01, 2001.

Would the spray for screw-worms work for this? Ick!

-- Jean (schiszik@tbcnet.com), September 01, 2001.

Maybe put vasaline over hole and it will have to come out to breath and you can grab it.I wonder if you could put a puff of de in the hole ? that might just create a abcess.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), September 01, 2001.

We call them "warvels" or "warbels" (I have never seen it written)

You will also find them in the necks of squirrels occasionally if you hunt squirrels. Seems like they are more prevalent at the beginning of squirrel season. Yes, they are disgusting!

-- thomas (thomas@inr.net), September 01, 2001.

I had them one season on my rabbits. Everytime they showed that segment on Survivor with them eating the worms it reminded me of it. Yuck, yuck, now I'm getting grossed again. Good luck and put triple antibiotic cream in the hole after you pull it out if it is a worm

-- Dee in NJ (gdgtur@goes.com), September 02, 2001.

Yep, it's a warble, or weeble or whatever it's called. One of my barn cats had one years ago. It's disgusting for sure. I put some peroxide in the hole and squeezed and the nasty thing shot across the tack room. It's just a worm thing.

That's why we shouldn't put our rabbits on the ground. They get these worms, or warbles. On squirrels, they can get a big as a tennis ball if you don't get them out. Just wrap the cat in a towel or feed sack and do it. It'll be over soon!

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), September 02, 2001.

Cindi, I was watching some documentary and it was interesting because it showed the life of one of these warbles. It is a fly larva. The fly grabs a mosquito and lays an egg on it. It hatches then goes to the warm body of the animal the mosquito is feeding off of. My rabbits had gotten it bad one year and were never on the ground. I put up fly traps and the next year had only one, none since. (Yuck, yuck, yuck...)

-- Dee in NJ (gdgtur@goes.com), September 02, 2001.

If you all have screw worms I would do some questioning at the County Level. I was told by my vet that we erridicated these decades ago. I had up close and personal experience in third world countries with these things.

They can kill a cat in a week. They MUST and I repeat MUST be treated.

I suggest the cat be annestized since you need time to get the worms out - that could entail flushing with water, then an injection of an antibiotic jell into the hole.

If you got it in your area all your animals are at risk.

-- katnip (katnip364@aol.com), September 03, 2001.