Blacktail, Sporo Cat, Now Recovering Well (a Sharing By Wong Yoke Mei)

Remember i emailed you about Little Blacktail about a month ago? Little Blacktail was diagnose with Sporo somewhere back in early March 2013. He started to have sores on the side of his face and above his eyes. And then a few days after that, another sore spot appear beside his nose. Then on, i thought to myself, this doesn’t look like scratches. When i looked into the underside of his ear flaps, more sore spots with yellowish/reddish discharge. Checked the other underside of the ear flaps, and found the same thing. I thought to myself, i’d better send Little Blacktail to the vet to check out. The funny thing is, Little Blacktail was only approx 5 months old then, and he hasn’t really got into fights with the other older male tom cats around the area. Normally Sporotrichosis affects males more than females because they transmit through male cat fights. He was suppose to be young to pick a fight or, maybe not. Anyway, they could also get it from some soil, or plant or moss which is naturally present in our environment. It will make things worse if the cat has a low immune system. That’s why i always always advise owners to keep their in cat indoors. It eliminates the flea and Sporo problems, not to mention many other diseases, cat fights/injuries and all. Anyway, i really can’t figure out where he got infected from since he is a stray. So, after some tests and looking under the microscope, Dr confirmed it was Sporotrichosis. My heart drop hearing the news over the phone. The very next day, we went to the vet again to weigh him and check him again before Dr dispenses the medication for treatment. Since i was told that treating Sporo will take 4-8weeks or more depending on the condition, i practically went into a panic mode because this is my ever first Sporo case. I was worried sick for Little Blacktail as well as the other strays that i feed at the back alley. Will more come down with the same condition? If yes, what am i to do? I for one, will worry sick about animals’ health, but i am also the kind of person who always tell myself, worrying will not make the situation better. So i had to slap myself awake and focus on treating him. That’s the only way to go in solving the situation and to prevent further possible outbreak in the back alley colony.

So, I had to keep Little Blacktail away from the rest by confining him in the cage. Though at times, he will struggle to “breakfree”, i know i could not let him out just yet. He has to recover from the condition before he is allowed “freedom” again. This is for his own good and for the greater good of all the other cats in the colony. I have to tell him to calm down and be patient. I have to tell myself the same thing too. Day by day, he is being given anti-fungal medication, Itracanozole (Sporanox-brand name). Everytime i handle his food bowl, or the cage or cleaning of his litter tray, i would have rubber gloves on to prevent the fungus from passing to myself, in the event if i have open wounds. Though it may sound scary at times because of cross infections, we still have to go on for the good of all. If we were to scare ourselves senseless about this, i guess the Vets are the ones who should be even more afraid because they get scratched by cats every now and then during consultation. Same goes to the farmers/gardeners/agriculture workers who always have contact with soil and mosses. So, i thought to myself, i just have to do my best to prevent cross infection and ensure gloves are worn every time during handling. Dr also advised not to play or overhandle the cat unnecessarily during the treatment period, as sometimes they could accidentally scratch you while you play or stroke the cat.

Day by day Little Blacktail ate his medication with the “yummy” can food that i mix for him. He will lick the bowl squeaky clean. During the first few days of giving medication, time passed by really slow for me. I was very anxious to see results of the medicines working. Within a week, i could see that the sores did not get any worse. I was so so glad. It gave me hope and i am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And lo behold, we are already 30 days into the treatment. And now i think to myself, “Wow how time flies”!. I am happy to see that his sores are gone from the looks of it. I have yet to bring him to the vet to follow up. Will have to bring Little Blacktail to the vet this week for the Dr to assess his progress. I shall update you again once we have paid a visit to the vet this weekend. I have all my fingers and toes crossed! Pray for Little Blacktail for a speedy and complete recovery. Here are some of the pictures of him when the sores appear a month ago and pictures of him today.

Whenever i face difficult situations of nursing a stray cat/kitten, and i feel like giving up, I always remind myself that animals do not easily give up on themselves until their very last breath. They are fighters and the ultimate survivors. If they do not give up, we should not give up on them. We shall try our very best to make good of every situation and have no regrets.

Regards,

Yoke Mei

Below are photos of Blacktail now:

We thank Yoke Mei very much for the photos and the sharing. For those in a similar situation, please seek professional advice from your vet first.

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