Adopt a Domestic Short Hair / Mixed (short coat)
Frankie the Cat needs a home
We were contacted about "Frankenstein" -- he was in rough shape. He had been eating at a feral colony and was looking really bad ... the guy who fed the cats tried to approach but Frankie would run away. Then a few days later, Frankie approached the feeder, meowing -- Frankie knew he needed help desperately. That's when the caregiver snapped the photo showing Frankie's mange and texted it over to us.
We asked him to bring Frankie over immediately! He shoved Frankie into a crate and was here in minutes. We dosed Frankie with Revolution but after 2 days it didn't seem to have helped - we think it got wasted in one of the mats on his fur. So we started him on Ivermectin instead, and the results were quick. We also took him to the vet to have an exam and tested him for Feline Leukemia and Feline AIDS - he was clear for both.
Frankie was very thirsty and dehydrated, so we had to give him fluids. This is what mange does, the mites burrow in the skin and become like armor which does not allow the skin to breathe. The animal overheats. Frankie was burning hot to the touch. The fluids helped him a lot - plus we had two water bowls in with him that we would check 5 times a day and refill. This is why his eyes are all goopy, he had literally no "tears" in his eyes, they had almost dried up.... thus the eye boogers. We gave him lubricating eye drops for a few days till he was more hydrated.
Frankie was very hungry while the healing process went on, so we fed him....and fed him.... plus the dead skin was falling off, so we had to change his bedding 5 times a day at first. We eventually had to just use newspaper so we could wad it up and toss it....rather than wash another load of bedding every day. This was easier on the foster mom for sure.
He loves for us to pet him ... and he would rub against our hands trying to knock off the matted skin cells. They felt like rocks! They came off easily for the most part. Now his fur is regenerating and the fur is soft and healthy looking!
You can see all his pictures below, showing his progress over a 30-day period. It's absolutly amazing.
Note: The only dry food that keeps Frankie's stool firm is Iams dry kibble. The Purina brands give him loose stool, as does the prescription Hill’s I/D and the Gastrointestinal formulas from Royal Canin. He eats a little Friskies canned treat every night with no side effects.
We noticed he was eating A LOT of food but not gaining the equivalent amount of weight....he was just maintaining a 12-pound weight despite eating and eating...... It got to the point where Mona was giving him 4 cups a day .... the food had to be going SOMEWHERE..... so we took him to the vet and bloodwork showed a really high white blood cell count. The vet said it was either infection or cancer. Please understand that his food intake was the only hint we had .. there were no other symptoms except he had mange (which typically is contracted in immune-compromised animals). So we figured this is why he got the mange, he was compromised from either infection or cancer. So we put him on antibiotics and crossed our fingers that it was some obscure infection. Well..... it was infection. Somewhere. We don't know where, but his WBC count is fine now and we noticed about 7 days into the antibiotics that he wasn't eating as much....he was eating a normal amount of food. Frankie is quite the interesting case, eh?
Frankie has now "graduated" out of his crate, and is out and about with other cats. He is fine with other cats, he just does his own thing. He is friendly, knows his name, and adores being picked up and snuggled. He is still on IAMS dry food. Frankie will gently paw your hand if you stop petting him LOL! He is very sweet like that.
contact Mona at [email protected].
We asked him to bring Frankie over immediately! He shoved Frankie into a crate and was here in minutes. We dosed Frankie with Revolution but after 2 days it didn't seem to have helped - we think it got wasted in one of the mats on his fur. So we started him on Ivermectin instead, and the results were quick. We also took him to the vet to have an exam and tested him for Feline Leukemia and Feline AIDS - he was clear for both.
Frankie was very thirsty and dehydrated, so we had to give him fluids. This is what mange does, the mites burrow in the skin and become like armor which does not allow the skin to breathe. The animal overheats. Frankie was burning hot to the touch. The fluids helped him a lot - plus we had two water bowls in with him that we would check 5 times a day and refill. This is why his eyes are all goopy, he had literally no "tears" in his eyes, they had almost dried up.... thus the eye boogers. We gave him lubricating eye drops for a few days till he was more hydrated.
Frankie was very hungry while the healing process went on, so we fed him....and fed him.... plus the dead skin was falling off, so we had to change his bedding 5 times a day at first. We eventually had to just use newspaper so we could wad it up and toss it....rather than wash another load of bedding every day. This was easier on the foster mom for sure.
He loves for us to pet him ... and he would rub against our hands trying to knock off the matted skin cells. They felt like rocks! They came off easily for the most part. Now his fur is regenerating and the fur is soft and healthy looking!
You can see all his pictures below, showing his progress over a 30-day period. It's absolutly amazing.
Note: The only dry food that keeps Frankie's stool firm is Iams dry kibble. The Purina brands give him loose stool, as does the prescription Hill’s I/D and the Gastrointestinal formulas from Royal Canin. He eats a little Friskies canned treat every night with no side effects.
We noticed he was eating A LOT of food but not gaining the equivalent amount of weight....he was just maintaining a 12-pound weight despite eating and eating...... It got to the point where Mona was giving him 4 cups a day .... the food had to be going SOMEWHERE..... so we took him to the vet and bloodwork showed a really high white blood cell count. The vet said it was either infection or cancer. Please understand that his food intake was the only hint we had .. there were no other symptoms except he had mange (which typically is contracted in immune-compromised animals). So we figured this is why he got the mange, he was compromised from either infection or cancer. So we put him on antibiotics and crossed our fingers that it was some obscure infection. Well..... it was infection. Somewhere. We don't know where, but his WBC count is fine now and we noticed about 7 days into the antibiotics that he wasn't eating as much....he was eating a normal amount of food. Frankie is quite the interesting case, eh?
Frankie has now "graduated" out of his crate, and is out and about with other cats. He is fine with other cats, he just does his own thing. He is friendly, knows his name, and adores being picked up and snuggled. He is still on IAMS dry food. Frankie will gently paw your hand if you stop petting him LOL! He is very sweet like that.
contact Mona at [email protected].
- Animal: Cat
- Breed:
Domestic Short Hair / Mixed (short coat)
- Size: Medium
- Gender: Male
- State: Florida
- Zip/Postal Code: 32934
As of 5/17/2024 Frankie is still available for adoption. Please use the owner information below to confirm that Frankie is still available or to adopt. Don't forget to check the other animal shelters near me there are many other pets needing a fur-ever home.
