Cats tail is raw

[johncross]

I have a cat that I found about two years ago at the place where I worked.

He's just an old yellow cat but my grandchildren love him.

For ove a year now he's had a raw spot on his tail right where it connects
to his body. We have tried everything, but it is still there.

I used antibotic salve and even burnt motor. The vet is too expensive.

Anyone have an answer?

[gizmocat]

It could be mange, it could be allergies, but you won't know what it is until you take him to the vet.

[coaster]

"Burnt motor?" You mean used motor oil? No wonder this cat's got a raw spot on his tail. He might have stud tail. Read this article and see if it sounds like what you're seeing:

http://www.penmarric.ns.ca/catcare/common/s-tail.htm

Note that it says:

Some people will swear by a medicated ointment, but it has been my experience that to add more oiliness in the form of creams, only compounded the problem

Here's an article on skin disorders:

http://www.nzymes.com/Articles/cat_skin ... oblems.htm

Stud tail might respond to the appropriate home remedy. You can google "stud tail cat" to find more articles, some of which have treatment ideas. But you're not really sure that's what you're dealing with unless you have it diagnosed by a vet. It could be something else and you'll just be making it worse.

Note to other posters: I did a little research and discovered used motor oil is an old folk remedy for mange:

...Sarcoptic mange. ... Humans in contact with these pets will often begin to itch too. This disease in man was once called the seven year itch. It is the disease that back-woods folk and farmers used to cure by rubbing the dog with burnt motor oil. Do not attempt this !

From: http://www.dogdecor.com/mange-in-dogs.html

[sondra k]

I'm not sure what my cat has I believe it is sarcoptic mange. I've checked her all over and there doesn't seem to be any fleas she is an indoor cat but I'm noticing that she some hair missing and some scabs in the neck area. Does anyone know of anything I can do at home to help this problem?

[Heidi n Q]

Quite a few skin problems are due to oily-ness, fleas or food allergies. If the cats do not respond to *proper* cleaning/drying of the area (meaning in a manner you would clean yourself), are de-flea'd with a veterinarian-approved spot-on treatment (do NOT buy/use anything from the grocery store!) and their diet is examined and possibly changed to remove known allergens (search the Health/Nutrition forum here or google-search)...then the cat will need to see a vet because this would be the limit of advice we (general public) on an internet forum could give.