# Hi! New to the board



## Navi (Dec 3, 2005)

I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. 

My name is Shannon and I have 4 cats, 2 dogs and 3 horses. My husband and I live on our 102 acre farm and our cats own the place. All of our cats were adopted or rescued.

Our oldest kitty, Ringo, who is lord and master of the manor is about 14 and was adopted from the barn of our previous boarding stable. He is a silver tabby and a real sweetie. We almost lost him 2 years ago to a urinary tract blockage but luck was on our side and with lots of vet care he made it through. 

Lucky is about 8 and my husband rescued him off the side of a lonely country rd. He was hanging out beside another cat that had been killed on the road and we assume it was his friend. My husband took him to the nearest farm and was told that people dump cats in that area all the time so home came "Lucky". He is long haired and jet black and loves to snuggle.

Next came Smokey who was a wild cat that got trapped in our cellar. When we went to get him out, he was skin and bones and it was the middle of winter so we kept him, fed him and eventually tamed him. Now he is chubby, happy and loves to ride around on my shoulder like a parrot while I care for our horses. He's still very skittish if you walk up to him quickly and likes women way more than men. Smokey is grey and short haired.

Finally, our newest addition, George, who came to us in August as a stray. He just appeared, was bone thin and looked like someone had shaved him from the shoulders back. He also had small sores in she shaved looking area. When I took him to the vet for his check-up and shots, I found out that he is a neutered male which to me seems even more sad (not because he is neutered - all of our cats are) but because he must have belonged to someone and been loved at some point and here he was starving and obviously in distress. Anyway, the vet put the fluorescent light on him and determined that he did not have ringworm but she didn't know what was causing the sores. She gave me antibiotics which I gave him for 10 days, however, this hasn't worked. The sores are always in the same spots and they almost heal then get bloody again, then heal then get worse. He does not itch or scratch at all and I've seen no fleas or mites on him. I've seen ringworm in horses and this does not act like ringworm. By the way, Georgie is the kitty in my avatar.  

So, this is how I stumbled on this board...I am hoping someone might have heard of this condition before or have some suggestions as to what I could put on the sores to help them heal. I am very familiar with home remedies for horses but many things can't be used on cats so I'm at a loss. George will be going back the vet's for his rabies booster but it really traumatized him the first time he went there so I'm hoping to figure out what's wrong with him on my own so he doesn't have to have any more poking and prodding than he has to.

Anyway, sorry to write a novel...I look forward to *meeting* some of you and reading lots about cats.


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## Lisa 216 (Oct 25, 2004)

Welcome Shannon!! Thanks for sharing the stories of your cats. It is wonderful to hear how loved they are after their formerly sad circumstances.

I'm sorry to hear about George's sores. Try posting about it in our Health and Nutrition forum. Hopefully someone there may have some ideas or advice for you. Best of luck. :wink:


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## Navi (Dec 3, 2005)

Hi Lisa,
Thanks for the welcome! Honestly, the grey cat in your avatar looks like the twin of my Smokey and that is the place Smokey's happiest...my shoulder!


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## dmcwlvssr (Apr 24, 2005)

Welcome! I am donna owned proudly by the incredible trio and surrogate mum to Freesia a shepard mix big baby girl


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## Navi (Dec 3, 2005)

Hi Donna,
What beautiful kitties!! They look like they're all good friends.  
Shannon


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## Lisa 216 (Oct 25, 2004)

Navi said:


> Hi Lisa,
> Thanks for the welcome! Honestly, the grey cat in your avatar looks like the twin of my Smokey and that is the place Smokey's happiest...my shoulder!


That's my Pumpkin in the photo. She loves shoulders also. How funny -- must be a grey kitty thing! :lol:


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## Lori (Jun 8, 2003)

Welcome Shannon! I enjoyed reading how you came to own all your kitties, they are very lucky to have found you.  
I hope you can find some help for George's sores.


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## kitkat (Sep 22, 2003)

I'm hoping George doesn't have allergies to flea bites or possible a food allergy? Hopefully you find out soon, must be nervewrecking. Btw welcome and post some pictures in the Meet My Kitty section


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## Navi (Dec 3, 2005)

Thanks for the warm welcome.  I posted some pics in the Cat Photos section but since I only have my pics in my computer, I don't think I can put them in 'Meet my Kitty'?

The wierd things about George's sores are that they only appear from the behind the shoulders and back. From the shoulders forward he looks like a normal healthy cat. 

I'll add a photo of George from when we first got him that sort of shows the sores and how thin he was. I can't figure out what would affect him only behind the shoulders. I'll post a note in the health section.

Shannon


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## Lisa 216 (Oct 25, 2004)

Navi said:


> Thanks for the warm welcome.  I posted some pics in the Cat Photos section but since I only have my pics in my computer, I don't think I can put them in 'Meet my Kitty'?


Sure you can! Go to back to Cat Photos -- your pictures were just loaded so they are on the main page. Click on a photo, and then copy the UBB code into your post. You can practice in the Test Forum before you post.

Here's one of yours:


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## Navi (Dec 3, 2005)

Thanks Lisa!!! I'll give it a try! :wink:


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## DesnBaby (Apr 18, 2004)

Welcome, can't wait for pictures of your kitties!  :wink:


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Welcome Shannon and kitties. I enjoyed hearing how you got them. I hope you find answers soon for the medical problem of George's. You will love it here.


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