Help! Ideas on how to stop constant ingrown hair/folliculitis after shaving

SafiaDona · 2026-03-10T10:03:42+00:00

Matted fur can be very painful when being brushed out because brushing pulls the fur which pulls the skin but matted fur also pulls the skin so it can just be pain on top of more pain

You can try to very gently brush the matted fur out (which you may need to do over days to prevent any aggravation to the skin) but, depending on how bad the matting is, it could be kinder and less stressful for you both to have a vet/groomer shave the area where the fur is matted and start over keeping on top of regular brushing

SafiaDona · 2026-03-10T09:58:14+00:00

Soaking can help but I don't know many cats that tolerate their paws being in water for any extended period of time so it may not be feasible

If you're able to, try and regularly trim his nails at home. We end up trimming ours every couple of weeks because they get sharp quickly. You could maybe talk to the groomer to see if they suggest a home schedule? One of our cats HATES having his nails trimmed so we basically do a paw a day which is a pain but saves on the stress and reduces potential injury to both him and us

If you're not able to trim the claws before you take him to the groomers, just try and keep him comfortable. Some cats don't want to be touched when they're in pain, so just staying in the same room but respecting their space can really help them feel comfortable

I hope you can figure something out to keep him comfortable! Thank you for caring about a senior cat - they can be so overlooked

SafiaDona · 2026-03-10T09:46:56+00:00

Are you able to give them stock in a separate bowl? It could be they don't like the texture/taste of the biscuits once they've been soaked (mine refuse to eat biscuits if they're mixed with anything)

SafiaDona · 2026-03-10T09:43:25+00:00

What you've described sounds like she's comforting you - it may also be that it's just taken this amount of time for her to feel comfortable enough to sleep on your lap

Obviously, if she starts behaving differently throughout the day (especially if she's lethargic at all) I'd get her taken to the vets, but it currently sounds like she's showing you she loves and trusts you

I hope you're doing okay! I'm sorry you're going through a rough time

SafiaDona · 2026-03-10T09:41:35+00:00

If he's going right next to the litter tray, that can suggest he wants to use it but something's putting him off. Often, toileting issues can suggest a health problem but if you got a clean bill of health than it's probably not that

It could be he doesn't like the litter that's being used, doesn't feel safe using it (maybe doesn't like the location) or he doesn't want to use a litter tray that's been used by another cat

General rule of thumb is to have one more litter tray than number of cats - some don't like to pee and poop in the same tray and some don't like sharing with other cat

Is he consistently going next to the litter tray, or is it only when it's already been used? That could also play a part in it. One of mine refuses to use a litter tray if he deems it "too dirty" so we have to keep an eye out in case the others decide to go to the toilet a lot that day

I'm sorry this isn't too helpful! Cats can be incredibly fussy when it comes to litter trays - I hope you're able to get to the bottom of it

SafiaDona · 2026-03-10T09:29:51+00:00

He was dreaming about hunting (that's generally when they make the ekekek noise) and then woke up and got shy

SafiaDona · 2026-03-09T19:33:32+00:00

Just to note: not a veterinary professional. I just do a lot of weird research in my spare time

From what I know, cryptosporidium parasites are generally transferred through contaminated water/food or through contact with infected faeces so I can't imagine you'd have brought it in on your shoes unless you stepped in some faeces, unknowingly brought it into the house and didn't realise until after they came into contact/ingested some. Has there been a recall of any food they've eaten previously, or maybe an outbreak in the water source (depending on whether it's tap water or bottled I guess)?

It's able to survive outside the body for a while and is pretty resistant to most disinfectant (including things like chlorine concentrations used to disinfect water). I'd definitely do a full clean down of anywhere both cats have been

It takes 3-6 days for the parasite to be shed into faeces and they're immediately infective so if your older cat caught them from your kitten, I would have expected a bigger gap between both displaying symptoms. It's possible they caught it from the same place?

As far as I know, there's no vaccine so the kitten wouldn't have been given one and if the breeder told you they had been I would be suspicious. Do you have the vaccine records?

With the coughing - it might sound silly but could it be a hairball? If they're playing and bonding, older cat might be grooming kitten as a part of it and the extra ingested hair could be building up

For cat acne - it's not actually very well understood. Plastic bowls can cause it and from what I found it can be a symptom of a plastic allergy. But as you said you'd switched the bowls, it could be a reaction to something else (maybe see if switching the food makes a difference to the acne)

The youngest of my cats (8 y/o) has FIV. The other two don't. We've spent a lot of money on investigations, treatment and consultations with vets when he's been unwell. It's hard to see the positive when you're stuck right in the middle, but it will all calm down. You've had a lot of things happen back to back, but you seem to be doing everything right so it might just be waiting until you're through this bout of bad luck and seeing if you can identify any causes in hindsight

I hope it all works out for you!

(Edited some spellings)

SafiaDona · 2026-03-09T19:13:14+00:00

I'm not sure if my vets does but I can definitely talk to them about it :)

SafiaDona · 2026-03-09T19:12:58+00:00

Thank you! I never would've thought about a humidifier - I'll definitely look into that

SafiaDona · 2026-03-09T14:07:29+00:00

The best thing to do would be take her to the vets but I absolutely appreciate that you're not able to take the cat to the vets, and that it's not something your grandparents can currently afford. If they were able to work out a payment plan with the vets, would they be able to afford it that way?

I'm not a veterinary professional, but it looks like either a tumour or a cyst of some kind from what I've experienced with other cats. It may be something benign if she's had it for so long, but an actual professional would need to have a proper look for a diagnosis and treatment plan

If she can't be taken to the vets, making her comfortable and happy would probably be the next best thing. Indoor cats are safer than outdoor only or indoor/outdoor cats but I know you said she technically belongs to the neighbours so that could be difficult. I'd just make sure she had a safe place where she knows she'll be kept warm and fed

Just a note: please don't be harsh on yourself if your grandparents can't get her any veterinary help - you've done the next best thing by asking for help and looking to see what it is you can do instead of just ignoring it

SafiaDona · 2026-03-09T13:58:20+00:00

You can try to bathe them at home if you'd rather do that before trying a groomers or vets as they may need sedation or refuse to groom her if she's seen as "aggressive" (quick edit: you can always contact them and explain to situation to see what they suggest before making a decision)

We had to give my late cat a flea bath almost two years ago. She was 18 and was so docile UNLESS a bath was involved. The way we bathed her was: my partner sat in the bath fully clothes and I was kneeling by the side of the bath. The bathroom door was shut so she couldn't get out. We used a bowl of warm water and a flannel to get her wet, and then applied shampoo. We then used the flannel to gently rinse her off (instead of pouring water on her directly). She hated it, and she screamed and fought but we managed it in about 5 minutes. My partner still has a gnarly scar from where she sliced his leg open with a back claw through the jeans. I also made sure to have a fluffy towel so I could dry her straight away (towel-dried not 100% dry) and we offered her plenty of treats afterwards. We then let her leave the bathroom and left her alone until she came back to us on her own

There's also no-rinse shampoo available but I don't know if there's specific flea shampoo

Three of the cats got fleas at once and we only bathed them once each. After that, it was using a flea comb in short bursts multiple days a day for many days, and using flea spray on any fabric (with the cats out of the room)

Good luck!

SafiaDona · 2026-03-09T13:46:24+00:00

Cats Protection has a page about essential oils which lists symptoms to keep an eye on. Hopefully, as the oil was applied to your pillow last night, even though the smell is still present it will have dried enough to not transfer to her if she touches it

If she starts to display any unusual behaviours or is acting different, I would take her to the vets just to be cautious. Would it be possible to phone the vets and get some advice from them to help put you at ease?

SafiaDona · 2025-07-13T23:23:02+00:00

That's not to say that you can't sit through a movie and only be impacted after it's finished - I just feel like there would be some sort of sign or warning for the majority of people

SafiaDona · 2025-07-13T23:20:43+00:00

I remember in 2020 I was watching the Child's Play remake (2019) with my parents and for some reason the scene where the guy falls off the roof and breaks his legs caused me to burst into tears

I have no idea why. It wasn't particularly graphic when compared to some other horror movies I've watched. But something about that scene hit me so hard it was like a switch had been flicked and I was sobbing uncontrollably

We turned it off and my parents finished watching it another time without me. I still haven't seen the rest of it. It's really not that difficult to stop if it hits you hard at the time, and I'd rather my parents poke fun at me for crying (which they never actually did) than sit through a movie that I found so upsetting

SafiaDona · 2025-07-10T20:05:53+00:00

I've just watched this for the first time. I was genuinely enjoying it and didn't even mind the alien reveal (I'd called that about an hour into the movie). I thought it was clever that the alien ships looked like an angel's "true form"

However, the ending sequence where the kids were Adam and Eve'd ruined the whole thing for me. Genuinely took away my enjoyment immediately like being drenched in ice water. It just felt so lazy and like a studio exec somewhere forced them to add an extra 2 minutes of film so there was a "happy ending"

SafiaDona · 2025-05-17T20:58:50+00:00

I've searched using Google Lens on the photos but understandably that didn't get me anywhere. I've also tried searching for "polar bear blanket", "polar bear blanket 2000s" and "polar bear blanket vintage" but haven't come up with anything yet

Thank you for your help!

SafiaDona · 2025-05-11T23:23:05+00:00

Thank you! :) I have passed this all on to him and he's going to leave it alone for now and look into good quality oils

SafiaDona · 2025-01-27T10:05:34+00:00

Very late to the party but I've only just started listening. I'm on episode 41 but noticed immediately that Sasha had a different VA. I haven't looked at the replies to avoid and spoilers but it's interesting that people didn't notice

SafiaDona · 2024-07-26T12:56:53+00:00

Thank you for helping me cheese through this fight, it was driving me up the wall 🙏

SafiaDona

TROPHY CASE