Mucky Cat - What Do You Reckon

This is my hunter-from-hell cat and twice this week he has come in during the evening with this whitish stuff around the top of his neck. It looks and feels like dried saliva. This isn't the first time over the years and in the past it's had the sticky, somewhat slimy feel of saliva when I've seen it before it's dried. He's not upset, there are no lesions or wounds involved, it's nowhere else on his body. It's like something with a very wet mouth has grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. I've discounted possum because they would rip him to shreds unless he's managed to make a mate of one, discounted the dogs because they're well and truely fed and kenneled when it happens, young pigs a possibility as he grew up with pigs (he was a dumped cat that spent the first year of his life living with pigs) but again, they have eaten and have gone to bed, and even if they hadn't, he would be covered in milk, mud and food.

It's not important as it isn't affecting his well-being, I'm just baffled.

The spots between his ears are milk - the milk jug drips! Can't they make a jug that doesn't dribble or drip on pouring.

Cheers,
Ronnie

Attached files [IMG]http://app.lifestyleblock.co.nz/images/converted_files/363189=7441-Cat Saliva.jpg[/img]

Has he been dribbled on by a cow maybe? Our calves will do that with the goats sometimes, just have a big old drool on them, especially in winter when waiting for their morning baleage....

Looks like dried dog slobber also. Any neighbouring dogs that like to cart cats around?

I think I've discovered the culprit -eel. He is a good eel catcher and this morning, at the bottom of the stairs, was a half-eaten offering. They are lithe things and my guess is that once he's caught them they are twisting up over the top of him in their attempt to escape leaving behind a slimey deposit.

Cheers,
Ronnie

yip thats exactly what it is.. should smell odd too..my cats dont seem to get covered in the slime.. but i recognise it from the dried slime i have to scrub off the carpet!

Well, Blow me sideways!

A bloke I knew years ago had a big black dog named Barney..... SHE was quite a hard case. One day she trotted in the front door stinking to high heaven and covered in what looked like dried slime...... this was in the middle of Chch so no chance of eels there. He never did find out what it was and Barney was hosed off so she could be sociable again without clearing the room. Man she ponged!!!!!

Yakut

Blech! What an adventurous cat!!

What a great hunter allright!

blimeyvicki;364138 wrote: Blech! What an adventurous cat!!

i have 2 cats that will travel 1/4 mile to the creek, dive in and then drag the eels all the way back.. squish em sideways thru the cat door and leave them wriggling on the carpet..i get to pick them up ( eels no cats ), put them in the bath for the night, then back to the creek.. meanwhile.. soggy moggies ( covered in mud, duckweed and eel slime ) are making themselves comphy in my bed!

And I thought I had problems with live mice being dropped in the bed! Be thankful for small mercies, I guess.

I have just bonded even further with my cat knowing that there are no eels on the carpet, no slime on her shoulders... but hang on... there was the killing field on the LSB hall carpet when I was left with just guts.

Blooming cats - we love them and hate them at the same time! Urban is brilliant guys! None of the above - but how boring for the cat!

The kids caught an eel and then the cat nicked it out of the bucket and ran through the dog door, head held high as he could so he didn't trip on it!
Smart cat - didn't have to get grubby catching it.

Trace;364139 wrote: What a great hunter allright!

And I bloody well wish he wasn't. He's the only cat I have ever owned that can bring down a Mynah bird, a Rosella and Moreporks. How the hell does a cat catch a Morepork. They are at the tops of trees, they are not particularly low fliers but he has brought two home. I was not amused. On the other hand our rat problem would be two fold if it wasn't for him - only eels get left at the bottom of the stairs, everything else ends up outside the ranchsliders including big, fat rats.

I have a love/hate relationship with this cat. He is always filthy and covered in mud which he leaves all over the stairs, walls and bed. He kills things that no normal cat would bother with and I would rather he left alone, but on the other hand he's hard on rats, mice and the rare rabbit (we don't have a rabbit problem). He's got fantastic eyes and can slowly close and open them (hence the name Blinky), and while he doesn't look for attention, if your in the mood to give it to him, he revels in it.

Cheers,
Ronnie

He's my kind of cat/hero