SICK CATUS ...any one have a clue

[clyde]

hey everyone this is a catus at one of my accounts . I have no idea what to do to take care of it. Is it ok to cut the dead parts and how should i do all this so as to not hurt the plant

thanks
clyde

[clyde]

this is how the catus is looking up close
its decayed

[clyde]

it looks as if something is getting to it see the holes n it

[kbenvironmental]

I can't tell with certainty by the postage stamp pics but I'd say that was an O. Phaeacantha. Does it have yellow flowers? It looks stressed, maybe mildly diseased and has been chewed on by some critters. Prune the at the joints, water 2x a month and it will come back. If you see the white fuzzy stuff on the stems/pads, it is called Cochineal scale. Jet it off with a hose and water, don't use chemicals. To propogate, trim a pad at the joint and stick it in the ground. Use a junk peice of hose to move it. The spines may initially hurt but the teeny glochids will work under your skin and fester.

ps: If you want to hack it, it will still recover with all new growth.