Hi all
My all black cat has got a bald spot on his shoulderblade that is surounded by white fur - Its new and we noticed it about a week ago - I think the spot is getting bigger but I am not sure.
Could this be ringworm (or worse) It doesn't look like any of the picture I have found on the web - but who knows. The skin seems fine - just hairless.
Any advice would be greatfully recieved - many thanks.
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Treated for fleas but not worms - he's a house cat and were told they wouldn't be a problem.
It's not inflamed, and he doesn't scratch it (that we have seen) but I'm not sure he could reach it if he wanted to.
Hi JJJ, it sounds like they have scratched a little bald spot - my cat does that sometimes. Or eczema can look similar. Sure he'll be fine.
Just want to check it out to be sure - especially if it could be ringwork, yuck.
I meant to say earlier, do post how you get on.
You'd know if it was fleas as you can see them if you search through his fur (and you'd probably have been bitten yourself by this time).
Skin problems are quite common in cats & are a bliddy nightmare to get to the bottom of sometimes.
A cat-related question - has anyone ever owned a long-haired cat?
We got 1 from the RSPCA this year, and this is the first summer with him - he has very fine, long hair, I just wondered if it's normal for him to molt(sp?) absolutely loads? It comes out in handfuls!
All the sheets and towels had to be changed daily no-one could share any flannels or anything. Nightmare.
In Spain they just burn everything and then bleach what can't be burned.
Her hair has grown back now - but apparently it doesn't always.
Get it checked out.
Long haired cats need grooming at least once a day to prevent them becoming matted. Once matted it's impossible to untangle and either knots need cutting out or if it's really bad it'll have to be shaved!
Well my fluffy baby does not have ringworm (thank god), but true to form the vet doesn't know what it is.
Thinks it may be an injury - maybe something hot splashed him, but that doesn't explain to me why it is getting bigger.
Also discovered he has gingivitus (sp) so have to rub a gel into his teeth twice a day - oh the fun :-D
She's also been known to overgroom: she literally licks the fur off herself. At one time she was naked on belly, base of tail, elbows and armpits. Rather embarrasing to take to cattery...
The problem first became really noticeable when my other cat became seriously ill. The vet diagnosed eczema (though the skin mostly seemed fine with just the odd iritation) gave me cream for her but it didn't do any good: just drove her nuts and made her groom more if I put it on! So I only used it if the skin became really iritated, and the bare patches persisted for a couple of years. The turning point was when she had an allergic reaction to some food and ended up with scabs all over her face. Not nice, but the vet gave her a steroid injection which seemed to give the hair elsewhere time to grow back as well. She's now fully covered again, aside from the odd scab and resulting small bare patch...
So... if it persists maybe you should try and work out if there's something that could be stressing your cat out? And see if your cat is grooming obsesively: mine seemed to almost go into a trance sometimes and was hard to distract. If your cat is an overgroomer I've heard a change of scene, eg a trip to cattery, can get them out of the habit. But it didn't work for mine... Hard to say for sure, but I do think it was the steriod injection that turned the corner for her.
Our dog used to have really bad bald patches on her back and the looks we used to get cause people assumed the dog was neglected - she was so spoilt it was unreal.
Hope my baby doesn't go bald :-(
It was on her belly so we didn't notice it for several months and the area was the size of a hand by the time we got her seen to. The vet gave her steriods but these made her so ravenous that we took her off them after a couple of days.
Lots of attention cured the problem and the fur grew back (but she looked stupid for a while).
Otherwise I think your cat has probaly just got a scab or a flea/worm problem. I work for a tiny animal charity and we will only use Frontline as it is the only thing guarenteed to work. And with up to 30 cats in at a time, we can't afford to use a product that is only 90% effective.
But remember that all worm/flea treatments are insecticides. Take precautions with using it - wash hands etc - and don't use it too often. How would you like to be doused with insecticide weekly as I have known some people to do?