Need a vets help.

R1stu · Shrek! Joined: 12 Mar 2003 Karma :

Hi, Is there a vet here? I need some advice and I cant afford to goto a Vet for a least another month.

My cat has got skinny and is losing her hair! she is almost bold under her tail and inside her rear legs and bum.

Her neck is losing fur, and when I stroke her it feels like she has scabs and when you stroke her hair tends to come out.

Any ideas please and is a vet needed?
____________________
Carbon closet tart! https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/02r6/
Stolen bike. 2000 R1: https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/00r1/
Current bike 1991 Honda ST1100 Pan European, 1986 Honda cb350sg (Finished)

stinkwheel · Bovine Proctologist Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

Have a close look at the bald patches. Is the skin totally bald and smooth or is there a 'stubble' of hairs? If it is the former, then the hair is falling out, if it is the latter, then the hair is being licked out by the cat grooming itself excessively.

So, assuming you have a lot of scabs there and the hair is being licked out, it's possible she has something called Miliary Dermatitis. So-called because it feels like someone has sprinkled porridge oats (as made by a miller, so miliary) through their coat when you stroke them.

Miliary dermatitis is very common in cats but is a description of a symptom rather than the actual underlying disease. It is caused by some sort of allergy. By far and away the most common cause of this is flea allergy (a good 90%+ will be caused by flea allergy).

So, check for fleas or evidence of fleas. If you see one, I would assume this is the problem until proved otherwise (by using a good quality flea treatment such as frontline, advantage or stronghold for at least six weeks).

So, to check for fleas. The easiest way is to brush them thoroughly with a flea or nit comb and look for fleas or flea dirt trapped in the teeth. The other way is to take a big sheet of newspaper or brown paper, fold it into quarters and open it out on the floor/table. Stand the cat on it and briskly brush it (you're trying to brush stuff out of their coat, onto the paper). Now lift the paper so all the 'bits' drop down into the crease and tip them onto a sheet of white paper.

Fleas themselves should be obvious. Also look for flea dirt which looks like little black specks. You can check it is definately flea dirt by putting it on a piece of damp paper towel and gently rubbing it. Flea dirt is essentially dried blood so it will start to dissolve, you'll see a brown 'ring' round the black specks.
Here's a picture of a cat with LOTS of flea dirt in its coat, it is often just a few specks
https://www.pusscats.com/Cat_Problems_1.jpg

In a serious case of flea allergy dermatitis, there can sometimes be a secondary bacterial skin infection which would need to be treated with antibiotics. In a severe case, I sometimes give a hormone called megoestrol acetate which supresses the symptoms until the fleas problem has been cleared up.

There are other possible causes. For hair that is being licked out:
Impacted anal glands: Two scent glands up their backside sometimes get blocked. The animal 'goes at itself' trying to reach them and can cause a lot of damage round the tail and back-end. Not all that common in cats, they need to ne manually emptied.

Sarcoptic mange: Caused by a burrowing mite in the skin. Usually appears on the lower legs and round the ears. Intensely itchy. Diagnosed by skin scrapings.

Dermatophytosis: Fungal skin infection or ringworm. Usually very flaky skin, sometimes characteristic 'ringworm' appearance but not necessarily.

Chaletiella mange: Another type of mite, living in the hair. They are visible using a magnifying glass and appear as 'walking dandruff'.

Other allergies: Which can be caused by almost anything.

For hair that is falling out:
More worrying, could be a hormonal cause or a sign of general illness, see a vet.

So, in summary. If there are scabs, redness, itchiness and hair being licked out, assume fleas as the cause until proved otherwise. Given that the animal is losing weight and sounds like she is in a bit of a state, it would probably be best to take her to the vets anyway.

If you really can't afford it, I reckon from your description, you would be best to get some flea treatment. Don't piss your money against the wall by buying 'superstore' flea treatments, they don't work all that well, many of them are just flea repellants. Get a good quality flea treatment which kills adult fleas and has a persistant action. Good ones include Advantage, Frontline, Frontline combo and Stronghold. Most are prescription only so you would need to buy them off the vets. A couple of them (definately Frontline and I think advantage) can be bought from a pharmacist.

R1stu · Shrek! Joined: 12 Mar 2003 Karma :

I dont think its fleas as she never had them, I also bath her in flea shampoo.

Ill check for the other stuff and get some pics if I can!

She dose like to sleep in clothes piles so it could be detergent?
____________________
Carbon closet tart! https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/02r6/
Stolen bike. 2000 R1: https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/00r1/
Current bike 1991 Honda ST1100 Pan European, 1986 Honda cb350sg (Finished)

Baloo · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 05 Jun 2005 Karma :

Rather than wait a month, by which time it could get worse, try Blue Cross, they are a charity who do not charge for vet treatment, as long as the pet owner can prove hardship.

https://www.bluecross.org.uk/web/site/home/home.asp
____________________
"We are not heroes, we are from Finchley"

stinkwheel · Bovine Proctologist Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

Could be. Contact allergies tend to appear on the elbows, chest and belly though, not over the back.

I bet it's fleas though. Check for them! One speck of flea dirt is enough to make me highly suspicious of flea allergy Dermatitis. Your flea shampoo will contain 5% permethrin which will kill any fleas on the cat at the time. As soon as it's dry, more can jump on from the environment.

It only takes a single flea bite to set off an allergy.

If your cat has milliary dermatitis like I described (scabs, redness, damage to hair coat by excessive grooming) it is almost certainly fleas.

yzf750r · World Chat Champion Joined: 04 Nov 2004 Karma :

R1stu · Shrek! Joined: 12 Mar 2003 Karma :

Here is a few pics.
____________________
Carbon closet tart! https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/02r6/
Stolen bike. 2000 R1: https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/00r1/
Current bike 1991 Honda ST1100 Pan European, 1986 Honda cb350sg (Finished)

stinkwheel · Bovine Proctologist Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

Well, looking at that, the hair loss is almost certainly due to excessive grooming by the cat, there is some saliva staining of the skin on the third picture. It's probably spending most of its time cleaning itself.

It's a bit out of focus, but it looks to me like there are a few areas where there are small scabs or spots? I circled them.

So, something is making the cat itchy and those bits look like bites to me. As I say, fleas are most likely, sarcoptic mange is a possability.

Cats will sometimes groom excessively as a response to stress and they sometimes continue doing so out of habit.

If someone brought that cat to me (bearing in mind, I'm only looking at some fairly fuzzy photographs here), I'd check for fleas and possibly do a skin scraping to check for sarcoptes. Then I'd probably treat for both anyway using stronghold spot-on (selamectin). One now, then again in a fortnight. I'd probably give a short course of ovarid tablets (megoestrol acetate) to reduce the itching and speed up the recovery of the skin. I'd consider using an elizabethan collar to prevent further self-trauma.

These cats and dogs have flea allergy dermatitis, look familiar?
https://www.dvmnewsmagazine.com/dvm/data/articlelong/dvm/112004/88297/image1.jpg https://www.dvmnewsmagazine.com/dvm/data/articlestandard/dvm/182002/17350/image1.jpg https://www.vetbiomed.murdoch.edu.au/hospital/dermfaddogsmall.jpg

R1stu · Shrek! Joined: 12 Mar 2003 Karma :

cheers. We did have a kitten who had fleas and she didnt like him what soever! they used to hate each other and now she is distant!

Ill see if I can a free vet thingy for the weekend or ask the missus this weekend
____________________
Carbon closet tart! https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/02r6/
Stolen bike. 2000 R1: https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/00r1/
Current bike 1991 Honda ST1100 Pan European, 1986 Honda cb350sg (Finished)

Cazza · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 04 May 2006 Karma :

Hi,

am taking my cat to the vet tonight for the very same thing, fortunately he's not really losing hair at the moment but he's constantly cleaning around his back end and its pretty scabby now.

I took him for similar thing a couple of years ago and it was exactly as Stinkwheel described with the flea infestation = excess grooming and resultant excema / dermatits. They gave him a steroid shot and treat for fleas and has been fine since (that cost £25).

This time I can find no fleas whatsoever so maybe an allergy has been set off.

I'll let you know what the vet says later.
____________________
We live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities Surprised

R1stu · Shrek! Joined: 12 Mar 2003 Karma :

Yea cheers! I cant see fleas on her, and her hair comes out in my hands when I stroke her as well! Confused

____________________
Carbon closet tart! https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/02r6/
Stolen bike. 2000 R1: https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/00r1/
Current bike 1991 Honda ST1100 Pan European, 1986 Honda cb350sg (Finished)

Yoshi · Traffic Copper Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Karma :

If you take it to the vet's they might treat it now but let you pay next month.
____________________
Present: GS650 Katana - Getting ready for summer touring!
Past: TS50, RS50, ZXR400, LT80, TS250

msgander · Brolly Dolly Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Karma :

R1stu · Shrek! Joined: 12 Mar 2003 Karma :

Im going to ring the PDSA today as there is one 10mins walk from my gaff!

See if I can get her down there!
____________________
Carbon closet tart! https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/02r6/
Stolen bike. 2000 R1: https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/00r1/
Current bike 1991 Honda ST1100 Pan European, 1986 Honda cb350sg (Finished)

Cazza · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 04 May 2006 Karma :

Did you get her taken?

I eventually got Billy there last night (after an escapade where he escaped his travel cage the night before & I thought I'd lost him!).

I just explained he'd been at his back end a lot and 1st thing she went to was his scent glands - Pop! They'd been blocked & irritating him so he'd been cleaning & nibbling and caused the skin complaint himself. She gave him a shot to ease the skin irritation and he's left it alone already, I'm well chuffed Smile

It only cost £11 in the end so I really do suggest you get her taken, it could be pretty much nothing in the end.

Good luck
____________________
We live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities Surprised

R1stu · Shrek! Joined: 12 Mar 2003 Karma :

Taken her in tom, at 11:10 should then find out whats up with her bless
____________________
Carbon closet tart! https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/02r6/
Stolen bike. 2000 R1: https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/00r1/
Current bike 1991 Honda ST1100 Pan European, 1986 Honda cb350sg (Finished)

veeeffarr · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Karma :

That bald patch at the centre of the rear of the cat is it's bumhole

Louise · World Chat Champion Joined: 22 May 2006 Karma :

Could be the shampoo thats making her do it?
A knwo someones cat who was bathed is cat/flee shampoo and has alergies to it.

R1stu · Shrek! Joined: 12 Mar 2003 Karma :

reaction to flea saliva!
£20 for some treatment and a jab.

She dont have fleas now, but must have when we had our kitten (2months ago) and it started then!
____________________
Carbon closet tart! https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/02r6/
Stolen bike. 2000 R1: https://www.bikepics.com/members/r6stuk/00r1/
Current bike 1991 Honda ST1100 Pan European, 1986 Honda cb350sg (Finished)

short1uk · World Chat Champion Joined: 04 Nov 2005 Karma :

aww bless, hope she is ok