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qitqat 12-09-2010 01:11 PM

My cat is losing hair and has little scabs on his body
 
Hope someone would be able to help me {mdumb}

I have a 3year old male (neutered at 6months old) DLH cat which is losing most of his fur on his back & tail for the past few months or so. He has bald patches and some scabs possibly due to over grooming. I immediately took him to the vet when I saw the 1st bald patch and was told it was due to fleas. Treated and free of fleas, his bald patches remain (no scabs yet). I went to the same vet again but was told it was normal and I need to give it time to grow.

A few months passed with no progress on the bald patches, I changed to different shampoos just in case it was due to allergies (friskies -> fido -> some fancy shampoo I can't recall the name but specially made for sensitive cats). No changes made to his diet tho and I feed him Blackwood, RC hair & skin, RC hairball. I also noticed he has lost weight but his stool looks fine to me. His head & belly remains soft & bushy tho...

After more months passed by and with no positive changes I took him to a different vet. She confirms that he's very clean, skin looks good and free of fleas. This time I was told it was due to lack of hormone {sick}. Some pills were given which I fed him on schedule but to date still no improvement. I was told by the vet that its a phase that will pass but now I'm seeing scab on these bald patches. I'm really worried and I don't want to wait few more months but I have no clue what to do. 2 visits to different vets doesn't seem to work. {mtired}

Thankfully my other furkids are not affected..

blackie007 12-11-2010 12:55 AM

Re: My cat is losing hair and has little scabs on his body
 
There are a few possible scenarios which might cause a cat to lose his hair and develop some scabs.

1) Hormones
2) Fleas and parasites
3) Ringworm infections
4) Stress
5) Over-grooming
6) Allergies
7) Illness

The only way a vet could determine the cause is by isolating and then eliminating each of the possibility, which takes time, and which you could do on your own (before rushing off to the vet).

You appear to have isolated and eliminated No. 1 and 2. Have you considered the possibility of allergy? Has there been any change in your cat's diet? Or has there been any new furniture item in your home, e.g. new carpet?

And has there been any major upheaval or changes in your home? Like moving to a new place, bringing a new cat home, or even your spending less time at home than usual? Those do stress out a cat.

Try watching him for other symptoms like loss of appetite, increase in thirst, litter box habits and temperament - is he more irritated than usual?

Those are typical questions a vet will ask, so knowing the answer will greatly help the vet in identifying the hair loss and scabs.

shahcats 12-11-2010 06:42 PM

Re: My cat is losing hair and has little scabs on his body
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by qitqat (Post 91573)
Hope someone would be able to help me {mdumb}

I have a 3year old male (neutered at 6months old) DLH cat which is losing most of his fur on his back & tail for the past few months or so. He has bald patches and some scabs possibly due to over grooming. I immediately took him to the vet when I saw the 1st bald patch and was told it was due to fleas. Treated and free of fleas, his bald patches remain (no scabs yet). I went to the same vet again but was told it was normal and I need to give it time to grow.

A few months passed with no progress on the bald patches, I changed to different shampoos just in case it was due to allergies (friskies -> fido -> some fancy shampoo I can't recall the name but specially made for sensitive cats). No changes made to his diet tho and I feed him Blackwood, RC hair & skin, RC hairball. I also noticed he has lost weight but his stool looks fine to me. His head & belly remains soft & bushy tho...

After more months passed by and with no positive changes I took him to a different vet. She confirms that he's very clean, skin looks good and free of fleas. This time I was told it was due to lack of hormone {sick}. Some pills were given which I fed him on schedule but to date still no improvement. I was told by the vet that its a phase that will pass but now I'm seeing scab on these bald patches. I'm really worried and I don't want to wait few more months but I have no clue what to do. 2 visits to different vets doesn't seem to work. {mtired}

Thankfully my other furkids are not affected..

hye there..have u try malaseb shampoo? my cat used to have same prob with yours..but after using malaseb the scabs slowly cured..and if u stay near damansara or pj..u can come to hands and paws vet clinic..they have 4 docs there and have special stuff to detect or cure some skin problem..they also have ultra scanner looks like in CSI's scene {grin}{grin}

qitqat 12-12-2010 01:35 PM

Re: My cat is losing hair and has little scabs on his body
 
Thanks blackie. If only I saw your reply before going to another vet on Friday who advised me the exact same thing u did after spending an hour with the doc {ohmygod}. He's now on antibiotics for 2 weeks and to report on his behavior & grooming habits. He lost 300g tho..

I suspected allergies or stress at first but I just couldn't find anything out of the ordinary for me to pin point what the cause is. I'm still living in the same place, with the same furnitures and am still feeding them the same diet. There's no new cat but lost one (I have 4), his mother died due to an accident which is when I started seeing him grooming excessively for a short time. The baldness episode happened right after I guess but he's 3yrs old, not 3mths old for me to say he's grieving (do cats grieve? {mblush}). He's more clingy now, which was not 1 of his traits when mummycat was alive. And no he's neither easily agitated nor cranky.. just extra clingy.

Yes shah. It works but I'd also like to eliminate the cause of these bald patches {msad}. Maybe I'll make a trip to hands and paws vet if there's still no improvement and check out the CSI-like gadgets too {shy}. Thanks for the tip!

blackie007 12-12-2010 03:48 PM

Re: My cat is losing hair and has little scabs on his body
 
Cats can be emotional creatures. My Blackie was never clingy until one day when we had to rush off to Penang for my grandma's funeral. It was sudden death, she wasn't sick, and there was no time to hunt for a boarding for Blackie. (The boarding I had enquired had said they won't be responsible if he escapes while under their care, so it's not an option to board him there.) We left him with enough food, water and 5 litter boxes for 2 nights, and when we came home, he was hiding and trembling in fear. From then on, he follows me around like as if he fears that I'm going to disappear again.

So maybe, it's possible that the stress of the loss of his mother cat brought on the loss of hair. Have you tried giving him supplements like Evening Primrose Oil for pets (don't use the human ones)?

Marcelleve 12-12-2010 06:54 PM

Re: My cat is losing hair and has little scabs on his body
 
2 Attachment(s)
I believe in Blackie007 n Shahcats statement...Evening Primrose Oil helps Ashanta a lot during her bald patches/flakes condition. It caused by stress from her new environment n' allergic reaction from flea bites. Although she don't have fleas. She also got fever and every time she ate or stand she was shivering.

Nasib bailk lah u Shahcats... ade klinik kat situ banyak facilities....kat Pulau Langkawi nie only got 1 clinic n no petshop. I only use vet's advice and my own experiences... The vet injected her with anti-biotics, prescribed me with Malaseb and Frontline.
I order Brewer's yeast, Pethealth plus and Petdiatric shampoo Black series through my friend Sabrina who is expert in DLH and Persian cats.

Malaseb is powerful for some cats' skin like Ashanta but I use it only 2x during her critical period took her a warm bath every 4x a week then for maintenance I use the Petdriatic shampoo. Every rinsing, she got vinegar on her warm water, to relief from itchiness and also fleas won't bite her again , she is drinking her water with few drops of apple vinegar and 1/4 tabs of Brewer's yeast.

For her spray, I use only Pet health plus coz this is only product that can be lick n eaten by cats/dogs after the vet gave me Frontline ( used only twice) and used Frontline spot on rather than spray. I afraid the air suddenly blows it into her eyes or nostrils. She will get stress more.

Her diet only steam fish (Tuna or salmon) not boiled, raw beef and bone and beef liver lightly boiled blended with parsley/celery. I always add a 2 tsp of olive oil (cooking oil works as well) for hair ball problem and its anti-oxidant properties. Kibbles for snack only and some days even a week none at all.
For her supplement I used Nutri plus once in a while (so little amount only) and Gimpet Multivitamin Plus every morning...and at night Brewer's yeast , before she sleeps, I give her Evening primrose oil.

Less than a week she is ok. A week after that the hair started to grow again then weeks more passed, her fur is thick back again. She also gained weight n' tak sorok lagi like before. She is not constantly licking, biting & scratching her skin/furs anymore. Back to normal feline baby again.

You can refer from the pic.
Before and after:

Attachment 10453
Attachment 10454

Hope it helps you as well.
Please consult your vet for more queries.

Thank you.

Best Regards,
Eve


Quote:

Originally Posted by blackie007 (Post 91715)
Cats can be emotional creatures. My Blackie was never clingy until one day when we had to rush off to Penang for my grandma's funeral. It was sudden death, she wasn't sick, and there was no time to hunt for a boarding for Blackie. (The boarding I had enquired had said they won't be responsible if he escapes while under their care, so it's not an option to board him there.) We left him with enough food, water and 5 litter boxes for 2 nights, and when we came home, he was hiding and trembling in fear. From then on, he follows me around like as if he fears that I'm going to disappear again.

So maybe, it's possible that the stress of the loss of his mother cat brought on the loss of hair. Have you tried giving him supplements like Evening Primrose Oil for pets (don't use the human ones)?


qitqat 12-14-2010 12:42 PM

Re: My cat is losing hair and has little scabs on his body
 
Blackie, I think he was grieving coz he was grooming excessively & always coming into my room looking for her (coz only the mother was allowed to hangout in the bedroom). He prolly think I was hiding her as he was sniffing around & insisted I open all doors & drawers by frantically scratching on them.

Ok EPO sounds promising. Eve, Ashanta looks so much better! Thanks everyone for sharing. Really appreciate it {good}{good} Could I know how long I should wait for results before I start panicking again {scared} ? He's been semi bald for too long as it is {sweat}. As for suppliments, he's been taking kitzyme conditioning tables & I just started giving him (I totally forgot the brand) a tablespoon of fishy paste rich in omega 3 on every other day.

He's on medication right now & I can see that he's a lil mellow and less clingy. I hope that's a normal reaction.

Marcelleve 12-14-2010 04:45 PM

Re: My cat is losing hair and has little scabs on his body
 
Hi Qitqat,

Ashanta's case 1 week but different cats different approach and results. You know your cat well. A visit to vet is really a big help! {happy}
The doctor can tell you what he is suffering from and how long it takes for him to be OK. They have skin analysis nowadays that makes their job and the cat - easier for their treatment.

Thank you.

Best Regards,
Eve

Quote:

Originally Posted by qitqat (Post 91753)
Blackie, I think he was grieving coz he was grooming excessively & always coming into my room looking for her (coz only the mother was allowed to hangout in the bedroom). He prolly think I was hiding her as he was sniffing around & insisted I open all doors & drawers by frantically scratching on them.

Ok EPO sounds promising. Eve, Ashanta looks so much better! Thanks everyone for sharing. Really appreciate it {good}{good} Could I know how long I should wait for results before I start panicking again {scared} ? He's been semi bald for too long as it is {sweat}. As for suppliments, he's been taking kitzyme conditioning tables & I just started giving him (I totally forgot the brand) a tablespoon of fishy paste rich in omega 3 on every other day.

He's on medication right now & I can see that he's a lil mellow and less clingy. I hope that's a normal reaction.


Maneki Neko 12-15-2010 07:59 AM

Re: My cat is losing hair and has little scabs on his body
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by qitqat (Post 91753)

He's on medication right now & I can see that he's a lil mellow and less clingy. I hope that's a normal reaction.

Hi, qitqat --

I've been following this thread with great interest. My friends have a DSH tabby who went bald around his back and tail nearly 2 years ago. The vets have confirmed that it's not fleas, mites, or any kind of fungus (after looking at a skin scraping under the microscope).

Thinking it might be an allergy to corn, they switched him to a premium food about 4 months ago. He's still half-bald. In his case, the baldness started after they'd left him with a colleague for a week whilst traveling, and they think he had a bad experience there. They've reached the conclusion that their cat's problem must be stress-related.

You say that your cat is on medication now and has mellowed out a bit. What kind of medication? And would you please keep us posted on your progress? {wink}

I know that skin disorders can be the most frustrating things to cure -- either in cats or humans -- because they can have so many different causes and are often tightly connected to emotion. I wish you the best luck! {good}

Masie 12-27-2010 02:37 PM

Re: My cat is losing hair and has little scabs on his body
 
Hey there :) there is nothing to worry about :D hahaha my cat has been experiencing that too but after sometime it'll stop. The reason your cat has been having bald spots are because of the constant biting. It is merely trying to get your attention by self harm like us human beings. Do you have a new cat in the house? maybe its making him feel that all his attention is going somewhere else. so yeah, the scabs and all are just because he feels deprived of attention. {victory}{happy}
He is just emotional that he isn't getting what he wants i presume. just relax and spend more time with him :) trust me he'l be back to normal. {catwink}{catwink}{catwink}

Kerry_27 06-10-2012 05:04 AM

Re: My cat is losing hair and has little scabs on his body
 
My 3 year old cat has also lost her hair and got scabs on her body. But hers started underneath her collar so i took her collar off and from then it just progressed. I recently moved house 6 months ago and from then on my cat has had this problem. I've took her to the vets and one vet said she had a flea allergy so i increased her being fleed to every 4 weeks than every 3-4 months it didn't get much better the scabs went but then her hair wasn't growing back. I took her to the vets again and another vet said it was a pollen allergy so then they gave her a steroid injection and some antibiotics again it got better but then after a few weeks she started to go downhill again. So took her back for the third time and they said she had a form of eczema so then gave her a different injection and some more antibiotics again improved but then got worse. I've also changed her food because looking on the net saying it could be a food allergy. and she is improving but her scabs don't seem to be clearing up. And in the last week my other cat has also just started getting the same symptoms not as bad though. So i'm just stuck for ideas now on what it could be i've been told a number of different things from the vets and they've all told me different so i don't know whether to go to a completely different vets and try them or is it time to get rid of them because these vet bills are not cheap and i'm a young mum with a 7 month old child. So i would love if someone just gave me some advice on what i could do i would really appriciate it so much i would just like my long hair beautiful cats back again !!.

5kat 01-22-2014 10:52 AM

Re: My cat is losing hair and has little scabs on his body
 
I don't know if anyone is still following this post, but this is very interesting! Maybe by adding information we can figure this out!!! We have 5 cats at our house (I know!) and nearly ALL started having this condition, in the same pattern, around their collar and their tail/back area. Scabs worse around neck. We thought it was fleas too, but they no longer have fleas, and things don't seem to be improving. Also, this seems to have started with the onset of winter/AFTER the fleas have left. Their food has been upgraded to a grain free, with some salmon oil, but no changes yet. Our short-haired one is missing fur all over her back legs I just noticed too! The only one that doesn't have issues is my long-haired cat who has more of a thick, satiny coat. I wonder if it's something "contagious" from using the flea comb on all of them (just less contact with skin on one that doesnt have it?), but sounds like other people have had that looked at, and this really sounds like the same thing. We moved to a new area/house, but didn't have any problems until winter. Two of the cats seems have sensitivities to food, but the other two shouldn't be so sensitive. They have been subjected to our stress previously, so nothing new there. Anyone find a cause yet? THanks.


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