Cat losing fur, huge scabs, getting worse, been to vet no help. CAN YOU HELP?

Question

I have a 3 yr old orange tabby. male, fixed, shots all up to date. about 6 months ago, he started getting little scabs around his neck. i took him to the vet, they said it was fleas. i have 3 cats, no fleas EVER. but i did the treatment, like he said. scabs didn't get better. about 2 months ago, they finally started going away. i thought great. 3 weeks ago, i was petting him and i felt a scab on his back, right by his tail. i touched it, he didn't react like he was in pain. i figured he just scratched himself. it got a bit worse, so i took him to the vet again. the doc said he had fleas after spending about 2 seconds looking at him. my cats don't have fleas. i don't have the money to take him in again. these scabs have gotten worse in the past week. he now has HUGE bald spots to go along with the scabs. any suggestions? i read some of the other posts, so i'm guessing lotrimin or something? do they sell those neck cones for cats?any info would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!

Answer 1

I dont know about the going bald thing unless he's fighting the others (which is what I think is going on) but the scabs are otherwise normal, its a type of acne for cats...unless again, he's fighting.

Answer 2

Take your cat to a different Vet and get a second opinion. Explain what you just did here.
Don't put human medicine on your cat without checking with a Vet because cats lick their skin and will ingest it.
Your cat could have sores from a flea allergy as it doesn't have to have but a few fleas to cause a reaction. There are flea prevention products and you can ask your Vet about those.
Whatever you do, check with your Vet or you could be causing more problems that what you are attempting to solve. Any Vet that is worth anything should be able to recognize if your cat has ringworm by your description. Still, a second opinion would be a confirmation.

Answer 3

Unfortunately, I've been in your shoes... And as much as I didn't want to believe it, I have to agree with your vet.

For four seasons I've struggled with my cats and this dermatitis problem off and on, off and on. The vet always insisted that it was fleas. However, I never could find the fleas, nor traces of them until this season. I was totally horrified. Not only that the cats have them, but that means they are in my house as well. There's no way to give two of my cats a bath... It's out of the question. Spraying causes more stress. So I tried everything else I could find from home remedies to store bought junk.

I recently picked up a product at Wal*Mart called Zodiac. I put some on each cat, and within a week, I began seeing a vast difference. I've spent lots of money on Frontline and Advantix and some of the others that the vet offers on several occasions for a dozen cats at a time. THAT gets very expensive real quick.

Nothing has worked like this Zodiac stuff does. It's fairly inexpensive and has done the trick. I wanted results and I'm finally seeing them. The cats are slowly, but surely, clearing up and I'm even seeing hair come back where there were bald spots. AND the hairballs have finally slowed down as well. That was another malady that went with this crud. I hated it for the cats, and for myself to have to clean up after them. Yucky hairballs are no fun.

But the cats are even feeling better, acting better.. It's great.

So even if you don't believe that it's fleas, like I didn't believe it... at least try the Zodiac treatment for a minimum of four months and see if that doesn't give you some positive results. I know it will.

I hope your kitty gets better soon.

Answer 4

If you have a flea collar, get rid of it. It could be an allergic reaction to fleas or insects. It can also be from biting himself. It could be a simple skin disorder like eczema, dermatitis, psoriosis, etc. You can try putting a little skin so soft on it to see if it helps. First make sure there aren't any open sores. If it has opened wounds, try putting a little neosporin to help keep infection away. Oh, first thing to do is change your vet. He doesn't sound very helpful. Is your cat under any stress at all? Some cats develop a disturbing behavior of licking the fur off or biting away at themselves if they are under stress.
As for the cone shields, your vet should have given you one to prevent further biting or licking at the area. Good luck. You can also do web searches for what you think your cat may have.

Answer 5

As a vet tech, it would be easy to assume that fleas are the issue. Animals with flea allergies are not allergic to the flea itself, but the saliva of the flea. It only takes one flea to bite the cat once to set off a complete reaction. Now, if it isnt fleas, the next step would be to try a cortisone shot (meaning another trip to the vet) these shots usually cost about 22$ and last about 3-4 weeks. The vet will probably start with a vetalog injection and then move on to depo-medrol if the vetalog isnt working. The "neck cones" you are referring to are called e-collars (or elizabethan collars) and the vet will sell those for cats. However, they wont do you any good if the cat is scratching with his back feet! Make sure you are using a high quality flea killer (advantage, revolution, frontline) and not something you buy at the store! Then call your vet and tell him you would like to try a cortisone shot. Good luck!

Answer 6

My sister's cat used to have a somewhat similar problem - cat losing fur around neck and base of tail and the skin on these bald spots were rough and scaly. Her somewhat unconvetional vet thought they were caused by fungi and told my sis to shamppo the cat with a mild human anti-dandruff shampoo (like selsun blue). I helped her with the process - wet cat in warm water, apply a little selsun blue, foam it, leave on for at least 3 mins. then rinse completely. Once a week. After 3 applications, to my surprise, the cat's fur began to grow back and it is OK now.
You might give it a try - but be sure to completely rinse off the shampoo and dry the cat as much as you can.

If I were you, I would check around for another vet too - one who will NOT treat my pet as if it were on a conveyor belt in a factory. I took my cats to a vet like that and after just one consultation, I decided that I cannot rely on that vet in a true emergency... so I found a much better one who has real empathy for pets and their distraught guardians.

Answer 7

Is the bald spots and scabs only around neck??
As a vet nurse I have seen balding around cats necks from both irritation from collar and ear mites. what did u use to treat fleas? Revolution treats ear mites, but F'Line & advantage do not.
It may have started as an allergy, insect bites or fleas and as the cat continued to scratch at them they become infected and they can develope in to staph dermetitis or other secondary diseases to the initial cause so don't just give up on vet yet

Answer 8

Your cat could have an allergy with the food he is eating (such as to corn or wheat). Some cats are also very sensitive to proteins. If you can, switch him to a more sensitive food like Natural Balance Venison and Pea cat food. My dad's cat had a very similar problem when he fed her Iams cat food. She had a bad reaction to it and kept scabbing up. Other than trying a new food, I'd suggest finding a new vet who will listen to you.

Answer 9

i had a cat once like that and that usually happens when he is out on the streets alot andhe gets it from other cats and from what he might of ate. unfortunatelly theres no cure for that and my cat actually did died. ;( i dont know if they go through pain but i know it gets so nasty. i dont really know much what to say. good luck xj

Answer 10

thats EXACTLY whats happening to my cat, and I know its not fleas! I keep him indoors all of the time, and it just isnt fleas, I know that much. Email me if you find anything out please?