My poor kitty is losing fur from her tail.?

Question

She is white, but the fur in the problem area is turning a reddish brown near the skin! I took her to the vet last week & she said she may have fleas & had me treat her with Advantage, even though she is an indoor cat & there is no evidence of fleas. Her condition is no better. I don't have a lot of confidence in this vet, but I have a Wellness plan w/ them & am stuck w/ them for a few more months :( Just wondering if anyone else has ever had or heard of this. She does not itch,chew, or bite at this area. It is only the middle of the tail, all of her other fur is beautiful & shiny. She seems to feel fine otherwise.I may have to get a 2nd opinion from another vet, even though I have the wellness plan,but I'd appreciate any input! Thanks.

Answer 1

Not second guessing your vet but it sounds more like some sort of mite or fungus or infection because it is so localized. I don't know your cat or your area but the first thought that comes to mind is something like ring worm. If she is licking and biting that could account for the discoloration but you said she is not. Can you request that a skin sample be taken for lab study? If they will not do that then do get a 2nd opinion. I know there is an added cost but something is wrong and now while it is localized is the time to get it diaginosed and dealt with.

Answer 2

Oddly enough, most animals with flea allergy have very few fleas – because they are so itchy, they groom themselves excessively, eliminating any evidence of fleas. However, a couple of flea bites every two weeks are sufficient to make a flea allergic cat itchy all the time. Any animal can become allergic to fleas, although some cats are more attractive to fleas than others.

As to seeing no actual fleas on the cat - that is not unusual becuase fleas jump on a cat, feed and jump off again. They do not stay on the cat forever til they die. I too was surprised to discover that.

Answer 3

The reddish brown color you describe sounds like flea poop. If you have treated her with Advantage, the fleas are gone for sure. I would shampoo the discolored area of her tail. Use a soap free shampoo like baby shampoo because you don't want the Advantage to wash off.

Answer 4

My nephews' once slammed my cats tail in the door, and the tail on the cat looked just like you're describing. The hair tends to fall off when there's a broken bone in the tail. You can always take your cat to an emergency room vet..it shouldn't void your Wellness Plan.

Answer 5

Sounds as if your kitty may have a fungus on her tail or it might be stressed out. The first may be treated with an antifungal cream or ointment and it should clear up in a week or so. The later might be treated with alot of TLC. Good luck.

Answer 6

i agree that it might want to probable be nutrition allergies. my canines had a thyroid problem that made her benefit weight (there is also the type that can make an animal drop extra pounds) and as well giving her pills (and that i'm highly positive she might want to have overdosed on the thyroid meds if we hadn't decrease them down ourselves) the physician also reported a distinct nutrition. undesirable concept. she lost fur and something funky began happening at the same time with her pores and skin, the vet had no clue, merely kept sorting out and prescribing pills and such. my pals mom who's had adequate animals to entice close hi there stated something about the prospect of a nutrition allergy. we switched her nutrition back to favourite, her hair grew back in and her pores and skin back to favourite. that vet positioned my canines by hell. and we switched vets. the first ingredient the recent vet stated when we inquired about any such problem replaced into to furnish her her accepted nutrition. so make positive you get a 2d opinion or 2.