whenever we scratch her she licks herself, and the hair on her back is thin. when your scratching her you can feel your nails go over a small probably 3 cm bump. when i move the hair out of the way theres a red scab. sometimes more then one in the same area. she also seems like she has dandruff , that may just be from us scratching the dead skin off of her. a few times i HAVE seen one or two small RED bugs. i wasnt sure if fleas were red. but we got her a flea coller anyways. but i still noticed them. she never itchs herself though, they just apear. shes about 12 years old.
what is it exactly?
what can i do about it? (my mom wont take her to the vets until may when our next appointment is scheduled)
2007-11-06 11:28:48 · 10 answers · asked by mingosaysss 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
1-bed bugs; these are reddish brown, flat and the size of a seasame seed. they can be very hard to find even if in your home.good hiders
2-chiggers;brighter red and the size of a dot
both bite and leave scabs with out the intense itching of fleas and are hard to spot/chatch.
i'd go to the vet a little sooner. save a bug for the vet if you can catch one.
2007-11-06 11:40:12 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
PLEASE take the flea collar off. It's toxic to your cat, and shouldn't be that close. Now, if you're concerned about fleas, take that collar, cut it up into 4 pieces and put it into your vacuum cleaner. Vacuum every day, and continue for 10-12 days after you get the cat treated by the vet, this will get all fleas as they hatch and kill them in the vacuum before they can escape and reproduce.
But a bump sounds like ringworm, or, there's a small possibility it's a fatty tumor or a vaccine-related sarcoma. The ringworm (fungus) is contagious to you and can be spread through skin shedding, not just direct contact, so you want it to be treated for her and for you, too.
There are red flour beetles commonly found in kitchens, and if your cat has a smell to it, they could be attracted to the cat as well. We know when we have the beetles usually because we find a dead one in the cat's water dish, so it could be unrelated but something else harassing your cat.
Remind your mom: go now, when you need to, and perhaps the visit that would have been scheduled for May could be postponed to August or something.
2007-11-06 12:17:13 · answer #2 · answered by pamsterish 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She may have ringworm, which is a fungal infection of the skin that is contagious to humans and other animals. I suggest looking at wikipedia for a little more info. The red bugs are probably fleas. The ringworm might go away on its own. Your cat may even scratch it raw and then infections can occur. I highly suggest you don't wait until May to take your cat to the vet. If it isn't ringworm it may be an abscess (cats usually get very upset when you touch those) if you let an abscess go to long it can lead to the death of your cat. I am no vet so once again i suggest you get your kitty to the vet asap.
I hope your kitty gets better
2007-11-06 11:56:57 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fleas I've seen are usually black; nonetheless, that seems most likely (different species perhaps?). In any event, it's clear your kitty has some sort of parasite, if you've seen it, equally clear she has an allergic reaction to it. If it is fleas, flea collars don't work well, in my experience. Advantage and similar products, applied to the nape of the neck work very well.
In any event, the kitty needs a vet visit, because at this point, medications (possibly including some cortisone to clear up the reaction) are needed. I have an elderly kitty with a flea allergy and stress-related skin issues. If I don't give her the steroids when she needs them, it only gets worse, because she doesn't know to stop scratching it.
Good luck.
2007-11-06 11:38:07 · answer #4 · answered by Renee P 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most likely she has fleas. I've never seen a red flea; they are usually very, very dark brown, almost black. My cat developed an allergy to flea bites which almost killed her a couple of years ago, but we were able to pull her through. This sounds like what your cat has and it can be very serious. I think flea collars are a joke because all the fleas have to do is stay away from it. (It only kills them if they touch it, anyway.) If your mom won't take her to the vet, try to scrape up enough money to buy some "Frontline Plus" at your vet's office and put it on her yourself. You just have to squeeze the little tube on the back of her neck and you're done. (But don't let her wear a flea collar after you apply Frontline.) Please don't let her go on like this much longer. Good luck.
2007-11-06 11:50:23 · answer #5 · answered by Dame Edna 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fleas most likely, and a flea bite allergy too. Fall is very bad for fleas.
Your Mom certainly doesn't want her home infested with fleas does she? Flea collars don't really work that well, and can be irritating. You need the vet visit to rule out anything serious and then they will recommend better products. You will have to treat the cats sleeping areas, use special stuff on the carpet, wash bedding in hot water etc.
2007-11-06 11:40:57 · answer #6 · answered by gailsmile 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
cat red scabs neck
2016-02-03 03:49:01 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That definately sounds like an allergic reaction to fleas.
2007-11-06 12:45:25 · answer #8 · answered by Elaine M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YOUR CAT HAS MITES I NOE THIS SOUNDS DANGEROUS BUT GO TO THE STORE AND BUY FLEA SHAMPOO FOR CATS AND BATH HIM IN IT FOR 30 min. take him out dry him in a towel say sorry to your furrball i HOPE THIS INFO HELPS
2007-11-06 12:02:29 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i strongly think you should take that poor kitty to the vet asap
2007-11-06 11:33:00 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋