Bald spot on side

[Sleepycat98]

Hello! I’ve noticed my 4 year old domestic long hair cat (Pixie) has been leaving chunks of hair everywhere and noticed a bald spot on her side. I once caught her even pulling at her hair. She does have some matted hair which I do try my best to help her with but she’s not one that likes to be touched much so she get upset pretty quickly. Also when I play with her sometimes it seems like she would abruptly stop and aggressively lick herself. We did move into a new home about a year ago and a change in her food did happen. I know all of these things can be a factor but I’m hoping someone can tell me what’s up by looking at her pics. I am also definitely going to make a vet appointment.
thank you

 

[Caspers Human]

Let's go down the list from the easiest thing to deal with to the hardest:

1) Fleas or Ticks: If a cat has fleas or ticks, it will feel itchy when the parasite bites them. (A reaction to the insect's saliva.) A cat might bite or scratch at the site where it is being bitten. The solution is to treat for fleas, etc.

2) Ringworm or Mange (AKA Scabies): Ringworm is actually caused by a fungal infection, not a "worm" of any type. Mange/Scabies is caused by a microscopic mite that burrows into the hair follicles. Cats will scratch and bite, again, because they feel itchy. If you think your cat might have ringworm or scabies, go to the vet right away! These problems are highly CONTAGIOUS! They can be passed to humans! Get it taken care of ASAP!

3) Food or Environmental Allergies: If your cat is allergic to something in its food or something in the environment, its skill can break out, just like a human. Itchiness, redness, swelling and hair loss are all possible symptoms. This one is kind of a moving target because you never really know what the cause is unless you can find a "smoking gun." Otherwise, you'll just have to try eliminating potential problems until you find something that works. This one might take some detective work to solve.

4) Stress or Anxiety: Another moving target, here. If a cat is bothered by something in its surroundings that makes it feel anxious, it could exhibit symptoms of "over grooming" or scratching and hair pulling. You're going to have to get down on your proverbial hands and knees and learn to "think like your cat" to figure out what's making her nervous.

5) Hypothyroidism or Other Medical Problems: If you have tried everything else and nothing seems to work, you should go to your vet and have some blood tests done to check for thyroid problems, etc. You'll probably need to put your cat on medication for an extended period of time. A good vet will help teach you what you need to know about this kind of problem. Just be sure to ask lots of questions and get good explanations. This really isn't a life threatening problem as much as it is a pain in the butt but it is something you'll need to address soon if you want your cat to get better.

Problems #1 & #2 are easiest to solve. Just visit the vet, get a diagnosis, take some meds and your cat will get better in a couple of weeks. Her hair will take some time to grow back but she will recover.

Problems #3 & #4 are a little harder to solve and will take some sleuthing on your part but, again, they are solvable. Team up with your vet and be on the alert for potential causes. With some work and a smidgen of luck, your cat will get better.

Even problem #5 is solvable even if it's a long-term situation but it IS treatable and, if you work with your vet, your cat will get better.

Personally, my bet is either fleas or allergies. Check for signs of fleas. Go to your vet to get some flea medicine if you need it.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I'm thinking the problem is #4, simply because I don't see any evidence of a bite (flea) and the no mention was made of scratching. She is actually pulling her fur out, which made me immediately think - stress/anxiety. Here is an article regarding stress in cats that might be helpful:

Stress in Cats – The Ultimate Guide – TheCatSite Articles

Mind you, this MAY not be the issue, but I'm betting it is.

 

[Caspers Human]

You might be right.

I put the list in order of easiest things to detect and solve but not necessarily the thing that's most likely.

You can easily tell if there are fleas, ticks or mites and the solution is to just call the vet to get the right medicine.
Allergies and stress are more difficult to figure out and the solution is something you have to figure out as you go.
Thyroid or other illnesses are complicated to solve and take blood work or other tests to detect.

Even if there aren't any fleas, it's quick and easy to eliminate as a cause. Besides, it's smart to get that out of the way to be sure it's not a problem that could complicate the investigation even further.

It's always good to get the easy problems out of the way, first.

How many times have people thought their computer was broken because they couldn't access the internet when, after trying all kinds of crazy solutions that didn't work, come to find out that their modem was unplugged?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Caspers Human , all excellents points! Your last comment struck too close to home

 

[Caspers Human]

In a strange coincidence... I woke up this morning to discover that the TV and internet were both not working. (They are both fed from the same cable modem.)

It took me a moment to stop and think before I finally went to check the modem. It was plugged in but it wasn’t on line. I unplugged it and rebooted it to no avail.

I called the cable company to check and be sure my last payment went through. (It was OK.)

Turned out that the cable system was down for my whole street. It came back up a couple of hours later.

Just shows to go you... Even when you properly troubleshoot problems, anything can still happen.

 

[Sleepycat98]

Thank you so so much!! all this information was very helpful!!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

In a strange coincidence... I woke up this morning to discover that the TV and internet were both not working. (They are both fed from the same cable modem.)

It took me a moment to stop and think before I finally went to check the modem. It was plugged in but it wasn’t on line. I unplugged it and rebooted it to no avail.

I called the cable company to check and be sure my last payment went through. (It was OK.)

Turned out that the cable system was down for my whole street. It came back up a couple of hours later.

Just shows to go you... Even when you properly troubleshoot problems, anything can still happen.

Hmmm. Perhaps we were tempting fate by even talking about it ?