Bald Spot?

Margret

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Last night I saw Bright Eyes scratch himself and small clumps of fur scattered. I thought, "Oh! He needs to be brushed." But this morning when he was eating breakfast I noticed a bald spot between his shoulder blades. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Margret
 
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Margret

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If he'd been scraped going under something I think it would have caught his shoulder blades, not in between them, and I can't think of anything he might have had to squeeze under. The couch is too low - he might get a shoulder under going after a toy, but that's about it, and the daybed is too high to cause problems.

It's been decades since we had a flea problem in this house. Both cats are indoor only, and we avoid all contact with wild animals (there are cases of plague every summer in Colorado). Therefore we never use flea/tick remedy. There's any chance at all that Bright Eyes had some before I got him, but that's been nearly a year.

He does tend to scratch at his collar, I'm sorry to say, but he's never gotten a paw stuck under it or managed to pull it hard enough to trigger the safety catch and remove it.

He isn't showing any signs of pain, and I don't see a wound, just bare skin.

Margret
 
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Margret

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Red? No.

Patchy? It's hard to say. I've finally figured out how to get the camera to focus, and the dratted cat isn't giving me any chance to get a look at it!
:argh:

I think it may be time to call the vet. If it is ringworm the whole family is infected by now.

If it were a human with sudden hair loss I'd be asking a doctor to look for thallium poisoning. (See The Pale Horse, by Agatha Christie.)

Margret
 

PushPurrCatPaws

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It's wise to test for ringworm, bacteria, yeast, fleas, and a variety of mites (skin scrapings, etc.), but it just could be a temporary thing where he really scratched the area overnight and had hair loss because of that. Hope you get it figured out! How old is he? Any health issues?
:vibes:
 
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Margret

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We think he's 9 or 10. Neutered, apparently at a young age because he never developed a habit of spraying to claim territory, but except for that we believe that he's never seen a vet. He's way overdue for vaccinations.

May need some dental work, but I'm seeing no signs of pain. Domestic Short Hair. His weight seems to be good. Still rather skittish around me. Still playing dominance games with Jasmine, but neither of them seems to have been injured in their spats.

I have a call in to the vet, waiting for a call back.

Margret
 
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Margret

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Haven't heard back; she promised to call either tonight or tomorrow. There are scheduling conflicts.

I can't think of any furniture that could have done that to him. I sleep in a water bed; there's no way for a cat to get under it. Roger sleeps on a foam pad on the floor (more comfortable for his back). The sofa is too low. The TV table and day bed are too high. The dining room table is too high. I think he may have done it to himself, scratching, but if that's it I start wondering about allergies.

Until we hear we're washing hands every time we touch him (not that it'll do much good - if it's something humans could get we already have it). He and Jasmine never groom each other or sleep together, mostly they glare at each other and occasionally throw some claws, hisses, growls, yowls, etc.. This isn't a good thing, but it does mean Jasmine is probably clear of whatever it is. :crossfingers: Though if the vet decides he needs a prescription for ringworms or some other parasite I'm sure she'll want to include Jasmine in it. I don't think I can pill Bright Eyes; he's still too suspicious of me.

:gaah:

Margret
 
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Margret

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My mobile vet is unable to come - the earliest appointment she could give me is Monday, and that's provisional, she wouldn't know until Monday morning whether she could make it.

That's too long. The baldness is spreading and looks mottled; it just isn't right.

I tried to find another mobile vet, but they're all booked up, so I've gotten a new carrier (small enough that I can handle it alone) and just finished putting it together, adding a towel, and spraying some Feliway. I found a small veterinary hospital/clinic within a mile of our house and they had a cancelation this afternoon. Bright Eyes has an appointment at 4, and Roger is coming home by 3 to help me get him into the carrier. Keep your fingers crossed for us, guys - I'm not at all sure we can manage this.

Margret
 
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Margret

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Well, we couldn't do it. He's gone into deep hiding mode and I can't find him.

We've rescheduled for Monday at 9:30 a.m.. The current plan is that he gets locked in the bathroom with water, kibble, his Sunday supper, and the carrier on Sunday night and I get up early on Monday and stuff him in the carrier. :crossfingers:

Margret
 
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