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- Mar 29, 2021
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Hi, all! I am waiting for a vet appointment, but in the meantime I was hoping you might be able to share any tips or ideas about my cat's current situation.
My cat Susan is almost ten years old. She used to be overweight but now there are no health problems, and her bloodwork (last done in July) is generally good except for signs of early CKD.
In the past day I noticed that she has a bald spot on the back of her neck and scratched it a few times, reddening and irritating it. She's never had this issue before.
She does not wear a collar and does not receive any flea/tick/etc. treatments. I combed her carefully and did not find any fleas. She does not go outside. We open one screened window a couple of inches sometimes and live several floors above ground level.
Her ears have had some buildup and wax externally. The vet gave me some Zymox at her appointment in July, which I applied a few days in a row in July and in September. It didn't seem to help a lot, although more wax appeared externally/higher up. I also looked today and noticed she has some tiny black dots on the upper ear.
A new pate was introduced into her diet in early August (PURINA PRO PLAN VETERINARY DIETS NF Kidney Function Early Care Wet Cat Food, 5.5-oz, case of 24 - Chewy.com) -- her prior pate did not have fish but she occasionally had fishy treats (e.g., freeze-dried minnows). Both pates are mixed with weruva shreds when served (e.g., steak frites, paw lickin chicken).
It has been cooler the past week or so, so her skin has been dryer (presumably like mine). She was also rather sneezy for a couple days last week but it generally cleared up (this happens maybe twice a year).
I can't think of what the issue might be. I'm waiting for my vet to confirm when she can have an appointment. In the meantime, do you have any ideas or suggestions about what it could be or what the vet could look out for? Additionally, do you have any suggestions as to how I can prevent her from scratching and irritating it further? I looked at several threads which mentioned antihistamines and/or soothing the spot with black or chamomile tea, but how exactly do you do that?
Photos of the spot yesterday and today, her ear, and just her are below. Thank you for any ideas and knowledge you can share!
My cat Susan is almost ten years old. She used to be overweight but now there are no health problems, and her bloodwork (last done in July) is generally good except for signs of early CKD.
In the past day I noticed that she has a bald spot on the back of her neck and scratched it a few times, reddening and irritating it. She's never had this issue before.
She does not wear a collar and does not receive any flea/tick/etc. treatments. I combed her carefully and did not find any fleas. She does not go outside. We open one screened window a couple of inches sometimes and live several floors above ground level.
Her ears have had some buildup and wax externally. The vet gave me some Zymox at her appointment in July, which I applied a few days in a row in July and in September. It didn't seem to help a lot, although more wax appeared externally/higher up. I also looked today and noticed she has some tiny black dots on the upper ear.
A new pate was introduced into her diet in early August (PURINA PRO PLAN VETERINARY DIETS NF Kidney Function Early Care Wet Cat Food, 5.5-oz, case of 24 - Chewy.com) -- her prior pate did not have fish but she occasionally had fishy treats (e.g., freeze-dried minnows). Both pates are mixed with weruva shreds when served (e.g., steak frites, paw lickin chicken).
It has been cooler the past week or so, so her skin has been dryer (presumably like mine). She was also rather sneezy for a couple days last week but it generally cleared up (this happens maybe twice a year).
I can't think of what the issue might be. I'm waiting for my vet to confirm when she can have an appointment. In the meantime, do you have any ideas or suggestions about what it could be or what the vet could look out for? Additionally, do you have any suggestions as to how I can prevent her from scratching and irritating it further? I looked at several threads which mentioned antihistamines and/or soothing the spot with black or chamomile tea, but how exactly do you do that?
Photos of the spot yesterday and today, her ear, and just her are below. Thank you for any ideas and knowledge you can share!