Conference misery::feline_v1

    Barney has been licking all the fur off of his stomach all summer long
    and recently, licked himself raw near his "private" area.  I took him
    to the vet (not my own) and he prescribed Clavamox (an antibiotic) and
    a liquid called HB101.  I would rub the HB101 on 3x a day give him the
    Clavamox 2x a day.  It pretty much cleared up in a week.  My own vet's
    office thinks it might be due to fleas, but I really don't think so,
    although I know some cats do bite their fur off when they have fleas.
    (Barney was LOADED with fleas his first year and he never did this
    before.)
    
    Maybe you should try another vet for a second opinion.
                                          
    Mary

    Tristan has had something similar several times.  A bald spot would
    develop on his front arm, always on the same spot.  He'd continue to
    lick it, and it would slowly increase in size.  It didn't seem irritated 
    or red, it just was an ever-increasing bald spot.  Our vet gave us
    a cream to rub into it which worked wonders.  We never did figure out
    what caused it, but it hasn't recurred in several years.  In Tristan's
    case I think it was somewhat itchy or something, and all he needed was
    something to break the cycle of itch and lick.  That gave it the 
    opportunity to heal.
    
    I definately wouldn't allow mood altering drugs without trying some
    more conservative treatment first -- at least that's MY opinion.
    
    Good luck,
    Karen.

    I just remembered what we put on Tristan's spot!  It was the same
    medication we were given for an ear infection.  I had Tristan in
    for an ear infection, and when I pointed out the arm, the vet said
    to just rub in some of the ear medication.  Wierd, but it worked.
    A year or so later he had the same thing on his arm, I dug up the
    old ear medication and it worked again.  
    
    Karen.

    There is a syndrome called Feline Endocrine Alopecia and this is
    sometimes a symptom hypothyroidism.  One of my cats had this symptom
    and was then diagnosed as having hypothyroidism.  She is now on
    medication and doing better.
    
    Your cat's problem doesn't sound like the same thing.  Your vet
    is probably right, the baby in the house maybe making him nervous,
    and so he is over grooming that one spot.  Cats are funny animals.
    He may have been over grooming that spot for 10 months, but it only
    now became noticeable since the area is bald now.  If the vet says
    that it is purely cosmetic, then I wouldn't worry too much.  If
    you wanted it to grow back, you would have to prevent the cat from
    licking there.  Maybe they could give you an elizabethan collar
    to put around his neck so that he couldn't reach it.  
    
    Jo

    Be SURE you don't have fleas.  My crew had a very mild infestation
    for a totally unknown amount of time.  The way I found out was
    that I noticed Isis had a tapeworm!  Even with the flea comb it
    would take 10-15 mins of grooming to get ONE flea!
    
    Bumpytail also has a bald spot about 3 inches long and 1 - 1.5 inches
    wide on her left rear "flank".  I assume this is from the fleas
    since cats typically respond to fleas by grooming rather than 
    scratching.
    
      Nancy DC  

    Oliver has a spot also on his flank. I also see a few red spots
    and he does not like my touching it. A while back, he had a chunk
    of hair out of his tail - he has a big fluffy tail - and that grew
    back just fine.  Are there any other symptoms with hypothyroidism?
    He is a scardy cat and usually hides when someone comes into the
    house but recently he has gotten brave and has stayed
    around for a short time and even tolerated being petted. So stress
    is a good possibility.  At any rate, I decided to keep an
    eye on it and if I saw another spot or this one got worst, I would
    be off to the vet.  Aside from this, he is fine.
    
    
    Oliver also has a dry skin condition and he really does some damage
    to himself.  One vet told me to use Alpha Keri mixed with water
    and apply this to his fur. This adds oil without increasing the
    fats in his diet.  This works to
    a point, but I am not really as faithful as I should be and I am
    concerned with him grooming himself.  What about Skin So Soft? 
    Another vet took a look and said, it was self inflicted, but did not say
    anymore.  I've seen some suggestions here and thought I might try
    adding a drop of oil to his food.
    
    This is the greaatest file!!   I've been worried about this patch
    of missing hair and watching it closely and it sure is great to
    be able to talk about it.
                                      
    Flo and Oliver aka Oliluv

    Well, this seems about the best place to put this note.  I've checked
    all notes with the keywords BALD_SPOT and DANDRUFF, but nothing fits
    the description.
    
    My Persian, Pasha, has several bald spots that suddenly appeared.  One
    on his front leg, one on his back (at the base of his tail) and another
    at the back of his left leg.  His fur is very oily and sticky in some
    places.  His bald spots have a brownish tint and are easily noticed
    next to his pink coloring.  There is a little bit of flaking, but not
    something I'd call dandruff.  His tail is also very sticky in one area.
    
    Pasha seems oblivious to this.  I've never seen him scratching or
    biting at the spots, so I wonder if it's worth all the fuss?
    
    Nothing obvious has changed in our environment.  He eats the same food
    (some days canned, other days dried); no changes in the brand of
    litter; no new schedules or visitors.  His behavior has stayed the
    same, with the exception of his sudden fetish for water in the bathroom
    sink.  This is the only place where Pasha seems to get his supply of
    water from these days.  He doesn't touch the bowl of fresh water in the
    kitchen.  Maybe he's trying to tell me something?
    
    Pasha has never had fleas.  He is an indoor only cat that has always
    been in excellent health.  He also hates baths, so trying a type of
    shampoo is going to have to be a last resort for us.  Should I try
    adding some of the mentioned oils to his food?  How about lotions such
    as Alpha Keri or Neutrogena, are they harmful at all?  A trip to the
    vets is likely to be our next option.  Thanks for any help, Cheryl

    The greasiness around his tail could be stud tail.  To be safe,
    I would take him into the vet.  I have noticed that ring worm is
    on the rise in our area.  When I was at the vet's with Laci, three
    separate cases of it were brought in.  Since ring worm is transmitted
    by spores, it is feasible that your indoor only cat could have been
    exposed by spores attached to your clothing or that of a visitor.
    
    Jo

    Re: 8, thanks for the reply.  I spoke with someone at the vets office
    today.  Her advice was to put hydrogen peroxide on his bald spots and
    see how they look in a few days.  Pasha didn't seem to mind the
    applying of the peroxide - in fact, he seems extremely content now.  
    
    He'll go for a ride to the vets next week if it doesn't get any better.  
    :^(

    My cat Kevin has suddenly developed a bald patch right in the middle of
    his back, on the spine. There's no marking of the skin, and as far as
    I can tell, he's otherwise healthy. 

    Anyone any idea what the cause might be? It doesn't look like he even 
    knows its there, it wasn't self inflicted, I don't think. 

    Its about the size of a quarter, and seems to have happened overnight.

    D���

check with your vet - you may have ringworm or other skin affliction...it
ain't normal and should be checked ASAP so you can avoid contact with
something that might be contagious and your kitten can keep his coat.

    It "could be" grooming too much in one place. Ming does this if she
    has had a recent bout of stress. (Like Mocha beating up on her.) or
    I too thought of ring worm. Ugh.... nasty and contagious to people
    from cats and people to cats.
    
    Check with your vet. (also, you might check and see if there might
    be  a flea having a grand time = 1 flea to 1 cat = miserary for cat.
    
    Barbara & her 3M's

    Ringworm was also the first thing I thought of.  If that's what it
    is you want to catch it ASAP.  Once the patch starts to get scaly
    and scabby it is highly contagious.  Until that time its not
    so bad.  
    
    Ringworm may or may not flouresce under UV light.  If it does then
    its ringworm, if it doesn't it may still be ringworm.
    
    In any case, go to the vet.
    

	This happened to my cat when he had lice on his stomach.


	They were &%$�"�! things to get rid off - we ended up spraying, AND
	shaving the fur in the affected areas, those lice eggs stick to 
	everything.

	But I agree, it could also be stress, or a mild fight with another
	cat, cats can "shed" parts of their fur if they think it will hwlp them
	escape.
    
	Heather

    My cat Snickers lost a patch of fur about the size of a quarter right
    after he had been in for his yearly exam and shots, and he lost it in
    the area where he got his shots. I took him back to the vet and she
    said that the leukemia vaccine sometimes causes a patch of hair loss,
    because the vaccine can cause the skin to heat up. The skin was bright
    pink instead of white, and you could see the pin-hole where the needle
    was, right in the middle.
    
    Just one more reason for hair loss...BTW, it started growing back
    within a week...
    
    Debbie Snickers and Raisin

    Interesting Debbie!  I didn't know that.
    

    Vaccines of any type can cause hair loss in some cats.  I had a friend
    whose show Aby lost a patch of fur on her shoulders from her yearly
    vaccines and that delayed her show career for a few months.  At the
    shows, any round patches of lost fur is cause for concern (fungus is
    suspected normally).
    
    Jo

    Thanks for all the suggestions.

    I took Kevin to the vet. He couldn't find any trace of flea debris, etc
    but he said the cause is likely to have been an allergic reaction to some
    sort of insect bite. He ruled out ringworm, etc. He gave Kevin a shot of
    some sort of anti-biotic and some flea powder.

    D���