Okay, tonight I was grooming my cat and I noticed that he had a wound on his side (roughly the size of a quarter)...nothing major...I thought he must have gotten in a bit of a fight with one of our other cats. It's happened before. Well, I got back to his tail to groom it, and at about 2 inches below the tip and all the way to the tip, his skin is really red and is losing hair. He has a few fleas, but nothing major. He doesn't seem to act like it hurts or anything and he even let me groom that area (until I noticed the problem). He also has long, thick hair...if that could have anything to do with it. Anybody know what this might be?

7/10/2006 10:59:39 PM

I know the first rule is... Your cat is not allowed to talk about.

7/10/2006 11:11:37 PM

I hope to god you never have children. They'll be wrapped in bubble wrap from day one.

7/10/2006 11:13:28 PM

sounds like ringworm to me.

7/10/2006 11:48:56 PM

hmm, i dunno

call the vet......maybe they can answer it without an appt

7/11/2006 12:15:42 AM

How long have you been living with your cat?

Allergies? Excessive itching?

I'd just pay extra attention for a while. Eating habits, social habits, activity levels, etc...

It's probably nothing.

7/11/2006 12:50:19 AM

My cat had something similar, and it turned out to be some sort of allergy. The vet gave it some cortizone, which fixed it right up.

7/11/2006 1:05:42 AM

my cats had sores on their tails when they got in fights, from other cats biting the tip of the tail...

7/11/2006 3:57:58 AM

Quote :

"I hope to god you never have children"

no shit, then she will be making cat and children threads 23450384 times a week

7/11/2006 9:38:34 AM

http://thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=419705 ?

7/11/2006 9:40:16 AM

anybody know what a flea allergy looks like? I know he has skin allergies because he can't wear Frontline or any of the other flea medications like that. I'm beginning to think it may be a flea allergy.

7/11/2006 10:43:00 AM

do you ever use google?
http://www.google.com/search?q=cat%20flea%20allergy&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images&sa=N&tab=iw

7/11/2006 11:44:20 AM

Quote :

"I hope to god you never have children"

First off, cats are largely self sufficient-children are not. Cats get into shit that can't be avoided, because it's in their nature. How cats are is no reflection of how a child would be in her care. Cats are devious, curious, nosy, and hard-headed. And, you don't know that she doesn't have a child already, now do you?


Anyway, I think it could be a hot-spot. It's like an allergy spot caused by fles as well, but it's hard to treat and prevent. And they don't have to necessarily be allergic for it to bother them. Some animals are simply prone to it. My big dog has one on his tail because he just chews at it, and he LOVES to have it brushed because it feels good. (And yes, I take good care of my dogs, they're on Frontline, get regular baths and brushings as well. It doesn't matter how well you take care of an animal, if they go outside, they're likely to pick up a flea or two-and the fleas travel right to the most accessible spot...the hot-spot and cause irritation and annoying itch.) They take forever to treat, and I've actually found human topical benedryl is effective at relieving the itch, while treating with an antibiotic from the vet. There's nothing wrong with a little neosporin either if it looks ok to put it on there-I'm sure you know this though!

[Edited on July 11, 2006 at 12:38 PM. Reason : ]

7/11/2006 12:37:41 PM

if it's crusty and the hair comes out in tiny clumps around the crusty area then it's likely ringworm

7/11/2006 1:06:09 PM

Quote :

"do you ever use google?"

FYI - I searched Google for flea allergies and I couldn't find a picture or anything that looked similar to what my cat's spots look like. I also searched cat skin allergies and cat skin problems.

^^Thanks for the advice and for actually answering my question

[Edited on July 11, 2006 at 1:40 PM. Reason : asdf]

7/11/2006 1:37:17 PM

For some reason, I keep thinking you ought to be an expert on cats.

7/11/2006 1:49:09 PM

^hmm I couldn't possibly fathom a reason why

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7/11/2006 1:55:48 PM