Bare Spots in Fur

Hello everyone.  I'm getting very worried about my cat, Jinx.


He is COMPLETELY INSANE!  But that's not why I'm posting.  ^^;

This is an older picture, so it doesn't show the bare spots.  I can't get him to SIT STILL long enough to get a picture.  However, for the past six months or so, I've noticed he has spots where his fur is thinner, and the skin is bumpy.  At first I thought it was ringworm; however, I haven't gotten it, and neither have my three other cats.  They are ALL indoor cats and have been since I've adopted them, which in Jinx's case is a little over seven or eight years.  That's around how old he is as well, give or take a few months.

His behavior has not changed.  As you see in the picture, he likes to lay in the sunlight, which has me wondering... is THAT the "cat"alyst (sorry, sorry, bad pun... you can poke me!)?  Since he's a black cat, his fur seems to just absorb the heat.  Can cats get sunburned or, heaven forbid, skin cancer?

We have a groomer who suggested that it MIGHT be from fighting with the other cats.  I'm doubting that.  Not because he doesn't fight, but because this hasn't happened before.

I know we need to get him to the vet, but that's difficult for me; I can't drive, and my dad has to work.  He works as an engineer for the BNSF Railroad, so he's gone for days at a time, comes home for a night, and then gets called out again.  And the few days he DOES get off work, he usually has to take ME to the doctor or something.  He needs rest.  I have no friends to call on (I have Asperger's syndrome.  As a result, I'm too shy to make friends) and my dad doesn't trust me to go alone by cab.

In the meantime, I will TRY to get a picture of one of the bare spots.  Jinx doesn't like having them touched.  I haven't noticed him scratching them either.  Anyone have ideas?  I can't imagine my life without my happy little lap warmer/motor boat (cause he purrs all the time).

Thanks!

~Tracy

I'm no expert, but ringworm still sounds like a possibility.  There's a multitude of issues that can cause hair loss, including allergies, parasites, fungal or bacterial infections.  It could be a food allergy, it could be something that needs medicating, it's difficult to know without a vet's assessment.  The spots may even need cultured or biopsied.  

I know you want your dad to get his well-deserved rest, but I assure you that parents are well aware that having pets means the occasional vet visit.  It's a fact of life if you have animals.  Depending on where you live, it might be possible to have a mobile vet, or vet that makes house calls, come to you.  Punch your location into google along with "mobile veterinarian" or "veterinarian house call"  and see what comes up.  Someone else might be able to direct you to a resource explicitly for this purpose, or you could even start a new thread asking for advice on finding such a vet.  

Best wishes and keep us updated!

he sure is a cutie! It looks like it's only on the tummy? Have you changed litter at all lately?

MnM said:

he sure is a cutie! It looks like it's only on the tummy? Have you changed litter at all lately?

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That's just the light.  ^^;  Sorry, I can't get him to STOP MOVING enough to get a pic of the spots.  He doesn't like me to touch them.

No, we haven't changed the litter; nothing changed, except that the spots began to appear.

And we'll try to get him into the vet, the3rdname, I promise.  I was just hoping someone here might recognize the symptoms and know what it is.  He's just as happy and crazy as he usually is; he just broke my blinds trying to crawl through them while I was sleeping.  -.-;;  At the moment, he's racing through the house, one end to another, over and over.  My lil nutbar.

Edit:  Oh, I forgot:  The most prominent spot is right behind his tail.  There's one on his side, and it looks like he's also losing the fur on his feet.

any other symptoms? redness? scratching? licking?

detmut:  No, absolutely none.  He doesn't scratch them, lick them, and they're not red.  It's simply hair loss and bumpy spots.  I'm not even sure if it's painful for him.  He doesn't like me to touch them, but if I do by accident, he doesn't freak out.  And even if I DO rub at one of them to check the bumpiness, he simply gets up, still purring, and turns around so I can't touch it anymore.  But he obviously still wants loves.  It's very odd.

ariinya said:

 
And we'll try to get him into the vet, the3rdname, I promise.  I was just hoping someone here might recognize the symptoms and know what it is.  He's just as happy and crazy as he usually is; he just broke my blinds trying to crawl through them while I was sleeping.  -.-;;  At the moment, he's racing through the house, one end to another, over and over.  My lil nutbar.

Edit:  Oh, I forgot:  The most prominent spot is right behind his tail.  There's one on his side, and it looks like he's also losing the fur on his feet.

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I hear ya.  Even if planning on a vet visit in the near future, there's always that pressing desire to hurry up and understand what's going on.  It's hard not knowing what's going on when your beloved kitty is afflicted by a mystery condition.

Is there any chance it could be fleas?  I know it's rare for indoor kitties to get them, but it does happen.  Fleas can stowaway on a shoe or pant leg (if they're particularly rampant in your area) and rapidly multiply.  If you have a flea comb, I'd go over him thoroughly looking for "flea poop" as well as the little critters themselves.  You may or may not see him scratching if he has fleas; an allergy to flea saliva could cause hair loss and bumps without all the scratchy-scratchy business.

I hope this mystery is solved soon!  I'm inclined to say it isn't allergies (food or inhalant, that is) since the spots aren't inflamed or itchy.

Hmm... fleas... I really don't think so.  Wouldn't ALL the cats get them then?

What I'm REALLY terrified of is skin cancer.  My dad would NOT agree to treat one of our cats for that... and I would have to agree.  It would make him miserable to go back and forth to the vet (it breaks my heart to take them, because they ALL yowl and cry when they get put in that carrier... I sit in the back of the car with them and talk to them and pet them through the holes).  One of my first cats, Sandy, I lost to cancer, and my parents left it to me to choose when to put him down... that was the hardest thing I'd ever gone through up to that point.  I was 23, I think, so I'd had him for 13 years.

Of course, I lost my mom when I was 26.  My cats got me through that time.  It's so odd, but they just... KNOW.  When I cry, my bed overflows with kitties, because all four of them come in to comfort me.  I know it's inevitable, but... I don't want to lose my Jinxie... my crazy boy.

Great, crying now.  Sorry for going sentimental.  -.-;  Could it be ulcers?  One of the sites I'm looking at has a description...

• A crusty or bleeding sore on the skin that does not go away with antibiotics or creams
• Sores that do not heal for several months
• Sores in areas where the hair is white or light colored

The spots aren't bleeding or anything, but they ARE crusty, and they don't heal for a long time.  But they DO eventually start to go away... and then come back.

Oh dear, this sounds like an acute case of googleitis.  What calms me down when googleitis strikes is applying Occam's Razor to the situation.   I know you, as an Aspie, can appreciate letting logic override emotion.  How likely is it, really, that your kitty has cancer?  Not very, right?  

I prescribe a generous dose of stepping away from the google and practicing some deep breathing or alternative activity that guarantees a relaxed state of mind.  I can virtually guarantee it isn't cancer.  Now, deep breaths.   Try to think positive thoughts.  There's no sense in worrying about something that most likely isn't worth a single anxious thought.  

the3rdname said:

 
Oh dear, this sounds like an acute case of googleitis.  What calms me down when googleitis strikes is applying Occam's Razor to the situation.   I know you, as an Aspie, can appreciate letting logic override emotion.  How likely is it, really, that your kitty has cancer?  Not very, right?  

I prescribe a generous dose of stepping away from the google and practicing some deep breathing or alternative activity that guarantees a relaxed state of mind.  I can virtually guarantee it isn't cancer.  Now, deep breaths.   Try to think positive thoughts.  There's no sense in worrying about something that most likely isn't worth a single anxious thought.  

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Hahaha!  Thank you very much, 3rdname.  I have a very good cure... my favorite books!!  I shall read them and lose myself in the world of Eragon:  Dragons and elves and dwarves, oh my!

I know there's no use worrying, but I can't help it!  Worrying is what I do best!  That and loving kitties.  I'm quite good at that.  Especially finding that special spot that makes them go bonkers.  For Jinx it's under his right ear.  I know I've got it juuuuust right when his leg starts twitching.

Thanks.  (>^_^)>

omg haha I almost looked up googleitis because that does sound like what Mikki has too! (the ulcers)
She seems to get a little scab, then licks and licks and it becomes a hot spot , or sore. Up and down her spine I can feel crusty patches. One spot was tested but nothing showed up..I was almost HOPING for mites or something... we tried food trials but she is so fussy about what she eats (fancy feast addict) that she'd walk away from limited food ingredients but we did eliminate grains to no avail.

it sounds like ringworm to be honest and some antifungal shampoo  and/or topical lotion can cure it if it is. my cat had ringworm no other cat got it and neither did we! we used a topical miconazole lotion applied 2 times a day to the crusty spots and an antifungal shampoo  and bathed her 2 times a week for 8 weeks. you can get both online without a rx.

Update:  Jinx was grooming one of the spots on his back leg.  There, more fur is gone than just a little patch.  I noticed what was basically a... well, a crusty, bloody sore.  Don't know what to make of it, and there's no WAY I can get a pic.  I wish I could, and I'm still trying, but I only have my iPad that's capable of pics.

we're taking MIkki in next week..so will let ya know if anything seems familiar compared to what yours has.

Thank you, MnM.  I really want to bring Jinx in, but my dad... well... he's not really a cat person.  He's not worried.  But I'm horribly worried.  Jinx is my little clown!!!  And he SHOULDN'T be losing all the fur on the inside of his legs like that!  He said "Jinx is a normal, healthy cat."  And I said "It's not normal to lose so much fur!"

Now, my dad is NOT unfeeling.  But he's almost 65, and he has to take care of a disabled daughter (me) while working full time at the railroad.  I, personally, go to the doctor about.... well, almost every other week there's another doctor to see.  And my DAD has skin cancer that traveled to his lungs.  He's doing very well, almost to the point where he's in remission, but still.  That's a lot on his poor back.

Sorry for going personal, but I just want my fellow cat lovers to understand. ^^;

(>^_^)>

Here's something to lighten it up!


Molly is the middle kitten.  She's older now, but... KITTENS!

oh wow...when I was a lil girl we had a white cat that had that same marking on her forehead I never knew what happened to her..just never came home one day.. "Tathy" is what I named her ; ) she used to climb a tree and come onto the roof and come to my window at night!

Hello all.  I finally got Jinx into the vet, and he thinks it's....... a very long medical term that basically means an allergic reaction.  He believes it's most likely from flea bites, but I'm not so sure.  All our cats are indoor cats.  We also had our white cat Molly in for her shots, so he checked her to see if she had any fleas or flea poop (which I didn't know was comma shaped!  You learn something new everyday!).

So he got a steroid shot, and we'll be taking him back in a few weeks for another, and hopefully his fur will begin regrowing.  Meanwhile, I'm scratching my head, trying to figure out what might have changed in our household before he first began showing signs of any allergic reaction.  It's been going on so long, though, that I'm not sure exactly WHEN it began.  All I can think of is the sofa we got.  It was my grandmother's, and they set about destroying it immediately.

I just wanted to let you guys know, and also thank you for your help and support!

could be he's just now becoming allergic to a certain ingredient in his food too.... allergies are sooooo rough to get to the bottom of it!! Sure hope the steroid helps. We got Mikki a steriod shot and it didn't do a thing for her... but fingers crossed it helps yours.