Bloody Nipple

Hi guys.  Sorry, I'm not a big talker, so I only come here when I have problems.  ^^;  My apologies for that....

Anyway, I'm here because one of my male cats, Jinx, has been shedding fur.  My vet thinks it's over-grooming.  I disagree, as I have NEVER seen him lick any of the spots that are bereft of fur, and they tend to start with what feels like a scab.

However, there IS one area I've seen him licking.  One of his lower nipples.  There are bloodstains all over the stool he likes to sit on in my room, and I didn't understand until I caught him licking this nipple, and when I touched it, my finger came away bloody.  I know we SHOULD take him to the vet right away, and all of you probably think I'm uncaring when I say that we probably won't, but you must understand; I, myself, have a LOT of doctor appointments for various things, and my dad has to take me to them whenever he gets time off work (he's an engineer for the railroad, so he gets called away after resting for a set number of hours, and he doesn't return from these trips for a couple days).  He is exhausted, has cancer himself, and I can't drive, and I have surgery coming up in early November.  So I'm hoping you guys can offer advice.

I've thought about trying neosporin, but he would lick it off.  Please help me.  I don't like to see him bleeding.     Jinx is my baby boy, my lap cat (so subsequently, I get bloodstains on my pants, too, but I don't mind.  ^^).

First, can you get him an e-collar to prevent him from licking/biting the area? Some on here have been able to make one out of a paper plate; but, not sure how that would work on an adult cat. You could also put a t-shirt or baby onesie (cut out a hole so that he can potty) on him.

Second, you need to figure out why he is licking/biting and losing hair.

Does he have fleas? Have you treated him for fleas even if you don't actively see them? (Only use reputable brands of flea meds like Revolutuon, Advantage, Frontline, Etc...)

There's also the possibility of food or other environmental allergies.

When did this problem start? Have there been any changes to his diet, litter (even types of the same brand), new laundry detergent...anything?

Same questions that our vet had:  Jinx is a black cat, so finding fleas on him would be next to impossible.  ^^;   So we've been checking on our white cat.  And I tried to check Jinx as well.  Absolutely nothing.  Allergies WERE the official diagnosis, but nothing has changed, nothing at all.  Only thing I can think of is a sofa that we got.  The cats like to chew on it.  The sofa itself can't be the cause, because we've had it for years, but they've basically chewed one layer completely away, so... maybe?

Otherwise, there's nothing... and I'm a little upset with my vet for not listening to that.  NOTHING has changed, it starts with SCABS, he does NOT lick or chew the areas with no hair.  He's ALWAYS with me, in my room or in my lap.  He licks himself, but he seems to avoid the areas with no fur.

Have you combed the cats with a fine comb to check for fleas?  You can't always just see them.

Ok. Here's what Iwoykd do in your situation.

First, I would treat for fleas. Just to rule it out. Even one single flea bite can wreck havoc on a kitty with a severe flea allergy.

Second, what food do you currently feed?
Cats (any animal really) can develop a food allergy after eating the same food over and over.

Example:
My Lucky grew up eating Cat Chow and Purina Naturals (and the odd can of Friskies/Fancy Feast) until he was 13. Suddenly he became VERY ill. Multiple trips to the vet and lots of diagnostics, even exploratory surgery. He was put on prescription i/d canned food. His symptoms (weight-loss, vomiting blood, bloody diarrhea) continued to get worse. No diagnosis.

Until...
At 6 months of age, my youngest at the time, Max, devoloped sores around his neck and face and his ears turned beat red and were raw. We ruled out scabies, ringworm, etc...
Suspected allergy. Vet put him on hypoallergenic diet (we did z/d, HA and Royal Canin hydrolyzed). Max wouldn't eat alone, so I decided to put Lucky on the diet as well.

Longer story short...
Max cat 6 months had developed an allergy to beef (he's alsoallergic to rabbit) and Lucky at 13 had developed a grain/gluten intolerance, as well as a pork allergy.

So, depending on what food you are feeding, you might consider switching to a grain-free, limited ingredient diet. I like Nature's Variety Instinct (they offer Turkey, Rabbit and Duck LIDs); but, there are other LIDs available such as Blue Buffalo, Ziwipeak, and Wild Calling.

Thanks CatPack.  I'll give that a try.  I'm 99.9% sure there are no fleas involved, because I have four cats, and THAT would be a mess.  O.O;   I have a brush of that sort, and nothing on any of the kitties.

However, we HAVE been feeding them the  same food since they were old enough to eat adult food.  Not sure the brand - my dad buys it, I just serve it.  ^_^;   I'll have to figure out where he hides it (because if he DIDN'T hide it, apparently, I would eat it all.... -.-) and check the brand.  We only give them dry food, and it's always in four bowls. 

On a side note, we live in an apartment where there are bugs.  Generally water bugs (they look like cockroaches, but smaller), cockroaches, and the occasional spider.  Jinx likes to eat them.  Could that be it?  I read somewhere that cats are immune to spider venom (or maybe just black widow's?  Not sure), but maybe he could be allergic?  You should hear me scream when a gigantic cockroach emerges from the darkness and darts right in front of me.     My poor heart just can't take it!!!!

Bugs or insects of any kind can certainly cause problems. House flies are the #1 environmental allergy for cats.