Scratching till scabby above eyes

happybird

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When it rains, it pours. We just got Annabelle healthy again and today Leo is all scabby. :(

He's scratching that little bald-ish area that sits between his eyes and ears until it bleeds. No fleas, no ear mites, the insides of his ears look normal with no redness or swelling and no funky wax. His eyes are fine, too. No running, no redness, swelling or discharge. There's no rash or bumps, just the scabby patches. He doesn't have (and has never had) any signs of a food allergy, and we haven't made any changes to his diet. There aren't any new environmental factors, like new laundry detergent or an exterminator visit, or that sort of thing. He's in a fine mood and his litterbox visits have been normal. The only thing out of the ordinary are these scabs.

He has scratched himself up a little in that spot before, but no where near as severely as this - we've occasionally noticed a scratch or two in that area or a small scab. I trimmed his nails and chalked it up to him scratching a little too hard with nails that were too long. Now, it has become very obvious this is something more.

Here's a pic of the worst side. The scabby patch is a bit larger than a quarter and it looks horrible. :( There are no signs of infection, just scabs. The other side has a smaller, dime-sized patch. The surrounding skin is pink because I had just held a warm, wet paper towel over the scab (there was a thicker, built-up piece near the corner of his eye that was making him squinty on that side).






I'm thinking maybe a fungal infection? Any ideas? I haven't seen him actively bleeding or scratching like crazy, he was scabby when we woke up today. Looks like we will be headed back to the vet again this week. Sigh.
 
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tabbytom

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happybird,

When you say Leo scratches till ne bleeds means he had already puncture his skin. Tho there's no infection now, but for it to bleed means there's an open wound. Opened wound is susceptible to infections as he has to use the litter box and his paws will have bacteria from the litter box and will be transferred to the wound if he keeps scratching.

Better bring him in to the vet soon before it gets worse and will take a longer time to heal.
 
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happybird

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We've got an appt on Thursday morning. He's almost due for his 2nd check up, so we're doing two birds with one stone. I've been paying close attention to Leo today and have noticed something that might be related- he's sneezing. Not a lot, but just like my Frannie used to when her seasonal allergies picked up every fall. The bulk of my attention has been on Annabelle for the past week since she was sick, so I didn't notice if he's been sneezy for a few days (and that makes me feel like a bad Mom). Leo has only been with us for about a year, so if it's allergies, it's possible I missed it last year. He was a stray at our last rental house and we scooped him up when we moved. I had been feeding him and Annabelle on the front porch for a couple months and I couldn't just leave them there. Annabelle was definitely abandoned by the people who rented the house before we did. I just don't get how anyone could abandon their pet and leave it to fend for itself. It makes me so,sad and angry. But, it's definitely their loss. Both Leo and Annabelle are wonderful, affectionate, indoor-only kitties of leisure now with us in their forever home.
 
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tabbytom

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So what did the vet say about Leo's scabby patch?

Good thing that the kitties fell into the right hands. It's good that you gained them. Anyway, don't think the cats led a good life with those people who abandoned them. And those people are not cat lovers nor animal lovers and that's why they abandoned them. To them, cats are a lower life form so why bother [emoji]128078[/emoji][emoji]127995[/emoji]

Hope his patch heal soon and Annabelle get well too :vibes: :vibes: :vibes:
 
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