kitten with patches of missing fur ??

Hi everyone i am new here and new to being a kitten mom. i recently adopted 2 kittens (brother and sister) I just noticed that the female kitten has some patches on her chin and cheek of skin the fur is gone BUT growing back in. i originally thought it was a beige patch because she is white with beige patches then i took a much closer look and noticed it was skin. it doesnt hurt her (i dont think anyway) because she let me touch it and rub it . my question is does this sound serious or should i wait and see how the fur grows back in? i am just a very nervous cat mom. in the past 2 weeks i have had the kittens i have called the emergency vet clinic 4 times and gone to the vet once. both kittens are on amoxil drops for an upper resp infection too.
thank you for listening and any advice
Cheryl
furbaby mom to princess and freckles 8wk old kittens.

First of all, if you're a nervous mom, I wouldn't worry about bothering your vet. That's what they're there for! You love your kitties, and they're very, very lucky to have someone to worry about them. Cats are so good at hiding the fact that they're sick or in pain, and it is often only through slight changes in behavior that we can tell there's something wrong. So until you're real familiar with them and their behavior, it is always best to be safe rather than sorry!

I am unfamiliar with the reasons for empty patches of hair. Sometimes cats can have a obsessive/compulsive disorder where they lick it out themselves. This does not sound like that! It could have been lost in a scrap with another cat, though that would usually be accompanied with some scratches or sores on the skin. This doesn't sound like that. Cats do have skin diseases, but if she was examined by a vet and got a clean bill of health, then I'd likely rule that out (because that would likely be accompanied by flakey skin or something).

If the hair is growing back in, I'd just keep an eye on it. I'd watch the appearance of the skin. If there seems to be no issues with the texture of the skin, and there appears to be nothing underneath the skin - no bumps or bruises, etc., and she's not obsessively licking it and the hair is growing back in, I'd just keep an eye on it.

If you adopted them from a breeder, I'd call and ask about it. If you adopted them from a shelter, it might not hurt to call to see if they have any health records for her - perhaps her records would note something.

And if you're still worried, I'd take her back to the vet. We don't EVER hesitate to call or make an appointment any time we ever have any questions about our kitties' health. Of course as we got to know them better, things we didn't understand before we don't call on now.

Glad you found TCS!!!! Hubby and I didn't know ANYTHING about cats. We didn't even intentionally get involved with cats! Our relationship started with them when a stray turned up. Now we rescue cats and have five living indoors with us. This site was of immeasurable help in answering so many questions about their health and behavior - and I found it to be just a great community of people. PLEASE feel free to browse through the threads in especially the health, behavior and grooming forums. You'll be surprised at how much there is to learn! (And the best thing about it all is the ability to get on and ask questions. )

welcome to the site!!!! so my firends cat gets bald patched everywhere...she looks very sickly, but she just has an allergy that makes her go bald...don't hessitate to call your vet again.. just to make sure

I was unfamiliar with allergies causing hair loss. Hate to say it - but I'd call the vet who saw her, and ask if he/she remembers seeing the patches where there was no hair and thus what's causing it. If the answer is no, I would consider taking her in again. There are things that can be done to treat allergies in cats, if that's the cause.

I'd vote for a vet check, just to be sure.

I've had problems in the past with ringworm (a fungus that causes hair loss) in my cats, and am pretty paranoid about stuff like that.

There are lots of things that can cause hair loss, from allergies to stress (licking - sometimes the cats will overgroom themselves or each other, as Laurie said) to skin mites and fungus. Since the skin fungus Ringworm is contagious (and can be contagious to humans, too, though if you wash your hands thoroughly & frequently you should be OK) it's a good idea to get the kitties checked out - it's possible the vet didn't notice the hair loss the first time, if it was a small patch & hard to spot.

HI

Thank you so much everyone for your responses i appreciate all of them. i did call the vet and he told me it could be a reaction to the amoxil drops she was on because of an upper resp infection. he said he sees it alot and once she is finished the fur should grow back fine. luckily she only has 1 more day of it. so we will see and he said that when we take them back to the place we got them to be "fixed" their vet will also check it out when he gives more shots. so for me not to worry. (easy for him to say) .

thank you again. this is such a great place with so much to read and learn from.

cheryl
mom to princess and freckles (8wk old kittens)