Cat issue

I was wondering if I should be concerned. My cat scratches around his ears and under his neck so much that he is actually leave marks and scabs. I checked his ears for ear mites and I don't see any swelling or little bugs. Could it be dry skin or an infectious insect? Also, he has been losing a lot of hair. So I keep thinking it is dry skin but it is only around his neck and ears no where else.

Vet ASAP ....

Your cat needs a vet as soon as possible - please make an appointment tomorrow, for tomorrow.

There are a lot of things that it could be.

Please let us know how it does and Welcome to TCS!

I am going to know the day that I have off next week tomorrow since my vet isnt open on Wednesdays and that is my only day on this week. So i will let you guys know how it went..thanks for ur help

my cat does that too...he has sores on his neck and head from scratching but i presume it is flea maybe biting him and makin him scratch so hard

A cat that is scratching his ears hard enough and often enough that he is causing scabs to form definitely has problems. From ear infections to ringworm to external parasites, it has to be miserable. Ear problems hurt, and are extremely annoying. steffycakes05- please try and find a way to have him seen sooner than next week- he's needing help.

i am postive it isnt fleas. He is an inside cat and couple of months ago i did the flea bath and colllar because we took in another cat that had fleas. i keep checking his ears....so i dont know what is going on. I tried to get an appointment for the beginning of next week and they said they only have friday at 430. If he keeps itching more than before real bad i will call them and have them squeeze me in.

Originally Posted by steffycakes05

i am postive it isnt fleas. He is an inside cat and couple of months ago i did the flea bath and colllar because we took in another cat that had fleas.

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If he still has that flea collar on him, GET IT OFF.
Those things are extremely toxic and they irritate.
It's quite possible he's having a toxin reaction.

Never use any flea products that did not come from your vet, they've been known to kill.

he doesnt have it on i took it off once i get him a bath in dawn soap because i heard it gets rid of fleas faster. So that was over a month or more ago.

It's still possible that it's a reaction to the collar from what you describe.

My other thought is that it could be ringworm, or possibly some species of mange mite.

Please, let us know what his vet says.

Originally Posted by steffycakes05

i am postive it isnt fleas. He is an inside cat and couple of months ago i did the flea bath and colllar because we took in another cat that had fleas. i keep checking his ears....so i dont know what is going on. I tried to get an appointment for the beginning of next week and they said they only have friday at 430. If he keeps itching more than before real bad i will call them and have them squeeze me in.

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I'm not a vet, but what you are describing does sound a lot like Flea Allergy Dermatitis, which we see a ton of. Usually they will have it around their neck and between the shoulderblades, and/or around the base of the tail.

If you brought in a cat that already had fleas, do you realize how many eggs, pupae, and larva could be in your carpet and bedding? (One female can lay up to 2000 eggs in her short lifetime). Just because you gave this kitty a flea bath a month ago doesn't mean that more didn't jump on him. Also, some cats are so allergic to flea bites that 1 bite alone can set off a huge allergic reaction.

He really needs to get in sooner to get this problem taken care of. If you think it is important enough, the vet should definitely squeeze him in. I do hope that you get him in sooner, he sounds pretty miserable.

Good luck.

Another thing to be aware of is that you can bring fleas into your home on your clothing to your indoor only cat. Sounds to me like your previous flea infestation never got taken care of and they are back!

well the doctor said it was dry skin because we dont have a regular heater we have an electrical one.

Originally Posted by steffycakes05

well the doctor said it was dry skin because we dont have a regular heater we have an electrical one.

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Why are you using a heater when right now the temp in your town is 66 degrees? It seems pretty strange that the vet would say it was a heater causing the problems in a non-heater season. I am sure that the Ohio members will have something to say about this.

Yes I am very curious as to why you are using a heater? It was like 75 degrees today I think.

this has been an on going issue with the skin not just like in the last month. Plus there are some nights when it is really cold.

Sounds pretty strange to me too. I think I'd find another vet. Poor little cat must be so stressed and uncomfortable.

actually i havent seen the scabs and stuff in awhile and i havent seen him scratch either. he said the dry skin can still be infecting him. esp if i bathe him like 1 every 2 months. since i havent bathed him since a month before i noticed this he said that could be drying out his skin also.