2 unexplained spots on my cats head

[SeñorBoots]

Hello! This is my cat Señor Boots. About a week ago I had taken him to the vet due to him vomiting every couple days. Last Monday he wasn’t eating in the morning and the little bit he ate, he threw it up. The vet assumed that he was having a gastro problem as well as telling me that he needed to loose 3-4 pounds. He told me to start adding hills w/d digestive/ weight management to his hills c/d urinary care multicare stress. This food will have also helped with the constipation issues he’s had since November. After the vet he suffered one of his cystitis episodes and my other vet gave me Prazosin which he has taken before. Since Thursday morning he hasn’t thrown up and I’ve been giving him smaller meals throughout the day since every time he vomited it was yellow bile. This seems to have done the trick since today is Sunday night and he hasn’t thrown up since. As of now he has been peeing and acting his normal self. However about 2-3 days ago I noticed in front of his left ear that he had a bump like cut. As the days have passed I’ve noticed that it has started scabbing and I thought that he had bumped his head and gave himself the bump on accident and that it was healing. But today I noticed that he has another cut in front of his right ear. I’m not sure if this is due to him scratching or what it could even be? Please help. He is an indoor cat only and doesn’t live with other cats. He has also always had those patches with no fur on his head, the vet last month said it was due to him being grey. (First picture is his left side, the two other pics are his right side).

 

[Margot Lane]

Could it be allergies? I’d go back to your vet and eliminate suspects, such as food, or pollen. I’ve never been a fan of Hill’s, and prefer novel proteins like rabbit, duck or quail, wet only. Cats can be allergic to grains and gums in the food. Whatever you cat has it doesn’t look as if it’d be pleasant. Cats are good at hiding their ailments, so he might be scratching at night. I’m assuming here he gets flea meds, so at least that can be crossed off.

 

[SeñorBoots]

I thought it could be an allergy due to him also having runny eyes since I can even remember and the constipation issues. When I asked the vet last month she told me the runny eyes could be due to a respiratory issue he could’ve had when he was a kitten but that she did not suspect an allergy because cats usually show other symptoms when it comes to food allergies. However back then he didn’t have the scratches. I have switched his food so many times this month trying to deal with his constipation and cystitis issues but they have all been hill’s and chicken flavor. I still do suspect that it could be an allergy and I’m not sure if I should take him back to that vet or get a third opinion? I had taken him to another vet last week and when I asked about the hills he told me to keep him on it. But if I’m being honest, my budget is tight after taking him so many times to the vet these past few months and to spend so much money on a food that has grains isn’t what I would prefer. Also the vet I took him to last week I didn’t like as much as his regular vet but I’m willing to keep looking around.

 

[Margot Lane]

I am not a vet and can only tell you my experiences! Hoping others will chime in here. Were it my cat, I would try him for a month on a grain free, guar free diet (guar is that stuff they use sometimes as a binder). Hills only ever made my cat itchy. I use Farmina’s grain free pumpkin and quail, wet only, and my cat is happy. If it is an allergy, it takes awhile for it to stop, so whatever you try you could try consistently for a month and see if the scabs go away. Vets ARE expensive: do you have insurance? There are threads on here about different kinds and that will help w vet bills.

 

[Margot Lane]

Here is something Daftcat kindly posted on different pet insurance companies. Hope it helps!!

 

[SeñorBoots]

Thank You! I don’t have insurance but I am going to look into it as it will probably be cheaper and a good thing to have.

 

[sivyaleah]

Could be environmental allergies too. Many cats get ear problems because of them (Yeast infections) and I do see the ear has some gunk in it in one photo. If the ears are infected it can cause them to scratch right around the ear, and anywhere near the ear also such as face, under the mouth, etc. Claws can easily cause a scratch to occur. Possibly ask the vet to do an ear cytology which will culture any debris inside. Our younger one used to get these types of ear infections fairly frequently until we had her treated for what she was allergic to.

 

[Margot Lane]

If it’s a yeast thing, go with that first! Cheaper, I think, if it turns out to be that!

 

[SeñorBoots]

Thank you guys for your help and suggestions! While his spots have healed and gone away, today he had a vet appointment and I told them my concern for the allergies and if they could check his ears for an infection or anything that could’ve caused him to scratch. They dismissed the allergies and told me that he would show more symptoms and/or that he would be constantly scratching and even possible loose some fur if it were allergies. They also said that his ears are perfectly healthy and they didn’t find anything wrong with him. They told me to keep an eye on him in case his behavior changes but that he’s healthy.