Bald Patch is it important?

[Daisy2021]

Hello,

I’ve just noticed that my cat has a bald patch on her face. Two days ago itched her face quite a lot. There is no redness on the spot and she stopped itching. What do you think? Is it important?

Thank you!

 

[cmshap]

Might just be an allergy-related thing, especially if she was scratching at it.

I've had dogs with allergies who licked raw/bald spots on their fur. I've seen cats do the same with grooming/scratching.

Can you call your vet and just discuss over the phone? It really doesn't look serious enough to warrant a visit, but I know all vets handle things differently.

 

[Daisy2021]

Thank you so much for your reply!
I’ll call our vet to be sure

 

[cmshap]

Thank you so much for your reply!
I’ll call our vet to be sure

Yes, I have learned that I can call my vet with questions and they are good at telling me whether or not I need to bring my cat in. They even allow me to email pictures if I have questions, like what you attached to your post.

Every vet has different policies, and they aren't necessarily wrong if they require you to always bring your cat in. But it's definitely worth checking by calling first.

I am not a vet, but my gut instinct was that this looks like an allergy issue. Especially with scratching involved. Furry pets, like cats and dogs, often create bald spots when they lick or scratch excessively in one spot.

 

[Daisy2021]

Thank you very much for your explanation. i feel better now.

 

[cmshap]

Thank you very much for your explanation. i feel better now.

Please update us if/when you get any more information, or an explanation from your vet.

From my understanding, when cats/dogs do this, they are experiencing excessive itching in an area. And that can often be caused by allergies.

Like I said, I have more experience with this with dogs, but I know cats can do it as well. Dogs will start licking themselves constantly to relieve itching, and for some reason it often occurs on their feet.

Observe your cat and see if she is grooming more than usual. Cats obviously lick themselves more than dogs do, but they can start over-grooming if they are experiencing itching.

Edit: I should note that I am not remotely close to a vet, so I don't mean to steer you towards what I think is the explanation. It's just what it looks like to me at first glance. I am far from an expert.

 

[BellaBlue82]

I agree, it seems it may be an allergy issue. I'm curious what your vet has the share.
Our GA cat Sonny developed environmental allergies around 6 yrs old, and it started similarly with small bald patches from scratching and chewing. Sadly I didn't know that at the time, and he ended up losing over half the hair on his body by the time we got him in to see the vet. The positive side to that though is once we got him on allergy medicine he grew all his fur back and within 6 months he was our beautiful ginger cat again sans itchies!

 

[Daisy2021]

Hello,

I just talked to the vet and sent a photo of my cat. Our vet didn't seem to mind and suggested that I follow up for a few days.

thanks again

 

[Kwik]

Could be tons of reasons-possibly nothing to do with his skin and never rule out teeth,eye,,nasal passage- when your cat "feels" discomfort or something irritating he with scratch at that area.... yes,could be an allergic response,could have been a little scrape thst stabbed and fell off,could be,could be, could be-lol we could " could be" all day long but what we do is watch
It sure doesn't look like anything alarming but of course you pay attention to the area,watch for any signs from your cat that something is bothering him and if there are any other symptoms or similar types of spots and if so you see your Vet
. The hair should start filling in now and then all is well....it's always best to play it safe,good job!
I take it yours is indoor only?Any other pets? Parasite control? That's a common area for flea bite so that is why I ask

 

[Daisy2021]

Hello,

I've been checking for 2 days, there is no problem for now.

As you said, It doesn’t look like anything alarming for now. i will keep checking

She is a indoor cat and I don’t have any other pets. I always try to do parasite control

thank you!

 

[Kwik]

Hello,

I've been checking for 2 days, there is no problem for now.

As you said, It doesn’t look like anything alarming for now. i will keep checking

She is a indoor cat and I don’t have any other pets. I always try to do parasite control

thank you!

Fantastic..... yeah,dang summertime- we can bring in one stupid little flea and it will find our little babies for a bite!Never know,right?

I'm glad she's inside and I think she'll be okay,as a matter of fact how could she not be okay with a watchful Mama who loves her?!

 

[cmshap]

just talked to the vet and sent a photo of my cat. Our vet didn't seem to mind and suggested that I follow up for a few days.

I hope more people read this.

I've had lots of different vets over the years, mostly for dogs (I grew up with dogs, and only recently became a cat person), but many of them want to be helpful without overcharging. People often don't think they can call in, and/or email pictures for some basic advice, when lots of vets are actually happy to advise you.

This was something I did not realize until recently, so maybe it will help someone else.

Of course, vets need to make a living, too, so if one vet says "you need to bring your cat in for a physical exam" that is not at all wrong. And they deserve compensation for their time.

But as we all know, vet visits are stressful events, and if your local vet is fine with doing an unofficial consultation over the phone/email, you may be able to discuss more minor issues like this without having to bring your cat in.

 

[BellaBlue82]

I hope more people read this.

I've had lots of different vets over the years, mostly for dogs (I grew up with dogs, and only recently became a cat person), but many of them want to be helpful without overcharging. People often don't think they can call in, and/or email pictures for some basic advice, when lots of vets are actually happy to advise you.

This was something I did not realize until recently, so maybe it will help someone else.

Of course, vets need to make a living, too, so if one vet says "you need to bring your cat in for a physical exam" that is not at all wrong. And they deserve compensation for their time.

But as we all know, vet visits are stressful events, and if your local vet is fine with doing an unofficial consultation over the phone/email, you may be able to discuss more minor issues like this without having to bring your cat in.

This is a very good point! And I agree, I think most vets are amicable to do a quick diagnostic over the phone/via text. Two years back Sadie caught her nail on something, and it looked wonky and a little bloody. Thankfully texts with my vet are kinda on the regular, so I sent her a pic. Easy peasy, said it will grow back and put some animal ointment on it. Done! And an urgent trip avoided.

 

[Daisy2021]

Hello again,


Just an update

today there was redness on the bald patch. I talked to the vet again and he said we should visi.

Now we're back home, it wasn't a big deal, it was a fly bite. He gave me ointment and told me to use it for 2-3 days.

Thanks for your support

 

[Kwik]

Hello again,


Just an update

today there was redness on the bald patch. I talked to the vet again and he said we should visi.

Now we're back home, it wasn't a big deal, it was a fly bite. He gave me ointment and told me to use it for 2-3 days.

Thanks for your support

Great,,yeah I suspected a bite---- that's summertime. Happy to hear she's fine,wonderful!

 

[cmshap]

Now we're back home, it wasn't a big deal, it was a fly bite. He gave me ointment and told me to use it for 2-3 days.

Thanks for the update. This actually brought back some old memories!

When I was a kid, one of our family dogs was a beautiful Australian Shepherd. One day during a family picnic, somebody accidentally disturbed a ground wasp nest.

Our dog was stung EVERYWHERE and developed bald patches where all the stings were.

We felt so bad for her, and I know that my dad consulted our vet (it was too long ago for me to remember what the treatment was), but thankfully, she was back to her normal self after only a few days.