Simone and her furless spot on her neck

[laurag]

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Simone, who recently turned 6, has had this spot on her neck that is completely free of fur. I don't notice it most of the time but it becomes more visible when she is curled up to sleep. I had wondered if it was an injection site alopecia (baldness). When she was a kitten, there was a patch of fur that just came off there and the fur never grew back. It's completely flat but you can see the little hair follicles that never grow hair. It's a small oval shape on her neck just above her right shoulder blade.  The vet she goes to didn't know what it was.

I know that her first set of shots left her alarmingly groggy for 3 or 4 days. And as a kitten, there were boosters to give. So she got Benadryl from the vet before the next shots which seemed to help. In WA once a kitten is fully squared up on the baby shots, rabies is once every 3 years and distemper is supposed to be every year. These cats are indoors only and so I don't get them the feline leukemia shots. 

Simone is a cantankerous cat and it is virtually impossible to get her into a pet taxi. She's fearless, mean and has ninja like skills with her claws. The cat is a super sweet heart when it's meal time though.  Once I had her at the vet and could see and hear her getting really angry. The vet was being soft and soothing and I kept saying "just give her the shots please."

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The vet: "well I don't want her to associate coming here with a scary experience."

Me: "she's kind of mean and she's clearly getting angry. In a minute, a shot will not be an option."

Then Simone starts crawling up my shoulder, and the vet gives her a shot and Simone bites my pinkie finger with gusto. Man that hurt. So....taking her to the vet is not ever on my top list.

 

[faery]

Have you recently used any topical flea/tick treatment on her? I have a couple cats who develope a scaly spot if I use biospot (although advantage doesn't cause the same reaction).

 

[lillydsh]

Has Simone's diet or environment changed? Is she scratching or is another cat grooming her excessively? I recommended taking her to the vet.

 

[laurag]

She's had this bald spot since before she was a year old. She's 6. I've asked the vet before and she said "I have no idea what caused that."

It doesn't get any larger but never grows hair. I wondered if others had seen something similar.

 

[lillydsh]

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My guess would be allergies. She may also be suffering from persistent upper respiratory infections. Also, if ringworm isn’t treated, it can last for a very long time. Mange can also cause this. The only time I’ve seen this before was in a cat’s friend that had severe allergies.

 

[laurag]

No upper respiratory issues and otherwise really healthy. only reaction was to the series of shots when she was a young kitten. Good coat, good teeth, active no skin issues except for that bald spot. AGAIN she's had this one spot since kittenhood. I actually wondered if it was an injection site thing but I've not been able to determine that.

 

[lillydsh]

Well, I’m glad that your cat is healthy, otherwise. A reaction to a vaccine does indicate underlying allergies. The bald spot might be from the injection site reaction. I recommend having a thyroid panel done to rule out thyroid problems. I’ve never heard of an injection causing a long-term bald spot, though.