Koerarmoca Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 (edited) I discovered last night that our Cat (approximately 1.5-2 years old) Has some scabby crusty patches around her neck. I cleaned the spots up with some peroxide. She has always been the type to scratch and groom herself constantly. I pet her often and never noticed these patches before. She is an indoor only cat. Our baby cat (who is a little over 1) doesn't have any spots. what could this be? We just moved to this area and I don't have a local vet yet. I would much rather treat it homeopathically than to go to the vet. We lost our 5mth old kitty at the vet and I think he was at least partially at fault and I am in no hurry to have a huge vet bill again. I don't have much cat experience so any advice is appreciated. Edited July 12, 2011 by MichelleC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountryGirlShake Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Flea allergy? or other allergy? Excessive scratching is often a sign of allergies, maybe evaluate the diet. We had a cat once (lived to be 18) who was allergic to sea food, had to eliminate from the diet. Vet said that was surprisingly common in cats. My mom took a dog to the groomer, and the next week he had patches of hair gone, was rubbing and scratching. Took him to the vet who said he was allergic to fleas, never had any at the house until he went to the groomer. Now she has to give him that once a month flea treatment to keep them away. Best wishes :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Not sure what your cat has but I highly recommend getting pet insurance. My puppy had to have surgery and the insurance paid 100% (less my $100 deductible). I got my check less than 2 weeks later. I just enrolled my cats ($300/year). My cat has had 1 vet visit this year that cost me $500. I am kicking myself for not doing it sooner. I use http://www.gopetplan.com. There are also many other companies you can look into. Sorry for the hijack. End of my PSA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Acne? Allergic to her food? Did she get in a fight? Ringworm? Are her nails trimmed? Is it inflamed or bad-smelling? If so, I would take her to the vet. Can you post a picture? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koerarmoca Posted July 12, 2011 Author Share Posted July 12, 2011 Acne? Allergic to her food? Did she get in a fight? Ringworm? Are her nails trimmed? Is it inflamed or bad-smelling? If so, I would take her to the vet. Can you post a picture? I don't think it's ring worm it's just crusty junk. She is all black not sure if it would show in pics She. Does plAy fight w / our other kitty. I also see no inflammation or fleas she has never been outside Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in Florida Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 May I ask what brand of food you are feeding her? My dog has terrible behavior problems and skin problems when he eats anything with corn in it. I buy all natural grain-free addititive free food for him. It sounds expensive but it isn't in the long run because he eats much less and seems satisfied. :001_smile: I moved the cats to natural food at the same time and they seem sleeker and have healthier coats. One does get skin problems but that is from reactions to flea bites. I use the once a month flea drops and she is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 One of my cats got something like this (seemed to appear overnight too). The vet said it was related to an ear infection. I thought that was wrong but put the drops in his ears and within a couple of days the little sores went away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koerarmoca Posted July 12, 2011 Author Share Posted July 12, 2011 ugh.. its fleas :( I just gave them both a bath. Assuming now that we brought in fleas with our "new to us" couch. I am going to have to treat the entire house I assume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in Florida Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 ugh.. its fleas :( I just gave them both a bath. Assuming now that we brought in fleas with our "new to us" couch. I am going to have to treat the entire house I assume. not necessarily. Vacuum the edges (literally). The fleas mostly live in the cracks where floor meets wall. You do not need to do heavy spraying, if it was a big outbeak your family would be getting bit. The fleas will be attracted to the pets first because they are warmer. (That is one of the reasons people kept lap dogs in the old days. Unless that is an urban myth :001_smile:) Keep the cats treated and the fleas should die out. Don't overkill with toxins unless you have to. Don't panic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koerarmoca Posted July 12, 2011 Author Share Posted July 12, 2011 1 out of 6 of us has a bunch of bites around her ankels I thught it was from being ouside on th 4th for a long time. She is more prone to all bites for some reason. I got some flea powdar for the cats that was all they had at our local store. I plan to sprinkle that on them and atleast on their beding. hopefully we can nip this in the bud quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryl Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Michelle, We have a cat, but we're not cat experts. We adopted our cat 2 1/2 years ago and she's an indoor only cat. We know more about dogs, specifically lab....we have our 2nd. Our dog is an in/out dog. Our vet said that our any fleas that hitch a ride on our dog :tongue_smilie:when she's outside will find their favored animal to land on....a cat. Apparantly fleas like cats more than dogs. Fleas just get in....a small crack in your window/door screen, dog, people, etc. Our cat's groomer found something like this on our cat and she said it was "flea dirt" and that our cat scratched profusely at it. Probably broke skin in the scratching and the crust/scab formed when it started to heal. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raceNzanesmom Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 I'd skip all the powders, shampooing, and sprays. They rarely work well. Vacuum often like the above poster mentioned, throwing the bag away outside. Wouldn't hurt to bag it in a bag. Then get fleas drops for both cats. I like Revolution, but it's $$$. I think it was Jen McF that said the organic at Walmart works well. Perhaps PM her and see what she says. To check for fleas dampen the tub (no standing water), place the cat in the tub and fluff the fur. The flea droppings will turn red in the tub (since they're blood filled). :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in Florida Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Warning Warning Warning - Just remembered to warn you. DO NOT USE Hartz cat flea drops or any of the cat flea drops at the regular pet stores, these are very harsh and have caused bad reactions in cats. My vet keeps a photo wall of pets injured by those drops. (Scary) I tried to buy a package once and the checkout girl at Petsmart actually shook her head at me and whispered no. :lol: The pet store powders and sprays are okay but fairly ineffective. Frontline and Advantage are both good. TriForce is less expensive and is still safe and effective but the treatments do not seem to last as long as Frontline and Advantage. You do not have to get these from the vet most feed stores stock them (except for the heartworm kind those need to come from the vet). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 I'd skip all the powders, shampooing, and sprays. They rarely work well. Vacuum often like the above poster mentioned, throwing the bag away outside. Wouldn't hurt to bag it in a bag. Then get fleas drops for both cats. I like Revolution, but it's $$$. I think it was Jen McF that said the organic at Walmart works well. Perhaps PM her and see what she says. To check for fleas dampen the tub (no standing water), place the cat in the tub and fluff the fur. The flea droppings will turn red in the tub (since they're blood filled). :grouphug: My neighbor used the Walmart brand, and her cats were obviously in distress from having it on their skin. She said she'll never get it again. We use Frontline when we have to use anything. Frankly, though, our cats run in and out, and we still rarely have fleas, even though the neighbor's cats do. Maybe it's the food we feed them. Who knows. I think it's a little like one of your children getting bitten more than others -- some cats are more prone to attract the fleas, and some react more to the bites. Fleas can hitch a ride on your socks into the house. They're very opportunistic. Eek, this discussion is making my ankles itch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Most likely it is a flea allergy. Is she on a preventative? If not, start her one one. Some cats are very sensitive to fleas and just one can cause the crusty spots. The cat does not have to go outside to get fleas. They can come in on your socks after just a walk in the grass. I would try advantage or revolution for a month and check the spots again. Rebecca *human mom to 5 furry felines and 1 who crossed rainbow bridge a year ago yesterday* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raceNzanesmom Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 My neighbor used the Walmart brand, and her cats were obviously in distress from having it on their skin. She said she'll never get it again. We use Frontline when we have to use anything. Frankly, though, our cats run in and out, and we still rarely have fleas, even though the neighbor's cats do. Maybe it's the food we feed them. Who knows. I think it's a little like one of your children getting bitten more than others -- some cats are more prone to attract the fleas, and some react more to the bites. Fleas can hitch a ride on your socks into the house. They're very opportunistic. Eek, this discussion is making my ankles itch! The mutual friend did say make sure it's the organic. I didn't have any luck with Frontline. No reactions, but still fleas. Best results with Revolution, but it's pricey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koerarmoca Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 I bathed them with some Dr Bonners that is all I had on hand, and the flea powdar didn't seem to bother them one bit. I am going to go to the store in a few mins to see what I can find now that dh is home. I dont think I can sleep all day I have felt like my skin is crawling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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