I have just adopted a seven year old, very overweight cat. She has large bald very sore looking patches on her back and tummy. I have treated her for fleas but she doesn't seem to be getting better. Any ideas ?

-- Lee Dickinson (lee.dickinson@tinyonline.co.uk), April 30, 2001

Answers

Ringworm ,lice,allergys,is she spayed {attack from male cats } The list can go on give us some more info on what the spots look like and smell like {sorry gross i know}.scabbed ? open and ozzing?

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), April 30, 2001.

Mange... it is a microscopic parasite... Causes irregular patches of baldness and itching. They will lick/scratch and cause the area to become raw, sometimes even scratching till it bleeds. The vet will have something for it.

If it has spread past just one or two small spots, its best to use whatever the vet gives you. He should also supply either an anti-biotic shot or a cream that you can use.

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), April 30, 2001.

You may just have a frustrated cat. My cat used to do that toward the end of winter each year. She would over-groom to the point of causing bald patches initially then actually opening sores. She was just frustrated at her self-inflicted incarceration (she refuses to go outside in the snow). As she has gotten older and more settled, she has stopped doing this. Now I'll see a few spots by this time of year (note - the last of the snow melted out of our yard last week) that have thin fur, but no open wounds or bald spots.

-- Sheryl Adams (Radams@sacoriver.net), April 30, 2001.

Could be ringworm (which isn't really a worm, but a fungus). Many shelters have epidemics of it frequently, so if she came from a shelter, I would strongly suspect ringworm.

I don't remember what the treatment is. Anyway, you might spend a lot of time and effort try to figure out what this is and never succeed. I suggest taking the cat to a vet for a definite diagnosis and treatment plan.

-- Joy F [in So. Wisconsin] (CatFlunky@excite.com), May 01, 2001.

Try some Iodine Shampoo. It's non staining, and will kill any fungus right away. It is very gentle and smells good and really cleans. And it's good for the sore spots. The hard part will be getting her to stay in the sink! Bathe her once a day if you can. I keep some on hand in the bathroom to wash my hands with all the time. It will kill ringworm fungus or probably any fungus.

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), May 01, 2001.

Our cat has a alergy to fleas, all it takes is one and she starts lossing her hair, she is going bald in the back now.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), May 01, 2001.

I have a few cats who are flea allergic. It seems to run in certain cat families and breeds, and it doesn't always show up at first exposure. My 'delicate' babies are a Snowshoe and a Flamepoint Siamese, in appearance anyway, their mother is a calico. (shrugs ; - ) One cats fur fell out early spring last year, while her littermates were fine. This year, we caught her in time, so her full brother decided to take her place. Once you get rid of the fleas, it takes a while for the sore patches to heal up, because they are still grooming at them. Other allergies can cause the same reaction, my grandmother had a calico who was allergic to fish, and would groom herself raw in response to the skin rash it gave her. I would take the poor thing to a vet, and see if you can pinpoint the problem. There are so many different things that can cause this, and it could take a while to figure out the source on your own.

-- Connie (Connie@lunehaven.com), May 01, 2001.

My cat had several bald spots, was losing weight, and was lethargic. The vet diagnosed feline leukemia. I was mad ~ had been vaccinating her for a long time against this. The vet said she got it from her mama and that it lays dormant for quite a long time before rearing its ugly head. He suggested putting the cat to sleep since, he said, the treatment at that time didn't work.

I took the cat home and put her on Pau d'Arco. In 2 weeks she had gained 1/4 pound, the bald spots were filling in, and she was bouncing around like her old self. I went to the vet, unannounced, and shocked the daylights out of him! -such fun!- I told him how the herb put the cat in remission.

The cat did great for 3 years, until a bark scorpion did her in.

They have a test now for feline leukemia. Where I used to live, it's $80. Kind of a big price to pay for anyone who might have a freebie cat! I haven't had cats for quite a few years, so I don't know how much the test is here where I now live.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), May 02, 2001.

Whatever you do, please dissuade him from going to a comb over. ;-)

-- Charlie Hunter (nramember@yahoo.com), May 04, 2001.