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Submitted by: C.W.

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Hi, I recently adopted my cat from a local animal shelter probably about 3 weeks ago. I noticed him scratching a lot and checked his records for his last dose of flea treatment. He had it about a month ago, so I gave him another dose. I noticed some redness around his ears, so I suspected his ears might be bothering him. After giving him a thorough ear cleaning, I noticed some wax, but nothing irregular. I've seen ear mites before and recognize them as a coffee ground like substance. None of this was present. I also thought it could possibly be ring worm? I work with cats regularly as an employee of this animal shelter and this doesn't look like ring worm either. He has several scabs on his back and developing on the other side of his head near his ears. I'm not sure what is wrong with my new cat. Any ideas?? He's a 1 year old himalayan, who has all his vaccines and is neutered. Upon caring for him at the shelter for approximately 1 month before deciding to adopt him, I didn't notice any skin problems then. Please help. I'm not sure what this could be. <strong> Sounds like a case of flea ALLERGY. One single flea can make an allergic cat crazy with itchiness. A flea bath, one of the oatmeal types, could help and I recommend Frontline once monthly. A lot of vacuuming and throwing out the vacuum cleaner bag and washing everything that is washable around the house also helps. If it doesn't improve and he continues to scratch, a trip to the vet for some relief for his itchy skin would be in order. Thanks, Dr. Neely

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Submitted by: John

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Hello. I have 4 cats. 3 of the 4 have scabs on their chins. All of them are indoor only. 2 of them are kittens (6 months old) and 2 are adults. The adults were recently treated for fleas but the rash persists. Could this be caused by flea allergies? <strong> Absolutely! However, it could also be feline acne or ringworm. It's impossible for me to know without examining them. Do you own a flea comb? If not, buy one and comb all of them daily and see if you have any fleas. Even a single flea can cause continued allergy. Good luck, Dr. Neely

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Submitted by: jacki mcarthur

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my cat has scabs on his ears, neck, chin and groin area. he scratches to the point of bleeding. He also vomits on occasion and has been suffering diareo too. I dont know if these conditions are linked, or whether its because i have changed his food. he is eating the cat litter too. It sounds as thought he is very allergic to something. He may be vomiting because he is taking in excessive hair as he is licking his itchy skin. That can cause diarrhea as well. The most concerning symptom is his eating litter. That almost always means a cat is anemic. You must take him to a vet right away. Maybe it will be as simple as flea allergy and the fleas have caused him to be anemic or given him the disease Hemobartonella. When I say simple I don't mean it shouldn't be taken care of. It is very serious and needs vet attention immediately, but at least, it's curable in many cases. Please make an appointment right away. Thank you for writing, Dr. Neely

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Submitted by: Nicole

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Hello, Thank you for all you help. It is great to have a website like this. I did take my cat to the vet and they think what he has was caused by trauma. When the vet examined him she found a small lump under his skin in the same area. They think he must of hit his back on something which caused this crusty lesion. However, I do know it was never an open lesion. They want us to keep an eye on it and let them know if he gets anymore or if it changes. I am very happy it was nothing serious. Thanks again, Nicole

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Submitted by: Nicole

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Im sorry. He is a 5 yr old male, indoor cat, he is large but they do not consider him to be over weight due to his breed being large. I have a better idea of the area now. It looks like some type of an allergic dermatitis but I have no idea to what. A friend of mine recently told me her dog has fleas so I am wondering if it could be a flea reaction. If so would it be in more places then one? Also I looked for flea dirt and was unable to find any. The spot initally looked and felt crusty. Eventually that crust peeled away and just left a bald looking spot on his skin. He seems to be healing up and going away but there is still a small amount of the crust around the edges. I have booked him a appt to get it checked out and in the meantime I have bought him a flea collar. Thanks for the additional information. It certainly could be flea allergy. It is the most common allergy in cats. You do not have to find a single flea or any flea dirt for a cat to have flea bite allergic dermatitis. The allergic cats are so itchy, they lick and scratch so much that they ingest the fleas and dirt. Plus it only takes one flea to make an allergic cat miserable. The other possibility is ringworm. Certainly you are doing the right thing to see the vet so you can get a definite answer. Meanwhile, I strongly advise against flea collars. They tend to be ineffective and toxic. My number one choice for fleas is definitely Frontline for Cats applied to the back of the neck once monthly. Thank you for writing back and good luck. Dr. Neely

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