Here we go again...Speckles

[slick]

Just when I had my vet bill paid off here comes another one. She's going in tomorrow night. Over the last month or two Max has been in 3 times and Speckles twice. It's getting so they just don't bother putting my file away. LOL

Here's the problem. Over the past week or two she's developed this twitch and the skin on her back moves when she twitches. Tonight I noticed a rather large bald patch at the base of her tail and on her flank. The hair loss has happened over the last 24 hours.

I did a search on hot spots and found many references to dogs but not cats.

Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it's not ringworm.

[Nomilynn]

Poor baby! We had a cat that would obsessively lick himself bald. But his was an allergy problem. Hopefully it's nothing serious!

[AmberLee]

Oh, my! The first time I saw this it was due to a cat under a severe nervous condition and it was a stress-relief thing. (Home being renovated and workmen in and out all day; her meowmy was traveling and only a pet sitter (me) to pay attention to her. It wasn't enough. )

Others have cited allergies and parasites. Fingers crossed that it's an easy fix.

You mentioned she'd been into the vets a lot lately. Could that be a stressor?

[Killearn Kitties]

Aww, poor Speckles! I don't have any experience with baldy cats and I don't have any ideas other than what others have mentioned. It sounds as if you have had a rotten time with them over the past couple of months.

Sending lots of healing vibes to you all.

[boscibo]

How old is Speckles? Bo was twitchy when he was hyperthyroid, and rubbing hair off is another symptom. Hyperthyroid is an older cat disease, so if Speckles is young (>10 years) it is probably someting else, but you might want a T4 test if she's older.

[Barbara]

Sasvermont's Miley has hot spots quite often. She may be able to tell you something about it.

Hope Speckles gets better soon

[neko1]

Tama gets hot spots. When he does, it's time for his little e-collar and some panalog..that does the trick...but boy do I have one unhappy kitty!

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Oh no, Slick, I'm so sorry to hear Speckles is having troubles.

A while back Tubby had a spot on his tail that when I brushed it the hair just all came out and he ended up with a bald spot on his tail. I called the vet and asked them about it and she said that it was probably something bacterial and I should put neosporin on it. Over the next couple of weeks I kept applying the neosporin and gave him the occassional bath (first time he'd had a bath in 18 years!) and eventually the spot went away. Then, about 2 months or so after that, a similar spot appeared on his back, about an inch up his spine from the base of his tail. I did the same thing - neosporin and the occassional bath - and that one eventually cleared up also.

The vet mentioned that this happens sometimes with older cats because they are as diligent about cleaning themselves, and sometimes can't get to those hard to reach places anymore. She said that had I brought him in she would have told me the same thing, so I'm glad I called first.

I sure hope this is what Speckles has because it is so easily treated. Tubby looked kind of "gunky" for awhile because of the neosporin, but it helped get rid of the problem so gunky it was.

Peanut, on the other hand, has started licking her legs and tummy clean again so I just upped her dosage of prednisolone again. She had been taking 1/2 a pill a day, then things were looking good so the vet told me to cut the dosage back, and now she's going bald again so I upped it back to the 1/2 a pill a day. He said she either has allergies or it's a nervous condition. This isn't a big deal, but I don't like the idea of my little girl being nervous, so I like to think it's allergies. She does twitch now and then....

Anyway, I hope the vet visit goes well. Please let us know what they say. As for the constant trips to the vet, well, I guess that's what we get for running geriatric wards.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Oops, I was going to post a pic of Tubby's tail. I don't have a good clear picture of Peanut's leg, but if you remember her bare tummy, that's what her leg looks like.

[slick]

Thanks everyone.
Debbie, that's exactly what Speckles' tail looks like.
How did you prevent Tubby from licking the neosporin off?? Speckles can reach back there, and Lord knows I don't want to turn my baby girl into a conehead. I would have called the vet first, but I need to take Max in tonight as well because he keeps pawing at his mouth again and I want to make sure he doesn't have any more canker sores. He won't open is mouth for me.
Michelle, thanks for the name of that. I'll ask my vet tonight.
Barbara, thanks to you and I'll do a search for Miley and see what I can come up with.
Boscibo, Speckles is 17.
KK and Naomi, good vibes received and passed along to the furbabies.
Amberlee, I'm 100% positive that it's not stress. I have a very quiet household and have been thinking about anything that's changed. Food is the same, detergent is the same so I don't think it's allergies either.
KK, I have absolutely nothing to complain about compared to what some others are going through.

[Randi]

I'm afraid I can't give you any advise on this, but I'll be sending positive and healing vibes for Speckles. I do hope it's nothing serious!

Get better soon, Speckles!

[gini]

Mmmm, Slick, I am sorry to hear about Speckles. Rascal has hot spots too, once in a while. His are caused by allergies and he will chew himself raw if I don't catch it in time.

I hope you have some good news for us after you visit the vets.

{{{hugs}}}

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm sorry to hear about Speckles. Hopefully this will be something that's easily treatable. Please keep us upated.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Originally posted by slick
Thanks everyone.
Debbie, that's exactly what Speckles' tail looks like.
How did you prevent Tubby from licking the neosporin off??

Slick, I'm so sorry I'm just seeing this! I was going to ask for an uppydate on Speckles and I see you've asked me a question.

I don't know why, but Tubby had no interest in licking the neosporin off. He could reach his tail if he really wanted to, but I don't think it bothered him at all so he just ignored it. When it was on his back he would really have had to stretch to reach it, and I don't think he's that limber anymore. When it was on his back he would twitch now and then like it bothered him. When he started twitching too much I gave him a bath, gave him the day off then added more neosporin.

Any uppydate on Speckles and Max's mouth?

[slick]

Dear Auntie Debbie:

Meowmie took me to the whitecoats and it appears that I have fleas and the bald patches on my body are an allergic reaction!!!! How could this happen? I never go outside at all. Meowmie thinks that maybe she brought them home because she always pets the d-o-g-s that come into work. She feels
bad, but I just purr and she feels better. The whitecoats jabbed me with something then when I got home Meowmie put some smelly stuff on the back of my neck and told me that those fleas would be gone soon. She also has to comb me, but I don't like to be combed at all.

My brodder Max went to the whitecoats too and had to open him mouff wide for the hooman. Seems that Max's mouff is OK now. Ulcers all gone. That means he's feeling better and he can stalk me again, darn it. Meowmie put that same smelly stuff on his neck too. Now we boff smell bad. Yuck!

Well, I gots to go and have my nap now. This writing on the 'puter is exhausting work. Headbumpies to you, Tubby and Peanut.

luv
Speckles