Cat: hair loss - help?!

[lilypad]

I think you can get that duck/pea combo food at a pet store, Idaho.

[disadvantage]

My cat cut her paw really bad, but it was not deep. More like a scratch.
Now a week later it looks like her hair is coming out around the area. I cannot
afford a vet, but I need to do something. Any suggestions.

[littlelou]

look in their mouth also,

Bubba had a cavity in his right top fang and turned into bare belly beast from licking. other health issues cropped up (hypertropic heart murmur) and took 3-4 weeks to settle those before they could pull the tooth. He's soooo cute when he yawns and that fang is missing and he still curls that side of his lip up in a snarl occasionally. During this time he licked his belly BARE! the vet said he compensated for the pain (which was slight) by washing. took 6 mos for the hair to grow back, which was a relief because the vet said he might not stop.... then it'd be bubba on kitty valium for awhile. I look at his mouth at least once a week for redness to the gums.

[Fat Freddy]

Originally Posted by disadvantage

My cat cut her paw really bad, but it was not deep. More like a scratch. Now a week later it looks like her hair is coming out around the area. I cannot afford a vet, but I need to do something. Any suggestions.

Look at it closely and see if there is any sign of infection, which would be swelling or a scab that showed signs of puss or blood. Press around gently near the wound to see if it is sore which might also be a sign of infection.

If it doesn't look infected or isn't tender and has a dry scab or has healed to where there is no scab, I wouldn't do anything as the hair loss is probably due to the cat licking the wound to keep it clean.

If it is infected, take warm water and gently swab the scab to soften it until it comes off. Try to express any puss from the wound and disinfect it with povidone-iodine like Betadine. Get the store brand as the name brand, Betadine, is a lot more expensive. Be sure to use povidone-iodine and not Tincture of Iodine as that will sting and make the cat try to get away. If you have to, you can use Hydrogen Peroxide, but the p-iodine is easier on the tissues.

Get as much iodine as you can into and out of the wound. If you can't express any puss and the wound is swollen, it is probably abcessed and will need to be lanced and probably a drain installed. Although I have done this, it is not something I would recommend as home first aid. Besides, with an infection that advanced you should put the cat on an anti-biotic and you will most likely need a prescription from the vet to get it.

[nancy thereader]

Gracie was doing that (scratching off her fur) to herself, but only right next to her eyes and only in spring and fall. One doctor prescribed Frontline , but fleas and all were not the problem . Another vet gave her cortizone shots & they do seem to work .

[deannbrueggert]

I had the groomer shaved our himalayian cat into the "lion cut" as i have done several times previous , and now after 4+ months her coat has not grown in! Has anyone ever experienced this with their cat?

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

One of my cats also has a autoimmune/allergy thing and gets a steroid shot about every 6 weeks or so. If not, she licks her butt and underside of her tail raw, also her face gets scratched to a faretheewell. She is on Feline KD b/c her sis has a bad kidney due to the contaminated food 2 yrs ago and they all do very well on it.Good luck!

[yukiko11]

I'm no expert on anything, but what about mange? When my current kitty came to my door almost starved, he also had huge patches of hair missing and his overall coat was so thin it looked like an old lady with a (halo) perm. (no disrespect, that could be me)

[Minervah]

Is your cat a specific breed? I had a Siamese cat who began getting bald spots. I took her to an animal dermatologist who tested her for everything under the sun and then determined she was pulling her fur out due to stress. He told me it was common for 'meezers to do this. I finally saw her do this one day. She seemed to be doing it at first when I wasn't around but then began to pull her fur in front of me.

I don't know what it was that stressed her but everytime I saw her begin to pull, I took her in my lap and gave her a lot of loves, pets and smooches. It seemed to calm her and she would stop pulling out her fur. We did this a few times and the results were remarkable. She stopped pulling out her fur altogether.

A couple of months later, she began doing it again. I applied the same "remedy" and she soon stopped and never did it again. Whatever was bothering her was strictly psychological. Reassurance seemed to calm her down. I would first make sure your kitty's problem isn't physical and if it isn't try giving her more attention and reassurance. Who knows? It worked for my kitty and it might work for yours.

[zoebear]

Try Blue Buffalo Longevity or Salmon. They have done wonders for our cats.