Small spot of hair loss on ears, no sign of ear mites

[SkittlesCat]

Our 10 year old indoor cat has started to lose a small spot of hair on both ears at the same place, at the back where her ear meets her head.

I have not seen her over grooming herself, nor have I seen any excessive ear scratching, just what I would think would be a normal scratch here and there.

The first thing I thought about was ear mites, as I have seen them before in animals I had many years ago, so I know what it looks like.  She is a black cat, so her white skin stands out, so I can clearly see in her ears to see that she has very clean ears.  No brown, build up or anything.  No rashes, no crustiness, nothing that I can see.

She does not have fleas, she does not seem stressed even tho she just moved here to another city, when she came with my boyfriend when he moved in on Sept 2nd.  So she has been here for 3 months already and seems very well adjusted and seems to just LOVE it here!  We have spoiled her rotten with toys, GREAT food, and lots of attention.  She is very active, loves to play, and is quite the talker hehehehe

The only thing I can think of would be her claws.  She is not declawed, but we do have a nice scratching post for her that she LOVES and uses all the time.  Then again, I guess that wouldn't really help with her back claws I am assuming.  We have not trimmed her nails, so could that be the problem?

I also thought of food allergies.  When she first came here I put her on IAM's for Mature Cats.  She seemed to love it for about 2 or 3 weeks, then didn't hardly eat it anymore and started to drop weight.  We also noticed a bit of red blood in her stool.  We changed over to another very high quality food available only here in Sweden.  She loves it, and started eating again, gained her weight back and no more blood.  But the tiny spot of missing fur is still slowly getting larger.  It is still quite small, maybe the size of the rivets on levi jeans, on one ear and the other side is just starting to show a spot, so it is much smaller.

Any ideas or suggestions??

[phoenickss]

Another common ailment that is missed quite often is thyroid problems. Which can also cause the problem of diarrhea. You should seed veterinary help and possibly have blood work done. :(
Pat

[Mrs_Savas]

Sounds like a great plan!  I absolutely agree with you.

In the meantime, do try to make sure that she gets plenty of fluids, as dehydration can exacerbate digestive difficulties.

If the missing fur spots spread or if she develops little scabby places there or anywhere else, then it is very likely ringworm.  I'm sure you could treat that with the cream I mentioned, without complicating any other condition she may have.

Keep us posted, ok?

[SkittlesCat]

Thanks for your quick response.

No we do not bathe her ever...as they do that on their own.

We did just recently add canned food, as we realized it was important to give them wet as well as the dry.

We are going to take her in at the end of the month to get her a general check, to see what is going on.  As we are worried with the hair loss, the blood in the stool a few weeks ago, and now we noticed what appears to be dried up feces on her tail, which looks like it would have come from diarrhea altho we have not found any sign of that in the litter box.  Too many little things adding up to a possible big problem, so we are gonna get her checked over good.

[Mrs_Savas]

Firstly, her claws are not the problem.  You don't have to trim them (it's not a great idea anyway, as claw cutting can crush the claw and lead to serious infection), she will keep them in good shape on her own.  There is no need to declaw a cat, ever.  If a cat is scratching, then the cause of the itching should be diagnosed and treated, rather than just taking the claws away.  But the scratching post is a good idea, as it gives her something she can use to keep them in good shape and help her get rid of the outer claw layer when her claws are shedding.

There are a couple of things it could be.  

It could be an allergic reaction.  The ears are a sensitive place on a kitty.  Are you bathing her?  If so, she could be reacting to the cat shampoo or whatever soap you are using.  The easiest solution to this is to stop the baths.  Cats keep themselves clean and their fur has necessary bacteria and oils that washing strips away.  If she gets into something really messy, you can wipe it off with a warm, damp cloth.  Otherwise, she'll be fine on her own.  If this is the case, after you discontinue the baths, keep an eye out to see if the missing fur condition clears up in a reasonable period of time.

Ringworm is a possibility.  Usually, ringworm causes a scab on the affected area of skin, but not always.  Ringworm isn't a worm, btw, it's a fungas and easily treatable with over the counter athletes foot cream (yes, really!  Read the label, it lists ringworm as a treatable condition). You should get a vet's diagnosis, but you don't need the expensive prescription cream.  Lotriman AF, or any brand is fine - apply twice a day very thoroughly, you have to get every affected spot.  And stick to the creams, no sprays!

Also, it could be a vitamin deficiency.  Cats should be fed canned and dry food and get lots of water.  You can try a multi-vitamin supplement from the pet store and see if the situation clears up.

Is she scratching the area a lot?  Or anywhere else on her body?

It would be a good idea to take her to a vet to get this checked.  Fur loss is indicative of an underlying condition, like those I mention above.  

Let us know if you have any other questions or concerns, ok?