Cat has developed a bald patch. Cause?

[OscarSwoosh]

We have a 2 year old black tom that we got from a rescue centre 7 months ago. He is very happy, affectionate, playful, eats/sleeps well - no signs of illness or distress at all.
He was an indoor cat when we got him, and still is. He's never been ill.

We were told that while he was at the rescue place, he had been having monthly doses of Frontline for fleas. The sort you apply with a dropper to the back of his neck and a bit further back. They said we only needed to apply it once every 3 months or so as he is indoors only.

First 2 applications were fine. The 3rd seemed fine too, although he really didn't want it on this time and it was difficult to get hold of him to do it. A few days later while he was eating, we noticed a completely bald patch exactly where the Frontline had been applied, at the base of his neck - sort of almost between his shoulder blades.

Could the Frontline have caused this or is it something else? Has this happened to anyone else's otherwise-healthy cat?

If it is the Frontline, would you recommend we stop using it, and if so, what would you recommend instead?

Thank you.

[iliketea]

Could well be a reaction to frontline (either directly) or indirectly where he has been scratching if the frontline irritated. You need to get it checked at the vet in case it's a reaction to something else or a non-related skin condition and to prevent the area becoming infected (if he's scratching excessively it will become an open wound).

[Yoghurty]

Our cat has a bald neck She had an extreme reaction to a flea collar when she was younger. It never grew back so yes, it could well be a reaction to the ingredients in the Frontline

[Yoghurty]

Forgot to add that I'd suggest you talking to your vet. Our cat is allergic to flea collars but is fine with Frontline- your vet will be able to advise you better

[OscarSwoosh]

OK thank you.

Just to clarify, he's not scratching it at all, it's out of his reach. Also it's only about the size of a 5p coin and hasn't got any bigger since it was first spotted about a week ago. Doesn't seem to be bothering him in the slightest.