Cat and recurring rash

[MortifiedAdams]

Each winter girl cat has gone very dry and spotty, at the bottom.of her back, on her head and under her chin.

Steroids helped the first time, then the following winter it all returned, but nowhere near as bad.

This year she is already so spotty, and the ones on her head and the back.of her neck are like.sores, and very wet. The base of her spine is dry and thinning of hair.

I am taking her to the vets on tuesday but wondered if anyone knew anything more in the meantime or had experience of this.

We jad thought it was stress related as she hates going out in the cold.and just its coming to that time of year and I know she is.not going to want to go outside. Or could it be something more?

have you checked her for fleas if she has a flea allergy it will only take one flea to set her off, i had a dog with this and could tell straight away if there was a problem and where shes getting the rash is the usual place for fleas to like on a cat

Flea allergy dermatitis until proven otherwise.

Put her on a white surface (bath is good) and ruffle the coat to shake off any debris. Wipe up with damp kitchen paper or cotton wool and look for comma shaped specks that turn red as they start to dissolve (flea poo)

You need a rapidly acting flea product (not frontline/fipronil - try advantage, stronghold or comfortis tablets) to treat her for tapeworms and to treat the house with a product containing permethrin and an IGR.
She may temporarily need some steroids until it settles.

The other possibility this time of year is harvest mites which you can sometimes see (orange/red, size of a pin head) but the lower back distribution is absolutely classic for flea allergy.

Thank you Baking

I will take her for a steroid shot tomorrow and treat the house tomorrow evening. Can I get the rapid stuff over the counter or do I need to get it on script/at vets?

Advantage you can get without prescription, Advocate, Stronghold and Comfortis all prescription only.

Advantage has imidacloprid in (same ingredient as Advocate but no wormer) and is fairly cheap but v effective, and rapidly acting in comparison to Frontline.
Drontal combined round/tape wormer available without prescription.
House spray - RIP, Indorex, Acclaim, Nuvan Staykill - all basically the same thing.

Shit - DH just found out he has ringworm. Could that be what the cat has and could he have caught it from her?

Doesn't sound like it from your description, but tell the vet and they can test her (hair plucks grown on an agar plate or looking with a Woods lamp)

Okay, thanks

Might just be coincidence them.both being scabby at the same time then.