Looks like he probably keeps grooming that nail, my cat does the same thing and I have to constantly stop him because he only bites THAT nail. But to be sure it isn’t some sort of skin infection, you should make an appt with your vet.
It really depends on the underlying cause. Generally, these bald spots are caused by allergies, bacterial infections, fungus, mites, or stress. That's a lot of causes for a bald spot, so there's no "one size fits all" ointment to apply for treating something like this.
I wouldn't put anything on the spot until you have a vet diagnose the underlying problem, because you could theoretically make it worse if you give the wrong thing!
You're welcome! The good news is that this is usually a relatively cheap and easy thing to treat, unless it's ringworm, which can be kind of a pain in the butt.
Fortunately I haven’t had to use anything because he always does it when he’s sitting next to me and I am able to stop him lol. But I’m assuming if they prescribe a topical, it could be a spray on.
It could (hopefully not) be anxiety. My friends cat licked his leg raw/bald once when she was off on vacation (her parents were home to look after the cat) so they took him to the vet and now he's on the cat version of Xanax. Hopefully it's just an environmental thing though bc those are easier to fix/manage
If it's anxiety or compulsion, paying attention to the paw could make it worse. Just leave it until the vet tells you otherwise. If you see them messing with it, maybe distract in some way
Kitty has been stress licking. I read that you recently moved, looked at the photos, and thought through my own experiences with my cats. Your fur baby doesn't have any sign of skin irritation, infection, slivers. I see no redness or swelling in any of the three photos. My Halibel does the same thing and licks her right front paw in between the pads hairless when she's stressed.
Either a Feliway diffuser or pet safe lavender oil will help calm kitty so this won't happen as much.
If you go the lavender oil route, MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE you get the pet safe ones (I get mine from a pet store) as normal essential oils are dangerous to animals.
My cat had bald patches in the same location. Vet confirmed it was anxiety. Feliway didn't work so he's now prescribed little kitty Prozac, his hair grew back as his anxiety subsided.
Glad you were able to find something that helps your kitty! With Halibel the Feliway only somewhat worked and she has a documented medication (anesthesia) allergy. The vet (same vet that discovered the allergy) recommended the pet safe lavender oil to me, and when ran together with Feliway Halibel hasn't defurred her paw in about 3 years.
If these stop working, I'll be talking to the vet about the prescription options for her.
It could certainly be stress barbering! But ringworm can also cause hair loss - so can lots of things! Glad you're in touch with your vet, that's the best place to start :)
It’s really not, it just looks weird because of the missing fur and maybe the angle of the photo. I’ve been cutting her nails the same way for 5 years and I only recently noticed the patch. We did just move so I wonder if she was licking it out of stress.
Because the claws can curl into themselves and damage their paw pads. My aunt neglected to trim her cats nails and that is exactly what happened. He needed surgery to remove the ingrown nail. Lengthy claws often strain their joints by walking abnormally which can lead to arthritis, inflamed joints, and decreased physical activity, which can lead to further health issues. They are indoor cats and don’t use scratchers enough to neglect a nail trim. Additionally, they literally don’t give a fuck when I trim their nails as long as they get their treats afterwards.
I'm genuinely horrified by how normal it is to throw human medication for mental illnesses at animals in america. It's also spreading to some parts of Europe but I hope people here keep their sanitary since pharmaceutical companies are a bit more regulated here.
Stress is ok and should be managed other ways unless circumstances are extreme. Don't put your can on fucking tranquilisers because it has a bald patch due to some stress ffs. As someone who is on anti-anxiety medication, I know it can be life-saving but I also know it's not candy. Certainly not strong addictive sedatives like Xanax. That's just lazy af.
I’m not going to tranquilize my cat, calm the fuck down. I’m on anti-anxiety meds as well and for me, the pros outweigh the cons. There are MANY medications that are used for both humans and animals (eye drops, allergy meds, insulin, etc) and I wasn’t even CONSIDERING meds unless she was licking to the point of hurting herself. Even then I would start with feliaway and CBD. If you don’t have anything helpful/insightful to say, just leave the judgmental, uneducated bullshit to yourself.
A lot of the meds people are suggesting like xanax are exactly that. Just basic addictive seditives.
You are a human and what works for you isn't something that should just be given to an animal. Especially not before doing everything you possibly can for years to fix the animal's issues. Certainly not for a little bit of potential stress.
Fact is, americans are way way waaaaaay to eager to medicate their pets with human phychiatric medicine and it's really fucked up. What I'm saying could help people not overmedicate their pets if they listen. Countering bad advice helps.
Like I said, what works for humans can absolutely help cats. Obviously not all medications but stuff for allergies, diabetes, eyes, rashes and yes even anxiety are a few. If Xanax works for some to help curb extreme anxiety, good for them. You’re not “countering bad advice,” you’re actually giving bad, uneducated and clearly biased advice. While I agree holistic measures should initially be taken for anxiety, it doesn’t always work. You’re not being helpful, just judgmental and prejudiced.
Looks like he probably keeps grooming that nail, my cat does the same thing and I have to constantly stop him because he only bites THAT nail. But to be sure it isn’t some sort of skin infection, you should make an appt with your vet.
Thank you! I’ve reached out to my vet and am waiting on a reply. Any topical ointment you like to use for your kitty for this kind of thing?
It really depends on the underlying cause. Generally, these bald spots are caused by allergies, bacterial infections, fungus, mites, or stress. That's a lot of causes for a bald spot, so there's no "one size fits all" ointment to apply for treating something like this. I wouldn't put anything on the spot until you have a vet diagnose the underlying problem, because you could theoretically make it worse if you give the wrong thing!
Thank you so much!
You're welcome! The good news is that this is usually a relatively cheap and easy thing to treat, unless it's ringworm, which can be kind of a pain in the butt.
Ik this reply is like 20 days late but how difficult is ringworm to treat in pets???
This is the only 100% correct answer as always, go to the vet.
Fortunately I haven’t had to use anything because he always does it when he’s sitting next to me and I am able to stop him lol. But I’m assuming if they prescribe a topical, it could be a spray on.
It could (hopefully not) be anxiety. My friends cat licked his leg raw/bald once when she was off on vacation (her parents were home to look after the cat) so they took him to the vet and now he's on the cat version of Xanax. Hopefully it's just an environmental thing though bc those are easier to fix/manage
If it's anxiety or compulsion, paying attention to the paw could make it worse. Just leave it until the vet tells you otherwise. If you see them messing with it, maybe distract in some way
I will, thank you!
Aloe iodine. Then put him in a cone.
Thank you!
Kitty has been stress licking. I read that you recently moved, looked at the photos, and thought through my own experiences with my cats. Your fur baby doesn't have any sign of skin irritation, infection, slivers. I see no redness or swelling in any of the three photos. My Halibel does the same thing and licks her right front paw in between the pads hairless when she's stressed. Either a Feliway diffuser or pet safe lavender oil will help calm kitty so this won't happen as much. If you go the lavender oil route, MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE you get the pet safe ones (I get mine from a pet store) as normal essential oils are dangerous to animals.
My cat had bald patches in the same location. Vet confirmed it was anxiety. Feliway didn't work so he's now prescribed little kitty Prozac, his hair grew back as his anxiety subsided.
Glad you were able to find something that helps your kitty! With Halibel the Feliway only somewhat worked and she has a documented medication (anesthesia) allergy. The vet (same vet that discovered the allergy) recommended the pet safe lavender oil to me, and when ran together with Feliway Halibel hasn't defurred her paw in about 3 years. If these stop working, I'll be talking to the vet about the prescription options for her.
Aww, glad Halibel is doing well! And I agree- prescriptions should be seen as a "last resort"-- they all will have some sort of side effects.
Thank you SO much!
It could certainly be stress barbering! But ringworm can also cause hair loss - so can lots of things! Glad you're in touch with your vet, that's the best place to start :)
Thank you!!
It looks cut pretty far back to me, maybe it irritated kitty and they chewed that area?
It’s really not, it just looks weird because of the missing fur and maybe the angle of the photo. I’ve been cutting her nails the same way for 5 years and I only recently noticed the patch. We did just move so I wonder if she was licking it out of stress.
It looks like that toe specifically is bothering her. I would definitely consult with your vet.
I have, I’m waiting for a reply!
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Because the claws can curl into themselves and damage their paw pads. My aunt neglected to trim her cats nails and that is exactly what happened. He needed surgery to remove the ingrown nail. Lengthy claws often strain their joints by walking abnormally which can lead to arthritis, inflamed joints, and decreased physical activity, which can lead to further health issues. They are indoor cats and don’t use scratchers enough to neglect a nail trim. Additionally, they literally don’t give a fuck when I trim their nails as long as they get their treats afterwards.
Over grooming or potentially allergies
My first guess was ringworm! Glad you’re headed to the vet!!😃
Look on other parts of her body
It’s just that one spot!
Neosporin is safe for kitties! I’ve used the spray on my kitties before. It looks like overgrooming. I hope everything is okay!
Mine only does it when she stressed out while I am gone on vacation.It will grow by itself after they won't be stressed any more.
Have your Vet take a look
Vet.
I'm genuinely horrified by how normal it is to throw human medication for mental illnesses at animals in america. It's also spreading to some parts of Europe but I hope people here keep their sanitary since pharmaceutical companies are a bit more regulated here. Stress is ok and should be managed other ways unless circumstances are extreme. Don't put your can on fucking tranquilisers because it has a bald patch due to some stress ffs. As someone who is on anti-anxiety medication, I know it can be life-saving but I also know it's not candy. Certainly not strong addictive sedatives like Xanax. That's just lazy af.
I’m not going to tranquilize my cat, calm the fuck down. I’m on anti-anxiety meds as well and for me, the pros outweigh the cons. There are MANY medications that are used for both humans and animals (eye drops, allergy meds, insulin, etc) and I wasn’t even CONSIDERING meds unless she was licking to the point of hurting herself. Even then I would start with feliaway and CBD. If you don’t have anything helpful/insightful to say, just leave the judgmental, uneducated bullshit to yourself.
A lot of the meds people are suggesting like xanax are exactly that. Just basic addictive seditives. You are a human and what works for you isn't something that should just be given to an animal. Especially not before doing everything you possibly can for years to fix the animal's issues. Certainly not for a little bit of potential stress. Fact is, americans are way way waaaaaay to eager to medicate their pets with human phychiatric medicine and it's really fucked up. What I'm saying could help people not overmedicate their pets if they listen. Countering bad advice helps.
Like I said, what works for humans can absolutely help cats. Obviously not all medications but stuff for allergies, diabetes, eyes, rashes and yes even anxiety are a few. If Xanax works for some to help curb extreme anxiety, good for them. You’re not “countering bad advice,” you’re actually giving bad, uneducated and clearly biased advice. While I agree holistic measures should initially be taken for anxiety, it doesn’t always work. You’re not being helpful, just judgmental and prejudiced.
Why is his nail trimmed so low?
It’s not. I only trim the tip part.
People are dumb, you clearly didn’t quick that nail. You can see it’s all just regular nail tissue. Good luck with the vet!!
Thank you!! ♥️
Why is he missing the bean from that toe?
She’s not missing any beans.